We were cool - for one night only

So, last night Mr Jones and I took a foray into the world that is cool, hip and alternative. And we didn't fit in at all. Mr Doyle was playing at The Fly on New Oxford Street - a bar with black walls, but surprisingly clean toilets - that is apparently where all great bands start out.

We arrived hideously early and were faced with a bar full of very grungy looking people. At this point I decided that wearing anything Boden was probably was tantamount to signing my own death warrant - shame I was dressed more or less head to foot in it as ever.

Thankfully I had had the forethough to wear my converse trainers (the most "alternative" thing in my wardrobe) and I was pleased to see that these were de rigueur amongst the non-goth customer base (hurrah!). However I still cursed myself for not being in possession of my DMs - which we much beloved by the 13 year old me - and for wincing at the very thought of piercings.

Our hands were duly stamped and we were permitted into the underbelly of the place. It was a room not much bigger than my sitting room - with a stage at one end glowing out into the black, black, black room. I sat on a black sofa and watched people in black mill about. After about 20 minutes, Mr Jones pointed out that I was actually illuminated by a spot light, so I sat a vision in bright blue on the sofa and I mourned the phase in my life when I dressed head to toe in black in the hopes of looking chic - It might have helped me blend in.

Having spied a bottle of Bombay on the wall I asked Mr Jones to get me a calming G&T. Clearly the Bombay was merely a decorative item - my gin came from a glass vat, in which it had likely been proving since 1865. Evidently aware of its paint-stripper nature the kindly bartender served it with lemonade rather than tonic - I managed half of it before feeling like I had downed an entire bottle.

The two painful hours of "bands" were rendered bearable when Mr Doyle came on stage and transported us back to 2001. He dedicated a song to me (at the prior request of Mr Jones - ahhh how lovely). I see the romance now, but at the time, as the eyes of the rest of the crowd turned towards me - "Little miss preppy who had spent the night looking on at them with a mixture of awe and fear on her face" - I was just a touch embarrassed.

Before we left we had a brief chat with Mr Doyle to thank him for the new version of our song and he wished us good luck with the wedding. It was a marvellous night - Mr Jones and I should step out of our very comfortable zone more often.