Saturday Night Swing Club
Saturday 13th March
7.30pmÐ2am
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 CatsÕ Holiday Weekender
Friday 12thÐMonday 15th March
PontinÕs pakefield Holiday Park, London Road, Kessingland, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 7PF
Admission: from £154 per person (chalets for 2Ð8 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 14th March
10.30amÐ5pm
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 17th March
7pmÐ11pm
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
8pmÐ11.45pm
Bethnal Green Working MenÕs Club, Pollard Row, London, E2 6NB (020 7739 2727)
Admission: £10
A night of ÒLynchianÓ (as in David) cabaret and burlesque packaged with music described as Òtwisted rock and roll, sinister jazz and wailing junk bluesÓ. Sounds scary but our Chairman Torquil Arbuthnot vouches that itÕs 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 Òthe 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 Òmail listÓ in the subject boxÓ. Advance tickets from WeGotTickets.
The
Home Front presents
Forward March
Saturday 20th March
7Ð11pm
St GabrielÕs 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 Òwalking stick martial artÓ 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. ÒWe teach modern, effective self defence, based on the Bartitsu system,Ó he says. ÒUsing 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.Ó For more details see www.modernbartitsu.com.
Count
Indigo presents
WildeÕs Parade
Saturday 27th 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 ÒDorianÓ) Call 020 7621 0808 to book
Dress: ÒTwentieth Century Exquisite: air stewards, Love Boat Captains, flappers, spivs, go-go girls and debutantesÉÓ
A new venture on the last Saturday of every month. Count Indigo writes, ÒGroove 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.Ó 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 27th March
9pmÐ4am
Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, King's Cross, London N1 9NL
Admission: From £20 in advance. See www.whitemischief.info
A Òneo-VictorianÓ club night presenting Òcuriosities from across the EmpireÓ, 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 ÒCup of Brown JoyÓ rapper MC Elemental.
Easter 1940s Weekend
Saturday 3rdÐSunday 4th April
10pmÐ5pm
National Tramway Museum, Crich, near Matlock, Derbyhire
Admission: £12.50 (that may be per day)
ÒBack 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.Ó See here.
Mouthful
OÕ Jam presents
Vintage Dancing: A night of 1920sÐ50s Hot Jazz, Swing and Rhythm and Blues
Saturday 3rd April
7.30pmÐ2am
The Salisbury Pub Hotel, 1 Grande Parade, Green Lanes, Haringey, London, N4 1JX
Admission: £5
A night of 20sÐ50s hot jazz, swing and early jump blues DJed by LondonÕs top 78 spinners, Swing Maniac, Tim HellzapoppinÕ 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 7th April
8pmÐ11pm
Upstairs, The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JB
Members: Free
Non-Members: £2 (first visit free)
Mr Seth ThŽvoz will opine on the subject of London Clubs 1870Ð1910, a Ògentle saunter down the nineteenth-century Pall Mall and St JamesÕs Street, replete with appropriate (and inappropriate) anecdotesÓ.
Land
of PASH presents
Vintage Fashion and Retro Style Fair
Sunday 11th April
10amÐ5pm
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 ÒvisaÓ
A new venture set up by retro-ÒpassionistasÓ 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 11th 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 15th April
6pmÐ11pm
The Compass, 58 Penton Road (corner of Chapel Market), Islington, London N1 9PZ (020 7837 3891), nearest tube: Angel
Admission: Free, but youÕll need to pay for your jummy food and drinks
The Compass is a busy, tastefully decorated gastro-pub and weÕve 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 wonÕt 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 documentariesÑ1971Õs 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 Òthe English mediaÕs need for
our ÔeccentricsÕ to be pre-packaged whereas, in these films, they are free of
all such convenient shrink-wrap and could even be seen as somewhat sinisterÓ.
London Burlesque Week
Tuesday 20th AprilÐSunday 25th 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 yearÕs festival of nudity will be bigger still. See the website for full details.
Count
Indigo presents
WildeÕs Parade
Saturday 24th 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 ÒDorianÓ) Call 020 7621 0808 to book
Dress: ÒTwentieth Century Exquisite: air stewards, Love Boat Captains, flappers, spivs, go-go girls and debutantesÉÓ
A new venture on the last Saturday of every month. Count Indigo writes, ÒGroove 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.Ó 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 GeorgeÕs Day Punt Picnic
Friday 23rd AprilÐSunday 25th April
Oxford
Admission: There will be a contribution towards boat hire and youÕll need to supply some food and drink for the picnic
ItÕs an annual tradition that on the weekend nearest to St GeorgeÕs 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 weÕll 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
OÕ Jam presents
Vintage Dancing: A night of 1920sÐ50s Hot Jazz, Swing and Rhythm and Blues
Saturday 1st May
7.30pmÐ2am
The Salisbury Pub Hotel, 1 Grande Parade, Green Lanes, Haringey, London, N4 1JX
Admission: £5
A night of 20sÐ50s hot jazz, swing and early jump blues DJed by LondonÕs top 78 spinners, Swing Maniac, Tim HellzapoppinÕ 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 5th May
8pmÐ11pm
Upstairs, The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JB
Members: Free
Non-Members: £2 (first visit free)
Speaker TBC
NSC Film Night
Thursday 20th May
6pmÐ11pm
The Compass, 58 Penton Road (corner of Chapel Market), Islington, London N1 9PZ (020 7837 3891), nearest tube: Angel
Admission: Free, but youÕll need to pay for your jummy food and drinks
The Compass is a busy, tastefully decorated gastro-pub and weÕve 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 wonÕt 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
WildeÕs Parade
Saturday 29th 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 ÒDorianÓ) Call 020 7621 0808 to book
Dress: ÒTwentieth Century Exquisite: air stewards, Love Boat Captains, flappers, spivs, go-go girls and debutantesÉÓ
A new venture on the last Saturday of every month. Count Indigo writes, ÒGroove 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.Ó 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 29thÐMonday31st May
10pmÐ5pm
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 28th May
10pmÐ4am
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 KittowÕs 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 WyndÕs Midnight Feast of Yesterdays Cakes and the Chocolate Fountains of Gluttony.
NSC Club Night
Wednesday 2nd June
8pmÐ11pm
Upstairs, The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JB
Members: Free
Non-Members: £2 (first visit free)
Matthew ÒThe ChairmanÓ Howard will doubtless scandalise the neighbourhood with his address, The Big Siam: Oriental Excess in the East Indies, a talk he insists upon styling ÒThe Second Lady Malvern Memorial LectureÓ (see the Year Two archives for an explanation of this nomenclatureÉ)
Sentimental
Journey presents
1942: A Night of Jump, Jive
and Swing
Saturday 5th June
7.30pmÐ12am
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 Òworld renowned DJÓ 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 12thÐSunday 13th June
10pmÐ5pm
Great Central RailwayÑLoughborough 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 Òpoppy dropÓ in which half a million poppy petals were dropped from vintage aircraft over Quorn and Woodhouse railway station. For more details see here.
Hep CatsÕ Holiday Weekender
Friday 2ndÐ5th July
Sand Bay Leisure Resort, Kewstoke,Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
Admission: from £179 per person (chalets for 1Ð3 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 10th and Sunday 11th July
10amÐ5pm
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 17th 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 14th and Sunday 15th August
10amÐ5pm
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 allowedÑthatÕs you told, Scarheart).