The ever-excellent Health & Happiness and Sonic Cathedral club nights came together last night to celebrate the life of Lee Hazlewood.

Pete Aves of the High Llamas (a member of Lee's backing band in 2002 and 2004) acted as MC, offering lots of reminiscences about the great man. Apparently, Charles Shaar Murray's one-word review of 'Poet, Fool Or Bum' ("Bum") still stung late into Lee's life. He once said, "I'm 74 years old, but if I ever saw that guy I'd punch his lights out."

Among the performances were a unique splicing of The Tambourines and The Left Outsides, Holton's Opulent Oog with Lisa Bilson of The Loose Salute, Pete and his band, the still-fragrant Dot Allison, and The Magic Numbers.

Footage of Lee's 78th birthday party was screened, as well as 'Cowboy In Sweden', and unique Lee badges and stick-on droopy moustaches were on sale in support of his favourite charity, the Arizona Salvation Army.

The whole thing was pleasantly ramshackle with some genuinely magical moments. It was packed, but anyone who feels that they wished they'd heard about the event and others like it (the same guys did a tribute to Syd Barrett and a paisley-underground afternoon featuring The White Stripes), should keep checking:
http://www.soniccathedral.co.uk
http://www.healthandhappiness.co.uk
http://www.rocknrollsoul.co.uk