Getting off at Stonebridge Park station, located by the legendary North Circular, my expectations of the Joe Meek tribute night at the Ace Cafe were fairly close to something small. A famous biker haunt out in zone 3 didn't really make sense as a venue for a night of Joe Meek covers and the appearance of genuine 304 Holloway Road recording artists. On arrival, bike perverts studied the minor details of a long line of motorcycles spanning the width of the small car park, while the smell of black pudding and eggs emanated from inside the glass fronted cafe. Inside, the 1950's decor vividly sent me back to an age only the movies had ever shown me existed. Nods to Rockers history splattered over the walls with classic pictures and news paper clippings reading along the lines of, "Rockers celebrate as Mod's are beaten again". Its at this time I realize my shirt is covered in little mod symbols. I thought it was just a pattern! This wasn't a problem, 2010 and the average biker age seemed to be around 50 going on 60 with fairly passive mannerisms all round. The tribute act "The Triumphs" took to the stage at the end of the cafe dressed in uniformed light blue shirts and rocking a keyboard, bass, guitar and an electric drum kit being played by a man at least 3 times my age. The night seemed fairly busy, with cider drinkers and leather clad tea drinkers mixing together seamlessly, but it did make me ponder the Legacy of the Ivor Novello award winning hit maker Joe Meek. What would he have thought of of this? Highlights include ex Meek recording artist Bobby Rio who came on stage to sing a few of his 1960's hits, followed by the appearance of "England's answer to Elvis" Danny Rivers, who would have sang some of his hits if the band had remembered how to play them.
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