"Jane Says"....

I'm back Frock Fans!  Quite a few weeks have passed....soz and all that!

Summer has just about been and gone but it's been a pretty good one.

A few weeks back, myself & the lovely Northern lass went to see Jane's Addiction doing the "Nothing's Shocking" album and all the classics, in Brixton.  Perry Farrell, even nearing 60, is still the best front man there has ever been in my opinion....and also quite attractive if truth be known ;)
A great night....lots of memories from my dreadlocked years....and a good time out with Miss Whitwell. 

I cannot believe I'm writing about another August Bank Holiday in Brighton so soon again.  It's just flown by.  Thanks to kindly relatives, I got to stay in a lovely little b&b this year....Coward's Guesthouse in Upper Rock Gardens.  Take note kids.....it's a fantastic little find and a real bargain.  I will be returning!  As always, the mod weekender is the best opportunity to catch up with people you don't see very often (if ever!), do a bit of mod bothering, a bit of dancing, and a bit of general people-watching.  Controversial but contrary to other reports, I actually do think that there were a lot of horrendously dressed folk this year...more than normal....but hey, what do I know?  I'm hoping that someone will tell me if I look ridiculous.  For example, I have knees like tree trunks.  This is not appropriate for white tights.  Just saying.

Needed to do quite a lot of staying local following the mod rally.  Eating rubbish for 3 days costs a lot you know.  However, yesterday was probably the last day out of Summer....and as it's always one of the best days out of the year, there was no way on earth I was going to miss the second Modcast Boat Party of 2014.  Oh how I love going up and down the Thames on a sunny Sunday afternoon, dancing to Gil Scott-Heron, and returning to the Southbank during a beautiful sunset.  If you're getting sick of London, take a trip down the river, you'll fall in love with it again, guaranteed.  Big love to Laurie, Gumball Milly & Kitty La in particular for making the day fun as always.  No big love to the sex pests or the midget dj who bothered us immensely ;)

Enjoy the last days of Summer kids.  Autumn isn't all bad though....conkers, boots and that.

Summer Stuff.....and Mod Bothering

London's Burning...hot.  I won't complain as before you know it, it'll be a distant memory.

July is nearly over but lots has been on, visitors have visited and days out have been had.

My swedish friend Louise (more english than swedish if truth be known!) was in London for a few days so we ventured out to the Bar Italia 65th birthday party.  What a day!  Frith Street was closed to traffic, the sun shone and we had the best afternoon ever.

We got all cultural,  listened to opera and drank Aperol spritz.  We watched The Soho Hobo do his thing (one of my current favourites), Suggs do "Baggy Trousers" and Adam Ant be all gorgeous.  Not bad for an afternoon's free entertainment I say.  Soho's characters were out in force....the man with the glass on his head, the Italian pensioners dancing like they were 25 again, the middle-aged fashionistas who showed everyone else up.  People danced, drank and hung out of Soho windows.  Belated Happy Birthday Bar Italia....thank you for the good times and all the coffee!

What else?  I took a brief trip to Worthing.  No near death events thankfully this time.  Moving on.

Last weekend, the sun stayed out and we went to the ModernHistory day in Lower Marsh, Waterloo.  A real contrast to last year's damp experience.  Found a gorgeous dress in the little vintage market, looked at some lovely black & white photos, visited the ladies in What the Butler Wore, drank Strawberry Coladas, got confused in the pub that didn't serve cider nor know how to make lager & lime, danced a bit, and Emma got her bum pinched.  (Sex pests, they're everywhere).  A good turnout of scooters for Scoot the Thames too.

Had a day off and a day out in Soho yesterday....too much to mention but included Peckham Rye, Babette and small dogs at The Society Club Shop, Bar Italia (again), Liberty (my first time), Golden Square, escaping Carnaby Street as quick as we can, lunch in Pollo, and a pointless visit to pointless Covent Garden.  Thank you for a lovely day Mr Hyde-Smith, this is for you:

June & July jubilations....

Happy 4th July blog-reading folk. 

June has been a crazy old month and July is going the same way.  I don't mean crazy in an unhinged sort of a way....just crazy busy.  Good busy too though.

