Forthcoming Events

Saturday Night Swing Club

Saturday 13th March

7.30pm–2am

City Firefly Bar, 18 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7EP

(Nearest tube: St Pauls; overground: City Thameslink)

Admission: £10/£9 members

Dress: Glamorous Retro or modern but an effort appreciated!

52nd Street Jump present three floors of dancing to DJs including Dr Swing, Mr Kicks, Miss Aloha, All Ruzzit Buzzit, plus drop-in dance classes in Lindy Hop, Balboa, Foxtrot and Laminu Blues. More at 52ndstreetjump.co.uk

Hep Cats’ Holiday Weekender

Friday 12^th–Monday 15^th March

Pontin’s pakefield Holiday Park, London Road, Kessingland, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 7PF

Admission: from £154 per person (chalets for 2–8 people sharing)

A celebration of 40s and 50s music and style, with many live bands, disc jockets and swing dance teachers, plus classic movie screenings, a vintage clothing market, retro art exhibition, barber and beauty salon and other leisure facilities. See www.hepcatsholiday.com.

Blind Lemon Vintage Fashion Fair

Sunday 14^th March

10.30am–5pm

Pittville Pump Rooms, Pittville Park, Cheltenham

Admission: £4.50 (£3.50 concs)

Vintage everything from Victoriana to the 1970s (shudder). Buy a ticket by noon and you go into the midday draw for £100 in vouchers.

NSC Whisky Tasting

Wednesday 17^th March

7pm–11pm

Upstairs room, The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JB

Admission: Free

Mr Neil Ridley (pictured left), Drinks Correspondent for The Chap will be presenting four differently styled single malt whiskies from Scotland. The range, representing the Highlands, Lowlands, Islands and Speyside demonstrate the rich heritage of Scotch whisky and the array of flavours and aromas one can discover within a single malt. Mr Ridley will guide you through each whisky (Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, The Singleton Of Dufftown and Talisker), giving a potted history of how the spirit begins its life and slowly matures in casks until it is ready to be bottled.

The tasting will last for around an hour and Neil hopes you will leave knowing more about the heart of Scottish whisky and more importantly, the particular style which suites your palate. The event is completely free but places are limited to 30 people so please email me if you would like to attend.

Double R Club

Thursday 18th March

8pm–11.45pm

Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, Pollard Row, London, E2 6NB (020 7739 2727)

Admission: £10

A night of “Lynchian” (as in David) cabaret and burlesque packaged with music described as “twisted rock and roll, sinister jazz and wailing junk blues”. Sounds scary but our Chairman Torquil Arbuthnot vouches that it’s a very good night. The fun this time includes Burly Q, Fancy Chance, Craig the Incredible Hula Boy, Tom Baker, Cat Aclysmic, Tricity Vogue, Lucy Longlegs, Blanche DeBois, Miss Delphi Whitelight.

We are advised that “the availability of tables is released to our mailing list one week before the event. To join our mailing list please email therrclub(at)gmail.com with “mail list” in the subject box”. Advance tickets from WeGotTickets.

The Home Front presents

Forward March

Saturday 20^th March

7–11pm

St Gabriel’s Hall, Glasgow Terrace, London, SW1V 3AA

Admission: £7 in advance (0208 690 6416) or £8 on the door

Dress: Strictly Allied uniform or 1940s/1950s

A night of swing, jump jive, rhythm and blues and much dancing in a 1940s hall. There will be a free shag class from 7pm till 8pm and a vintage clothing stall courtesy of Dressing 4 Impressing.

Bartitsu Training Course

Sundays from 21st March to 25th April

3pm

Farnborough Leisure Centre, Westmead,
Farnborough,
Hampshire,
GU14 7LD

Admission: £55 for the course of six classes. However, members of the New Sheridan Club may claim a £10 discount: email james [at] safeism.com or telephone 07590 422806.

If you attended our summer party last year you will recall a demonstration of Bartitsu, the “walking stick martial art” devised by E. W. Barton-Wright at the end of the Victorian era. The demonstrator, James Marwood is now giving a course of lessons in a version of this discipline. “We teach modern, effective self defence, based on the Bartitsu system,” he says. “Using a mixture of eastern and western martial arts, dealing with both armed and unarmed encounters we apply traditional skills and modern training methods to give fun and practical martial art instruction.” For more details see www.modernbartitsu.com.

