Jazzy ska from London

Posts by » admin

A Brighton wedding party

By

Oct 28, 2017 Comments are off

Yesterday evening we travelled to Brighton to play for a party celebrating a wedding that had taken place a few days before.

While loading into a venue on a pedestrian precinct in the middle of a fearsome one way system was not exactly easy, once we were all set up and enjoyed a fine burger it was a blast.

As a special request for the happy couple we played “Can’t take my eyes off you” with a ska flavour, which seemed to go down very well on what had become a packed dance floor in the monster second set.

We don’t have any photos or video but this is what we played:

  • Chinatown
  • Guns Of Navarone
  • Latin Goes Ska
  • Tide Is High
  • Mood For Love
  • My Baby Just Cares for Me
  • Work Song
  • Alley Cat Ska
  • Mambo Number 5
  • Monkey Man
  • Red Red Wine
  • Price Tag
  • Man on the Street
  • Tequila

 

  • One Step Beyond
  • Mountain King
  • It Must Be True Love
  • Enola Gay
  • Mad World
  • Can’t take my eyes off you
  • London Calling
  • Come Dancing
  • Simmer Down
  • Pata Pata
  • 10 Out Of 10
  • 99 Red Balloons
  • Mirror In The Bathroom
  • Tainted Love
  • Rudy A Message To You
  • Enjoy Yourself
  • Baggy Trousers
  • Monkey Man
  • My Boy Lollipop
  • Night Boat To Cairo
  • Gangsters
  • Israelites

 

A rock steady festival in Hampshire

By

Jul 16, 2017 festival, gig, setlist Comments are off

We were delighted to be the main band on the Saturday night of a weekend mini-festival at the Royal Oak pub in Hollywater, near Liphook in Hampshire.

We were sharing the stage with the General Wayne sound system who have impeccable taste, and selected some great tunes for before and after our set. And while bands can never tell what the audience get to hear, the onstage sound was  spot on.

Our special guest was the mighty Joe Ospalla on drums.

We didn’t get a chance to take many photos, other than a few as we were setting up.

This is what we played

  • Chinatown
  • Guns Of Navarone
  • Latin Goes Ska
  • Tide Is High
  • Mood For Love
  • My Baby just cares for me
  • Work Song
  • Mad World

 

  • London Calling
  • Enola Gay
  • Red Red Wine
  • One Step Beyond
  • Simmer Down
  • Tainted Love
  • Rudy A Message To You
  • Night Boat To Cairo
  • Gangsters

 

A wedding in Wimbledon

By

May 29, 2017 setlist, wedding Comments are off

Annie and Adam had perfect weather for their wedding last weekend, and we had great fun playing outside in the sun for their guests for two hours in the afternoon. There was a good covered stage, and we got to play next to the pool. If we really lived the rock and roll lifestyle we would have finished by throwing our amps in the pool, but we might need them again.

We were asked to feature songs by the Beat so we added Mirror in the Bathroom and Tears of a Clown to our set. Stand Down Margaret is perhaps not quite right for a wedding, though, thinking about it, quite a few of our numbers are wildly irrelevant.

This is what we played.

 

  • I’m in the Mood for Love
  • Chinatown
  • Guns Of Navarone
  • Latin Goes Ska
  • The Tide is High
  • My Baby Just Cares for Me
  • Alley Cat Ska
  • Mambo Number 5
  • Mad World
  • Mirror In The Bathroom
  • London Calling
  • Enola Gay
  • Price Tag
  • One Step Beyond
  • Tears Of A Clown
  • It Must Be True Love
  • Come Dancing
  • Simmer Down
  • Ten out of ten
  • 99 Red Balloons
  • Tainted Love
  • Rudy, A Message to You
  • Enjoy Yourself
  • Monkey Man
  • Baggy Trousers
  • My Boy Lollipop
  • Night Boat To Cairo

Upstairs at the Ritzy

By

Apr 14, 2017 gig, setlist Comments are off

It was great to see a such a good and enthusiastic turn out for our gig Upstairs at the Ritzy last night. There was lots of singing along, and some enthusiastic and authentic skanking.

