The Who at The Royal Albert Hall

It was good to get off the Island for a long weekend, and especially when you are heading to Brighton then off to see The Who in London. Brighton was spent mostly looking around the shops and obviously had to take a visit to The Modfather, which is a great Mod/classic clothing shop in Brighton. I met Daniel one of the owners of The Modfather and  had a little chat with Daniel about the store, but this interview will follow in a separate write up. I then ended up in the Fred Perry store and I left the shop with a bag full of new shirts and much emptier pockets. Which is to be expected I suppose. After a further little walk around it was time to stop for lunch at The Ivy Asia, which I must say was something else. I had never seen a restaurant like it before and the decor inside felt like I had taken a psychedelic. There were so many different colours. After finishing off at The Ivy we could not leave Brighton without taking a photo down Quadrophenia Alley. It has almost become a ritual that every time we visit Brighton, we must take a photo at this spot. It must be a ritual for anyone in the scene anyway. I was also happy to see my Vespa Club of Britain Jersey stickers still on the wall. After a few photos it was then time to head back to the Brighton train station for the train to London. It's always nice to stop by Brighton even if it is just for the day. 

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After quite a long train journey we finally arrived in London on the Saturday night. We stayed at a hotel in Marble Arch called The Cumberland which was a nice hotel in the city centre. As we had arrived in London quite late on the Saturday night, we decided to head straight out for a few beers and some dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. We then head back to the hotel as it had been quite a long day of travelling.

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It was now Sunday and the day of the big gig. The gig was not until the evening so we decided to fill our day with a walk around the centre whilst we could. In the morning we went to an art exhibition, which was called Frameless. Now, I am not much of an art fanatic or an artist myself (I can just about draw a stick man) but the exhibition was very interesting and I did come away with some art knowledge.​ After the exhibition we took a stroll in to Covent Garden to have a look around. The place was packed even for a Sunday. We stopped by the Ben Sherman store and looked around some of the other shops which specialised in the Mod/Scooterist clothing. I did not buy anything, sort of had to hold myself back to be honest, but it was good to see what clothing items were on offer. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready before heading down to the Royal Albert Hall.

 

When we arrived at the ground we met up with a scootering friend for a drink, who coincidentally, without me knowing originally, was also in London to watch The Who. It was great to catch up and we talked about a possible scootering trip to Vietnam in 2027, but all that gossip will come at a later date. Then it was time to take our seats as the gig was about to start. ​Level 42 were the starting act of the night, and even though I do not follow their music, some of the songs they played I definitely recognised. They were not completely my cup of tea but it was great to hear them play. They played for an hour and then it was time for the main act of the night, The Who. When The Who stepped up on to the stage there was a big standing ovation, which I am sure they receive from each gig they do. Now in their 80's I was glad to see they were still going for it. As soon as they started playing, everyone sitting down below got up and walked straight to the front of the stage. The security were trying to get people to go back to their seats, but as you can imagine they did not get the most pleasant of responses. When a band is playing that you have grown up with, of course you are going to want to get to the front. Pete Townshend had a knee operation a month or two before the gig so he had to sit down for a few of the songs, but he never fails to put on a good performance, and always has a good sense of humour. Roger Daltrey is also the same and like Pete Townshend always put on a great performance for those attending, and of course can make a joke that fills a crowd with laughter. The rest of the band were really good to, especially the drummer who is world class in his craft. I had seen The Who play in Brighton in 2023, and I could happily say I could not separate the two performances as they were both as good as each other. I must say it is hard for The Who to disappoint. Every song I wanted to hear them play from Quadrophenia was played, and songs from Tommy such as Pinball Wizard were also played, which is such an iconic song in music. I can say I left the Hall happy. 

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I really hope The Who keep going for as long as they can, as they are massive idols in music, and are probably a band with music that resonates with so many people in the lyrics that they produced. Without Quadrophenia and The Who the mod revival would have been nothing like it was, and the music is still being played today and the culture is still here. 

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Hopefully I will get to see The Who again maybe just one last time. 

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Please watch this space for my interview with Daniel from The Modfather

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