Twin and Tonic

Having a moustache: the ups and the downs

2009-12-21T11:38:00.006Z

I took the bet with my flatmate to see who could grow and keep a moustache for the longest (it made sense at the time because I had a gig to be at, dressed as a naval officer) The rules stated that whoever kept the moustache longest won. Trimming was allowed as was waxing, but the growth of more than 3 days worth of stubble was strictly prohibited!

My latest choice of facial fungus was met with a range of reactions. Old friends were quick to damn it with jeers along the lines of “you look like a dirty Mexican paedophile” Whereas some newcomers were happy with it, some even going so far as to announce their ‘love’ for my moustache. One girl in particular really loved my moustache.

It made me realise that your friends have a very definite ‘image’ of you, so when you change that image they have to do lots of extra work ‘re-classifying’ you. Whereas people you’ve just met don’t have this problem.

During my time with the moustache I joined the Mo-vember phenomenon to raise money to combat prostate cancer. Our team raised around £250 overall!

The ups

People shouting “Hey tache man, show us your tache!”. The many people who came up to me and congratulated my facial foliage, and those of them who were brave enough to stroke it.

The girls who fell in love with its rugged manliness (or when I was dressed as a gent its quaint gentle-manliness) and being able to say “fancy a moustache ride” without being attacked!

The fact that, as a student, half of my friends couldn’t grow one themselves!

Being able to fulfil the true terror that was my Halloween costume, in all its seedy glory.

And most of all that fantastic affirmation of male power!

The downs

The girls who were tickled...and not in the good way.

The reaction of some mothers to quickly shepherd their children away from the scary man with the massive tache!

The obvious food hazards, i.e. not being able to drink from a cup or eat soup without besmirching my precious.

Not being able to talk to a bloke in a pub without him instantly assuming I was fruity man-lover. This was accompanied with fearful body language and something that can only be described as ‘terror in their eyes’, which would be followed by him hastily informing me that he likes football, shagged a girl last night or my personal favourite “I’m not gay!”

Looking like a member of the village people whenever I wore anything that wasn’t a suit mit bowler hat.

Overall I have enjoyed my time as a moustached man and generally the people I encountered in my travels loved it too. However I feel it has run its course.

This was compounded by my flatmate losing the bet (which I believe was a gentleman’s bet of pride, so I unfortunately won nothing but that..) when he allowed too much stubble to grow around his ginger bastillion of lip hair.

Many will thank me for this decision, and some will mourn the loss of my follicular glory. Now the final conundrum I have left to consider is do I keep it over Christmas to ruin a whole batch of family snaps, accompanied with questions from my little brother to the tune of a disdainful “Daddy, why does Max have a moustache!”?

Max Holloway, AKA Max the Sax

2009-09-28T10:22:00.008+01:00

When we heard about Gentry De Paris’ show we knew we had to go. It was at the Cafe De Paris, the very stage with the very same bakelight staircase that Josephine Baker descended in 1925.

Our Friend Millicent Binks was to perform and the fabulous Warren Speed, plus many more performers whom we’d heard so many great things about and of course the chance to see the wonderful Dita Von Teese was an opportunity not to be missed.

Louise was already in Paris at the Annual Textile fair. So I got the 4.25pm from Kings Cross International, London straight to the heart of Paris in 2 and a half hours. Why don’t I visit Paris more often?! I did my hair and makeup on the train and managed to get changed in the station toilets (not very glamorous eh?). I arrived at the Taxi rank by 8.20pm, the queue 80 plus people long! The show was starting at 8.30pm. Oh no!

Luckily the queue moved swiftly and I made it to my seat during the first act.

The show consisted of 18 tableaux with a cast of 35 singers, dancers and actors.

The sets were breath taking as were the costumes; feathers and crystals everywhere! We were bombarded with act after act, a non-stop stream of entertainment which tickled all the senses; cheerful comedy, beautiful music, sensual dancing.

It was a truly spectacular show; the fabulous Joséfiend appeared silhouetted on the magnificent staircase in a wonderful banana skirt; it was almost as if Josephine Baker herself were on the stage, he proceeded to dance gracefully yet like a whirlwind in a mesmerising homage to the icon Josephine.

The glamourous Gentry Lane made a breathtaking entrance by descending from the heavens in the centre of a giant silver star; she then performed a dreamy act in a feather and crystal encrusted costume whilst dancing on pointe in crystal encrusted point shoes with the Gentry Girls waving their giant ostrich feather fans.

The lovely English rose Millicent Binks performed a wonderful half woman half woman half flower act in a gorgeous red velvet rose costume beautiful and elegant as always she gradually plucked the petals off one by one...