We had a day to get over the Modcast boat trip and then headed off to the London Welsh Centre for the launch of the lovely Saint Etienne photo book.  What a strange old place the Welsh Centre is.....lots of people in national costumes holding daffodils, talking about popty pings and pysgod wibbly wobblies.  Ok, so it wasn't quite like that but wouldn't it be great if it was? 

Had a night out with the visiting Newcastle folk at the Earl Haig Hall down the road....this time for a pub quiz.  What a fun night that was.  We came joint 2nd I think....no thanks to me.  They didn't have one single question on skinny swedish bands or Adam Ant.

A lovely night was had at the Genesis cinema last week for a screening of the Adam Ant documentary, The Blueblack Hussar.  A great little place in an interesting area....Ant fans mingling with muslims heading to the mosque next door.  Will go back and explore some other time.  The screening was the final night of the East End film festival, which looked fantastic I might add.  Once again, something to revisit another time.  Free fizz and snacks were on hand, there were comfy seats and "hubby" looked pretty blinking gorgeous.  What's not to like?  An interesting behind the scenes look at Mr Ant's comeback tour/s.  All good stuff.

Crazy days by the seaside last weekend thanks to friends old & new.  A sunny day spent watching the world go by and laughing our heads off.  Nosh at Idyea, fizz at The Dorset, cocktails at Twisted Lemon, near death events in Worthing.  Lovely times. 

July sees much of the same but as always, don't expect any indepth reviews about anything much!!!!

Happy weekend folks!

A night with Jarvis...and some other stuff

Hello folks

Another month with lots of things happening.

Although our little club, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, is on hold for the time being, we were asked to provide the tunes for a lovely lady's 50th birthday party at the Great Northern Railway Tavern.  For anyone that thinks us middle-aged folk don't know how to have a good time, I will introduce you to her!  Dancing from the second the djs started, until 2am when the place closed.  Long past my bedtime I might add.  Although I didn't stay until the end, I did make good use of the buffet and consumed at least 400 spring rolls that evening.  Thank you John & Jenny for asking Darren & Nick to dj for you.  We do love a buffet.

This month, I finally got to visit Crouch End's lovely new Arthouse Cinema - very impressive it is too.  We sent to see the Pulp documentary - Pulp: A film about life, death & supermarkets.  This first screening involved cinemas around the country showing the film at the exact same time, with live footage from Sheffield and a Q&A session with the band.  I would recommend you see this if you havn't already.  Even if you're not particularly a Pulp fan, I guarantee you'll fall in love with every single character in it.  It didn't make me want to move to Sheffield but it did make me want to meet them all!!!!

Crouch End Festival took place since I last wrote.  The Zombie Walk and outdoor screening of Shaun of the Dead proved particularly popular....with (once) Crouch End's own Simon Pegg introducing the film on a big screen.  I don't like zombies and aren't particularly interested in Shaun of the Dead but well done Crouch End for what seems like a successful night!

Soho days/nights twice this past week.  Dinner in one of my favourite cheapo eateries, Pollo, and on Saturday, a trip to the lovely John Deakin & The Lure of Soho photo exhibition at The Photographer's Gallery, lunch at Wahaca, coffee at Bar Italia, and drinks at The French House and The John Snow.  What's not to like about a sunny Saturday in Soho?  Apart from maybe too much unpleasant flesh on show on the Naked Bike Ride.

One of my favourite days of the year yesterday - the Modcast Boat Trip.  Oh what fun we had.  A bigger boat for us this year and a fair few choppy moments on the Thames but no-one vomited, no-one fell out the window and all was well.  No PC Carver or Matt Berry this time for Emma to bother in a bothersome way, but Rick Buckler instead.  I should have asked him if he did indeed live down the road from my Gran in her tiny hamlet, and practice his drumming in the village hall.  I guess we'll never know.  Highlights of the trip (among many) - the whole place singing "Town called Malice" (probably to Mr Buckler's embarrassment) and lots of Tony Class classics being played.  Next one in September - see you there shipmates.

