Tuesday 8 April 2014

Rewind





So, for four days in August 2013 the dance happy girls returned to Henley upon Thames for the Rewind Festival - with some changes to the usual routine.  


The previous year in the wee small hours, in a tent colder than the arctic, with the faint whiff of the festival toilets on the breeze and the sound of snores from the tent next door Janie had muttered darkly "If you make me camp again - I will kill you"  So this year saw us safely ensconced in a room in a pub, with hot running water, soft beds and soundproofing.  Bliss



Another change was that we had finally accepted an invitation to a VIP pre-party and it was there that we had an opportunity to enjoy a small and intimate set from Go West.
Richard Drummie from Go West caught the eye of the dance happy girls at the pre party on Saturday and again on Sunday, clearly amused to see two 80s clad girls amidst the suits and ill fitting shorts of the corporate guests.  I was lucky enough to meet him after his official set on Sunday night at Rewind and share a moment of mutual admiration me of his music and he of my audacity in wearing a frock that made me look like the love child of Bonnie Tyler and a Russian prostitute called Olga.
It wasn't a stellar line up for me, the two headline acts being major disappointments, although Janie would kill me for not saying that the B52s are all things wonderful and quirky and she LOVED seeing them live with a deep and burning passion.
This is for you Jani

Saturday Running OrderSunday Running Order

My magical, musical moments came from Steve Harley. Nik Kershaw, Heaven 17,  Aswad,  The Orchestra, Go West and Blancmange.  And the prize for act of the weekend for sheer nostalgia and bloody feel good factor, goes to The Orchestra.  Bet you can't press play and not smile like a loon.


Aside from reliving our youth worshipping at the feet of minor 80s pop stars, we were able to spend time hanging out with The Swedes, to whom we owe our nom-de-plume and probably a great number of beers!!!


And dancing on tables, yes on tables, to the absolutely fabulous Rewind resident band Junior Guevarra.  These guys have been a key feature of Rewind Henley and have incredible energy and passion, heading up the Friday night party and successfully drawing crowds away from the main stage on Saturday and Sunday night.  If you find yourself in or around Reading try and catch them at a local gig.  You won't regret it.
junior guevarra Facebook page here








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Ho-Jo and The Human League

Summer 2013 saw us take our new found fetish outside.
So Kew the Music (see what I did there) it was time to join the champagne set for a picnic in Kew Gardens. 






Howard Jones  10 July 2013

Now life would be easy if the Dance Happy Girls lived a life of music and leisure but if I can refer you to the first post - we are working girls (steady!)  So we met straight from our respective work places at the gates of Kew Gardens.  Hence our 'picnic' consisted of a tub of pringles, some M&S prawns and a few ready mixed G&Ts .

This immediately set us apart from the crowd of young professionals cracking open a bottle of 'bolly' and tucking into smoked salmon sandwiches.  The other thing that set us apart was that we had  actually heard of Howard Jones and knew more than one Human League song.


I've always had a soft spot for Howard Jones, he definitely has a place in the sound track of my youth.  And it was definitely a dance happy moment as the sun shone low in the sky over Kew and he sang New Song.

Howard, to the masses you may just have been the pre cursor to being able to duet on  'Don't you want me' with their partner of choice for the evening.  But to me you will always be my Ho-Jo, and you made me very happy.  And if you're ever passing through SW19, I'd like to get to know you well! 
 (see what I did there?)

The Human League

The Human League never disappoint but this Kew Gardens gig was something special.  Phil Oakey looked incredible shaven headed, long black coat, leather gloves and black shades utterly incongruous in Kew Gardens - like something from the Matrix.  But it's not a case of style over substance, the voice, so familiar it makes you ache somewhere deep inside, is still amazing.

It was one incredible song after another, little banter he let the music speak and speak it did; or rather it grabbed you by the throat and screamed in your face except when it stroked your hair and whispered in your ear.  From Mirror Man to Electric Dreams he held the dance happy girls in the palm of his hand.

I should mention the rest of the band but hey this is my blog!  Enough to say that Susan and Joanna (?) are honorary dance happy girls, still giving us the same somewhat gawky and naive moves that they did oh so many years ago.

The Human League - in a league of their own.





Set list.






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He Faded to Grey …… badly!



In September 2013 Janie and I set off, not without trepidation for a Visage gig in another new venue 'The Garage' in North London.  I had tried to immerse myself in their new album 'Hearts and Knives' but this was primarily a nostalgia trip. We knew it - we just hoped that they did too.