We managed to take a few snaps at the soundcheck – and it’s always good to see our name in big letters.

This is what we played:

 

  • Chinatown
  • Guns of Navarone
  • Latin Goes Ska
  • Tide is High
  • Mood For Love
  • My Baby Just Cares for Me
  • Work Song
  • Alley Cat Ska
  • Mambo Number 5
  • Mad World
  • London Calling
  • Enola Gay
  • Red Red Wine
  • One Step Beyond
  • Mountain King
  • Come Dancing
  • Simmer Down
  • Pata Pata
  • 10 Out Of 10
  • 99 Red Balloons
  • Tainted Love
  • Rudy A Message To You
  • Baggy Trousers
  • My Boy Lollipop
  • Night Boat To Cairo
  • Gangsters

Ska Humbug at the Oval Tavern

By

Dec 28, 2016 gig, setlist Comments are off

Ska Humbug

We have never played a Christmas Eve gig before, so we were delighted to be asked by Croydon’s Oval Tavern to play there this year as it is one of our favourite venues.

We decided it should be called Ska Humbug! and it gave us the chance to play a lot of cheesy Christmas covers.

Many old Christmas songs are basically jazz swing tunes, and they always work well as ska – so it was not hard to adapt Rockaing Around the Christmas Tree, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (which we have done before) for our line up.

We have done Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody before, so we dusted that one down. And in what we thought was a stroke of great originality we adapted the Snowman song “Walking in the Air” as a reggae instrumental. However we soon found that we were by no means the first band to do this, but no matter it still went down well.

This is what we played.

  • Chinatown
  • Guns Of Navarone
  • Tide Is High
  • My Baby Just Cares For Me
  • Work Song
  • Walking Air
  • Mad World
  • Enola Gay
  • Rocking Round the  Xmas Tree
  • 10 Out Of 10
  • Rudy A Message To You
  • Israelites
  • Red Red Wine
  • Frosty The Snowman
  • One Step Beyond
  • Mambo Number 5
  • London Calling
  • Come Dancing
  • Simmer Down
  • Tainted Love
  • Enjoy Yourself
  • Monkey Man
  • Baggy Trousers
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  • My Boy Lollipop
  • Merry Christmas Everybody
  • Night Boat To Cairo

 

Skanking the Earl Haig

By

Oct 14, 2016 Comments are off

We had lots of fun playing one of our favourite venues, the Earl Haig Hall, in Crouch End last night.

It’s an old British Legion Hall, brought back to life as a great pub/venue – though we like to think of Earl Haig as a lesser known counterpart to Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

It was a lovely appreciative audience, and it is always a real pleasure to play when the sound is good. Thanks Matt!

We only managed a few photos as it was pretty dark with the lights in the wrong place to get decent shots. But if anyone in the audience wants to share pictures or videos, please add them to out Facebook page.

This is what we played – a slightly shorter set than we had planned as we hadn’t factored in the 10pm curfew to keep the neighbours happy.

  • Chinatown
  • Guns Of Navarone
  • Latin Goes Ska
  • Tide Is High
  • Mood For Love
  • My Baby Just Cares for Me
  • Work Song
  • London Calling
  • Enola Gay
  • Price Tag

 

  • One Step Beyond
  • Come Dancing
  • Simmer Down
  • 10 Out Of 10
  • Tainted Love
  • Rudy A Message To You
  • My Boy Lollipop
  • Gangsters
  • Night Boat To Cairo

 

A return to Croydon’s Oval Tavern

By

Jul 4, 2016 gig, setlist Comments are off

This was our second gig at the Oval tavern in Croydon – and it was as good as our first.

