Singing Jazz at the Sprocket Rocket Launch... The Video!

Hope this works

Gx

Annette Hanshaw helped me Sing for my Supper (with a Sprocket Rocket!)

I grew up singing and attended as many after school choirs that I could humanly cram in along with tap dancing lessons! However, growing up can make you lose confidence a bit as you become a small fish in a big pond. So whilst I was studying drama at uni... surrounded by superb sopranos and tantalising tenors I decided to stop bothering. As although I could hold a tune, my voice didn't compare to those at the top of the class. The fact I partially lost my hearing in both ears at 22 was a contributing factor n'all... bah!

However, over the past year I've gotten into singing again.I've been learning the ukulele, and singing the tune along with what you're playing is a great help. I've also been kindly encouraged to keep it up by my other half and his family (most of whom are professional musicians, which has been a rub to the ego!) So, I recently  started thinking why didn't I give it another shot? 

My vocal heroine is Annette Hanshaw, a popular jazz singer from the late 1920s. She was an ingenue and flapper all at once, and became known as "The Personality Girl". She developed a trademark outcue by saying  "That's all" at the end of many of her records (apparently it began as when she started proffessionally performing with orchestras and felt she needed to broadcast the end of the song!) 

The lovely Annette H -  

There's a great video of her here... http://www.jazzage1920s.com/annettehanshaw/annettehanshaw.php

Hanshaw has such a wonderful tone to her voice which is so easy to listen to, but also puts on a babyish drawl (like Helen Kane) for more comical songs such as "Button up Your Overcoat". Because of Ms Annette I focused on learning vintage jazz tunes on my uke and singing along to them,. From this I found that my voice suited the style better than the musical tunes and opera we were being spoon fed in singing lessons at uni. 

Anyway, last night I tested the waters to see how I fared singing (no uke appearance as I feared doing two things at once in front of an audience was tempting bad luck!) Chris had been asked to play the trombone at the Launch Night of the latest Lomography Camera the "Sprocket Rocket". He needed a singer, and I was there, so I did it (a case of "right place right time", and fraternising with the boss y'know!) My ukulele teacher Martin Wheatley (who is a dab hand on all things with strings) also played. The video of the band and the night in general will be posted above.

And here's some piccies of the Space man unveiling the camera...

The space man going to unveil the mystery new Lomography Camera... what is it???

TA DAAA!

I had a grand night, and met the lovely Lena from "The Vintage Guide to London"  to which I'm now a contributing  writer for... huzzah (more on that another post me thinks.) So overall, apart from not turning on the mic on the first song, a successful night, yay! Any agents reading after a vintage jazz warbling,  old frock clad singer? No? Ah...

That's all...

G x

A Sunday Outing... Autumnal leaves, food and a new outfit

Just a quicky as I'm preparing/calming myself before my first professional singing "debut" tonight. Am most anxious, but a post on that seperately a bit later!

Anyway, on Sunday I went to Wisley Gardens to see Chris play. It was a lovely sunny day and they had an Autumn food fair, lots of scrummy stalls selling great, if rather over priced food. Here are some snaps...

Chris and The Panama Cafe Orchestra playing on the bandstand

Lovely Autumnal colours

That's a lot of apples!

Lovely lovely bread

Liquorice from the Isle of Wight, surprisingly caramel flavour has a great taste

Belvoir fruit presse, I tried a cup of hot spiced winter berries, highly recommended!

Pumpkins, squash, marrows etc!

My new "Adeleines Attic" 1930s skirt, it's soo warm and toasty!

 Anyway, must dash!

Toodlepip

G x

55 Broadway

I took a trip to take some snaps of 55 Broadway... a magnificent Art Deco building overlooking St James's Park in London.

Designed by Charles Holden and built between 1927 and 1929 as the new HQ for the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL), which was the main forerunner of London Underground who still use the building today.

Many of the sculptures featured on the facade are by famous artists such as: Eric Aumonier, Henry Moore, Jacob Epstein and Eric Gill.

An original 1930s Roundel UndergrounD sign





It's a bit grubby, but still beautiful




Look closely, even the gutters have the Underground Roundell, with the date of completion in the centre-1929



A stylish entrance. Oh how I'd love to have a look around. They had an open day this year, it sold out in seconds

Stylish and functional

I've been told the interior is just as impressive, and that there were stair cases leading directly from St. Jame's Park Underground platform into the offices. The main exit that's still used today pretty much lands you straight into the reception area (great if it's raining and you don't want to ruin your hair! Such a wonderful building, with a great past.

