It's been a busy week for Fire (Earth and Wind presumably having gone away for Christmas). Last week we told you about the residents of Banstead being left without a nearby source of tasty (and probably organic) nibbles when their local Waitrose burned to an empty shell. Now a suggestion from MP Crispin Blunt (just how posh is Banstead? Waitroses and Crispins?) could solve two problems at once. Woolworth's closure will create an unsightly gap on Banstead High Street, so Blunt wonders if Waitrose could take over the space while they rebuild. Watch this space, Surrey fans...
Fire has also been busy in a rather more earthy part of town. North London indie-pop afficionados will be gutted to hear that Holloway Road venue Nambucca has been, um, gutted. The fire started late on Tuesday night and burned merrily away, despite the attentions of 75 firefighters, until 7.20 yesterday morning. Holloway Road was closed off and residents evacuated. Band The Holloways formed when its members lived above the pub, and it seems they lost most of their equipment and demos for their new album in the blaze. And with Nambucca the “best independent bar of the year” the loss will be keenly felt around the entire area.
On the whole it's not been a brilliant year for music venues managing to not turn to ashes, but if it only took 9 months for The Hawley Arms to reopen we're hopeful the owners will rebuild, and Nambucca will be belting out choons to N7 residents in no time.
Image by cobalt123 under the Creative Commons licence
