A night at the Masonic with the Masonics

Our music correspondent Stephen Morris covers a big night for Medway music

It’s a Saturday night in the Medway Towns and everyone is out for a good time. There are at least three gigs on tonight. The Alexandra in Chatham is playing host to The Sleepers, Broken Banjo and Brow-Obles and Poco Loco has Puppits, Smile Wide and High Frequency.

But the gig I’m going to isn’t in a pub. It’s at Rochester’s Masonic Hall. And there’s a very good, logical reason for the choice of venue for this particular gig.

I’ve been to a Masonic Hall just once before. The occasion was – if you’re interested – a wedding in Surbiton where an approaching life-sized portrait of Elizabeth II gazed down at the happy couple as they exchanged vows before everyone tucked into jumping around on space hoppers and playing giant chess during the reception.

There are no space hoppers or enormous bishops, knights, and pawns to be seen in Rochester. Even the portrait of Charles III is of rather more modest dimensions than the one of his mum was in Tom, Barbara, Margo and Jerry’s home town.