The Concorde Club – Amy Winehouse 30th birthday bash

This was our first time at this private members club and the occasion was a music tribute to Amy Winehouse in aid of The Amy Winehouse Foundation (her father introduced the event and explained the concept), with tributes to Rihanna and Pink also performing.
The club is a little off the beaten track (although on the Bluestarbus 2 route), so we took a taxi to avoid the rain!  When we arrived the car park was full and it was clear the event would be busy.  Once through the reception, where we were told our table number (18), we fought our way past a very busy bar to the table at the back of the room (a little disappointing after having been told the receptionist would do her best to give us a good view).  Looking at the layout for the first time I noticed that the main room had quite a low roof, but we were in a short conservatory at the back.  The bar was to the right of a dance floor on a lower level at the front, while we were on a raised section that was the restaurant area.  Finally, there was another room to the left behind the kitchen entrance.  Having squeezed our way to the table, our immediate view on the club was that the restaurant area was too crowded and after a short while a group of eight arrived at the large round table next to us, which meant that even the waiters were struggling to get through to serve tables.  After a short wait we had ordered food and drink (the waiter had got to us just before the large group arrived) and the wine arrived quickly.  The starters also came quickly, but as the place filled it was clear that the service would slow.  Despite the crowded nature of the place, the waiters did a good job, but we did have a longish wait for the main course, but the food was tasty and well presented.  By this time the first singer was introduced (Just Lucy) and was something of a disappointment – too loud and not a great singing voice – but the other performers were better.  In fact both Pink and Amy were excellent and entertaining, but the noisy atmosphere (primarily from the noisy group next to us, who seemed not interested in the music) spoiled the evening!
The charity side of things seemed to go well and the sale of an oil painting for £500 must have helped a lot, but I felt that the Amy tribute should have lasted longer.  Overall, I cannot say I am keen to return to The Concorde Club, which is a shame, but any live venue is always at the mercy of the audience and this one didn’t work for me.

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