And of course the magnificent Dita Von Teese; she performed her new Opium Den piece.

An incredible and opulent set fit for a far Eastern princess; as though in the boudoir of a grand geisha; Dita reclined on silk cushions inside an oriental carved four poster bed. She dazzled us in a shimmering kimono gown encrusted in fire red and dragon green crystals. So beautiful and graceful she hypnotized us as a shower of red rose petals rained down.

We were filled with excitement and wonder after the show and very excited about going to the afterparty!

Gentry Lane has put on such a spectacular and incredible show; we are very excited to whisper that there may be some collaborations to come with Twin & Tonic and Gentry De Paris so watch this space!

Vintage Shopping in Copenhagen

2009-09-05T12:07:00.007+01:00

So I (Louise) was in Copenhagen last week for work.. I decided to have a search for some new vintage dresses whilst there... I have been to Copenhagen a few times and there is always one shop that stands out as being a lovely little treasure trove full of beautiful dresses; the shop is called FN92.

If you head off down the side streets off Copenhagen's main pedestrian shopping street; Strøget. FN92 is just one of the many second hand shops in the lovely area in the City called Pisserende/The Latin Quarter.

You'll find the cosy basement packed full of wonderful dresses from the 20s through to the 80s. Lovely cotton 50s tea dresses, gorgeous mesh, lace and net party dresses from the 40s and fifties. There are also shelves above the rails of dresses with original hats and shoes; it's alomst like a costume museum.

FN92 is owned and run by Pauli Tvilling he is a true vintage fanatic and has been collecting for at least 8 years. He has a collection of over 10 000 pieces and also works in his 'lab'; 'Customized Vintage: Hemlines burnt, embroidery of glass- and wooden-pearls, flowers in all sort of materials...'

For me places like this are like a dream; also quite dangerous! I ended up buying several dresses; some lovely day dresses. A 50s day dress with a print of large green and orange painted flowers and also a pretty cotton dress in a soft lemon yellow both with nipped in waits and full skirts.

I explained to Pauli that I was looking for pairs of dresses that would work well together for myself and my twin sister and he was very helpful pulling out dresses that complimented each other.

My favourite finds were a beautiful bodice fully constructed with boning for shape and encrusted in aqua sequins; stunning! Also a fit for a princess bodice and skirt set; the bodice is also carefully created with shaping in a lovely ballet slipper pink then covered in pale dove grey mesh and encrusted in pearlescent sequins; the matching skirt is also in the ballerina pink satin with layers of the grey mesh on top; tiny at the waist and full and voluminous at the hem.

I was very excited to discover that there was a sister dress to go with it! A lovely lilac bodice of delicate lace at the top with a scattering of sequins soft lilac organza pleats above the waist going around to a huge bow at the back and a dreamy pink organza skirt.

Pauli told me that these items where given to him by a woman who used to be a Danish showgirl. How I would love to chat to her about her time as a showgirl; I bet she has some wonderful stories to tell!

So I came out of the shop very happy indeed but also a little afraid of the credit card bill; oh well some things a girl simply has to do!

xxx

FN 92
Larsbjørnsgade 6, 1454 Copenhagen
www.fn92vintage.com

Save Burlesque Protest

2009-06-28T11:17:00.007+01:00

SAVE BURLESQUE CAMPAIGN

In an attempt to clarify the issues and to present the views of Twin & Tonic and the Burlesque community; fans and performers; I have compiled what I can find that has been written about the problem that Burlesque is facing at the moment.

Under the proposed Policing and Crime Bill, Venues in Camden hosting burlesque nights have to apply for a sexual encounter entertainment license.

Camden Council have said, ""Dancers can go onstage in an outfit but not take their clothes off to get to that outfit."

So you are allowed dancers in skimpy costumes, you are just not allowed to take of any clothes to get to that stage!

The Burlesque Womens Institute is spearheading a campaign to save burlesque in the UK.

'We are petitioning the government to amend Section 25 of the impending "Policing and Crime Bill 2008-09" so that performances that involve the removal of clothing without nudity (as described in section 25) being involved to be excluded from the requirement to obtain a "Sexual Encounter Entertainment License"

There is a clause in the Policing and Crime bill that says, 'Any venue holding no more than one event per month and with a total of no more than eleven events per year is exempt from the licence requirements.'

However, the current regulations set by Camden Council are taken from the Licensing Act 2003. They have stated to the BWI that "the Government allows them flexibility in their implementation of the law," and they have further stated that "any event with burlesque in the title/advertising, anything in the style of Dita Von Teese or anything involving stripping regardless whether it ends in nudity or not requires a Sex Encounter License."

