Egham and The Vault.

Friday was the one day I didn’t bring my camera, and one of the best photography opportunities I’ve had. Alex will be attending Royal Holloway University in Egham, England this fall to do a Masters program, so we decided to visit her new campus. Egham is a picturesque little town, littered with cottages and a university at its centre. The campus is splendid and features a number of wooded trails that run throughout. The main campus building is the perfect example of Victorian architecture and was quite a sight. I wished I had brought my camera along.
Coming back into London we stopped at Waterloo train station and then took the tube to London Bridge where some friends were playing a rock concert at a place called “The Vault.” I was really unprepared for this place, as it was a real marvel. It was situated underneath London Bridge, and was a cavernous underground space for the arts. I think that at one point it was a part of the tube stations, but that would have been many decades ago. Now it has been turned into a very dimly lit dungeon type location with long halls and nooks leading away. In some on these nooks were art exhibits and stages for performances.
The first performances I saw were two poets who gave their all performing spoken word, definitely something worth seeing live if you have the chance. Next there was an acoustic stage where two bands played their musical offerings. The first, called ‘Steps to Korea’ was a one man act that had pre-recorded all of his backing parts and played guitar and sang on top. Excellent. The second band to play was our friends ‘We Aeronaughts’ and were musical was a soulful good time. The third and main show of the night was on a much larger and main stage down the hall for full bands.
The first to play was the full complement of ‘We Aeronaughts’ and they played a great set. With a host of instruments and a large cast, they were a full bodied sound that is akin to the range of sound you get from collectives like Broken Social Scene. Coming onto the stage second was a one man band called ‘Napoleon III’, and we played a wicked set, based on setting up complex patterns with a loop machine and various instruments. Very well done.
The highlight for me though was the final band to play. Called ‘Keyboard Choir’ the group consisted of six keyboardists one of which was conductor with his back to the crowd and a computer set up to mix all of the sounds. This group seriously rocked. They played delirious electro-pop mixes that were half improvised jam, half structured songs. The musicians themselves were having the time of their lives, often running from keyboard to keyboard midway though songs to trade melodies and sounds with one another, dancing as they played. I would strongly recommend seeing this band if you are ever able to, simply fantastic.
After the music was done, we all (fans and band members) went into another area of the vault which had a serious dance floor going in a club style and danced the night away. Finally, on the way home we elected to walk from London Bridge to Sloane Square as the tube was closed and it would require a number of buses to get back. The walk took well over an hour, and it was at least 4am when we finally arrived back home. Fantastic night, although I was I had my camera. I’ll see if I can find some photos taken by others who were present.