Dancehalls and 100 Club

We went along to London's iconic live music venue, The 100 Club to see Si Cranstoun and his band play a show last week.  Their fun and cheeky brand of swingy rhythm and blues never fails to fill the dance floor and get people smiling, so we were in for a great night.

I have seen Si Cranstoun play numerous times over the past couple of years (the last time being at Viva Las Vegas in April) and have written about those shows here, as you may recall.  Yet, I always thoroughly enjoy seeing him perform, because his boundless energy is so happifying, and his songs are just so darned catchy!

Si Cranstoun: The 100 Club edition, was one of my favourite times seeing him to date, as the venue is both great to watch the musicians and also great to dance in - and dance we did!  I hardly stopped all night, and even busted out a stroll, which, if you know me, you will know this is a rare occasion, as I hardly ever participate in strolling.  So rare is such a sighting, that Aaron documented this moment on camera...

I also got reprimanded by a random guy for dancing with my husband too much!  Sorry dude, but I like dancing with loverboy, and your little speech didn't make me want to dance with you.

Sweaty happy faces...

We danced, got sweaty, sang along with all the songs, chatted with friends, and then headed home.  Not bad for a Monday night.

I was totally buzzing after the show and for the rest of the next day.  I'm sure we will most likely see the Cranstounator again in the not-too-distant future, so until next time, Si, until next time...

The highs and lows of High Rockabilly 14...

If you follow me over on Instagram, then you'll know that I was in Spain for the High Rockabilly festival at the beginning of September, as I kept my newsfeed pretty updated with photos.  Now that we are heading towards the end of October, I thought I'd better get a move on and update my blog with a recap!

This was our second year going to the High, so this time around we were familiar with our surroundings.  The great thing about this weekender is that there is a beach.  A lovely beach where you can lounge, read and frolick with your friends - in between the pool party at the Solimar Hotel, and the evening music venue.  Although the weather wasn't as hot as last year, we spent a lot of time being beach bunnies...

We also spent a lot of time in the lift, as our apartment was on the 6th floor.  As you can see, the lift was tiny, but we still all managed to cram into it every night...

Now onto the festival!  My favourite part of the event is the pool party.  It's so fun to dance and people-watch poolside, with great music and colourful summery outfits.  We did a lot of dancing this year, and dj highlights for me included Johnny Hoodoo and also the dj on last day, who played the last set (ooops!  I can't remember his name!).

Alas the pool party was rained off on the Saturday, as there was a monsoon-style rain storm which lasted  for hours!  A group of us were having lunch at the time, and I thoroughly enjoyed the guys at the next table (from the band, The Quasars) stripping off their clothes and running into the sea in their undercrackers!  This was followed with their rendition of 'Singing in the Rain'.  A magical moment!

When the rain got so heavy that it was splashing under the awning, everyone piled inside the cafe!

Rain threatened the pool party on Sunday too, but people kept on dancing - a rain dance, you could say - which soon put a stop to the rain, without so much as a dampener on anyone's spirits.

Of course,  the pool party is also a great place to shop for vintage, as well as wear it, with Sneaky Tiki and Vintage King (our apartment buddies) selling their wares every day at the Solimar Hotel.  Loverboy bought some great pieces from them, but I did my shopping in the evenings at the main venue.  This year I picked up two pairs of Freddies of Pinewood capri jeans, as well as a fabulous pair of earrings, and an olive necklace, from Bow and Crossbones - all of which I love!

The Vintage King calculating with the help of Hello Kitty!

Olive necklace from Bow and Crossbones!

New Freddies of Pinewood jeans, modelled on our balcony!

The musical highlights this year for me were The Lucky Stars from L.A. who played on the Thursday night, and the poolside tiki entertainment put on by the Hukilau Hotshots (who, incidentally, are the same guys as The Lucky Stars, except with more ukulele and less honky tonk) on Saturday afternoon.  These guys are awesome!  I picked up a Lucky Stars CD at the event and have been listening to it at home - I can't wait to see them play again, hopefully in a smaller venue with more dancing, next time!

There were a few bands that I would have liked to have seen, but missed, sadly, due to timing (ie. their sets were during my dinner time or nap time) - we definitely caught more bands last year, and I want to make sure I catch more next year!

Colbert Hamilton & The Hell Razors played the last night.

On the Monday after the weekender, we discovered that there was a pool party happening at the Canada Palace hotel, with London's dj Howard, who runs Jinx's Joint.  Well, we had so much fun dancing, and worked up quite the sweat - so much so that Aaron unexpectedly jumped, fully-clothed into the pool!  I love that goofy hubs of mine, he is so funny!

Now, on either side of the High, there is a pre and post party.  The pre-party is held along a street where there are various bars and a stage set up outside with live music.  We had lot of fun at the pre-party this year, and I also drank a lot of cava, which by all accounts, turned me into the drunkie paparazzi, making everyone pose for pictures!  Miss Turnstiles and I were also interviewed by a film crew that night...

The post-party was held on the same street, except this time my night was sponsored by gin and tonic.  We went out for a lovely meal with our High Rockabilly housemates, and headed to the party, where I did a bit of dancing....and then broke out in an allergic reaction which all but turned me into the elephant woman!  What started as hives on my wrists ended up covering my whole body and swelling up, and loverboy had to drag me to the nearest hospital where I was promptly administered an injection in my derriere - for the cost of 100 Euros.  Whether it was something in the shellfish spaghetti or one of the spices, I don't know - what I do know is that it brought an abrupt end to the party for me!

Our waiter gave me a halo... 

 The offending article!

Shortly after this photo was taken, things took a turn for the worse...

Loverboy and I spent a couple of extra days in Spain once our friends had left, but that is for another post!  On our last night, I looked out to sea and saw a thunderstorm in the distance, which was quite beautiful...

So another High Rockabilly has been and gone - we had an excellent time, and so much fun with friends old and new...I can't wait til next year!  But until then, the Rhythm Riot is just around the corner. Hooray!