Camden Council's stance on burlesque will have a profound negative effect on the whole burlesque industry and on modern day culture and what's more it looks like they a have no legal right to do so.

Just to apply for the license for a Burlesque event it would cost nearly £1,000!

The council says it has acted to “protect the public, especially children from harm” but these burlesque performances were taking place in licensed premises away from children and before adult audiences. Burlesque – which features comedy, song and dance – is not primarily about titillation and the content of burlesque shows is no more “adult in nature” that many plays in theatres across the West End such as Blue Angel, Equus and Chicago.

Therefore surely the bill will also include many theatre and opera productions as anyone who even takes a coat off onstage would theoretically be breaking the law, also Gok couldnt' do his shop window or fashion naked bit and a panto dame couldn't do a mock undress in giant bloomers without going on the sex offenders list!. If they are then allowed to do this then burlesque perfomers will still be allowed to perform or it will be unfair and they really haven't thought this through.

I have found this post by the lovely Miss Dolly Rose which sums up our thoughts entirely; "I can say that the vast majority of burlesque audiences are incredibly polite, and as it happens mainly female; a burlesque event will not attract the type of people that could be a threat or nusiance to an area, in the way that some 'adult' forms of entertainment potentially could. Therefore the council does not have grounds for banning burlesque in the interest of public welfare, and is simply imposing it's personal judgements on other people in a way in which, in my opinion, it has no right to do so. Burlesque is performed to adults who have paid to see it and no-one outside of the event has to have anything to do with it, or recieve any negative experiences as a result of it - I have never heard of any incidents of anti-social behaviour caused by the presence of a burlesque event in an area. Therefore why should it be banned? It is not the place of the council to impose it's personal moral judgements on people who are not causing harm to others." Tempest Rose has also made a very good point; "Burlesque is a theatrical art that has been around for well over 100 years that brings together comedy, satire and parody with theatrical skills such as singing and dance and circus skills along with an appreciation of the human form. I have seen more nudity in major West End shows and on prime time television that I have seen in most burlesque clubs! The blossoming of the new burlesque scene is also part of a wider wonderful and much needed resurgence in the UK cabaret and variety scene, it would be a far worse crime than seeing a nipple tassel to have this ruined by a council that obviously has no idea what it is talking about!"

FUNDRAISING PERFORMANCE: 12 JULY

The Burlesque Women's Institute have decided to create our their very own non burlesque revue in honour of Camden Council.

"Proud" Camden will be our hosts for a glittering evening on 12th July where you will be delighted and dazzeled by a fine selection of performers from the UK cabaret scene, and some of the most beautiful displays of women getting dressed you wil have ever seen."

Twin & Tonic will be performing at this fabulous event!

So come and join us for and evening of light hearted "Reverse Burlesque" which will stay strictly within the bounds of Camden Councils requirements.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=60473769952

Tickets and more info here: http://www.burlesquewomensinstitute.com/save_burlesque/events.html

Midnight Cabaret - 20th, 21st & 22nd July

For three nights preceeding the protest march there is a Midnight Cabaret presenting top DJs, performers and burlesque artists all performing for your delectation.

Twin & Tonic will be doing a midnight performance on the 22nd July

please click here for more info:
http://www.burlesquewomensinstitute.com/save_burlesque/burlesque_protest.html

DEMONSTRATION: 23 JULY

“The Burlesque Womens’ Institute will be descending upon Camden council on Thursday 23rd July in a show of solidarity not seen amongst ladies since the WRVS began! In an attempt to highlight the ignorance of their actions. Come and join us on our protest march which will culminate out the offices of Camden Council. The days events will begin at 12.00pm”
http://www.burlesquewomensinstitute.com/save_burlesque/burlesque_protest.html

Pls sign the petition here! http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SaveBurlesque/

Letters: Twin and Tonic in Blitz era London

2009-06-10T22:09:00.004+01:00

Dear Sir,

I feel compelled to bring to your attention a most curious incident that befell me the past Saturday evening. The reason that I believe it to be of interest to you is that during what I can only assume to be a concussion induced delusion I do believe that I saw your wonderful band Twin and Tonic playing to an extravagant party in Blitz era London! I did not believe previously that time travel was possible, but the events of said evening are leading me to believe otherwise…

It all began when, during one of my regular aerial excursions in my reconditioned Hawker Hurricane, I was forced to make an emergency landing in the Shoreditch area of London. Swerving to avoid a young hoodlum with a rather peculiar asymmetrical hair style, I crashed through a wall of a bricked warehouse building causing me to bang my head rather severely and in turn to lose consciousness. It is difficult for me to ascertain how long I was unconscious for, but rather than the clocks having sped forward they appeared to have sped back, as I found myself back circa 1942 and in the throws of the aforementioned party!

