Last night we performed in Charlbury memorial hall in aid of the refugee action group. Organisers Rob Hemingway and Liz Soar had done a magnificent job decking out the hall like a ’20s nightclub, and the audience similarly stepped up to the mark with a wonderful array of evening dress. ‘Cocktails and Cabaret’ was the billing, and the Bull Inn opposite provided the former in impressive quantities. The latter was up to us…
Rob acted as Emcee for the evening, and how better to kick off than with ‘Wilkommen’ from Cabaret. We were then joined for our first set by the fantastically talented Lizzie Burrowes as guest vocalist in our Gershwin medley, before going into the interval with some close harmony numbers. The second half was fast and furious with gypsy swing galore, and we chucked in a couple of my songs from 1917 to try out some new repertoire!
We ended the night in a Charlbury hostelry which was like something out of the 1950s, complete with an excellent sing-along round the jukebox and piano, heavily coiffed locals, and a brief fist-fight between two over-enthusiastic gents who admired the same girl. Excellent fun all round.
We’re at Kazbar again on Thursday, then another Cowley Road establishment, Tarifa, the following week. Come along!
Alex Thomas 