Life for the nightclubber was almost different in the late 60’s: a dance, a drink and at least one fight witnessed.

It was also a time when recording artists had it tough: especially in The Joiners.

So say Carole and Den, a couple who frequented this historic venue in 1967 and then experienced music’s waves of change as they swept through Southampton over the following decades.

I met them last Saturday evening during Grey Matter and they told me about the Joiner’s DJ who would destroy any single that the punters didn’t like.

He even had a special slot he could roll these offending items of vinyl down.

Its an amusing story and one which leaves you gasping to know which songs were literally a dance floor smash and if the DJ actually paid good money for these 45s of despair.

And to meet a couple still enjoying live music 40 years later is another reason to celebrate.

Although the slightly scary though that if you are 19 now, the equivalent will be going to The Joiners in 2051.

So will you fly by jetpack? And will the 80’s still be popular on every radio station?

Back in the present, there are two Christmas spectaculars for festive frolicking.

Delays are at The Brook supported by Sean McGowan and Oresteia.

Or you could check out Mintsouth’s Christmas party at Guava Bar and enjoy Heathward who recently won “Live Session Of The Year” on BBC Introducing.

Either way have a smashing Christmas!

Apart from the audience and the band what makes a good gig? Well most people would say the atmosphere, the smell of years of sweat, spilt beer and the smoke.

I disagree. After seeing two bands, in two days, this is my second night of sitting in the office stinking of cigarettes. As a nonsmoker it isn’t the greatest of smells.*

So I can’t wait for the smoking ban to begin on July 1st. In my opinion it won’t make gigs any worse and we’ll only be taking home memories of songs and not morsels of smog.

Rant over. Two bands from this region in two nights. It’s not a record (and that’s not a pun) but having heard their music on the Original Showcase I thought it was time to hear them in the flesh.

On Wednesday night I was at The Brook in Southampton to see Recreation support The Bluetones. On Thursday it was the same city to see Birdpen (above) at The Joiners.

Both bands have the potential to make it and I can see Recreation being at success in this country while Birdpen have a sound which will make them a hit in Europe.

If you were to ask which of the two groups would succeed first then I would have to say Birdpen.

Recreation have a great summer sound and are likely to appeal to the thinking public but they are in transition and have to find a new guitarist which always takes a few months to sort out.

While Birdpen have the advantage of their frontman, Dave ‘Pen’. He is also in a group called Archive who recently sold out the 6000 capacity Zenith in Paris. It must be strange to go from that to 100 people at The Joiners.

But he didn’t see too phased and the conversation we had after the show was punctuated with punters telling him how good the gig was. A sure sign of success.

They both gave me some new recordings and we’ll be playing them over the next couple of weeks on Sunday’s Original Showcase.

*As a former smoker I do appreciate the irony.