My favourite bar, 12 Square Metres, is celebrating its 3rd Anniversary today (well, strictly speaking, the significant date was yesterday; but the party's today). The rather fine Australian Coopers ales will all be on offer at a knockdown 15 RMB; and we are promised some other drinks specials too, including a dangerously tempting 10 RMB discount on all of the top shelf whisky selection.
However, it is a day also tinged with sadness, because JK is trying to sell the bar - and so this may be the last party of this kind, the final hurrah for this great little bar as we have known it.
Double unhappiness, in fact, because today also sees the last scheduled appearance by the heart-meltingly lovely Daisy Sweetgrass with The Redbucks (it's their stripped down 'quartet' line-up rather than the full band, but we must make the best of it). Christine (her non-stage name) has apparently decided that she will be better able to develop her music back in her native USA, and is departing imminently. Hearts have been breaking all over Beijing since the news came out at the start of this week.
She's promising to come back one day, but the period of deprivation will be hard to bear. I may have to go and 'stalk' her Stateside during my planned whistlestop tour over there early next year.
Bon voyage, dearest Daisy. We'll be continuing to follow your news and your music through your website.
I stand corrected: apparently Daisy's last gig with The Redbucks Quartet is next Saturday. I don't really welcome having my heartachey regrets elongated for a whole week. At least having your crush depart the country or play a 'farewell gig' gives you a kind of closure. It's best to get it over and done with as quickly as possible; anticipation only adds to the futile fretting. Another six days of pining, and then a tearful goodbye - oh dear me. I'm a big boy; I'll get through this.
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Doing a quick Google search on Daisy at the weekend, I was, I confess, somewhat gratified to discover that my 'Fantasy Girlfriend' post on her is currently showing up third in the returns - ahead of BeijingDaze Badr's Daisy-idolater post and all but two pages of her own website.
I missed both the final two shows, at Jiangjinjiu on this day, and at VA Bar the following week.
As I'd feared, they were both uncomfortably crowded for such small venues - I heard a lot of complaints that it was impossible to see anything unless you were lucky enough to have got yourself a spot right down the front (I arrived at Jiangjinjiu just as they were finishing their 1st set, and hung around outside for the beginning of their 2nd, but it was by that point impossible to get inside). It was also pretty difficult to hear, especially at VA, where I gather they had some serious issues with the sound system.
The Redbucks have become rather too popular for their own good this year - building a huge following (of, mostly, raucous young Americans) that makes it difficult for them to play any of the smaller venues. When they first started gigging together regularly, they did a Monday night residency at Jiangjinjiu for a month or two, around this time last year; I discovered them rather by accident early in the run, and went back almost every week. They always drew a reasonable crowd of their friends, but the place never got heaved out; those were some great shows. The last time I was able to enjoy them in such an intimate setting was when they played an unadvertised show at the newly opened Zui Yuefang in April this year.
So, farewell then, lovely Daisy. I hope I'll have the chance to see you perform again one day.
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