There is no doubting that the party must have been organised by somebody of the highest office as the assembled revelers included high ranking generals from both army and navy all perfectly turned out in full military regalia, most evidently taking a much needed rest from keeping Jerry at bay. It was also jolly good to see that the wives were able to join in the festivities, looking quite ravishing as they danced the Lindy Hop and celebrating with a gay abandon I’ve never previously bourn witness to. Oh, what luck to have the opportunity to relive a type of decadent youth that I missed at the first time of asking!

And then there was you, the gentlemen and ladies of Twin and Tonic, on stage and providing the most wondrous entertainment. Your singers looked gorgeous as ever in their military outfits, and the boys looked most dashing too. It was no small wonder that the crowd were reveling in both music and the spectacle. And as if that wasn’t enough, your headline band Ta Mère raised the rafters to a new level with their wonderful combination of violin, double bass, guitar and harmonica. What a top evening!

I have to say that my recollection of events started to get rather hazy at this point, no doubt as a result of my concussion but certainly not helped by rather liberal quantities of Spitfire larger that I’d taken quite a fancy to! However, I do recall meeting a rather ravishing young lady named Margaret who I do believe was celebrating her birthday that evening, and dancing with a number of fair and beautifully dressed ladies. Now what were their names? Trisha, Maya, Jess, Rowena, Zoe... There’s certainly life within this old dog!

Sad to report that I woke up the next morning in a bed at The Royal London Hospital with aching joints and a large bruise to my forehead. Apparently I’d been found wondering the streets of East London at 3 o'clock in the morning mumbling about a fantastic war time party of dancing, music, and great merriment. I tried to tell the nurse what I’ve now told you, but she returned an unbelieving and disinterested look that I believe the young reserve solely for the old.

But with all honesty I can barely believe myself that what I have said is true. Can it possibly be?

Regards,

xxxxxx xxxxxxx

Blitz party - WW2 pics of Twin and Tonic's Gran and Grandad

2009-05-31T21:48:00.012+01:00

This will be our second time doing the Blitz party and we are all very excited about it!

We were very pleased to be involved in the first Blitz party and it was a huge success! Truly a night to remember; it was like stepping back in time as everyone was dressed up in WW2 uniforms; soldiers, sailors, 40s girls in tea dresses, dapper Gentlemen and lipsticked ladies.

We are very pleased to be performing at the next event on Saturday 6th June.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=83822367702

To help us get into the spirit we have been looking through our grandmother's old photos. She was in her late teens - early twenties throughout WW2 and lived in the East End at the time. She worked in factories making aeroplane parts during the war and our Grandfather who was an engineer also worked in the factories; he was also a member of the home guard.

Grandad in the homeguard - 1940

He was not allowed to join the army as he was an engineer, considered an essential, skilled worker; his pal Burt (also an engineer) was desperate to join the army and fight for his country, he ended up taking 3 days off work to try to join but he ended up having to pay a fine and spending 3 days in prison.

Grandad 1940 working at a factory called 'Pyrene' on the Great West Road.

Grandad at work - 1940 (a rare picture picture of him with hair!)

Great Uncle Alvan - 1934

Great Uncle Alvan 18th November 1939

The Lang sisters working on machines during the war at the factory where Gran also worked making parts for aeroplanes - 1940.

Our grandmother has shared her memories with us and despite it being a time of war; of poverty and uncertainty; the over-riding feeling is of spirit; good times and making the most of what they had. She looks back on those times with fondness and a twinkle in her eye.

With the Blitz parties I think that we can bring back some of that great community spirit, gallantry and good times.

Playing with Kitty at The Smithfield Tavern

2009-05-25T22:12:00.002+01:00

Talk was fast and loose in the Twin and Tonic Cadillac as we journeyed from the T&T Boudoir to our latest musical excursion at The Smithfield Tavern in Farringdon. We understood that we would be sharing the stage with our friends Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer and Kitty Bang Bang (certain to be a pleasure), but it was a venue unheard of and previously untried. What was to be expected?

The late afternoon sun was certainly much appreciated by the city office workers gathered outside the smart looking venue to celebrate the end of the working week with a beverage or two. Tempted as were to join them, we needed to make haste and prepare our equipment for sound test.

The interior of The Smithfield Tavern was a simple delight. As smart as the outside, it managed to combine a sense of spaciousness with a sense of cosiness thanks to a combination of high ceiling, sloping eves, and tasteful decor. The long narrow bar culminated in a small performing area at the back where we were to play, alongside the house upright piano that was suffering slightly with a broken wheel and pedal and slight tuning deficiency. Although we were to be six this evening (Sam our guitarist was performing elsewhere), our well practised pragmatism and clear understanding of the principles of feng-shui enabled us to find a stage arrangement that was condusive to a good performance ahead.

