Most embassies and consulates around the world plan official Independence Day parties as a way of reconnecting with local contacts in their host nations. In London, Ambassador Barzun holds the event at his home, Winfield House in Regent's Park, and people (including myself) feel privileged to be able to attend -- even if the event celebrates liberation from the guests' home country (and even if I had to work part of the evening).
The next day, I decided to find out how Brits interpret our occasion by attending a Fourth of July party at the Beer Hive, a collaborative brewery in Brixton. I thought it might be a little overdone, kind of like Cinco de Mayo parties in the States, but if it weren't for the Tube overhead and accents around me, I would've thought I was at a backyard barbecue in southern California. The brainchild of London Beer Lab and Clarkshaws, tucked within an arch much like Brixton Brewery, embraces the car-seat ambiance of many San Diego microbreweries.
I started the afternoon with a collaboration from the two brewery founders: Coldharbour Hell Yeah! Lager, which was perfectly refreshing for a sunny afternoon. Then I had a fruity WTF Mango & Simcoe made solely by London Beer Lab, which actually looked like mango juice (left). I was able to even things out when my tablemates -- with whom I had made friends, as sometimes happens over pints -- bought me a Clarkshaws English ale Strange Brew No. 1 as part of a tongue-in-cheek toast to my traitorship. The soundtrack in the background came from the TwoSixOnes, a band that made Pantera covers highly listenable and whose drummer got into the spirit by donning a "Save Ferris" T-shirt (right).
The band that played later in the afternoon, The Champion Hillbillies, was even more patriotic, as it was led by a Californian and included a washboard player. To be honest, besides the band's lead singer and some red, white, and blue balloons, I'm not sure exactly what made this party qualify as Fourth of July-worthy. Sure, the Mangia, Mangia! food truck broke from its Italian roots to sell hot dogs -- with chips -- and, even if there were no grills, one guy in the crowd wore a T-shirt from Kansas City Barbecue, the San Diego spot where the piano scene from the American classic Top Gun was filmed. But on my way home, a man played the U.S. national anthem on a purple plastic trombone, and later in the evening from my balcony, I saw some "bombs bursting in air," so in the end, England made my American self feel fully forgiven for that whole revolution bit.
This year, the theme of the official embassy party was "retro," so decorations included antique autos in front of a re-created diner with Americana touches that reminded me of the Court Street Diner in Athens, Ohio (left). Sticking with the theme, the headline act of the evening was the band Duran Duran, which sang many of its '80s classics as well as "Pressure Off," the first single from the band's new album, coming out in September. Since the official party is somewhat exclusive, the embassy also puts on a community event for employees and their families. The day after the party, the stage was still standing, but it was accompanied by more typical holiday accoutrements, such as propane grills, picnic baskets, and volleyball nets (right). After eating some hamburger sliders, baked beans, corn on the cob, and cole slaw, I contributed to the day of freedom by restocking tubs of drinks for guests.
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