White Mink, 8th February

White Mink totally lived up to the (my) hype. I had a stupidly wicked night.

We got over to Village Underground at about 10:30, maybe a little earlier. At first we were a little surprised by the music played - we didn't think it really fit into the electro-vintage style we had expected, it seemed to be a bit mainstream. But the night was still young and they were just getting warmed up before it really got into the 'swing' (geddit) of things.

Apart from knowing White Mink were the people who brought us Electro-Swing I hadn't really looked into what to expect. So the number of live acts were a surprise, as was the aerial performer who wowed us with her sexy acrobatics over the middle of the crowd. The night would have been great without this, but it added to the spectacle of the whole event.

The live acts were stupendous. We were all blown away by them, truly (and there was about 15 of us to impress). Standout act of the night had to be Shea Soul and Kid Kasino, and I'm happy to say I got a chance to chat with Shea after her performance and tell her how great we thought it was. Bart & Baker provided the DJing skills to keep us all dancing when the live acts, which included the Elle and the Pocket Belles and the Shirttail Stompers, had finished.

So, as the night went on, it was more and more of what we had expected and what we loved. Some bass and beats that made you want to shake your hips (especially if those hips had tassels on them, which mine did) along to the fast-paced swing and jazz from the 20s to 40s. There is something about this blending of music styles that just makes you want to dance and dance. Once we started, I think we barely stopped, and when the night finished at 3 am, we easily had the appetite for more.

There wasn't an enforced dress code for the event but most of the people there had outfits that were inspired in some way by the 20s, which was nice as I do love a guy in a waistcoat and trilby! And I think it added to the atmosphere and decadent feel of the party. It was fantastic to have such a big venue as Village Underground, and the place was full to the brim, proving how popular these nights are. I am surprised that White Mink hadn't come back to London sooner, but they appear not to be replicating the long wait after this one with the next show in May. Sadly, I don't think I can make it, but you most definitely should. It was frightfully good. 

In fact the only bad thing I have to say about it was that VIllage Underground ran out of white wine at about 11:30! How do you run out of wine? Ridiculous. 

Pictures to come...

London Remixed Festival, 24th November

I was invited to review the London Remixed Festival and after taking a look at who would be playing and who was behind it, I thought I would be a fool to turn it down. So I didn't.

Wristbands were collected from Rich Mix, and while we were there we thought we'd see what kind of acts they had on. The downstairs was the African Rootmaster area, while upstairs was playing host to the Acoustic Boutique. The foursome on stage downstairs weren't doing much for us - a little too easy listening so we hopped into the "Disco Lift" to go upstairs.

Disco Lift Operator - (c) Gareth Reid

I wish all lifts could be like this - instead of an elevator operator you get some groovy dude playing music for your delightment while you travel between floors. We had something cheesy on the way up, and some D 'n' B on the way down!

Upstairs we came across one of the most truly unique acts I've seen in ... well... ever! His name was Ichi and he was a one-man-band. I don't know how many instruments he managed to go through in his set - there were really too many to count and too many to name, especially as some of them seemed to be handmade and wouldn't otherwise exist. He had bells on his feet, used a pedal to hit a drum, played a sort of banjo and 'sang'. He introduced each song but it was impossible to understand them. I'm really not sure if they were in English, Japanese, or other. It was very odd, but also transfixing. Almost impossible to describe, so just watch this video.

After he was through we had things we wanted to see in the Polka Tent at the Bedroom Bar so we went directly there. We were just in time to catch Cut A Shine leading the crowd in a barn dance. I get the impression they are used to bigger spaces to work in, and it was necessary to take out all the tables and chairs to allow just enough room for people to jig about.

Some of the dances were quite intricate and definitely not doable with a drink in your hand which means we didn't get involved in the first three or four. But we did dive in eventually. A dance which involved running in two massive circles, then doing some sort of dosey-do with several strangers until you got to 'lucky seven' with whom you just span around for a bit. It was exhilarating! I was beaming at the end of just one song. Actually, I didn't even make it to the end, it was so high energy, I was getting a right sweat on and decided to sit down to catch my breath. My other friends soon joined me, having the same idea. 

Cutting a rug with Cut A Shine - (c) Gareth Reid

We then went upstairs to catch the last bit of the Horndog Brass Band and we stayed up there to see some of the Monster Ceilidh Band as well. Both were good, but the MCB were a little on the quieter side compared to the Brass Band and Cut A Shine so we went downstairs to watch the last of Gypsy Hill, who I had seen at Rumpus recently and knew would be playing some upbeat foot-stomping sounds. We had a bit of a jig around to them before finishing off the night at the one destination we hadn't yet been to - the Latin Quarter at Village Underground.