It’s hard to pin down why this is such a good venue, but it has a lot to do with good sound (thanks Gavin), what is clearly a great community pub and an enthusiastic crowd.

One family group, who all got up to dance, told us they had members in their 80s, 70s, 50s and 20s. That’s one of the great things about ska – it appeals across the generations.

We played two new songs. Our ska’ed up version of Mad World, which went down particularly well, we put in the first set.

And in the second set we played It Must be True Love, a Toots and the Maytals tune which is not that well known. We have been asked to play it at a wedding gig soon, and it’s a lovely song.

This is what we played:

  • Chinatown
  • Guns Of Navarone
  • Latin Goes Ska
  • Tide Is High
  • Mood For Love
  • My Baby Just Cares for Me
  • Alley Cat Ska
  • Mambo Number 5
  • Mad World
  • London Calling
  • Enola Gay
  • Price Tag
  • Red Red Wine
  • One Step Beyond
  • Mountain King
  • It Must Be True Love
  • Come Dancing
  • Simmer Down
  • 99 Red Balloons
  • Tainted Love
  • Rudy A Message To You
  • My Boy Lollipop
  • Night Boat To Cairo
  • Gangsters

We don’t have any pictures or video of the band performing, but we took some pictures in the pub garden and at the sound check before we played, and there’s one of everyone in the band, inclduing special guest Jackie on tenor sax. If anyone did take any pix, please share them to our Facebook page.

Supporting the Toasters in New Cross

By

May 2, 2016 gig, setlist Comments are off

We had a blast last Saturday kicking off a ska night at the New Cross Inn with the excellent Popes of Chillitown and ska legends the Toasters.
It was a short tight set and we think it went well.

So did Ashley who messaged our Facebook page to say:

You were the best band by a mile last night – great stuff! 

This is what we played:

  • Chinatown
  • Guns Of Navarone
  • Latin Goes Ska
  • Tide Is High
  • Mood For Love
  • Work Song
  • London Calling
  • Enola Gay
  • Simmer Down
  • Tainted Love
  • My Boy Lollipop

We didn’t have time to take any photos, so we’ve cheated with a video of last time we played at the New Cross Inn

Supporting the Toasters

By

Apr 20, 2016 gig Comments are off

We are very excited about our next gig supporting top US ska band the Toasters.

It’s on Saturday April 30th at the New Cross Inn, which funnily enough is in New Cross.

We will be on first at 8:30 with a 40 minute set.

It’s definitely worth getting your tickets in advance for this. They are cheaper that way £8, and this is a gig that could sell out.

Here’s the Facebook event 

The promoters are very nice about us:

Kicking things off for us will be The Skamonics, who won our ears over for the first time back before Christmas and now we’re hooked and can’t stop dancing, to their unique mix of authentic 60s ska, two-tone and bonkers covers – three horns, female vocals and a driving rhythm section.

And after we play there’s the Popes of Chillitown.

Upstairs at the Ritzy

By

Apr 16, 2016 gig, pictures, Ritzy, setlist Comments are off

We always like to play Upstairs at the Ritzy in Brixton. It’s a lovely small venue run by nice people, and always with great sound.

So we were expecting a great gig last night, and were not disappointed.

And this what we played, and we were in such a good mood we even played Monkey Man as a birthday request for our encore.

All our new songs seemed to go down well – Hall of the Mountain King gets a bit faster every time we play it.

And there a few photos grabbed during the soundcheck.

  • Chinatown
  • Guns of Navarone
  • Latin Goes Ska
  • Tide Is High
  • Mood For Love
  • My Baby Just Cares For Me
  • Work Song
  • Alley Cat Ska
  • Mambo Number 5
  • London Calling
  • Enola Gay
  • Price Tag
  • Red Red Wine
  • One Step Beyond
  • Mountain King
  • Come Dancing
  • Simmer Down
  • 99 Red Balloons
  • Tainted Love
  • Rudy A Message To You
  • My Boy Lollipop
  • Monkey Man