Hanwell Hootie 2015

Viv Ellis joins a packed W7 for a musical night on the town

And so the third Hanwell Hootie is over and a lot of people woke on Sunday morning wondering why there was so much blood in their alcohol system.

Inevitably, all the bands I wanted to see were on at the same time. But one of the great things about the Hootie – is just wandering around, seeing bands you haven’t heard of before. Despite it being a bit parky (as we say up north) with a miserable drizzle lot of the time, everyone seemed to have a great time and as usual there was a friendly atmosphere.

For the first time there was a Routemaster bus – parked at the top of Boston Road and used as an extra stage. Otherwise, it was the same manic dashing from pub to pub. And within an hour of the opening jollities a lot of them were rammed.

I do wish some of the venues would use their TVs on the night. Hook up a cheap video camera, point it at the stage and we shorties would be able to see more.

My only other (mild) criticism is that the bands are mostly guitar-based rock acts aimed at a white audience. I did see one reggae band that I enjoyed but apart from that there was very little R&B or other black music. Given that Westside is a very successful urban radio station right on the doorstep – maybe next year they could be assigned one of the venues?

Thank Heavens I wore flat, comfy shoes otherwise it wouldn't be just my temples needing medical attention.

Viv Ellis

30th March 2015