The Archer

Saturday 10th January 2004

A Night Out At The Torrington
by John Dearing

I paid a belated first visit to The Torrington in North Finchley on Saturday 10 January, with friends over from Germany who wished to take in some live music while they were here.

The Ian Parker Band played two hours of soul-edged Blues, Jazz and Rock in The Back door Club there. The whole audience was captivated from the moment of the first chords by a set that was both expertly performed and intensely emotional. They play there again on 14 March - don't miss it (for information about events at The Back Door Club see www.thetorrington.co.uk). I enjoyed it so much I bought both the CDs on offer and have played them many times since.

Intimate

The club has what is often described as an intimate atmosphere, and that evening it was comfortably crowded. Unfortunately, the pub let itself down somewhat by not only having no Real Ale, but no Bitter Beer at all!

We left eventually at about 12:40 and walked straight onto an N20 bus going south. Whatever the problems with buses by day, this bus appears to be prompt, fast and surprisingly frequent.

Also see Andy Snipper's Review