Brick Lane, Bingo, Brighton....All the B's

It's hot out there I tell you, hot!  The streets of Crouch End are no doubt full of Birkenstock-wearing folk and there is probably way too much inappropriate flesh on show.  I'm having an enforced "staying in" weekend so the general public have been spared my pasty white legs and ridiculous sunglasses.

May isn't over yet but I've had a month of "things beginning with B".  Wondering if a prize win to Barbados might top it all off.....but will more likely be Blackpool.

 My Aunt Linda came over on her yearly visit from the States this month.  I was given the job of arranging a day out for her, her friend & Mum.  They were lucky I didn't choose my favourite Saturday things or they'd have gone home with a bag full of cocktail umbrellas and twitching from too much Bar Italia coffee.

So......Brick Lane & Spitalfields it was.  Yes, yes, yes, I know Shoreditch is hipster-central but it's a fascinating area, full of art & things to look at all over the place.  I'm presuming that the local council turn a blind eye to the graffiti as it's a hell of a lot more attractive than what's underneath.  I avoided the vintage shops but we did go and ogle lots of food stalls instead.  Go early before it's all been man-handled - loads of choice and it looks fantastic! 

Spitalfields happened to have a vintage wedding fayre.  Amongst the tatt, there were still lots of nice things to look at and interesting people to spy.  Lunch in The Real Greek which I'd recommend....big portions so no room for dessert (What? I hear you cry) and not too expensive.

....slightly distracted here as it sounds like my washing machine is about to spin it's way through the floor.  Sorry neighbours.

Next on the B list....Bingo!!!!!  Hannah & I donned our bunny ears, downed a few Malibus and headed to Wood Green with our dabbers.  Only some of these things are true.  It appears that Bingo is no longer for old (or mad) folk....nor is it full of hen nights (thankfully).  It's all very technical these days I'll have you know and there's no messing about.  Keep up or lose!  I learnt all the basics from Bingo Queen Hannah, and also learnt that perhaps I havn't got a loud enough voice for Bingo.  I could have won the huge sum of £30....if only they'd had heard me shout.  You'll all be doing it soon....mark my words ;)

and finally....in B-related things......Brighton!  Lunch with the ladies & Dolly (who is also a lady but a small one) at The George (not impressed George people, not impressed) then a night at The Pelirocco.  Fond memories of staying there once with a skinny danish person in the Modraphenia Room.  Poor Mr Piller got stuck with it this time round apparently....hope you loved the target duvet Eddie!!!  (She said sarcastically).  I digress.....anyway, there this time to see a couple of films about the current mod-scene....specifically in Glasgow & London.  Luckily our appearances were very, very fleeting!  Lovely to meet the producer Emma-Rosa, have a dance, catch up with various folk, and consume "Del Boy" cocktails, complete with tacky umbrellas and foliage.  Thank you Brighton friends, old and new......I had a lovely time.

Cheerio for now....and good luck Crouch End Fun Run people.....just remember there are doughnuts at the finish line!!!!

Greetings from the Easter Bunny....

Happy Easter folks!

It's been a while, the clocks have changed, the sun is (occasionally) out and there's been lots going on.

Back in March we went to the Bare Groove Northern Soul night down the road in the Earl Haig Hall.  A busy night with lots of dancing, which is rare these days.  I hope they keep these nights going - it was packed out and obviously a popular option for a Crouch End night out.  Makes sense don't you think Earl Haig?

15/16 March saw the Classic Car Boot Sale back at the Southbank.  The one day last year now increased to a whole weekend.  It's a great day out even if you don't buy anything.  Lots of lovely old cars & scooters, great music from the djs playing on top of the open-top double decker bus and good food/drink.....and obviously great for photo opportunities/people watching.  I didn't buy anything this time round but my BEAUTIFUL £5 candy-stripe 60s dress from last year made up for that!

Back to Wiltshire at the beginning of April for my Gran's 91st birthday.  Ventured to the village coffee morning, chatted to a young lady vicar (good for her I say!) and got a book on Victorian photography for the bargain price of 50p.  The country is good for things like that!

We got to see the beautiful "How we used to Live" film at the Curzon in Soho this week....colour footage from times gone by, with a soundtrack by St Etienne.  A stunning film with footage I'd never seen before.  With all the film that's out there, that's quite unusual these days.  If you're interested in old footage, London, or both, try and go and see it.

