Last night, I had a rare night out sans baby, sans husband and sans shows. It was quite something to go out and be purely a spectator. I accompanied myself to the Saturday night of the Southend Lindy Exchange to see one of my favourite bands, The Jive Aces. I’ve known the boys for years and it is always a pleasure to see them play.They hadn’t met Rafferty, so in the afternoon we went down and had tea at the fabulous 50’s diner Bobby-Jo’s down in Southend before their evening show, who doesn’t love a catch up over milkshakes?
Then, after a quick dash home to pop Raff to bed, I slipped on one of my oldest vintage dresses, (it’s only 50’s but it was one of the first vintage dresses I ever bought almost a decade ago) slung my hair into an up-do, popped on a pair of pretty ballet flats, a slick of Illamasqua red lipstick and I skipped out the door (feeling guilty and vaguely panicked!)
When I arrived the party was in full swing, if you’ll pardon the pun!
I hadn’t seen any of the Southend swing dancers since before Rafferty was born, so it was nice to see everyone dolled up and looking their retro best. The ballroom at the Royal Hotel in Southend is gorgeous and slightly out-of-keeping given the less than salubrious pub below.
The Jive Aces came on and the crowd went wild with the lindy swinging hot and fast. It is always a joy to watch the boys play and I like nothing better than dancing the night away to their super happy tunes.
I used to swing dance nearly every night of the week, having been introduced to it by an old flame nearly 10 years ago. Since meeting my husband, (a staunch non-dancer!) my evenings dancing have dwindled, which is such a shame as I really miss it. I really should make the effort to go at least once a week, just to keep my foot in.
I’ve actually booked the boys to play at my variety show at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, a completely self-indulgent act but one that I know my audience will love.
So if you find yourself in the marvellous city of Edinburgh on say, August 12th, come along and enjoy the kings of the swingers!
Love Lili
x
Lili La Scala 