London Fog & Lost Gloves: A Drummer's Dizzying Dispatch
okay, so. london. right? i just got back, and honestly, my brain feels like a dropped cymbal. touring’s wild, you know? one minute you’re in a sweaty club in berlin, the next you’re dodging pigeons in *Bloomsbury. this trip was… something.
I’m a touring session drummer, mostly. Keeps me moving, keeps me… distracted, i guess. This time, the gig was a bit of a blur - backing up some indie band called ‘Static Bloom’ (check ‘em out on TripAdvisor if you’re bored). Anyway, london. the weather? i just checked and it’s drizzling sideways, a proper grey hug. hope you like that kind of thing. it’s not exactly sunshine and palm trees, but it’s… atmospheric, i suppose.
I spent most of my downtime wandering. Found this amazing little vintage shop in Shoreditch - ‘Re-Wound’ - seriously, go. They had a mint-condition Ludwig snare drum! Almost bought it, but my bank account staged a polite intervention. I’m always on the lookout for gear, obviously. Here’s a quick list of essentials for a drummer on the road:
*Earplugs: Seriously. Protect your hearing. You’ll thank me later.
*Spare Drumsticks: Always. Always.
*Multi-tool: For quick fixes on the road. You never know when a tuning key will go missing.
*Portable Metronome: Because time is everything.
*A good playlist: For those long train rides.
I ended up in Camden Town a lot. It’s… intense. Like, a sensory overload in the best possible way. The markets are insane. I picked up a ridiculously oversized scarf - bright orange, naturally - and a few quirky patches for my jacket. Someone told me that the canal market is a total tourist trap, but honestly, i didn’t care. It was fun.
Food-wise, i mostly just grabbed whatever looked vaguely edible. Found this amazing little Ethiopian place near King's Cross - ‘Abyssinia’ - seriously, the injera is incredible. I overheard a couple arguing about whether it’s better with beef or chicken. The bartender just shrugged and said, “mate, just eat it.” Wise words. I also tried a proper London pie. It was… an experience. Let’s just say it wasn’t my grandma’s recipe.
“Apparently, if you wander down a certain alleyway in Soho after midnight, you’ll hear the ghost of a music hall singer. Don’t ask me how i know.”
I’m still trying to process everything. The sheer scale of the city is overwhelming. If you get bored, Oxford and Cambridge are just a short drive away. I spent one afternoon just wandering around Greenwich, staring at the meridian line. Felt very… existential.
I heard that the pubs around Covent Garden get wild on weekends. Didn’t quite make it there myself, but i did manage to lose a glove somewhere near Leicester Square*. Classic. I’m pretty sure a pigeon made off with it.
Anyway, that’s london in a nutshell, as seen through the eyes of a sleep-deprived drummer. Go check out some local music venues - Yelp has some good listings. And maybe pack an extra pair of gloves. You never know.