Up-to-date now with this weekend's goings on.  Yesterday was Record Store Day.  Yes yes folks, I know we're in England and we have Shops not Stores!  I was quite surprised by comments on Twitter that some people weren't aware it was happening or what it was.  Different lives and all that.  I wasn't so surprised that people had been camping out on the streets of London all night in none too warm conditions - more surprised that lots of those people had been camping out for a limited edition Ghostbusters fluorescent 45!!!!

Soho was more packed than you can possibly imagine but everything seemed pretty well controlled, the sun was out and the Elvis dancers (as I call them) were out so all was well with the (Soho) world.  I watched The Soho Hobo (a.k.a Tim Arnold, a.k.a Kat Slater's boyfriend) while I was waiting for friends and I was impressed.  Might try and catch him again at some point.  Lunch at one of my favourite places, the Mediterranean Cafe', and then off to find space of some sort to watch Adam Ant do a few songs.  Despite the buggies & small children (possibly not the best day out for toddlers eh parents?), we managed to find a good spot and saw Mr Ant do 6 or 7 songs....some from Dirk Wears White Sox and some covers.  I cannot believe that man is going to be 60 this year.  Nuff said.

Finishing off the day with some drinks & big chips in The Swan in Hammersmith where we tried our best not to throw things at Keith Lemon & decided someone needs to invent a shazam type app for famous people you recognise but can't remember the name of - in this case, someone not as famous as I thought, Mark Ellis.  Finally, after months of waiting, to the Apollo to see Mr Ant do Dirk Wears White Sox from start to finish.  Marvellous it was too.....or as Simon puts it, "tasty".  A great value gig with not only the album but obviously lots of other classics too......well done hubby, you played a blinder.

With that, I'm signing off.....now go and eat some chocolate or a bun.  I'll leave you with a photo!

Reasons to be Cheerful (part 3).....and a lot of rambling about Dear Catastrophe Waitress

It appears Spring has sprung....Crouch End is full of attractive types in unfortunate footwear, the sun is shining on Alexandra Palace and it's all gone a bit Al Fresco.  I won't get overly excited about this quite yet....but it's looking hopeful!

A few weeks have passed since I last wrote this thing and to be honest, not a lot has gone on.  We have, however, had two Dear Catastrophe Waitress nights in our lovely new venue - The Earl Haig Hall - www.earlhaighall.com.  You surely must know about the EHH by now Crouch End folk (and beyond).  Very reminiscent of the Pop Klubb venue St Doms, the EHH is a British Legion Club just round the corner from the Queens pub.  I loved this place the first time I walked in.....the decor has been kept as authentic as possible, the acoustics are fantastic, the dj equipment works and there's a dance floor!  Ooh, get us!  An actual dancefloor!  Apart from our obviously great night (!), there are lots of family friendly events, band nights & a Northern Soul do which involves talc!!!! (I will be reporting back on said talc use in next time's blog).  There is also a scrummy menu which I'm yet to sample.

We had concerns about finishing our little night at midnight due to the EHH being in a residential street but it seems to work!  (Perhaps because we're all of a certain age and no longer want to stay out all night).  It's a bonus that people can still use public transport to get home and that KFC is open for emergency "walking home" snacks.  We seem to have gained some new dancing customers since our move, the feedback has been great and we're enjoying ourselves so all is good in the (N8) hood!

We've plans for 2014 (all to be discussed further) - DCW "Live" nights, Sunday afternoon socials, a daytrip to Brighton (ending in our club) and who knows what else?

And now for the sales blurb:

Our night is a friendly social event rather than a club night.  DJs play everything from 60s to 90s (think Mod to Soul, Punk to Post-Punk, Disco to Ska, 80s Alternative) and we don't have any music rules.  Lots of floorfillers, lots of "oh I remember that" tunes and a real mix so there's something for everyone.  You can find us on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/groups/566849826712759/ and on Twitter - @anglosvensk.  Join us, follow us, tell your music-loving friends and come and say hello.  We'd love to see you there.