151 Fri 18/8/17: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Brentwood Golden Ale 4.3%

There’s still a big wake crowd in the pub, but not nearly as packed as earlier on – and we go in. Katie Hopkins, her from the aforementioned late 80’s, is in with her cousin who is a Brickies regular (tentative nodding terms). Katie greets me “I was just talking about The Wedding Present the other day”, which is nice – slightly odd, though The Weddoes still dominate the indie pop genre on my ipod. On introducing us to her cousin I think I’m right in correcting her that she was, like me, a Thrilled Skinny “hanger on” rather than a groupie… I think I’m right; I’m not going to ask around. Anyway, it’s nice to see her – to see her nice. Bruce Forsyth sadly died this afternoon.

The Brickies is in mourning for someone much closer to home – someone we recognised, but didn’t know. It’s sad on a number of levels; if merely, from our own largely separated point of view, that another pillar of our local community has gone. Times change, but I’ve always loved this place where Al’s in charge – where Steve Dillon is at his stool at the bar – Doon at his… the fella they’re commemorating tonight likely close by (and us playing our own little bit parts in the back bar).

Tonight the Brickies, by quite a bit past eleven, is very pissed and I’m quite tired so I wander back up Hightown Road and to bed.

I forgot to take pictures of/on this visit: below is a point (vaguely) and shoot snap, taken from the other side of Hightown Road – possibly next to that vacant building previously occupied by the Noah Charity (they’re now next door to the Brickies, in the building previously occupied by the Welbeck Social Club).