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They molder into oblivion, their shells of buildings like specters against the sky, these towns that witnessed some of America’s most romantic and rapacious history.Īnd if you listen, you can hear the names of fabled mines whispered on the wind: Bridal Chamber, Confidence, Little Hell, Calamity Jane, Hardscrabble, Mystic Lode, North Homestake, Little Fanny, Spanish Bar. Literally hundreds of towns not only died, they vanished.īy some estimates, New Mexico is home to more than 400 ghost towns - most are nothing more than a few foundations and some occasional mining equipment.īut traces of many linger on, haunting ties to days that used to be. A few were farming communities that flourished for a time and mysteriously fell silent. Most were mining towns, where men lusted after the earth’s riches - gold, silver, turquoise, copper, lead and coal. But in the late 1800s, each had a moment of glory that blazed and died like a sudden flame. The lull after and before the storm, as it turned out.They are ghost towns now. And then, as the appointed hour arrived, the place pretty much emptied and for an hour or so we were strangely quiet. A few customers left to see John Grant, replaced by more Richard Hawley fans. And then to add to all of this, the card machine went down for a time, and we had to tell customers we could only take cash. The glass washer was on non-stop, the newly-steaming glasses soon to be used again. The place got busier, the pints were pulled, the gin and Fevertrees dispensed, the wines were poured. It was full, so no time to relax and have a quick half before starting, and it was straight behind the bar. As a sign of things to come, Ellie, who runs the bar with her husband Shaun, said they had been busy all day. I called in to a busy Dukes Bar beforehand for a quick pint, and was pleased to see Long White Cloud from the excellent Tempest Brewery on the board, so I went for that. This last weekend I was scheduled to work at the Meandering Bear whilst a short distance away Sheffield crooner Richard Hawley was the main event, with the brilliant John Grant who I saw several years ago in the Halifax Minster the main support. It was a wonderful night: the band, the crowd, the venue, the spectacle were all superb. They played several tracks from the new album, but amongst the old favourites we were treated to were Gangsters, Rat Race, A Message To You, Rudi, and Monkey Man. The band are down to three of their original line-up, Terry Hall, Horace Panter, and Lynval Golding, but included in the band for this tour are guitarist Steve Craddock and Bradford-born singer Hannah Hu, and they got better as the night wore on. The lights dimmed, shadowy figures appeared on stage, the lights came on, a huge communal cheering broke out, and the band launched into Freedom Highway, one of the tracks off the upcoming new album, Protest Songs 1924 - 2012. The claps and stamping in anticipation, each roadies move on stage to check a mic or move a guitar drawing a cheer. It was busy, though not too busy that I was able to get down to the front when I had inevitably got separated from my mates! The atmosphere was fantastic, the communal sense of #wearegladtobeback palpable. The place looked magnificent, with the upper levels of the 18th century former cloth hall bathed in a wash of coloured lighting. The final support band, The Rifles, were doing the last few of their set.
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We arrived at the Piece Hall, and were ushered in unexpectedly quickly.