Count Indigo presents

Wilde’s Parade

Saturday 27^th March

8pm until late

The Ei8ht Club, 1 Change Alley, London EC3V 3ND

Admission: £10 (but NSC Members get a discount of two guineas, rendered the admission just £7.90; simply mention the password “Dorian”) Call 020 7621 0808 to book

Dress: “Twentieth Century Exquisite: air stewards, Love Boat Captains, flappers, spivs, go-go girls and debutantes…”

A new venture on the last Saturday of every month. Count Indigo writes, “Groove to the sounds of ragtime and Roxy, lounge to Bacharach and Bartok. Relax to intimate performances from the jazz organ of Rory More, arresting variety performers, novel pastimes and guest classical artists while feasting on the sensual delights of movies in the bijou cinema.” The comedy and start at 9pm. To find the venue, leave Bank station by Exit 5, head up Cornhill and Change Alley is the second on the right.

White Mischief presents

The Great Exhibition

Saturday 27^th March

9pm–4am

Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, King's Cross, London N1 9NL

Admission: From £20 in advance. See www.whitemischief.info

A “neo-Victorian” club night presenting “curiosities from across the Empire”, including noted scientist Voltini conducting 27,000 volts of visible lightning with his Tesla coil, Mr Bruce Airhead climbing inside his six foot balloon, Making Sparks Fly, Miss Keda Breeze with her angle grinding contraption, steampunk burlesque from Beau Burlington and Meg La Mania plus Master of Ceremonies the pith-helmeted “Cup of Brown Joy” rapper MC Elemental.

Easter 1940s Weekend

Saturday 3^rd–Sunday 4^th April

10pm–5pm

National Tramway Museum, Crich, near Matlock, Derbyhire

Admission: £12.50 (that may be per day)

“Back to the war years this weekend with military vehicles, soldiers and civilians. All guests are handed an ID card and ration book on arrival to prevent spies. See the trams ready for war with street re-enactments throughout the day.” See here.

Mouthful O’ Jam presents

Vintage Dancing: A night of 1920s–50s Hot Jazz, Swing and Rhythm and Blues

Saturday 3^rd April

7.30pm–2am

The Salisbury Pub Hotel, 1 Grande Parade, Green Lanes, Haringey, London, N4 1JX

Admission: £5

A night of 20s–50s hot jazz, swing and early jump blues DJed by London’s top 78 spinners, Swing Maniac, Tim Hellzapoppin’ and Kid Krupa, laying down original shellac recordings. Come early for dinner at this gastro-pub. Beginners Swing dance lesson with Gaia Facchini starts at 7:30pm.

NSC Club Night

Wednesday 7^th April

8pm–11pm

Upstairs, The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JB

Members: Free

Non-Members: £2 (first visit free)

Mr Seth Thévoz will opine on the subject of London Clubs 1870–1910, a “gentle saunter down the nineteenth-century Pall Mall and St James’s Street, replete with appropriate (and inappropriate) anecdotes”.

Land of PASH presents

Vintage Fashion and Retro Style Fair

Sunday 11^th April

10am–5pm

The Biscuit Factory, corner of Clement Rd and Drummond Rd, Bermondsey, London SE16 4DG

Admission: £4 (£2 for students) or free if you register online for a “visa”

A new venture set up by retro-“passionistas” Kerry Lackey and Victor Williams, who apparently were disgruntled by the experience of other vintage fairs and decided to set up their own. The first event is on 11^th April and you seem to be able to get a free ticket if you register now at their website. The venue is the old Peek Frean biscuit factory. It has a website too, though nowhere does it actually give an address (there is a map, however).

NSC Film Night

Thursday 15^th April

6pm–11pm

The Compass, 58 Penton Road (corner of Chapel Market), Islington, London N1 9PZ (020 7837 3891), nearest tube: Angel

Admission: Free, but you’ll need to pay for your jummy food and drinks

The Compass is a busy, tastefully decorated gastro-pub and we’ve secured the upstairs room where there is a DVD player and projector. The food is recommended, though the venue would rather we ate downstairs, so you are advised to arrive early and eat before the screening starts: I imagine the films won’t start before 7.30 or 8pm.

