The New Pornographers, Mountbatten Hotel, County Clare and Pure Blonde White

BotF forgot until about two days before that he had tickets to the New Pornographers at Manning Bar. The New Pornographers are an 8 piece band from Vancouver (though one member doesn’t do OS travel at all) and they have a reputation for being good live. No disappointment on the night. 5 vocalists at various times including the divine Neko Case, 2 guitarists, 2 keyboards, the occasional piano accordian meant the sound was always massive. No shortage of harmonies.

If I only I could to Melbourne to back up.

The trip to Manning Bar involved a long walk from the Red Oak with stops along the way at the Mountbatten Hotel and the County Clare. BoF also tried a new beer, which will be discussed shortly.

The Mountbatten is in the ChinaTown/Central district and that generally means pubs are gambling dens or well past their prime. I’ve got to say that they are having a go to rise above that. Yes, there is a pokie cave, but there’s plenty of other areas to drink. Cheap food, punting and even a dancefloor. It also offers cheap accomodation.`

BotF also go to try a new beer, which was launched this week. In a total mash up of genres, Pure Blonde White has emerged. I expected the worst – a low carb, blonde white beer made by a mainstream Aussie brewer doesn’t bode well. I’ll have to re-confirm but this was actually eminently drinkable and unlike its predecessor – tasty. Would want it ice cold, but this could go off this summer.

The last port of call before Manning was the County Clare Inn. This is a favourite of the art deco community in Sydney. It should be a favourite for eeryone, because it is just a damn fine pub. Great tap selection and the best range of sofas and couchs from Vinnies and the Salvos ever assembled in one place. The insides are well preserved and there is a grungy outside area for the summer. With the obvious exception of the New Pornographers – the County Clare Inn was the highlight of the night.