Does this bus go to the 80s?
Janie in Vintage 80s




Our favourite game of 'Guess who's going to the same gig as us ' was too easy; caps, moustaches, lumberjack shirts…. Visage gig :)

Arriving early as is our general modus operandi we were absolutely delighted to discover the most perfectly named pub in London.  Having had a drink from the famous cock - we were in dance happy mood.



The support was a sparkly horned man and a man with his face painted like a dog and was surreal and shouty in equal measure.
  


I kid you not


OK, so this is a small child but it was the make up of
choice of the drummer.






So, a very camp Steve Strange, looking unsettling like Boy George took to the stage with chutzpah oozing from every pore.  Musical talent - not so much but chutzpah a-plenty.  It was a self indulgent set, ample time to take refuge in the ladies' loos (fabulously clean and empty - God Bless you Steve Strange and your gay following) to rest my feet from the hell that is 80s stiletto boots.  My boots that were, I have to say, much admired by queens and Germans alike.

The set (apparently)
  1. Never Enough 
  2. The damned don't cry 
  3. Shameless Fashion 
  4. Anvil (Night Club School) 
  5. Hidden Sign 
  6. Pleasure Boys 
  7. Mind of a Toy 
  8. The Dancer 
  9. Dreamer I Know 
  10. Diaries of a Madman 
  11. Fade to Grey 
  12. Encore:
  13. Visage 

    Unfortunately chutzpah was not enough to get Steve through 'Fade to Grey' unscathed.  In short - he murdered it, and left us weeping into our beers for Midge Ure.

    The dance happy girls left before the encore to get something to eat as Visage had left us decidedly unsatisfied.  

    Sorry Steve, we'd rather have a saveloy!







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Love is...

Love is also when one of your favourite, guilty secret, bands play an intimate gig for just 200 people and tickets go on sale at 9am just as you start teaching and have sold out by 09.08.  But your bestie uses her planning time to get on line and secure you two tickets despite the fact that she isn't even free to go with you on that day!  

 THAT's how I secured two tickets to see Scouting for Girls at the Borderline in July 2013.

 Scouting for girls is a bit of a departure for me, the band was formed this millennium for a start, and forces me to forsake the MAFM for the ETFs (emotional teenage fans) but nevertheless who I am to deny the sirens call, their music makes me happy.

So, with Janie moonlighting at a 'Of Monsters and Men' gig on the same night, I did have to bribe my somewhat reluctant next desk neighbour Charlotte to come and brave the adolescent hormones with me.  But what was not to like?  The borderline is an intimate venue and the band performed with energy, enthusiasm and good humour, there was ample opportunity to sing along and…… with the vast majority of the audience under age - NO QUEUE at the bar!!!!  Result!!!

Dance Happy Jude
Evil Work Twin Charlotte
Roy Stride - Forced to look away when I caught him staring at me :)



SET LIST
Make That Girl Mine
Millionaire
Without You (Naked)
Summertime In The City
Love How It Hurts
Take A Chance On Us
Silly Song
Famous
This Ain’t A Love Song
Keep On Walking
I Wish I Was James Bond
It’s Not About You
Heartbeat
Elvis Ain’t Dead
ENCORE
Rains In LA
Posh Girls
The Mountains Of Navaho
Michaela Strachan
She’s So Lovely
Luckily my dance happy partner in crime got to share the love, and be told that she is also 'so love-er-lee' when we caught up with Scouting for Girls again at the Royal Albert Hall in November.   The Albert Hall may have plush carpets, clean toilets  and non-sticky floors but it's no place to get really dance happy.  Seated ticketing only, means the best you can do is stand up in your row and bounce like a demented jack-in-a-box.  There is none of the joy of working your way to the front (by carrying 2 beers and pretending that you are meeting a friend) and you can't even kid yourself that they looked RIGHT AT YOU for that last number.  Fab music and great company but a decidedly sanitised version of the Borderline.

Once we all waved lighters but in these health and safety conscious times we wave our iPhone.  A pretty moment at the Royal Albert Hall.

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Sunday 6 April 2014

Too Nice To Talk To

If made school discos.

Remember how exciting the concept of school discos used to be?  You were supposed to feel like you truly belonged, you were supposed to dance with everyone, the music was supposed to be great and your best friend was supposed to be right there living it all beside you - Well, it was 25 years in the coming but welcome to 'The Beat' gig. 

We went to see 'The Beat' twice in 2013 (May and December) both at what would become one of our favourite venues 229 The Venue, Great Portland Street.
The ska sound which epitomises the music of The Beat is one of the most evocative sounds of my youth - having an older sister meant that the walls of our shared bedroom had reverberated with that two tone sound.

  
The Beat gigs were probably the friendliest gigs we have been to - pork pie hats and braces, two tone dresses and Harrington Jackets the dance happy girls lived up to their name and were indeed happy to dance with everyone.   The MAFM were well represented here albeit less hairy!