Kitty Bang Bang graced the venue with her luminous presence as we rested before the first of our two twenty minute performances. She was to dance with us to the very appropriate Strip Polka, so talk was centred on the intimate details of this conjoining. We also had the pleasure of the service of a particularly friendly French member of the bar staff (forgive me for not knowing her name), who arranged for us to have drinks delivered to the stage and delicious sounding food prepared for the interval.

There was a slight concern as we took to the performance area that the sun outside might prove to be too much competition for our music inside, but it was proven not to be the case as the swinging sounds of our opening number, I Got Rhythm, flowed through the bar and teased the clientele to explore its origins.

There was a great sense of anticipation as Louise welcomed Kitty forward and Max played the opening notes of Strip Polka on his saxophone. Eyes bulged as Kitty danced on her toes in a gorgeous figure hugging golden dress, and must have been close to leaving their host bodies altogether as the garment was shed in perfect time to our music. The crowd whooped and cheered in appreciation as the song ended and we all left the stage, no doubt eager for our second set to commence.

Our French waitress had excelled herself by arranging not only food and beverages but a table outside for us, and no sooner had we sat down than our food had arrived- the chips of potato fried in duck fat proving to be a particular delight. We were joined by our photographer friend Mikael Jaegerjensen who had taken the time to come and see us having met us originally at the Blitz Party, and then again by chance at Claridges last week. Although not officially working, he was kindly taking pictures of the band on a curious red camera that resembled one of those wind-on photo viewers one used to use as a child.

Our second set was designed to be more up tempo to encourage more dancing, and it had the desired effect from the off. Alistaire and the delightful Dominique, proprietors of the establishment, showed everyone how to do it as they took centre stage whilst encouraging others to join in. The set was a riotous success and the crowd again enthusiastically showed their appreciation, this time accompanied by shouts of “encore!”. As not to disappoint, we allowed them one further indulgence as we performed Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.

Unusually for us these days we weren’t the headline act of the evening, but that honour couldn’t have fallen to a nicer fellow than our old friend Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer. His set was enjoyed with the usual hilarity, my personal favourite being a song about Radio 1’s Tim “St John” Westward with a chorus starting “What ever happened to Timothy, I was at prep with him you see”. Jolly good!

Another gig over and another satisfied promoter and public. After performing four times in the last fortnight the Twin and Tonic Cadillac took us straight our renovated 1934 Sikorsky S-42 Clipper to fly us to our private island off the western peninsular. Don’t worry though, we’ll be back in good time for The Blitz Party on the 6th June. It’s a popular event so remember to purchase your tickets well in advance.

Cheerio!

Claridges and Club Hell

2009-05-22T17:18:00.009+01:00

Phew! It’s been a busy week in the decadent world of Twin and Tonic and a week of stark contrasts; of posh hotels and hellish pubs, of champagne and beer, of subtle entertainment and full throttle exuberance.

We’d barely recovered from the hedonism of The White Blackbirds Vintage Pyjama Party last week when the Twin and Tonic Cadillac rolled up outside Claridges Hotel’s Ballroom on Thursday night. The event was the unveiling of the new luxury LovePods jewellery range from Pandora to a finely dressed assortment of journalists and retail buyers, and Twin and Tonic were expertly booked to provide their own unique style of musical entertainment.

Lined with purple velvet curtains and with huge purple velvet flowers suspended from the ceiling it was as though the ballroom where we were to play had been designed by Prince, and it did indeed provide a suitably palacious setting to peruse the illuminated glass cabinets housing the jewellery. And that is exactly what the guests did as they entered our little Kingdom through a raised screen, as we opened our first set with an extended introduction to the beautifully delicate Dream a Little Dream. It was a sensory orgy that greeted them as not only were their eyes allowed to marvel at the jewellery and their ears delight in our especially crafted set, but their taste buds were indulged by a selection of canapé’s from in house chef Gordon Ramsey.

We now had the chance to delight in this decadence for ourselves as we rested our music making fingers, hands, feet, and vocal chords. We also had opportunity to mingle with the beautifully turned out ensemble of people gathered, who by all accounts had appreciated our music. I met the photographer for the evening Mikael Jaegerjensen who, after discussing our respective past lives in Copenhagen, showed me his excellent photo’s from the evening.

Our second set raised the tempo ever so slightly and so, encouraged by the free flowing Champagne, our guests first began to nod and sway and then dance along to our retro sounds. The event was truly a great success for all.

