My favourite venue has to be Norwich Arts Centre in St Benedict's. A converted church, it has a charm all of its own and is a wonderfully laid-back venue that over the years has hosted some of the greats of music from Coldplay to Muse to Nirvana.
For many years myself and my mate went to a monthly music event in Norwich called Grapevine. In many ways it was a nod back to the days of folk clubs in the 1960s, but it was much more than that. Held monthly, firstly in Bedford's pub and then in Cafe Britannia in the Guildhall, Grapevine attracted artists from all over the UK and many from the USA as well. There were singer-songwriters, jazz influenced combos, rock acts, folk and country. Just about every style of music was catered for.
The artists all had something in common - they were excellent musicians. One of the first to play in the early days of Grapevine was a little known musician who was third on the bill. You might have heard of a Suffolk boy by the name of Ed Sheeran!
We started going to Grapevine thanks to Ana Silvera. I was aware of Ana and liked what little of her music I had heard and so we decided to go along to this new fangled club named Grapevine. We were smitten and Grapevine became a regular monthly date in our diary. It didn't matter who was playing, the music was always good.
Sadly Cafe Britannia is no longer in existence and Grapevine is suspended (if you will pardon the pun) due to the lack of a suitable venue. This is a great shame as it showcased some of the best musicians you are ever likely to hear. It was one of those intimate music clubs that have been so important over many decades. It also proved that criss-crossing the UK was a veritable army of talented musicians - many so much better than the Media darlings and those made famous by hype rather than talent.
Grapevine was organised by Steve and Jan Howlett and if I was a betting man I would say that the club will at sometime in the future be a Phoenix That Rises From the Ashes. The Norwich music scene certainly needs it and its like.
Oh and a big mention for Ana Silvera. If you haven't heard her music do give it a listen on Spotify, You Tube etc. Hopefully, like me, you will be entranced.