G x

ROCKAHULA!

So, Rockahula was Hula-dooper! It's been a week of firsts for me. Just like I'd never been to Nina's I had also never been to Bloomsbury Bowls. It's a great venue, boasting a bowling alley, diner, kareoke rooms and a dance floor. Here's a snap of the diner...

I had a hot dog a fries... it was yummy!

As for the outfit, I suddenly remembered I had a late '40s dress that was falling apart in my mending basket. The sleeves were so sweet, 3/4 length with tucks at the elbow, however, they were shattering with age and rather large holes were all over them that I couldn't fix for trying. So I cut them off (eek!) I tried to emulate a Marilyn Monroe-esque "Seven Year Itch" halter dress look (except the dress is a wrap over with flowers all over it.) My hair post Nina's had dropped out into lovely curls and waves, I did try faux bangs (thanks Landgirl) but couldn't master it, so I swept over to one side to try to get some height (like Marilyn again). It unfortunately flopped a little by the time I got to the venue though.

 

The dress I massacred in the name of '50s!



For slap I painted on cats eyes with liquid eyeliner and had red lips and nails. Here's me and my gorgeous friend Emily, who looked stunning in polka dots and a smile.



Happy days



It was my friends Heidi's birthday, who went to "The Powder Room" in Carnaby Street to have her hair coiffured into a beehive. She looked utterly stunning and her legs looked cracking in a white mini dress.

The lovley Birthday Girl

I had one problem though. I did say as it was a 50s night I'd try to do it properly, so I donned a bullet bra. It's from "What Katie Did" and is sooo comfy and flattering. The bra seperates and lifts to create that '50s look. The thing is, because it changed the shape of my (coughs) assets they became the first thing folk noticed. Here are two lovely chaps I met who were entertained by my prominent decollotage.



Rob and Guiluame. Notice Rob's expression, that's what a bullet bra can do ladies... go buy one!

Finally, much fun was had donning a pair of oversized specs, here's my shot...

Give us a kiss!

G x

Nina's Hair Parlour

I've been wanting to go to Alfie's Antique Market and Nina's Hair Parlour for ages. Having finally booked myself in for a cut and set, I excitedly hopped on the tube to Edgeware Road.

As I walked up Church Street I was greeted with this impressive Art Deco sight...

Alfie's Antique Market

Inside is even more wonderful, a labyrinth of stalls, including "The Girl Can't Help it" which made me go "eeeeeeek! when I saw the shop. Feeling a bit disorientated from the amount of wondrous items around me I climbed the stairs to Nina's.

The parlour is fascinating, with wonderful deco wall plaques and old hair related nick nacks. The lovely Leila (resembling a fusion of Brigitte Bardot and Pattie Boyd) was cutting my hair, she's so knowledgeable about all things hair and is a great artist of le barnet... a splendid job was done as you can see...

I asked for a curled bob with a slight Marcel at the fringe, why can't I get it to go like that at the back on a daily basis?!

Leila was very kind and took some lovely pics, I love this one as you can see bits of the Parlour in it too 

When I got home I had to pop on a glam frock and take a snap before I slept on my barnet and possibly flattened it

... But I did try to maintain it overnight with Marcel clips... what a sight!

Did my hair manage to stay in place overnight? Find out more next post!

G x

HEELP!

Having a vintage clothing crisis! I've been invited to Rock a Hula tomorrow night, and haven't a stitch to wear! I've been told folk are going 50s/60s.

Really want to go Mad Men Joan-esque but have nothing in my wardrobe for it other than a black pencil skirt. 



Oh, to look like that everyday



Or, I was thinking of turned up jeans and a polo neck, or a peasant blouse with jeans (if I can find a blouse in a charity shop)





I do have a clingy "Stop Staring dress" but it's a 30s shape, and I can't think how I could alter it without wrecking it.

And then there's hair?! What to do with my bob?!

I really want to make the effort and not rock (a hula) up in my usual 30s/40s regalia and pretend I got the dress code wrong?!

Please help with any ideas?

Gx





Where London transport retires to...

On Sunday me and 'im went to The London Transport Museum Depot in Acton. It's only open a few times a year, so I was most excited to explore.

As you can see, the place is huge... and is brimming full of old tube trains, buses, underground signs and my personal favourite... original London Underground Art work dating from the early 1900s to today.

When we went inside I was confronted by this monster:

Which is some sort of signalling device, I was astounded by the amount of dials and levers, a far cry from a computer screen!

There were many underground trains, including this one from 1938

Stylish, somehow the interior felt far more homey and the seats were very comfy

We also saw this...

