I like live music, I like a good beer and I like to enjoy one whilst indulging in the other. With this in mind it would seem obvious that I'd be rightly appreciative of any event for new music that just-so-happens to take place in a venue which has a brewery attached.
The House of Rapture, Portsmouth brewers Staggeringly Good's new bar venture, is soon to play host to that most popular way of sampling new music, the Open Mic. In partnership with local band-cum-entrepreneurs Skaraman the new venue will be hosting regular Open Mic Nights, starting with their inaugural event on Thursday 29th February.
Most Open Mics I've encountered have tended to limit themselves to solo or duo acts, trios at a push, with nary a sniff of a full band. Not so at The House of Rapture, the organisers are keen to welcome all to their stage; solo acts, duos, small ensembles and full band line-ups too, the venue will cater for all to plug-and-play.
The doors open wide on the new night at 1900 and, as time slots won't be pre-allocated, would be players are advised to get there early.
Waking up on a wet Saturday morning, with a sore throat and a head full of cold, puts no-one in the best of spirits. So it was then that I attempted to recharge my energies with a double-header of caffeine and Twitter. Whilst the coffee machine did its noisy thing I scrolled through my feed and, yes, saw something which brought the sunshine back into my day.
For a while now small venues have been disappearing from out midst, with Portsmouth losing several over the past few years (The RMA Tavern, Drift In The City and The Cellars to name but three). It's therefore nice to be able to report some good news; the lovely folks of local ale producers Staggeringly Good have today announced the imminent of a new venue for the city, The House of Rapture.
Situated adjacent to both the brewery and its taproom, within shouting distance of Fratton Park, this new venture promises to marry the joyousness of live music with craft beer (which Staggeringly Good brew some very tasty examples of). If you're in the least bit beardy, like me, then this is a very good thing indeed.
The House of Rapture opens next week and, to celebrate its launch, the venue is hosting three evenings of FREE live music. The fun starts this Thursday, 20th December, with party ska from the always effervescent Skaraman, psychedelic rock from Mystic Hipniks Picnic (from Portsmouth, via Metropolis) and some chilled out ambience from Highlights Of Our Modern World (who were excellent at Dials Festival this year).
The following night, Friday 21st December, boasts modern folk from Megan Linford, shoegaze from Superdrone and 6Ts flavoured psych-rock courtesy of Number 9. The opening celebrations conclude on Saturday 22nd December with grunge from Make Them All Smile and [drum roll] a super secret special headliner who will be announced on the day. All that and they sell very nice beers too which, I'm sure you'll agree, really is something to celebrate.
Southsea's Bandstand stages a last hurrah for the Summer tomorrow when the Southsea Mafia hold their Summer Ska Annual Picnic. The musical fun and games are rescheduled from June when, as has happened a lot with events at the Bandstand this summer, bad weather caused the originally planned event to be cancelled.
The ska-packed line-up features live music from Butserfest Battle of the Bands finalists Skaraman, the precocious Huw Olesker & The Barebackers, Ugly Auntie and the mighty Big Topp. If that wasn't enough the Southsea Mafia DJs will be spinning a selection of tunes inbetween and afterward.
The shenanigans start at at midday, run through til 1600, and there are rumours of an after party (at an as yet undisclosed location) on the event's Facebook page. This is a FREE event, all you need to do is turn up and enjoy yourself.
