For GDFAF #9 I was sailing blind. Wanting to cover as many small gig venues as possible I phoned up the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath to see if they had a band on on Saturday. Yes, the bloke replied. Do you know who it is? No. But it’s definitely open to the public and involves a band playing music? Yes. Okay then. So I bimbled along on my bike with absolutely no idea what to expect. This was how it should be – no research, no going for the safe option – just putting my fate in the laps of the gods of rock and taking whatever they dealt me. And boy did they deal me a doozy. The lurid pink poster on the way in promised the Dave Kusworth Group and looked kinda dodgy but I wasn’t going to make any judgments since in this post ironic age you never know which way it’s going to swing. In fact I put the notion of Dave Kusworth, about whom I knew nothing, completely out of my mind. It’s a gig, that’s all I need to know.

The Hare and Hounds, a grand old pub built in 1907 (and grade 2 listed), is possibly one of the oldest venues in Birmingham for live music, at at least it has that feel to it. When I mentioned I was thinking of going there I was informed it was a “fighting men’s pub” which struck me as a little odd but then I’d only ever been there once before back in 1998 so what did I know. But a pub with a reputation like that is usually a perfectly safe place to go, I find, as all the wankers keep away lest they get twatted. The unspoken threat of violence keeps everything in order and no-one ever starts anything. Since I got there half an hour early I was able to check out the bar and yes, it was that kind of pub so I immediately felt very much at home.

Upstairs, then, to the venue where an older lady in a hat took my three pounds and stamped my hand. Being first in the room was still pretty empty so I sat down and took in the place. It’s a bit like a school hall, quite large for a pub with a dance floor by the stage and tables laid out like a mess hall towards the bar. Unlike most venues the stage is a proper stage – a decent size and a good two feet off the ground – and the place hadn’t changed a bit in the seven years since I was last there. Okay, maybe a spot of paint but the 7 inch records behind the bar were the same. There was a mirror ball which was turned on before the gig and I liked this a lot. As cigarette smoke rose it created shards of light through the air – if smoking is banned at venues the magic of the mirror ball will be somewhat diminished. Of note was a “headless” motif with two cardboard skeletons on the walls and a mannequin sitting atop the speakers, all decapitated. Very odd. I think it’s probably the best venue I’ve been to so far in terms of potential. You could put pretty much anything on here and it would work.

As the crowd filtered in I was struck by the ages of them. Half were grown-ups. Like, real grown-ups, meaning they were at least 20 years older than my 33 years, most of them looking all respectable with a smattering looking like they never really got over whatever subculture they were in during their teens (or had dressed up special for the evening). This, presumably, was Kusworth’s fan base. But who were these kids who made up the other half? And when I say kids I don’t just mean anyone younger than me. I mean people too young to drink legally. There were loads of them, mingling around the dance floor like playground butterflies. Some of the adults were parents of the kids which was kinda weird and I was wondering if I’d stumbled on some kind of party. Turns out it was a lot simpler than that.

The support were All My Souls, a punky five piece who must have been local lads as suddenly all the kids rushed forward and danced like crazy. At one stage they carried one of their members aloft as they moshed like fools, having a tremendous time. As I was searching for the band to compare them to so as to give you, the reader, a broad idea of what they were like the only thing that popped into my head was the Sex Pistols, or at least late 70’s DIY punk, and it was the audience that really brought this home. Here was a really really local scene of about 50 kids with their own band (who, I should add, were in their 20s). Yes, there are lots of gigs where the band brings along all their mates but this seemed different and somehow purer. While perfectly competent and in places very good they were not reaching for anything more than playing solid music to people they care about. It was quite refreshing.

And then, Dave Kusworth. Some keywords: tall, skinny, hair, headband, craggy face, scarf, hair, leopardskin-style shirt, tight jeans with laces up the sides, hair… Oh. My. God. He’s a 100% genuine member of the Keith Richards school of Rock. Just looking at him on stage you knew there were stories, hundreds of stories, lying beneath that headband. This guy had obviously spent many years on the rock’n'roll rollercoaster and here he was in the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath. His band consisted of a bassist and drummer of about the same age, both of whom kept their hats on during the show. I don’t know why I mention this but it seems important.

After a slightly shambolic start with much rock posturing to the crowd, the music developed into some pretty catchy R&B but the kids, who had started off attentively watching this old guy who’d let their band play, soon drifted off into the other room leaving about 10 people standing with another 30 or so sitting at the back. I took a load of photos, listened for a bit and contemplated leaving. I’d seen enough and this wasn’t really working for me, plus I fancied getting home before my flatmates went to bed for a change. But rules are rules. I had to see it through to the end.

And thank god I did! During his first song this guy, who looked like a drunk nutter, had got up and sung along with Kusworth for a minute or so. As the last song picked up – a kinda punky number – this guy lept on stage taking Kusworth by surprise, grabbed the mic and started screaming along to the music: “No fun! No fun!” He stripped off his shirt and waved it around, demolishing the mic stand. The band carried on as this monster went mental and I sat there gobsmacked at the glory of it all. This was really good stuff! The drunk spilled his beer over the stage as he danced and managed to disconnect the mic in his frenzy, but the music found it’s tightness and the kids suddenly streamed back in, marveling at this wonder. With all seriousness I would love to see this guy front the Dave Kusworth Group for a full gig. Honestly, those five minutes were one of the best moments of the fortnight.

When I got home Andy and Alex were still up and I regaled them with my story. Andy vaguely recognised the name and popped on t’internet to check. Turns out Kusworth, a Moseley native, was one of rock’s nearly men having been involved in the formative stages of Duran Duran and Dogs D’Amore amongst others. His online biography is a chronicle of periphery but proves that he never stopped believing in what he did. This gig tonight, for those who remembered those days with nostalgia, doubled up as a showcase for a band that probably had the same spirit Kusworth did in the late 70s, who thanked him at the end of their set for letting them play.

Characters like Dave Kusworth are easy targets to take the piss out of but I’ve come away with an incredible sense of respect for the man and I know for certain I’ll never forget that gig as long as I live.

At this moment I have no idea where I’ll be tomorrow. While I’m sorely tempted by Zodiac Mindwarp they’re playing in Dudley and that’s off my map. Tim has suggested the Adam and Eve pub in Digbeth for their Monday acoustic night and I see they do live music pretty much every day so that might be an option. I really want to try and do the Sunflower Lounge as they have a nice gigs room downstairs but their next gig in on Friday, day 15, and I’m not sure I can extend that far. We’ll see. Same goes for the Actress and Bishop, which I’ve not been to yet. Still, as tonight proves, a random phone call often trumps the internet…

Five to go!