Day 2: Dandies

We started off today with a trip over to Blackstock Road where had breakfast sitting outside in the sun before popping into BookBar, which is a bookshop and wine bar run by a friend of Hannah's. You know, I have a lot of respect for anyone who runs their own business but I'm so impressed by anyone who has to contend with premises, stock, and walk-in customers, as well as being in competition with online booksellers.

We stuck with our policy of either walking or using London buses to get down to Waterloo for lunch with my folks. One late paying dividend on my dad's national service is his membership of the Union Jack Club, just by East Waterloo station. It's brilliant for my mum and dad as it gives them a base camp in London, right by Waterloo, which is the station they come into. And it was a great place for us to meet for lunch, too.

And after dinner with Dan at Rudy's Dirty Vegan near Camden Lock, Abi, Hannah, and I proceeded up to the Roundhouse to see the Dandies. I've seen the Dandies live before and one of the things I like about them as an act is that they like to make people happy. Consequently, the set is peppered with hits, including four tracks from their hugely successful 'Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia'.

There were lots of nice touches, not least Zia McCabe's motherly crowd control and keyboard jam at the end, but the highpoint and biggest surprise for me was when the other members of the band walked off the stage leaving Courtney Taylor Taylor, alone with his guitar. He gave a brief preamble about (I think!) learning a classic British song especially for this tour and then launched into playing.

It was really familiar to me - nice tune, lovely vocal melody - but I couldn't place it. And then I realised it was 'Nobody's Diary' by Yazoo! Fantastic!

All in, it was a great show and I was so pleased that Hannah and Abi enjoyed it as much as I did. A brilliant bit of birthday present giving by Abi!