We popped to the royal festival hall, last night for the final part of their acoustic tuning events. The line-up was messily eclectic, but we were supposedly there for the sound more than the music. And well, the jazz sounded great, the beatbox guy went down well with those too old to have heard of killa-kela, and no acoustic engineer in the world could get bert janschto be audible.

I wasn’t there for that though.

The RFH is the cultural heart of London but not necessarily for the events they promote as much as the space they host. It’s almost as if the gigs and recitals and all the great work they do is merely an excuse to have this incredible building right in the centre of London. All this wonderful light and these expansive views over the south bank and across the city .A neutral ground for hip indie kids, real-ale jazzers, leftbank arty types, classical enthusiasts from the suburbs.

They have been very careful with this most hallowed place. The carpets and banisters, the incredible, intricate wood paneling all looks as if they have been painstakingly restored-they’re brand new. Brand new-retro. Everything is how it was when it was first opened!! And yet different. New entrances, more light, less clutter, the acoustics revamped (it really does sound amazing) and everything designed to reveal the wonders of this most precious building and to remind us how much we have missed her.

It’s good to be home again.

*the photo above is from a great set on flickr showing last night’s event by katjung

The Roots Long Time Coming

(from their 2006 album Game Theory)