My heart is heavy at Booty’s passing. I’ve loved playing there over the years – from the crazy celebratory nights like John’s 14th ‘birthday’,through the warm, balmy summer evenings when the doors out onto the river were thrown open (even if it did get a bit noisy when the party boats went past) to the quieter, cosier winter evenings which had a real old-time feel, it’s felt like a second home to me. Not least because it’s the only pub I’m aware of that has a framed photo of Yours Truly on the wall:

It was good to see old faces one last time – including fabulous singer Paul Wood, with whom I toured France for seven years and who I don’t see nearly often enough, photographer Ian Dunnigan, the regulars who truly love the place (yeah, even the guy who I’ve never seen sober but who is extremely ‘enthusiastic’ about my singing…), guys like Martin, whose own birthday party was the nuttiest night I’ve ever played there and, of course John himself, who was on fine form last night.

Of course I’m hoping this isn’t the end. John’s already been offered other pubs and, after a well-earned break with his family, I suspect he’ll be raring to go again. Onwards and upwards. But as for Booty’s itself – well, yet another Docklands riverside pub is biting the dust for, as far as I can see, no good reason…

Phil had a grand piano, so he was happy, I had a floor to dance around on (sometimes joined by the audience…) and utterly giant 1940s hair so I was happy, a quick download of some lyrics meant I could comply with all the requests so the audience was happy – all in all a pretty perfect evening.

The lovely Saul was taking photos all night (thank you Saul!), and I’m hoping to add some pictures to this post asap.

I was surprised to find that a track I recorded with the Vendettas, The Long Goodbye, has been included in this three-CD complilation album.

It’s flattering, I suppose…

Oops – I’ve done it again – managed to go bloomin’ months without posting. I’ve been tootling along doing gigs at, among others, Bootys and The Manor in Rainham, which has become somewhat of a regular for Phil and me. Thanks to Ian Dunnigan, as ever, for the pic.

Phil, by the way, is fully back to health and out cycling like a mad man again…

Oh, what a night! I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun – and believe me, guv’nor John’s birthday party at Bootys where Phil and I played for a very well-refreshed crowd back in November took some beating…

Wilton’s Music Hall is just great. The last surviving great Victorian Music Hall, it is exquisite, delicate – and tumbling down around your ears. Volunteers have made the place into a delightfully bohemian space, and the theatre itself useable again.

Phil and I were in the fabulous Mahogany Bar, which has the only example I’ve ever seen of the actual bar being made out of a (very ornate) theatre box with a wooden surface (I’m told much of the original mahogany is in the British Museum, who won’t let them have it back – huh – at least the Elgin Marbles are on display…) bare brick walls and a truly brilliant atmosphere (we were assured that the peeling plaster above us wasn’t just about to fall on our heads – but that’s only thanks to the efforts of the incredible bunch of people who love the place. I can see why they do…)

The place was packed to the gills (thanks to everyone who made a special effort to come) and was supplemented – to the point where people were spilling out of the door – by LAMDA students who’d been rehearsing in the theatre itself.

I would SO love this to become a regular gig – it’s cool, it’s funky – but above all, it’s HUGE fun.

Pics ©Ian Dunnigan.

It’s rare I get to combine both areas of my professional life – writing and singing – but in this case, it just might work.

I have written two features about costume in Film Noir for The Chap magazine, the first of which (mens’ attire) can be found in the latest issue (to be found in all good bookshops, yada, yada), followed by its friend (about the ladies)  in the next edition.

Hot on the heels (or perhaps the wrists) of those two comes  a feature about evening gloves, which have become a bit of a trademark for me over the years, and, ahem, the etiquette of Hawaiian Shirts, an item of clothing in which I have never seen either Phil or Gary, which I think is a shame. Others will disagree…

Noiresque - The Lonely Fate of the Femme Fatale

I’ve been asked a couple of  times recently whether Noiresque – The Lonely Fate of the Femme Fatale is still available. I’m not sure whether it has officially been deleted by Silva Screen Records, but there are a couple of hard copies of it on the US Amazon site (it’s always gratifying to know that I only actually know one of the people who put very-nice-indeed-thank-you reviews of it on there…) It’s not on the UK site at all as the album was never released over here ( I know, I know…)

But I’m delighted to announce that you can now buy the whole album or just tracks from it at Itunes wherever you are in the world, thanks to my dear friend/producer/manager/guru, music-supervisor-to-the-stars Don Gallacher, actually making the time to put it on there.

I’ve also been asked about the availability of other albums. Although I’m pretty sure that The Glenn Miller Memorial Orchestra Live has been deleted for some time now, and I know that Vendettas A-Go-Go isn’t around, but for all you hardcore completeists out there, Bim Bam Baby, the album I made with the Flying Fortress,  is, I believe, still around on Ace Records.