The rosy glow of success was still fresh our faces as we arrived at the Cross Kings pub in Kings Cross the next evening for the contrasting gig: Club Hell. Twin and Tonic are not ones to take short cuts with anything when it comes to a performance, so our concert luggage was packed with devil horns, devil tails, red braces bow ties and dresses, and all over red body paint.

After keeping it conservative at Claridges we were ready to loosen our cravat’s and perform with wilful abandon to a crowd that oozed with a desire to dance. From the first song to the last they did just that, particularly enjoying singing along to the words of Milord and pulling their favourite dance moves from their well stocked closets to our unique version of Back to Black.

After two great gigs in the space of two evenings it was no small wonder that our heads were weary as our chauffer picked us up in the Cadillac to take us back to the T&T Boudoir. Dreams were filled from images of the last two evening’s entertainments and imaginations delighting in what was to await us at The Smithfield Tavern in less than a week’s time.

Twin & Tonic in Drapers Record

2009-05-13T16:13:00.000+01:00

Vintage Pyjama Party

2009-05-10T13:06:00.004+01:00

I’d been looking forward to the Vintage Pyjama Party gig for ages- how couldn’t you get excited about a gig boasting “bathing beauties in a cocoa bath”, “strip twister”, a peep show from the Alternative Miss World, “an operatic Bo Peep”, and a midnight séance? And the venue was something special too- Stoke Place Hotel (that’s Stoke Poges not Stoke-on-Trent in case you were wondering) is a beautiful old country mansion that apparently been used for the set of a couple of James Bond films and the odd episode of Dr. Who. I’ve become used to playing weird and wonderful gigs with Twin and Tonic, but this had the potential to blow the nipple tassels off the rest.

My email inbox in the run up to the gig was full of the usual logistical emails- sorting out the set list, working out how to get us and our gear to and from the venue, sorting out our costumes, sorting out the guest list etc. Now you would have thought all this would be doubly difficult with a venue 45 minutes out of London but no- The White Blackbird team (and especially Johnny Vercoutre and Polly Betton) sorted everything out for us- a van was to pick my keyboard up from my flat the morning of the gig and deliver it back to me the next day, we were booked on a choice of coaches coming out of London, we had a room at the hotel to store our stuff- amazing! It certainly beats waiting in Shoreditch for a taxi in the cold for an hour and a half at 4am with a bag as big (and almost as heavy) as a grown man.

There was an excited mixture of people on the central coach heading up to the venue on the sunny Friday evening. Some were already in costume (ranging from standard patterned pyjamas with Bart Simpson slippers to negligees and suspenders) and some attempted to get ready on the coach. Chatter was typically fuelled by innocent looking bottles of pop laced with a spirit of choice- ice tea and vodka seemed to be the favourite near where I was sitting.

There was no mucking about for me when the coach pulled up by the croquet lawn outside the grand entrance to the hotel- it was straight to the ball room for sound check. My keyboard was already there in one piece (amazing!), and the fantastic sound man Dan was busying away getting everything sorted, even taking the time to tune Yannick’s drums for him. The rest of the band arrived shortly after (Karen and Louise looking absolutely stunning as always) and it was straight down to business. Sound check over it was up to our room for final adjustments to our costumes and a band huddle, and then at last we were ready to get stuck in and enjoy the evening.

The whole hotel had been taken over by the party, full of wide eyed gorgeous looking people exploring the decadent delights on offer. There were queues on the stairs to see a puppet show and the girl bathing in the bath of cocoa (I missed both but heard that they were both pretty special), people of all ages shapes and sizes were getting stuck into the pillow fighting with a vengeance, Londoners were going gooey eyed as they cuddled brand new spring lambs in the garden, and the bars were full of mingling groups slowly loosing their inhibitions as they innocently quaffed their tipple of choice.

I don’t drink before a gig, so was in my own little world of sobriety as we kicked off our set to a packed ballroom with Jeepers Creepers. People were dancing from the start, flashbulbs from the camera’s were going off around us (especially when Karen and Louise dropped their peignoirs to reveal their corsets and stockings half way through Strip Poker), and everyone seemed to be lapping it all up. We finished with the usual crowd pleasers Back to Black and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and got a great reception at the end. Great crowd, great gig.

It was route one to the bar for me as soon as the last chord had been played, very appreciative of the people who took the time to congratulate us on the way. My mate Paul pushed me to the front shouting “Sober man coming through- get this man a drink!” which a very sweet girl in a red dress duly did, ordering me a double absinth which I necked in one. With that sudden injection of disco juice I had no choice but to head straight to the dance floor, finding my mate Renee and kicking into gear with some boogie woogie moves to music being supplied by the DJ (Hitman Hearne, the same guy who picked my keyboard up that morning). That was pleasantly interrupted shortly afterwards by the fantastic burlesque dancer Millicent Binks, who provided a bit of titillation before the Hitman Hearn kicked back in again to take the dancing to another level.

