We were in London to see Beverley Knight perform at her 50th birthday party show at the Layfayette. As we were in Waterloo early we made a quick visit to the Leake Street tunnel to check out the street art. Then we made our way to Kings Cross for the evening gig.
We had bought our tickets while we were cruising in a small Norwegian fjord taking advantage of the mobile service from a village that were close to! Our tickets were VIP ones that gave us early access to the Lafayette to be present at the sound check and to ‘chat’ with Beverley and to get close to the stage.
Around Kings Cross
Much to our disappointment it was raining when we left St Pancras and headed for Coal Drops Yard. The rain didn’t stop and we headed back towards Kings Cross and went into the German Gymnasium Restaurant for a sit down and a drink. Upstairs we sat at a table in the Meister Bar. Opposite us we could see an interesting juxtaposition of a window next to the reflection of another window.
While we sat we had a text message updating us that the sound check would now be delayed. This gave us more time for a meal and reluctantly we left the bar and went back out into the rain to find somewhere to eat. At the top of Pancras Square we found the Fatto Pizza Restaurant. At first sight it was only takeaway but once inside we went upstairs to an almost empty first floor restaurant.
On the only other occupied table we could see that the pizzas were very generous and we ordered one to share. Out table overlooked the outside tent and was next to the stairs.
We hardly had any time to sip our wine before our pizza came. As we ate the tables all around us filled up until the restaurant was full – clearly a popular place. We still had time before doors opened at the Lafayette so we switched to the starter menu and ordered cheesy garlic bread. This took a lot lot longer to arrive!
The Lafaytette
The venue is on Goods Way. This is the road to cross to get to Coal Drops Yard and the Regent’s Canal. The doors were already open when we arrived and after a simple bag search we joined to queue for our VIP gifts.
When we reached the head of the queue the usual wrist band was handed out, along with VIP badges and a couple of A4 posters in a cardboard envelope. While we waited for the doors to open into the auditorium we sat in the bar and had a drink.
The VIP Experience from Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight sang two numbers, answered questions from the audience and proved once again what a great lady she is. Definitely agree with one of the audience’s comments that Beverley Knight deserves to be more famous here in the UK!
50th Birthday Party for Beverley Knight
We had over an hour of the DJ before Beverley and the band came back. By now the auditorium was jammed full.
