Yamato Drummers

Tonight, Buddies on a Budget in London were off to the Yamato Drummers at the Peacock Theatre. Their tickets were sold out by the time I came to booking this, but it was the best thing on Meetup for the day - so I booked my own ticket. Eating in Cote Covent Garden.

Made it just in time for my reservation - and joined the queue of people with bookings! (Anyone without a booking was politely asked to leave.) My booking was for 6pm. I got to speak to someone at 6.02, and finally got a table at about 6.10. Wow, this place is busy - one of the prime options pre-theatre, I guess! We were assured that the people were on the point of paying.. one impatient lady in the queue sniffily said that they should be MADE to leave - they had to go to the theatre, you know! She was reminded that everyone here was going to the theatre..

I ordered from the lady who seated me, straight away - why wait?! She complimented me on my wine choice, I complimented her on the wine list, which she seemed chuffed about. I had a baguette - warm, with butter - and steak frites, of course. And it had arrived by 6.20.. and I'd eaten it by 6.35. With the show starting at 7.30, I decided to have a dessert - I tried the Paris-Brest, which I've often wondered about. It mentions a "sour berry compote", which I  optimistically thought might come on the side. I don't like fruity desserts. Sadly, it's integral to the dessert - the "choux" bun, which tasted more like shortbread, is filled with a pistachio chantilly cream, which doesn't really taste of anything, and absolutely every part of it is drizzled with the compote. I wasn't mad about it, and didn't finish it - sadly, I'd got a lovely little pot of their gorgeous chocolate sauce, but it just made a mess, pouring it over that! I won't have it again. The rest of the meal was lovely, mind.

It took forever to get the bill - I had to employ my old tactic of standing up and putting on my coat, to get anyone's attention. No wonder we were all waiting for tables, if they were all waiting to pay like this! Well, I just made the theatre in time - and as I sat down, I discovered I was only a couple of rows behind the group! (I recognised one..)

Ah, the Yamato Drummers - I've been going for years, since long before I moved to London. Always a great show - and they didn't disappoint. Yes, there are drums - big ones, small ones.. and even teeny little cymbals! At one point, they introduce a row of shamisen to mix it up. But this is really all about the drums - and the view doesn't really matter (although the stage set is beautiful), it's the rhythm we've come for, which can be heard a long way away. In fact, there are warnings outside about the volume of the music, and I'm always rather glad not to be too close to the stage for this sort of thing. They have developed a most varied act over the years, with a fair deal of comedy, and audience interaction. So you're never bored.

I caught up with the group at the interval, having made a beeline for the bar - essential here, where the queues can be long. And we had a good old chat. Turns out someone in the group cancelled, and I could have had their ticket.. ah well. Anyway, after the interval, the curtain comes down for a while, as the audience is entertained with a comedic turn - sure enough, this is to give them time to bring on the famous big drums for the finale. And I swear, the sheer force of the noise is spectacular. Never gets old, this act - runs till the 22nd. Highly recommended.

FYI My buses are all terribly crowded these days.. what, has everyone else got the memo? ;-) I keep ending up going upstairs, which I never used to have to do..

Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for The Finellis, a musical in Wonderville. Cheap tickets from CT. I remember the food not being great there - I've booked the Angus Steakhouse, which is always good.

And on Thursday, back with CT for a talk on The Peasants' Revolt, at Southwark Cathedral.