Ska Cubano were playing when we got over there, the last act of the night at that venue. They were bloody brilliant, a great way to finish off the night. Everyone was in high spirits, the music was upbeat and fun. People were dancing around with smiles and abandon. 

Crowds at Ska Cubano - (c) Gareth Reid

I left this night on an absolute high, and really hope it becomes an annual event. The only negative thing really was that there were so many acts it was hard to see them all. I'd love to have been part of the 'walking taxi' with Perhaps Contraption for example (though I have seen them at White Mischief), or seen Molotov Jukebox.

Hopefully next time!

Rebel Bingo at Village Underground, 14th September

Bingo is not my game. When I went to Musical Bingo I didn’t win a single thing. When I’ve been to normal bingo ‘down the club’ with my boyfriend’s mum, I have had similar scant success. And Friday night at Rebel Bingo was no exception. I didn’t cross off a single line. It didn’t help, that despite it being a bingo night, very little bingo is actually played, thus further slimming my chances. It’s clearly just a ruse for a piss up.

We got there at about 8:30 as instructed and upon entry were given our book with our bingo lines in it. This consisted of two sheets of paper – one sheet per game. That's right. Only two games of bingo in the entire night are played. An hour or so later, the seething mass of revellers were called to attention and the first game of bingo began. I seem to remember it followed the usual pattern – prize for a line, two lines, full house etc. All very conventional. Except that most people are pretty drunk by now, and probably not paying that much attention. How to focus them? Well, firstly there were some very desirable prizes on offer. I particularly coveted the shiny disco ball (having no regard to the fact I would have had nowehere to store it at home) but alas, as you know, I wasn’t successful. The second way to keep the rabble paying attention, is to come up with the filthiest bingo calls imaginable. You know the thing – what you say so you know which number has been called - ‘Two Fat Ladies’ for 88 etc. Of course, the traditional bingo calls are supposed to have some relevance to the number that has just come up. These ones . . . not so much. I can’t now recall specifically any of the terms. I tried to write down on my hand a reference to the more lurid ones but as you can see, that didn’t work. 

You can probably just about make out the word ‘cunt’ at the bottom there

Basically, if you think along the lines of “26, sweaty flaps, 26” or "48, my boyfriend licks my greasy minge juice, 48", you won’t be far off.

After the climax of the first game there’s more drinking and more dancing, and then the final game of the evening. By this point everyone is pretty pissed and the markers that have been handed out for crossing off your numbers, have been put to more creative uses. Why do people like drawing on each other so much? It’s a mystery. 

Christ, who are these bozos?

The bingo was all over by 11 but you were strongly encouraged to stick around for the party. I had plans to go to the rugby the next day, and go out Saturday night so I didn’t want to stay for too long. However, every time I got ready to leave, they put on another song that I wanted to stay and dance to. They were playing crowd pleasers, but without straying too far into cheese, so it was actually stuff I like (yes, I’m aware that sounds a bit pretentious). For example, they played Chase & Status, but not their big hit Sweet Sensation – instead they played No Problem, which I much prefer. And there was a bit of Marilyn Manson thrown in, and Here Comes the Hotsteppter. A broad range to suit all tastes. Eventually though, the music seemed to be descending further and further into dubstep which was good motivation to finally leave, way too late to get the last tube home.

Rebel Bingo was held in Village Underground, which is also on my list. I have actually been here before, and so could have technically crossed it off, but I wanted to come back and experience it when it was being used as a club venue. The last time I went it was for a much more sedate special Book Slam event. Village Underground is quite a cavernous space when there aren’t lots of tables and chairs set out, which is good as there was a lot of people. There was a stage area at one end of it from where the numbers were called, a bar set back somewhere in the middle, and then the entrance at the other end, which was a little bit raised. This was where we were and provided an impressive view of the throng below. God knows how you could make yourself heard (though people did) once you had Bingo, or how they managed to get to the stage to claim their prize. It’s a pretty ‘cool’ space that is used to hosting parties from the Blitz to Mixmag nights so they obviously know what they’re doing for busy nights and have a good sound system. Drinks weren’t any more expensive than you’d expect at £3.50 for a can or £4.00 for a spirit and mixer – we stuck to cider in a can.

I met someone in the pub beforehand who had been to Rebel Bingo before who said the success of the night seemed to go hand-in-hand with the venue.  As this was my first, I can’t compare it to other nights, but I had a really, really good night and Village Underground seemed to complement Rebel Bingo.

Rebel Bingo used to be called Underground Rebel Bingo, but I think it’s safe to say that it’s gone overground now. They only do a few a year and it is so popular, the online tickets sell out in minutes. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next one.