In Part 1 of this month’s Man About Town, ESP’s longest serving columnist, Pep Cipriano, brings us his view of life in the Boro. This time he’s looking at how far Peterborough’s come after tough times, celebrates the opening of the first of two new nightclubs in the city and considers whether you’d be wise to trade in your other half for James Bond/a Bond girl....
WINTER ‘BORO LAND
No, it’s not too early to talk about Christmas!
Besides, I’m typing this wearing fingerless gloves because my boiler has packed up. I’m sipping hot chocolate (with a dash of Bailey’s) to keep warm and eating Terry’s Chocolate Orange, so it’s cheery early season’s greetings from me.
A wise friend of mine recently told me: “Only look back to see how far you’ve come.” So, I’m going to take you back to just over a year ago when we were staring a Christmas lockdown in the face – look how far we’ve come!
Today, we’re in a much better place as far as the pandemic is concerned and that’s mainly due to most of us being jabbed and continuing to make responsible decisions to stay safe.
There were times last winter where even though I remained optimistic of the future being a brighter place, it was sometimes hard to picture it.
But we’ve fought back. Our city has fought back too and underlined just how resilient it is.
In the space of just over six months here’s how far we’ve come:
- No more having to cut your own hair with garden sheers
- Gyms are open and my TV is no longer splattered with sweat beads
- We can go to the cinema. How I missed you noisy popcorn eaters
- We’ve got new bars and nightclubs!
- Café culture has never had it so good
- We’ve staged successful outdoor music events
- Bubbles are now only found in mint, orange and plain Aero bars
- We’ve returned to the office and small talk around the water cooler never felt so good
- We’re having a city centre Christmas lights switch-on event again
The list goes on and it’s all good. Christmas should feel a bit more like normal this year.
So, bring on the family squabbles, the awkward office parties and the rushing around and overeating like it’s the last day on earth. Don’t you just love it. Yeah, I think I actually do.
SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED BY BOND WOMEN?
So, Daniel Craig has bid an excellent farewell to playing James Bond for the last 15 years and while I wait for Barbera Broccoli to review my application to be the next 007 (my agent’s chasing it up), here’s a couple of surprising stats.
A survey by an online gaming company says only 40% of UK ladies would trade in their husband or boyfriend for Bond and just a quarter of men polled would leave their partner for a Bond girl.
Outgoing Bond actor Daniel Craig would be the top choice for women willing to swap their partners for the secret agent, but I’m sure that figure will more than double once I get the role.
Anyway, I would have guessed that more than half of men surveyed would leave their other half for a Bond girl but it’s not the case. What does this tell us about men’s views on the modern-day Bond girl? Discuss.
(Read our review by ESP's film critic Gavin Miller here )
LIBERATING OUR NEED FOR A CLUB
Our city has been crying out for a proper nightclub to open its doors and now it looks like not only do we have one but two!
The last time I went to a club it was ‘cool’ to drink WKD and stick your blue tongue out to women in the hope that they might talk to you. The latter never happened.
In fact, most people don’t talk to one another in clubs anymore, they just stare at their phones instead. But revellers still do their fair share of dancing and there’s plenty of room for it at Club Liberation and Rhythm Room, which used to be New York New York and Chicago Rock respectively.
Pete Bell (pictured below front) is operations director for both venues and this man knows a thing or two about running successful local nightspots.
These two venues could be the start of a resurgence of a thriving club scene that effectively went to sleep when Liquid closed many moons ago.
It’s perfect timing with a university on the way and both clubs will almost certainly boost the presence of Coyotes Bar & Grill who’ve been rocking it all alone for too long.
(Photos: Harry Rutter)
Rhythm Room is now set to open with a VIP launch on Friday October 15 and the main public launch on Saturday October 16 (see more on http://www.rhythmroom.uk/rhythmroompeterborough.html) and should prove just as popular if the successful launch of Club Liberation with the Love Island stars was anything to go by.
I know Pete and his crew will give it their all to make them a success and even though I’m the wrong side of respectable clubbing age, I just might have to polish up my shiny shoes and bathe in Fahrenheit for old time’s sake…
See more on Facebook @liberationpeterborough and @rhythmroompeterborough
MY WORD OF THE MONTH: DARK
Summer’s gone and now it’s dark when you wake up and dark when you leave work. I normally reserve this segment for a slice of negative sarcasm but we all need cheering up as winter approaches. So, here’s 8 (that’s all I could stretch to) reasons why it doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom.
1. Toffee apples!
2. Winter clothes hide the fat you put on in summer
3. You can run in the evenings and no-one can see how bad you are at it
4. Singletons usually look for a partner this time of year
5. It’s cold. Drink more red wine to warm up
6. No more mowing the lawns for six months
7. Spiders instead of wasps (might need to rethink this one)
8. Spring is on its way!
CAUGHT IN THE ACT...
Either I just broke wind or I was contemplating asking Triumph to lend me this for a year…
CIAOS OUT
John – when’s the next Posh game?!
Sheva – always available when you change your mind…
Eliah – great service!
Phil – book update?
Tim – still no call back…Other recommendation?
Bex – chat at Christmas!
Pep Cipriano