Thursday 23 July 2026.

Thursday 23 July 2026...5.15pm to 8pm... Showcase - THE BACK ROOM at HARD ROCK CAFE , 148 Old Park Lane , Mayfair, London W1. The Back Room Bar at the Hard Rock Cafe London features a maximum capacity of 50 people standing or 25 people seated. This intimate space houses the iconic, autographed door from the Beatles' former Apple Studios at 3 Savile Row...you can hire the room out for office Christmas parties etc Maybe just 30 guests are here in their private space around to the side of the main entrance. This original HRC is celebrating 55 years...it opened in 1971. There is a DJ playing tunes and a female plays some acoustic covers. At 6.30pm we all went to their Hard Rock Vault 50 yards away for a 15 mins talk about the memorabilia. Always great to look at the music memorabilia. Sex Pistol GLEN MATLOCK documentary has been on SKY Arts several times recently , and in it Glen talks about his first acoustic guitar that his parents bought him. Well , it is here , nicely displayed on one of the safes. See the three photos on my Facebook page. The venue used to be a bank , and all the safes have memorabilia in them. Complimentary drinks and food , included Vodka Martinis, Sangria , Guinness , lagers, ciders ,burgers , canapes and desserts . All guests got a goodie bag with Hard Rock Cafe merch items and drinks vouchers . The main part of The Hard Rock Cafe used to have lots of invite only special gigs from the likes of Q Mag , Absolute Radio and when they used to sponsor Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park. The capacity is only around 150/200. Four of the best ones I went to were... 2005 - Deep Purple ( venue re-opening party after a fire) 2007 - Aerosmith - ( to announce their Hard Rock Calling Hyde Park show) 2009 - Bad Company ( to announce their first UK tour for some 25 years ) 2011 - Manic Street Preachers ( for Absolute Radio) --------------------- --------------------- Wednesday 22 July 2026....7pm press / VIP opening night... TRAINSPOTTING - THE MUSICAL - The Theatre Royal , Haymarket , London SW1. Thirty years on from the film that changed everything, Trainspotting: The Musical has its world premiere. Written by Irvine Welsh with Music & Lyrics by Stephen McGuinness & Irvine Welsh and Directed & Developed by Caroline Jay Ranger. Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy, and Kelly, the industrial drug-crazed working-class heroes, are back. In 1996, CHOOSE LIFE sounded like a challenge. Thirty years on, the landscape has shifted, but the hunger hasn't. Addiction hasn't disappeared - it's shifted. It's quieter now, more embedded. Less needle, more screen. Less escape, more repetition. The same restless search for something to fill the space. Remember that great soundtrack from 30 years ago?. ------------------- A good idea to get there 30 mins before the start as a proper buzz outside the venue as a dozen photographers are taking snaps of the celebrity arrivals on the ORANGE carpet. The laminates and aftershow wristbands were also in trademark Trainspotting ORANGE. As expected lots of well known names here tonight, including ...IRVINE WALSH , RUSTY EGAN, KEVIN ROWLAND, BOBBY GILLESPIE, PAUL WHITEHOUSE, ALAN DAVIES, GAIL PORTER, MEL GIEDROYC, SAFFRON (Republica) , ROWETTA ( ex Happy Mondays) , MARK MOORE, ARABELLA WEIR, NICK MORAN, CASS PENNANT ( ex football hooligan leader of West Hams ICF), DOUGRAY SCOTT , ELAINE PAIGE , NICK REYNOLDS and no doubt a few more. A nice surprise to see DOMINIC MOHAN who edited The Sun Newspaper Bizarre Entertainment page in the late 1990s ( he told me he now has four children). The show was on for 2 hours 30 mins , including a 25 mins interval. Two sets of 70 mins and 55 mins Great to see all the characters we know and love from the film. My faves tonight were Spud the twitching dork and Begbie the alarmingly loud psychopath with a moustache. The new songs written for the musical were a bit average . Classic older tracks sung included ' Lust for Life', ' Perfect Day', ' Drop Dead Gorgeous ' , 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' , ' Temptation' were all good , but Underworld would not let them use ' Born Slippy'. The script was a bit mixed up and during the interval I chatted to a few people , and they thought like me that the strong Scottish accents were a bit hard to make out sometimes. Not sure all the swearing and squalid drug taking will appeal to the usual West End theatre goer. Overall it was enjoyable enough, but should have been better The early reviews have been mainly negative. The Guardian gave the show just the one star. The Standard gave the show just the one star. It is on here until 05 September 2026, then tours the UK. 9.45pm to 12pm..... Post show party at O'Neills , Wardour Street , London W1. Another nice touch from the organisers , as this used to be cool hangout The Wag Club back in the 1990s. I went there several times back in the day. They sometimes had live bands . I first saw The Godfathers there in 1987 , as a showcase when they signed to EPIC. Their original line-up blew me away that night, and I would see them around 20 times after. All the cast are here. Most of the well known faces from the main event went to the party . I had a nice long chat with Rusty Egan , and got a photo with Kevin Rowland. Complimentary spirits n mixers including JD and cokes , prosecco, wines, Guinness, lagers , ciders but oddly no food. We left at midnight , but still very lively as a 1am finish . ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Tuesday 21 July 2026. THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF CAMPING - press night - at The Theatre Royal ,Windsor. One family. One weekend. Everything changes. Starring EastEnders favourite, Queen of the Jungle and Strictly Come Dancing Christmas winner Charlie Brooks alongside Max Brown (Downton Abbey, The Tudors, The Sister Boniface Mysteries), The Hidden Dangers of Camping is a gripping, emotional drama about family, secrets, and growing up too soon. When Casey’s life is shaken by her daughter’s choices, she’s pulled back to a childhood camping trip that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. As past and present collide, long buried truths surface. Funny, honest, and quietly heartbreaking. No silly West End ticket prices here , as they are from a bargain £15 until Tuesday , and from £19.50 for the last four days www.threatreroyal.co.uk - Visit their website here for more info and to buy tickets. It is on here from Friday 17 July to Saturday 25 July 2026. ------------ Always nice to be at this 633 capacity historic theatre. Mainly theatre shows here, but it does have well known tribute acts too. A couple of hours in Windsor in the afternoon sunshine was a great prelude to the theatre. The theatre is actually opposite the famous Windsor Castle. The show was on for 2 hours 10 mins , including a 20 mins interval. The Hidden Dangers of Camping is a stage play by Liesl Wilke. It jumps between the present day and a past childhood camping trip set in the 1970s.The story follows the character Casey and her therapy sessions. She is forced to confront her past after dealing with her own daughter's life choices. The narrative uses the 1970s setting to explore nostalgic family road trips in older, unmodified vans.The lasting impact of family secrets and generational trauma. The emotional complexities of the parents' open marriage. How children grow up too soon when dealing with adult situations. There are ten actors in total for the show. All the cast did a great job with the American accents. Charlie Brooks is superb as Ruby , both as a flirty younger, and in the second half as a glamorous Grandma, when three generations come together . Packed with warmth, humour and emotional honesty, this new play is very enjoyable. ---------- There was no big opening night party like the big West End productions have , but we are given two vouchers each for a pint of beer or a wine, along with a programme.

Posted 21st July 2026