Sexy London Swing

Sexy London Swing

07 June, 2011
by: Mewcy

Lucy Sanderson meets the Kings of the Swingers.

We all know that London rocks. It also has quite a rep when it comes to raves. But what you might not realise is that it can also swing. We're not talking car keys in the bowl by the way- not today. Lurking behind the peripheral wall of indie, electro and club mixes is a genre that is battling it's way out to make a stand on the capital's music scene. London swing is proving to be a refeshing change for the music fan. The live circuit seems to have widely fallen victim to the bewitching impulse to stare at their converse whilst the urge to express any joy is stifled with the same zeal as somebody suffering from gas in a library. It is not preposterous to think that some of us would appreciate experiencing music in the spirit of cheerful expression and dare we consider... dancing?

The Swing Ninjas are the dirty horn gypsy swing trio who are very familiar to the benefits of letting a little Manouche into your life. Admittedly, we were always going to like them for their name alone. The idea of Bruce Lee taking out a bad guy before busting out some rag-time moves is a lovely treat for the imagination. But upon seeing the chaps in action you realise there is a lot more enrichment to be had- I found myself escaped into a bubble of sunshine despite it chucking it down outside, just because it was so much fun. 'It was a very silly show today,' Ninja Will Hood told me. You don't say. At one point the shoeless saxophonist was leading his bandmates to climb over furniture and parade around the soggy crowd at Proud Camden having just raised a few giggles with a foot-tappingly jazzy rendition of 'Three Blind Mice'. 

'Its all improvised,' he went on to say. 'Two major tenets we have with this band is that there's no rehearsal- we've never once rehearsed. And there's no set list. Forms always change, the lyrics always change, the solos are always different.' When I asked him what it was that drew him to the world of swing, I got an answer that I didn't quite expect. 'I like the suits,' he announced with a grin. 'It's a clothing thing.' Although obviously said with an element of jest, it is quite fair to assume that perhaps the romance of dressing up has had something to do with a vintage-loving community like London's interest in the genre.  

'Our audiences tend to be very attractive people. We have amazing looking women turn out in all sorts of twenties regalia- they all look so stylish and very, very sexy. The men look good too- they might come out in shirt, tie and braces. They smell clean as well.' Peculiar audience-sniffing aside, dressing up is something us Londoners seem to be really taking to. Tastefully themed nights like Blitz Party and Prohibition have really proven this, tickets often becoming like gold dust as the demand to go out swinging in authentic surroundings has been incredibly high. A most snappily waistcoated Ninja, Bruce Stevens told me how popular swing has become in Brighton. Apparently it's not uncommon to see swing dancers to come out in their droves to shimmy around all over the show in bars all over the city on a weekend.

This craze has been something that London has also seen explode in popularity. It's amazing to see just how many classes are available from beginners to practically professional all across the capital. The London Swing Dance Society has been promoting the genre for some twenty-five years now, with founder Simon Selmon going on to host Stompin' at The 100 Club. The legendary night held it's last hop this week having been forced to close due to price increases- but there are still plenty of other venues to check out if you fancied a boogie, including Firefly Bar and Wild Court. 

As summer approaches, conditions are perfect for the genre to thrive. If this is your introduction then maybe you should keep an eye out for one of the organised Swing Picnics which pop up across the capital. It's a free and fun afternoon of live music and dance for all the family and will show the music off in the perfect context. The Ninjas were actually due to play at the June picnic after talking to me- but Britain's idea of appropriate summer weather threw a bit of a spanner in the works. 'I can't imagine many people coming out to swing dance in the mud in wellingtons,' said Bruce. I don't know... it works for Glastonbury.

Click here for more swing events.
Click here for more things to do in London.
Return to Spoonfed's Live Music homepage. 

Mewcy