The Crow Crew
- Dec 5, 2022
- 4 min read

Feeling That Festive Kick!

With the motherload of fantastic events coming up over the next few weeks, last Saturday marked Day 13 of my work shifts on the bounce. I would love to report that the Festive Spirit kicked in and I skipped through my workload happily, energetically and productively, but the reality is that by time I reached my day off on Sunday, I was as spritely as a sloth... An overweight, particularly crabby, old sloth that daren't stare into space for too long, for fear the taxidermists might intercept!

Looking at my To Do List today, it is somehow even longer than it was last week and whilst I am sure that I did manage to get lots of tasks completed, the fact that the To Do List is never-ending has helped me reach an epiphany...

Sod it!

I'm not in any way suggesting that I give it up. I mean, apart from anything else, if I did call time on The CCB, where would I drink?! But the reality that each time I complete a task, 2 more pop up in its place, each time we pull off a fantastic event, ideas for more, even fantastic-er events start to formulate(!), is just part of the magic of The Crow and needs to be worn - albeit in much the same way one would wear a straitjacket! Sanity is a luxury for those who don't want to run an awesome Events Bar. I have embraced the fact that, no matter how much I work and complete, the list of things to do is always going to be as long as a particularly well-endowed equines appendage, so from here on in, what gets done, gets done, what doesn't, goes on the list for another day. It's actually quite liberating! I appreciate, that reaching this epiphany as we approach our 3rd birthday, probably means I am a bit of a slow learner, but anyone that knows me can confirm that being a bit late is kind of my thing!

Anyway, musings and revelations aside, last week was an absolute belter. We had a brilliant Castle Comedy Night on Wednesday, with stand-up from Marcel Lucont, Kevin Daniels, Jason Stampe & Paul Revill. There is just one more Castle Comedy Night scheduled for 2022 and as it is going to be their Christmas extravaganza, it is almost guaranteed to be a night you don't want to miss! Tickets are on sale on our website.

On Thursday we had our Quiz about everything film and it was great fun, so we will definitely look to schedule a few more of these in 2023. Our usual, silly quiz returns the 2nd Wednesday of this month (Wednesday 14th December) and as it is our last of 2022, it is thusly named The Big Fat Quiz of The Crow! We will be pulling all the stops and will try and ensure that this quiz is our stupidest quiz yet, so get the date in your diary!

On Friday the town was unusually quiet and whilst we were short on customer numbers, Jam 69 still managed to chalk up yet another fantastic gig at The Crow, playing classics from The Jam and punk, new wave and 2Tone belters from that era. Whilst it was a lovely night and a corker of a performance, the lack of Friday footfall is a worry. Like all small, independent businesses, we aren't yet out of the woods, and the reality is we will need a roaring December trade to see us through January and February. Knowing that we are likely to take a bit of a hit whilst people juggle Christmas and the cost of living, is an ulcer-inducing reality that there is nothing we can do to avoid... with added obstacles like World Cups, Xmas Works Do's and Winter lurgies to contend with! The assumption that things are like the good old days, that it being Silly Season, automatically means that businesses are busy, may be a tad optimistic. But this is a ship we are now well adept at sailing! Fingers crossed, that post-apocalyptic Golden Age is just around the corner!!!

Saturday day trade also seemed quieter than normal however just at the point we began to consider which corner of the building would be the best space to host our mental brakedown, we busied up! In fact, Saturday night was so busy that by time we got the band set up and El Bronson had finished their 3rd banging tune, we were maxed out and were turning people away at the door. It was a beast of a gig! It was SO sweaty that we've had to do a new print run for our window posters, as the ones that were up were absolutely condensation-drenched! El Bronson were (as always) immense, the whole room was jumping and it was pure magic to be a part of.

Then on Sunday we had our Vibes session, and it was the perfect, chilled end to yet another fantastic week.

COMING UP THIS WEEK AT THE CROOKED CROW BAR...

Tuesday: Bar Night

We are open 12-11pm with great beer, locally roasted coffee, Crow Cocktails (including our hot spiced apple and boozy hot chocolates), board games, pool table (league pool takes place at the bar from 8pm) and great tunes. Free entry