Half Moon Tributes
Putney's enduring music venue
For the second time in 2017, on January 14th the Half Moon Pub in Putney was the stage for tribute band Fleetwood Bac’s effervescent 2 hour set. The first time the band’s huge power squeezed into the intimate venue of Putney’s Half Moon was on the last night of 2016. Even though January is a recognised time of weary depletion, the sumptuous combination of a pub steeped in a history of musical performance, and the world’s best recognised Fleetwood Mac tribute act, will satisfy you more than a shot of wheatgrass and a positive mantra ever will.
This was the first time I have ever acted on the treasured reviews that punters give of the Half Moon. It has been the host to titans, as well as some of the smaller gems of the musical world, since 1963, and as such, it’s name holds gravitas amongst the choice of London pubs. Happily, it doesn’t melt into the ubiquitous ‘gastro pub’ model of so many places that South of the river do now. There is more to it, we’re not talking the distinct style of The Fighting Cocks in Kingston, or even the condensed elegance of Soho’s The French House, but it does carry a bit more grit, that simultaneously doesn’t belie the smooth nature of Putney.
And like a heavyweight champion, the pub knows the power of the punch it packs. It stands on Lower Richmond road, it’s bold architecture already enough to peak interest to passers by. It looks cool. The walls are lined with black and white portraits of the acts that have played there, and they are eclectic enough to present that this is a venue home to all types of music, just as long as it’s a good party. There are two light box signs in the pub, spelling out the pub name and of the act playing. Such touches are a reminder of the Half Moons innate insouciance. The second room, which holds the stage keeps this nonchalance, as it isn’t just a vacant space to be filled with music and bodies, but it has a feeling of intimacy that larger venues can’t capture; if you’re on the fringe of the crowd you watch the music leaning against a fireplace. The audience is small enough that you’re not sure if band members are looking directly at you at times, but big enough to create the electricity of a crowd.
In short, get yourself to the Half Moon, be it as a tonic more refreshing than Fevertree to sooth the New Year's blues, or to see any of the acts that will be lucky enough to play there this year.
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