Opening Nights

I haven’t been in myself yet, but the feedback I’ve heard so far vis a vis the Kings Head has been mainly positive, and judging by the number of people who went back for a return visit on Thursday night for the grand opening (following the private opening on Wednesday), they also must have been at least fairly impressed.

When I got to Taps on Thursday evening there wasn’t a single regular in the place – hell, there wasn’t a single person in the place at all apart from myself and Jade (although, Gareth, Daryl, Adam and Gerry turned up soon thereafter – as well as Casey who was on to work after Jade).

Which was very odd. I’ve never seen the Taps completely empty at half six on a weekday night in all my years drinking there; which I think means that we can definitely take it that the ex-Kings Head crowd, Matt and Alice, Tom, Sean, Terry, Barry, Derek, Rebecca, Murray etc have all decamped en mass – which is completely understandable (and also a shame as they were/are a bunch of really nice people), who, I've no doubt, we’ll all miss.

While Gerry only had a couple in the Taps before popping back to the Kings Head where Dave and Pete were.

It’s clearly too early to extrapolate anything too certain from one Thursday evening, but there are clear indications that the Kings Head might well go some way to appropriating the bulk of the regulars from the Taps.

Now, as you know Thursdays are generally one of my favourite nights in the Taps (except for on those nights which I’ve previously documented – and last night was one of those nights, which, as always, meant that the place was filled with 20yr old baboons).

Something which I’m sure you’ll agree I generally endure with gracefully stoicism (if graceful stoicism was a euphemism for a graceless whinny huff), but last night I really couldn’t stop myself from thinking: screw this, I’m going to the Kings Head.

But ever the whisper in my heart: Taps Faithful, Richard, Taps Faithful, restrained me.

Though for how long I wonder?

[What was interesting to note though was that Tommy, Dan and Len, and Skiddy (I don’t know why they call him Skiddy – and frankly I’m not that anxious to find out) all came back over from the Kings Head because they preferred the Taps].