IN SEARCH OF FREEBIES

The Management make no apologies for the delay in updating your favourite Edinburgh drinking blog. Frankly, we’ve had better things to be doing.

Inspired by the previous year’s well-documented haul of free Fringe tickets, The Management were joined by Al Wallace on an evening in August 2009. Our expectation? More free tickets, of course.

Meeting at the Bar, Udderbelly (Teviot Place, 2,41,42), we were given no freebies so decided to move to one of the Fringe’s other big venues: The Underbelly (George IV Bridge/Cowgate/Victoria Street, 23,27,41,42,45). Once again, there wasn’t a freebie in sight. Having missed the Fringe’s preview nights, we grudgingly accepted the only way to see anything would be to dig deep in our pockets.

Off we went to The Stand 3 and 4 (York Place, 4,8,10,11,12,15,16,26,44,45) to see Alun Cochrane. If you haven’t heard of him not (or read about him in a previous blog) then your priority for next year’s Fringe is sorted.

A quick nightcap or 3 in The Basement (Broughton Street, 8) rounded out the evening. Apparently this place does good food, but we were more interested in loudly slating the government of the day. If any of Peter Mandelson’s relatives were in attendance, we stick by our comments.

The next day was Scotland’s World Cup qualifier away to Norway. We were humped by four goals, and the result all but sealed yet another disastrous qualifying campaign. Feeling massively downtrodden, we hit the Alhambra (Leith Walk, 7,10,12,14,16,22,25,49). Although one of Leith Walk’s less salubrious establishments, this Rat Pack-idolising place does a thriving trade whether it’s 10am or 10pm. Cracking jukebox too.

The following evening saw us out for the third night on the trot, this time to see The Bluetones bring the curtain down on a year-long tour of 1996’s Expecting to Fly. Convening in Shakespeares (Lothian Road, 1,10,11,15,16,24,34) we wasted no time in heading round to the HMV Picture House (Lothian Road, 1,10,11,15,16,24,34) for the evening’s merriment. The gig was bloody fantastic, with drummer Eds Chesters asking why we hadn’t updated the blog. We’re sorry Eds, but here’s your update – two years isn’t that long to wait, surely?

Until the next time...

CUMULATIVE PUB COUNT: 158