The programme is one previously scheduled but aborted when our old venue closed down: Count Martindt Cally von Callomon will present two documentaries—1971’s The Moon And The Sledgehammer about an eccentric family living a secluded life in woods near London, and The Knife Grinder from the early 1980s. Cally will introduce the programme with his thoughts on “the English media’s need for our ‘eccentrics’ to be pre-packaged whereas, in these films, they are free of all such convenient shrink-wrap and could even be seen as somewhat sinister”.

London Burlesque Week

Tuesday 20^th April–Sunday 25^th April

Various times at various venues in central London. See www.londonburlesqueweek.com

Chaz Royale last year presented over 150 acts to some 3,000 punters and swears that this year’s festival of nudity will be bigger still. See the website for full details.

Count Indigo presents

Wilde’s Parade

Saturday 24^th April

8pm until late

The Ei8ht Club, 1 Change Alley, London EC3V 3ND

Admission: £10 (but NSC Members get a discount of two guineas, rendered the admission just £7.90; simply mention the password “Dorian”) Call 020 7621 0808 to book

Dress: “Twentieth Century Exquisite: air stewards, Love Boat Captains, flappers, spivs, go-go girls and debutantes…”

A new venture on the last Saturday of every month. Count Indigo writes, “Groove to the sounds of ragtime and Roxy, lounge to Bacharach and Bartok. Relax to intimate performances from the jazz organ of Rory More, arresting variety performers, novel pastimes and guest classical artists while feasting on the sensual delights of movies in the bijou cinema.” The comedy and start at 9pm. To find the venue, leave Bank station by Exit 5, head up Cornhill and Change Alley is the second on the right.

St George’s Day Punt Picnic

Friday 23^rd April–Sunday 25^th April

Oxford

Admission: There will be a contribution towards boat hire and you’ll need to supply some food and drink for the picnic

It’s an annual tradition that on the weekend nearest to St George’s day we go to Oxford, hire some punts, punt out to a particular patch of meadow and have a picnic. This is usually followed by a night in the pub, or indeed several pubs, bars, private gardens, gutters, etc. For those who fancy it there is also usually a restaurant meal on the Friday beforehand (traditionally in black tie) and often some low-key entertainment on the Sunday afternoon too. More details nearer the time, although typically we’ll meet at the Turf at opening time, then pootle down to the river to pick up the punts at midday. There is often a movement towards the covered market beforehand to source victuals.

Mouthful O’ Jam presents

Vintage Dancing: A night of 1920s–50s Hot Jazz, Swing and Rhythm and Blues

Saturday 1^st May

7.30pm–2am

The Salisbury Pub Hotel, 1 Grande Parade, Green Lanes, Haringey, London, N4 1JX

Admission: £5

A night of 20s–50s hot jazz, swing and early jump blues DJed by London’s top 78 spinners, Swing Maniac, Tim Hellzapoppin’ and Kid Krupa, laying down original shellac recordings. Come early for dinner at this gastro-pub. Beginners Swing dance lesson with Gaia Facchini starts at 7:30pm.

NSC Club Night

Wednesday 5^th May

8pm–11pm

Upstairs, The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JB

Members: Free

Non-Members: £2 (first visit free)

Speaker TBC

NSC Film Night

Thursday 20^th May

6pm–11pm

The Compass, 58 Penton Road (corner of Chapel Market), Islington, London N1 9PZ (020 7837 3891), nearest tube: Angel

Admission: Free, but you’ll need to pay for your jummy food and drinks

The Compass is a busy, tastefully decorated gastro-pub and we’ve secured the upstairs room where there is a DVD player and projector. The food is recommended, though the venue would rather we ate downstairs, so you are advised to arrive early and eat before the screening starts: I imagine the films won’t start before 7.30 or 8pm.

The programme is presented by the Earl of Essex and will comprise the 1974 film of The Great Gatsby, preceeded by some shorts on the subject of 1920s flappers. More details to come.

