The Half Moon, Putney, SW15

This is a big, formerly multiroomed pub with a concert room. The very long bar has Youngs Special, which proved to be of decent quality. My notes made at the time don't mention any other beers, so it looks like choice is not on the menu as far as real ales are concerned; to be fair, this was a quiet midweek afternoon, so maybe there are more on at the weekend. I might have enjoyed this type of place years ago, before tinnitus ruled out loud music and busy pubs for me. Luckily it was pretty quiet at the time of my visit. Date of visit: 3rd November 2021

The ales on here were Doom Bar, Purity Mad Goose, Young's Bitter, Young's Autumn Gold, Sambrook's Battersea Rye, Truman's Hoptoberfest, and By The Horns Stiff Upper Lip (£4.30 a pint). There are two banks of pumps, with three handpumps facing you on the front of the bar counter, with a further four around to the right of the counter. There were no repeats, so seven ales available is pretty good going. But £4.30 a pint for a relatively low ABV beer like Stiff Upper Lip is not cheap. There were no menus on the tables when I was in there early afternoon on Wednesday, but I saw another couple munching away so they obviously do food. Everything that can be painted grey has been painted grey. It's obviously bare-boarded. Furnishings are fairly traditional though - no tall tables/tall stools here, and no sofas although the banquettes here are a bit more sumptuous than is usuall the case. Tables are of the solid scrubbed wooden variety, and all had on them a little flowerpot containing a small flower. The walls are pretty much covered with framed photographs of music artists; possibly ones that had performed here. This is a serious music venue, with live music on just about every night. The music area is effectively separate from the bar area, in a large room at the back. I quite liked this pub. It's a massive structure with the inside very large even without the music room. What I like is that the tables are spread out and not crammed in a la 'spoons, although I might think differently if I had to stand because of the lack of tables. Even with all the grey, it still looks quite nice in here, and seven ales is good going even if prices are approaching the top of the range.

Opened out and modernised nowadays but on the plus side there is a much improved ale range,beers on my recent visit were Youngs Bitter, Doombar,Sambrooks Battersea Rye,Trumans Runner,Purity UBU and By The Horns Diamond Geezer, plus one Cider on the seventh handpull I fail to remember.Still a music venue but as a pub itself not particularly remarkable.

This is a legendary music venue but a decent enough pub as well. The pub section has had a bit of the designer treatment with lots of grey and greenish paint, sadly covering the wood panelling, boarded flooring, all kinds of mixed seating. Very nice leaded windows included one which is arched, wall mounted shields and antlers, loads of music memorabilia on the walls as you'd expect in here, a large display case contains odds and sods. Large urns and vases on the window cills, cacti and succulents on the tables. A double doorway leads through to the auditorium with a cinema style name board above so it seems pub and music venue remain separated. An outdoor garden to the side has its own bar and barbeque. It is quite a large room with the bar being central, wrapping around each end, not quite forming an island, the handpumps are in two sets, the middle ones are rather dull containing Young's Bitter x2 and Doom Bar, down the end the choice improved, Redemption Pale Ale (£4.05), Sharp's Atlantic, Mad Goose Purity and Hammerton Pentonville Stout. A TV was showing women's football on silent while a very decent and eclectic soundtrack played. The young foreign barman was friendly and seemingly enthused about the ales, entering into discussion unprompted, especially on the virtues of the Pentonville Stout versus Draught Guinness! I liked it in here, I can't actually see why this was my virgin visit after 29 years living in London but there you go.