Choir drinks beer festival dry
COME AND JOIN US A number of people at the beer festival said they were interested in joining the choir. They are welcome to attend our informal singalong sessions at Sandilands Sports Club, Addiscombe, on Thursday evenings from 8pm to 9pm. This gives an excellent sense of what the choir is about. More information is available on this website.
July 29: Choir members who enlivened the Bromley Beer Festival with their singing yesterday also made a substantial contribution to drinking the festival dry.
The festival, at Beckenham Rugby Club, was due to last for three days. But it ran out of beer on the second evening, and choir members were credited with having hastened that outcome with their impressive quaffing of the fine range of real ales on offer.
Some two dozen members gathered at the festival, singing almost without pause for two and a half hours. They sang 29 numbers in all, with familiar songs such as Nessun Dorma and Angels being especially well received. They were rewarded with resounding applause from the assembled beer enthusiasts, who also marvelled at their prodigious beer consumption.
It was apparent as the evening progressed that the supplies were dwindling, with barrel after barrel being removed from display inside the spacious beer tent. Some choir members were dismayed that the regular ales disappeared, compelling them to turn to unfamiliar tipples such as stout.
Not singing, drinking
The beer finally ran out around 10pm – not long after bitter devotee Martin “Polly” Perkins arrived following a much-delayed journey from France. He too lamented the limited choice available. CAMRA organisers apologised to those departing for the premature curtailment of supplies.
Undaunted, a sizeable choir group moved on to the familiar territory of the Royal Standard in central Croydon, where drinking continued to past midnight.
There was much interest in the homeward progress of bass John Parker, who a few weeks previously had missed the last bus from Coney Hall to Westerham and spent three hours walking home instead.
His colleagues were therefore relieved to hear he had caught the 119 bus to Coney Hall with time to spare. Sadly however John fell asleep on the bus and missed his stop. This time, rather than walk, he took a taxi at a cost of £48.
John put a brave face on proceedings, noting that the choir singers had been spared the £4 admission fee to the festival.
Session conductor Dave “Banners” Bannister later reported that both the rugby club and CAMRA organisers had been delighted with our singing, and was hopeful that we would be invited again next year.
STOP PRESS: We received a marvellous letter of thanks from the Bromley CAMRA chair, Charles Tucker, who wrote: "Your performance was wonderful and blended perfectly with our festival themes. Our customers were really appreciative of your activity and it was the crowning point of Friday evening. I look forward to working with you again."