Count Indigo presents

Wilde’s Parade

Saturday 29^th May

8pm until late

The Ei8ht Club, 1 Change Alley, London EC3V 3ND

Admission: £10 (but NSC Members get a discount of two guineas, rendered the admission just £7.90; simply mention the password “Dorian”) Call 020 7621 0808 to book

Dress: “Twentieth Century Exquisite: air stewards, Love Boat Captains, flappers, spivs, go-go girls and debutantes…”

A new venture on the last Saturday of every month. Count Indigo writes, “Groove to the sounds of ragtime and Roxy, lounge to Bacharach and Bartok. Relax to intimate performances from the jazz organ of Rory More, arresting variety performers, novel pastimes and guest classical artists while feasting on the sensual delights of movies in the bijou cinema.” The comedy and start at 9pm. To find the venue, leave Bank station by Exit 5, head up Cornhill and Change Alley is the second on the right.

1940s War Weekend

Saturday 29^th–Monday31st May

10pm–5pm

East Lancashire Railway, Heywood to Rawtenstall

Admission: See the fares table.

I know no more than this at the moment, but keep an eye here.

The Last Tuesday Society presents

The Great May Masked Ball

Friday 28^th May

10pm–4am

Bridge, Weston Street, London Bridge, London

Admission: £10 (from Ticketweb)

Dress: Masks

Delights this time include a full orchestra provided by The Massed Ranks of the Doctors & Surgeons of Great Britain, Louis Elliot and the Embers touring their new album Kittow’s Moor, Deathray Trebuchet, The Transiberian Marching Band, opera singing from Helen Noir, a Feast of Naked Boys and Girls serving Suzette Fields Famous Cheeseboard and Viktor Wynd’s Midnight Feast of Yesterdays Cakes and the Chocolate Fountains of Gluttony.

NSC Club Night

Wednesday 2^nd June

8pm–11pm

Upstairs, The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JB

Members: Free

Non-Members: £2 (first visit free)

Matthew “The Chairman” Howard will doubtless scandalise the neighbourhood with his address, The Big Siam: Oriental Excess in the East Indies, a talk he insists upon styling “The Second Lady Malvern Memorial Lecture” (see the Year Two archives for an explanation of this nomenclature…)

Sentimental Journey presents

1942: A Night of Jump, Jive and Swing

Saturday 5th June

7.30pm–12am

Horton Kirby & South Darenth Village Hall, Horton Road, South Darenth, Dartford, Kent DA4 9AX

Admission: £8 on the door (but reservations recommended)

Dress: Allied uniformed or civilian dress

Featuring “world renowned DJ” Terry Elliot. Tea and coffee are free but bring your own booze. For tickets and reservations telephone 020 7987 6686 or email sentimentaljourney@yahoo.co.uk.

Wartime Weekend

Saturday 12^th–Sunday 13^th June

10pm–5pm

Great Central Railway—Loughborough Central to Leicester North

Admission: Not sure at this stage

I think the action focuses around a few of the stations on this route (which I believe is no longer a functioning part of the normal rail network). Last year they had football teams in period kit, a Vera Lynn style singer, fly-pasts by wartime aircraft and, celebrating the anniversary of D-Day and the fallen, a “poppy drop” in which half a million poppy petals were dropped from vintage aircraft over Quorn and Woodhouse railway station. For more details see here.

Hep Cats’ Holiday Weekender

Friday 2^nd–5^th July

Sand Bay Leisure Resort, Kewstoke,Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset

Admission: from £179 per person (chalets for 1–3 people)

A celebration of 40s and 50s music and style, with many live bands, disc jockets and swing dance teachers, plus classic movie screenings, a vintage clothing market, retro art exhibition, barber and beauty salon and other leisure facilities. See www.hepcatsholiday.com.

Edwardian Weekend at the Tram Museum

Saturday 10^th and Sunday 11^th July

10am–5pm

Relive the Edwardian period with soldiers, suffragettes, civilians and period vehicles, plus the only chance to ride on our horse tram.

The Chap Olympics

Saturday 17^th July

Afternoonish

Bedford Square Gardens, Bedford Square, London

The annual contest of unathletic gentlemanly pursuits where the goal is not to win (both losing and cheating are strongly admired), which last year featured bicycle jousting; hop, skip and G&T; and the perennial martini relay. More details nearer the time but keep the date free!

1940s Weekend at the Tram Museum

Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th August

10am–5pm

Crich Tramway Museum, Derbyshire

Relive the Home Front with rationing and air raids. Special reduced rate for those in forties costume (but apparently no Axis costumes allowed—that’s you told, Scarheart).