It's a Leyland single deck TF Type motor coach from 1939 (yes I'm a nerd). They're the country fleet of London transport buses that served the suburbs and beyond. The shape of the bus screams art deco and the design is so in depth even the fuel cap incorporates the LT symbol. I particularly love this bus as the fleet would have served near where I grew up.

Upstairs there were even more splendid nick nacks, in the form of London Underground information signs from year dot to now.

No chance of getting lost methinks!

I don't think you're allowed in?

veeeery early L.U Rondell signs

 We then went on a bus ride around West London on the first Routemaster RM1

This was made even more exhilarating as we drove down Chiswick High Road, which is full of lovely looking shops, including "The Old Cinema" a vintage department store housed in an old cinema (surprisingly!)

www.theoldcinema.co.uk

Finally we went upstairs to the stores where old London Transport adverts were kept. So many original posters are in these well shrouded rooms (alas I wasn't allowed to take photos) . The stores also included original artwork Which once approved was then adapted to a more basic lithographic poster print. Oh how I'd love to plaster my walls with many of them!

This was my favourite one...

And finally a quick fact, you may have noticed some Underground station signs are written with a big U and D like this:

UndergrounD

This was common practice until 1933, when a re brand was attempted to the "London Passenger Transport Board" (or LPTB for short). It only lasted a year, after which the name underground returned minus the big U and D. So if you see a poster with "LPTB" on it, you can date if from 1933 and it's cheap snap it up as it's rare! And if your local underground station sign features a capital U an D then it predates 1933.... So there!

Nerdy lecture over

G x

Day Three

Apologies for the sudden lapse in posts, I have no Internet at home and net cafes have been scarce.

Here's a little post about day three of my holiday (which was a week ago now... sniff!)

I spent last Wednesday in style with my vintage friend Ruth. I've not lived in London long, and because of work have found it hard to meet folk... especially vintage fans. I met Ruth by sheer fluke... through selling her a frock on Ebay, it turned out we live down the road from one another so met for tea!

It was her birthday so we had a wonderful afternoon tea, with her home made yummy marmalade and currant cake, baked to a '30s recipe, ginger biscuits, salmon and cucumber sandwiches. Ruth wore a smashing 1930s blue frock...

Looking gorgeous in blue, the lovely Ruth with a delectable spread of home made treats

What a collar!

A 1930s recipe book sponsored by Golden Shred marmalade, Ruth made the tea loaf which was yummy

She is the most glamorous mother of three I've ever met, and her frock collection would make you drool, I stood in awe when she showed me her wardrobes full of amazing things, this was my favourite...

Alas, it wouldn't fit in my bag! That wardrobe is FULL of amazing frocks

 When her kids came back from school we had a marvellous time playing musical statues to vintage jazz (seeing children dancing to Bix Beiderbecke and enjoying it is a rarity!)

Last Wednesday was by far my best day off, I had a super time... thank you Ruth, and Happy Birthday again for last week you gorgeous lady!

G x

And for the rest of day two

There was some extreme DIY and clearing away some of his Lordship's boxes into cupboards etc... Here are some snaps of the newly finished living room/kitchen area...



Living area, I put that shelf and mirror up (I've never done either before! A charmed life has been lead!)



Chris has hidden the record player with '30s sheet music, I love the art work on them



I made that shelf cup hanging thingy... ok it's not rocket science or very sophisticated, but I was never good at woodwork so am rather pleased!


Chris and I also went on a bookshelf hunt, and ended up in a junk shop called "Aladdin's Cave". It's on the site of the old Lewisham Road Railway Station (not that you can really tell now). Such a great place for a rummage, just between Lewisham and New Cross Gate and very close to where Cecil Hepworth was born which excited me greatly (he's one of the first British silent film makers, whose studios were based in my old stomping ground... Walton on Thames. Some of his films are good for a giggle even today.)



Please do pull up a chair!

Fun times

Gx

Silly photo shoot on Day two

On the second day of my hols I was poncing about in my dressing gown pretending to be a film star and my Chas whipped his camera out and took some snaps... one thing lead to another and I started flinging on a few other of my vintage frocks. I was rather please how they came out, and thought you may like to have a ganders... my apologies there's extreme posing from... now!



Flashing flesh and looking snooty, what a hussy



Still looking snooty

The dress is brown with white leaves on it, so it looks the same as it does there really! And still managing to look snooty!



Finally less snooty looking in my fave dress... with a big hole in the bottom... I ate a few too many sweeties and it went pop!