The atmosphere was one of shared passion yet entirely lacking in sleaze, well until Ranking Roger Junior raised the temperature by taking off his t-shirt and throwing it to the dance (very) happy girls.  
It is at this point that I must confess to it being Janie who caught the T-shirt but who gave it to a pouting me as the gig had been her birthday gift to me.

 SET LIST
Hands Off She's Mine
Too Nice To Talk To
Click Click
Rough Rider
Doors of Your Heart
Get A Job/Stand Down Margaret
Rock The Casbah
Side to Side
Best Friend
Dangerous
Tears Of A Clown
Two Swords
Spar Wid Me
Big Shot
Not In This World
Ranking Full Stop/Mirror In The Bathroom/Twist & Crawl
Ranking Junior Free Style
Save It For Later
Jackpot


I cannot leave The Beat without giving a shout out for their support from the May gig.  The Tafijah Allstars were rude, raucous and riotous and got the MAFM and us grinning and dancing.  Janie and I have since offered our services as the oldest groupies in town to the Tafijah crew.  So in that role, I urge you if you are ever in Cardiff look up these guys and tell them that the dance happy girls sent you.





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2013 - The Middle AGed Fat Men and US!


And so it began, our quest for the HIGH that live music brought us.  We knew it wasn't to be found in  huge stadium tours and at the feet of 'pop stars' young enough to be our children - so we sought out the music of our youth and music with the influences that we loved; pop, ska, soul and folk.

 In the course of 2013 google maps became our friend as we traversed London in search of previously unheard of music venues, walked boldly into new pubs and clubs, and ran giggling for the last tube home.

I've started this blog at least a year too late (and the journey probably 20 years) so I will begin with a whistle stop, retrospective romp through the highlights of 2013 after which I promise to update regularly as Janie and I get dance happy through 2014.

Men Without Hats - O2 Islington 01.02.13

This was the first of the gigs that took us into the realm of the middle aged, often hairy, fat man.





Wearing a hat, in case the band changed their mind during the course of the set and thus we weren't exactly inconspicuous.







Surprised at the sight of girls, we were quickly engaged in conversation about the relative merits of Men Without Hat albums, this was a sticky moment for the Dance Happy Girls as our favourite Men Without Hats moment came from  Safety Dance Literal Video but we discovered that the MAFM (middle-aged fat man)  was happy to expound his views with nothing more than a few enthusiastic nods from us.

 A notable exception from the MAFM was a dinky little Korean fan who had brought all of his albums with him - as each song was played he rummaged in his carrier bag and brought out the appropriate album, waving it enthusiastically in the air, mostly in time to the music.  Dedication!

 Men Without Hats - WHO KNEW?  In the course of the set we found ourselves singing along to songs that we were sure we hadn't known an hour and a half ago,  dancing when the beer sticky floor allowed and grinning like loons, feeling at one with with the MAFM.


The gig ended with a hugely camp sing-along to ABBA's SOS and a demand for photos of us from the aforementioned Korean uber fan.

 They came, they sang (sans hats) and they won over the dance happy girls.

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Saturday 5 April 2014

One weekend to be us? Really? Just one?



The Rewind festival became our spiritual home - no sooner had one finished than we were planning for the next. It wasn't the sleeping in tents (that was actually a bit crap) it wasn't the vast amounts of alcohol (that was something we did on a semi regular basis - usually over a poker table) it wasn't even the dressing up (OK, so it was a bit about the dressing up) but primarily it was the music, we began a deep and passionate love affair with live music.

2011
Saturday Running OrderSunday Running Order

2012 (The year of the Swedes)

Sharing a space with our teenage idols and sharing an experience with thousands of others was amazing. There were so many "I can die happy now' moments and throughout it all we danced and we sang and we were us and we were happy.



 We made friends at Rewind and when a (hmmmm what's the collective noun for Swedes? smorgasbord?) smorgasbord of Swedes invited us to travel to Gothenburg to experience their Electronic Winter music festival in January 2013 …. We said yes and in that one decision, with a little help from Bing translate,  the Dance Happy Girls were born.




Musical highlights definitely included the previously unknown to us Lustans Lakejar and Iris for me whilst Janie in particularly fell for the quirky demeanour and beautiful voice of Emmon.





Whilst it is and always has been about the music and not the 'celebrity' scmooze - who could resist getting up close and personal with the gorgeous Johan Kinde 'Lustans Lakejer'? Not me :)


Coming back from Sweden one thing was certain, for the dance happy girls, one weekend was not enough!
We were on a mission!
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