As the effects of the disco juice started to wear off Renee and I went to have another explore. Newly formed couples in various states of undress were entangled on every available piece of furniture in the Twister room, the bars were providing more lubricant for new relationships being formed, but the biggest change was the pillow fighting room where just about every feather filled pillow had been destroyed covering the entire room in plumage that was being thrown about as people danced creating a scene that could have come straight out of a fairy story.

I headed back to the Ballroom where I found Yannick unconscious on one of the tables as people danced around him. It was now 2:30, and I realised I had the job of getting our totally inebriated drummer to pack up his drum kit before the coach left for London at 3am. Shouting at him to wake up didn’t yield a reaction, slapping him across the face did little more, so I resorted to pouring a glass of wine over him and dragging him off the table onto the floor. Regaining some semblance of consciousness his drummer instincts kicked in and he started the job, although so slowly I knew he had no chance of getting it done by 3am. I asked our guitarist Sam to sort Yannick out while I went to the coach to prevent it from leaving until we were ready. It required all my charm reserves to persuade a coach load of exhausted revellers that waiting in the car park was preferable to making their way back to their comfy beds and duvets back in London town. The central coach eventually left about 20 minutes after all the others.

I woke up the next day with a very sore head but a big smile on my face. Johnny delivered my keyboard to the flat that afternoon, regaling me with stories of carnage from the night before, and potentially setting up a musical collaboration sometime in the future (watch this space!). He seemed to really enjoy our set and suggested that we might get a booking for the next party. Bring it on!!

Jonny Crabb, Twin and Tonic

The Beautiful and the Damned

2009-04-25T13:05:00.001+01:00

so we've got a bit behind with the blogs about the gigs! Was hoping for a bit of input from the boys but alas no....

So I guess it's up to us ladies to get on with it!

So the last gig I wrote about was the Bourne and Hollingsworth gig; that seems so long ago and there have been many more since then!

The Beautiful and the Damned and Boogaloo; we have performed this night twice now and it is always a lot of fun! a fantastic venue to play at and the audience are always lovely..

http://www.myspace.com/thebeautifulanddamnedclub

Karen and I have both read the Beautiful and the Damned book by F Scott Fitzgerald and it really helped us to understand the glamourous and decadent times of the 20s and 30s for the young, rich and beautiful. So we try to capture some of that glamour with our look whether it be gold floor length 1930s gowns or lovely lacy 20s numbers.

At the first gig we did there we were approached by a rather interesting character called Dmitry; a big Russian guy with a big character and lots of enthusiasm. He said he loved our act so much that he wanted to help us (said he was big in oil) and would like to back us. But alas the email address he gave me didn't work but it's probably just as well; I think he was Russian Mafia ;)

At the second Beautiful and Damned gig we met the lovely Tricity Vogue who was also playing that night. She plays the ukulele and sings some fabulous songs. We have since been to one of her fantastic Ukulele Cabaret nights where we took along our Ukes and joined in with some of the singalongs, we hope that we can play our Ukuleles as well as her soon so that we can introduce them into our act!

http://www.myspace.com/tricityvogue

The Blitz Party

2009-04-25T13:05:00.000+01:00

So now a little bit about the wonderful Blitz party....

We were so excited about doing this gig!

Karen and I know quite a lot about the Blitz from all of the wonderful stories that our Gran tells us. She grew up in the Eastend of London and was there throughout the war she tells us many stories about the air raids; working in the factories making ammunition and life back then. We took her to the Britain at War experience and it was just like stepping back in time; Our gran loved it and had tears in her eyes being reminded of the old times.

So the challenge for us was the costumes; we really wanted the whole band to be kitted out in WW2 type uniforms so we went off to Portobello to see what we could find. There were some stalls selling lovely original WW2 things but there were a little too expensive for us; with 5 guys to dress it adds up! so in the end we managed to find an army surplus store and got some modern khaki shirts and trousers some of which were more of a sand colour so i got some olive dye and dyed everything...

We then managed to get some cool old fashioned braces; the ones with the button holes so I sewed buttons onto all of the trousers and then stitched badges onto the shirts.

We also managed to find some old fashioned army hats on Ebay and also some gaters and at Portobello picked up some original WW2 accessories such as belts etc...

Then for Karen's and my costume I found some khaki pencil skirts which I shortened and some khaki blouses which i sewed badges onto; et voila!

