World Cup 2006 Extravaganza

Thursday evening, it was Engerland vs Trinidad & Tobago in a World Cup group stage match. I traveled north with Musty MC up to booming Kentish Town. A special footy night was due at the Bull and Gate, a knackered old pub with grumpy old bar staff. The B&G is also however a rock venue. Acts as famous as Keane, British Sea Power and Scrotum Clamp have played the stage of its small darkened back room.

It was a World Cup 2006 Extravaganza night, roughly timetabled as follows:

5pm: England v T&T (with bar snacks and half time Oranges), followed by bands Fractured and I, Ludicrous and then finally at 10pm: a rare performance from the one and only Frank Sidebottom.

It would have been hard to find a worse pub to watch the match in - no big screen plasmas to display the beauty of Gabby Yorath, just a few second hand sub 20 inchers. Still, the crowd banter and oranges made up for the poor viewing experience. The game itself was quite possibly the worst football match in the history of the world... ever! England were shite and didn't have a clue how to beat, with no disrespect to T&T, a side of useless nobodies. Owen Hargreaves wasn't playing so that's not an excuse. Owen, Beckham and Crouch are just not good enough and Lampard played like an over weight fat arse (no longer does he have 'marble buttocks').

After the game we popped out to Kentish Town's high road for some food and were spoilt for choice. A curry later we returned to catch an entertaining set of punk football rants from I, Ludicrous. Then came Timperley's favourite big Frank...

Frank has been quiet for a few years so it's good to see him back and hear that he is planning a new release. At this World Cup Extravaganza performance however he mostly stuck with his tried and tested classics. The crowd laughed and sang along with Zoo Scrapbook, Anarchy In Timperley, Timperley Sunset, Frank Gordon, The Robbins Aren't Bobbins and many many more. Add in Freddie Mecury and Elvis impressions and a guest appearance by his 'stupid stupid stupid' puppet Little Frank and we got a night of top ace entertainment.

Yes Frank is back. You know he is... he really is.

p.s. Little Frank is looking better than he has for a while