Coulsdon’s ‘Cavern’?: the old Comrades’ Club has upped its game in recent times with comedy clubs and musical nights, as when The Afterthoughts took the stage
The pub/club music scene can be discovered in some of the most unexpected places in and around Croydon, and when you do, it can be surprisingly good, too, as JAMES WILLIAMS explains
It’s another packed-out night in the Coulsdon Club – every seat is taken, the pints are being passed overhead and there’s guitar feedback and crashing of drums as a crowd throngs around the band under a sparkling disco ball.
This is the sound of The Afterthoughts, a new five-piece act who are charting their own course in music… just as soon as their A-level exams are out of the way this summer…
Having built up a loyal following in front of crowds at Purley Community Festival and then Coulsdon YuleFest, you can now catch them playing popular nights at the Coulsdon Club on Brighton Road – where they confidently riff on classic covers and treat their fans to some original songwriting.
Guitarist Luke Doyle says: “We perform a lot of alternative and indie rock, ranging from Led Zeppelin to Radiohead, Muse, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and The Backseat Lovers. It’s a fairly broad range of genres in terms of what we play and we are trying to include more funk and disco into the set list.”
There’s clearly bags of passion when they pick up their instruments – so how do they make sure they’re pitch perfect?
“Our favourite track to perform is most likely Muse’s Plug In Baby mainly because it’s one we all like outside of the band, which allows us to give it lots of energy,” according to Barney Hennessey, The Afterthoughts’ drummer.
“This helps our performance and also gives the crowd an energy boost as well.”
And the band enjoys the vibe they get from playing local gigs. “There’s a real community feel that I’ve enjoyed when playing at Purley and Coulsdon.”
Having met and played together through school and college – including at a Battle of the Bands competition – there’s a lot of genuine talent in the ranks. Three have Grade 8 qualifications in their respective instruments, including singer Florence Gold, whose voice has an excellent versatility.
Club night: The Afterthoughts, with singer Florence Gold, hope to record an album before they head off to university
Back in the Coulsdon Club, we are hit by waves of melancholy joy from Amy Winehouse, uplifting Oasis melodies and bass-thumping from The Stone Roses, courtesy of Leila Nicholson on bass. There’s incredible fretwork between Doyle and fellow guitarist Patrick Hanlon, who need no extra encouragement to jam or for one of them to burst into an explosive solo.
And while the crowd sings along to the big anthems, there’s new music there too.
“We usually do the songwriting as a collective,” Doyle says.
“The two that we perform the most, Dead In The Water and One More Time were written by myself and Barney, while another that we have performed before, Black Gown, was written by Patrick – and there’s a couple of others we have written and practised as a band but have not yet performed live.”
Getting set for the road to freedom ahead for the A-level pupils, there’s an upcoming gig in Godalming on April 13, then The Afterthoughts are taking to the stage at Sheb Fest in Devon (August 30-31), an event headlined last year by Razorlight.
And you can catch them closer to home again at Purley Community Festival in September.
It’s all a step up from when a couple of the lads went busking in Paris. “Patrick and I travelled there for a few days in October half-term and there was a man busking with a large crowd at Sacré-Cœur overlooking all of Paris,” Doyle says.
“Patrick made the decision to go up and play – I was slightly sceptical but am very glad I did. The crowd was lovely and surprisingly big. Luckily they didn’t notice all the mistakes we made.”
Having already stepped foot inside the Brighton Electric recording studio on the same day as singer-songwriter Declan McKenna, there are now plans to record an album before they go their separate ways off to university.
But for now, if you get to enjoy them at the Coulsdon Club, or further afield, you’re at least guaranteed some incredible musical chemistry.
- For upcoming gigs and news, follow The Afterthoughts on Instagram @the.afterthoughts_
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