The night itself was fantastic! The venue was set under some railway arches in Shoreditch which were kitted out to look like a WW2 bunker with sand bags and other old fashioned items...

I was amazed at how much effort everyone went to with their outfits, soldiers; sailors, pilots; girls in lovely 40s tea dresses it was just like stepping back in time.

Fantastic Djing by the wonderful Jonny Vercoutre; everyone was dancing (some swing dancing!) and having a fabulous time.

We would have loved to play at the following Blitz party but unfortunately had already been booked for The Last Days of Decadence but we hope to be playing at the next Blitz party so keep your uniforms at the ready!

Max on Sax in The Chap!

2009-04-20T13:02:00.001+01:00

Our very own smooth talking, slick dressing, suave and sophisticated sax player, Max Holloway is in Chap Magazine!

You will find him on the "Am I Chap" page, dressed in his Blitz uniform!

We definitely think he make a fine chap! What do you think?

Time for Tea

2009-03-17T11:59:00.000Z

After a long all-day rehearsal (which started after a yummy fry-up in a local cafe), Louise and I (and my Shih Tzu Honey) trotted over to meet Hazel from Plume Magazine at Time For Tea in Shoreditch.

Stepping into the 1930s tea room, we both instantly felt at home. We were greeted warmly by the charismatic Mr Johnny Vercoutre and his adorable Great Dane pup.
We made our way up to the delightfully decorated dining room for a long chat with the lovely Hazel. Isn’t it so easy to talk about oneself? (Or is it just me?)

Afterwards we went back downstairs for some delicious cake (the largest slices I ever attempted to eat!) and some much needed Earl grey and gunpowder tea, served in pretty little cups and saucers.

Bourne and Hollingsworth gig was amazing!

2009-01-31T12:59:00.000Z

Sorry we've got a bit behind with our blogs! we really wanted to let you know how the gigs have gone. Kitcheners Traveling Circus at Bourne and Hollingsworth went so well! a perfect start to the year. The night went off to a great start with the wonderful Bohemianauts, fantastic! B & H is a wonderful venue, very cosy and with the most amazing crowd. We loved it when everyone started singing along :) the most popular songs of the night were Strip Polka and Milord, finishing off with an encore of Milord and everyone singing along!

Our first gig of the Year! Kitcheners Traveling Circus.

2009-01-25T12:57:00.000Z

Happy New Year to all of you!
We are very excited about our first gig of the Year!

Kitchener's Travelling Circus At the Wonderful Bourne and Hollingsworth, just behind Oxford Street. A lovely, quaint, tiny bar; it's like stepping back in time, to a lovely 1930s tea room! (one that serves alcohol of course!)

Other featured acts are Kitchener and the Bohemianauts.

Tuesday Jan 13th. We would love to see you there! xxxxx

Great times coming for 2009!

2009-01-04T12:56:00.000Z

So we are very excited about the year ahead!

Had a wonderful Christmas! Karen and I are very pleased with the New Ukuleles that we received from our lovely parents! Just trying to learn the chords, we will introduce them into our act as soon as possible!

We have a few great gigs lined up for the beginning of this year and are really looking forward to them!
Our set so far has been covers of great classics; we do however have some new stuff that we have been working on; a few new reworks of modern pop songs done in our own 'vintagesque' style! And we are also working on some of our own material. I cant wait to show you some of our own songs!

Really looking forward to seeing you at some of our gigs!
Happy 2009!

Louise xxx

The birth of Twin and Tonic

2008-10-18T12:54:00.000+01:00

So here we are Twin and Tonic!
Formed in January 08; it was originally the idea of my twin sister Karen. Karen was previously the singer and guitarist in the band Ninotchka for several years (they did wonderful Electro pop but finally decided to end the band last year) I had always hinted about her letting me join the band but she never took me up on my offer!

Anyway she came to me with the idea of forming this band; with the 2 of us singing; doing close harmony singing, jazz, swing; 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s songs. I have been interested in Burlesque, vintage clothing and the 40s and 50s era for some time so thought it was a wonderful idea!

Karen then started on the task of finding the rest of the band members. She roped in her old band partner Yannick who used to be in Ninotchka. He agreed to join as our drummer.
She then contacted an old childhood friend of ours; Jonny who we used to go to music school with every Saturday Morning. Karen was also in a band called fabulous Polyester with him we she was 16! Jonny is now our Pianist.
Karen used to work with Marcus who is our Bass player. She then found Max our wonderful Sax player. We performed 3 gigs together but really thought that we needed a guitarist in the band so after advertising on Gumtree we found Rohit! and so Twin and Tonic was born.