THE BEAUTIFUL & DAMNED – SUMMER BARBECUE PARTY
Date: Thursday 20th July.
Times: BARBECUE from 7pm, Club 9pm to midnight.
Venue: The Boogaloo, 312 Archway Road, London N6 5AT, UK. 020 8340 2928.
Tube: Highgate (Northern Line). Buses: 43, 134, 263.
Price: Free entry, but please dress up.

“Unmissable!” – Time Out, who also featured B&D in their ‘Top 10 Critics’ Choices’.
“A divine London night out” – The Penny magazine.

The well-dressed club night returns, its motto being ‘Never Knowingly Underdressed’. This time, the club starts a little earlier, at 7pm, with a barbecue in the garden outside. Then it’s business as usual inside from 9pm.

The Beautiful And Damned is a timezone-jumping decadent disco curated (as opposed to ‘DJ’d’) by Mr Dickon Edwards and Miss Red. Patrons are encouraged to dress up in their own take on period glamour, ideally with a nod to the styles of the 1920s & 1930s, though anything more stylish than the ubiquitous Old Street fashions is welcome. Cigarillos, braces, tweeds, beads, silk scarves, summer dresses, unforgiving teddy bears, Pimms & high hats. Free cocktails for the best dressed.

Drink, dance, and ponder the nights tenderness to an eclectic but discerning mix of Sinatra (Frank & Nancy), Strauss waltzes, soundtracks, musicals, El Records, Peggy Lee, Doris Day, Gilbert & Sullivan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dory Previn, Bugsy Malone, Cabaret, Chicago, deviant disco, shadowy soul, parvenu pop, insouciant indie, and easy listening for difficult children.

Designed by Lawrence Gullo.

BEAUTIFUL & DAMNED – ANTI-WORLD CUP EDITION
Date: Thur 15th June.
Times: 9pm to midnight.
Club title: The Beautiful And Damned: A Thoroughly Splendid Club Night.
Venue: The Boogaloo, 312 Archway Road, London N6 5AT, UK. 020 8340 2928.
Tube: Highgate (Northern Line). Buses: 43, 134, 263.
DE’s well-dressed club night returns on Thursday June 15th, defiantly not caring three figs about the dreary old World Cup. Time Out magazine featured the last B&D in its Top Ten Nights Out.

The Beautiful And Damned is a timezone-jumping decadent disco curated (as opposed to ‘DJ’d’) by Mr Dickon Edwards and Miss Red. Patrons are encouraged to dress up in their own take on period glamour, though anything more stylish than the ubiquitous Old Street fashions is welcome. Cigarillos, braces, tweeds, beads, silk scarves, unforgiving teddy bears Drink, dance, and ponder the nights tenderness to an eclectic but discerning mix of Sinatra (Frank & Nancy), Strauss waltzes, soundtracks, musicals, El Records, Gilbert & Sullivan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dory Previn, Doris Day, Bugsy Malone, Cabaret, Chicago, deviant disco, shadowy soul, parvenu pop and insouciant indie. Free entry, but please dress up.

My first post written on a lovely new iBook. Outside, small boys are talking about Cybermen.

As preparing for it takes up the rest of my day, I should post a reminder that my club night takes place tonight.

The Beautiful And Damned: A Thoroughly Splendid Club Night.
Your Host: Mr Dickon Edwards
When: 18 May 2006 , 9pm – midnight.

Where:
The Boogaloo,312 Archway Road, Highgate, London, N6 5AT, UK

Tube: Highgate (Northern Line). Buses: 43, 134, 263.

Free entry. But please dress up.

Some pasted blurb:

After a successful try-out in March, Dickon Edwards’s hot new club returns to the Boogaloo on Thursday May 18th. He’s already been interviewed about the night in London magazines such as Time Out and The Penny, and this is only the second outing.

The Beautiful And Damned is a new decadent disco curated by dysfunctional dandy DJ Dickon Edwards, with Miss Red. Patrons are encouraged to dress up in their own take on 1920s and 30s glamour, though anything more stylish than the ubiquitous Old Street fashions is welcome. Cigarillos, braces, tweeds, beads, silk scarves, unforgiving teddy bears Drink, dance, and ponder the nights tenderness to an eclectic but discerning mix of Sinatra (Frank & Nancy), Strauss waltzes, soundtracks, musicals, El Records, Gilbert & Sullivan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dory Previn, Doris Day, Bugsy Malone, Cabaret, Chicago, deviant disco, shadowy soul, parvenu pop and insouciant indie.

Selected music from last time:

Bernice Bobs Her Hair – Divine Comedy
Get Happy – Judy Garland
Youve Either Got Or You Havent Got Style – Frank Sinatra
Nice On The Ice – Vic Godard
Initials BB – Serge Gainsbourg
I Wanna Be Loved By You – Helen Kane (1920s recording)
I Feel The Earth Move – Carole King
Casino Royale – Bacharach (theme from the movie)
Dream A Little Dream Of Me – Mama Cass
Anything Goes – Harpers Bizarre (theme from The Boys In The Band)
The Lady Is A Tramp – The Supremes
I’ll Keep It With Mine – Nico
How Does That Grab You Darlin? – Nancy Sinatra
Move Over Darling – Doris Day
The Number One Song In Heaven – Sparks
Mrs Robinson – James Taylor Quartet
Yada Yada La Scala – Dory Previn
Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place
Finale From The Mikado – Topsy-Turvy cast

I realise there’s a few other things on offer tonight. Not least taping The Sultan’s Elephant on BBC4.

Other activities are available.

But only one of them has me.

I’m preparing for the next Beautiful & Damned night on Thursday 18th. Someone from Time Out is keen to run a feature, so I’ve given them a photo and conducted a short email interview. It’s the third time I’ve been interviewed about the club, and Thurs is only its second outing.

I’m rather concerned about the problem of the CD decks being jolted by enthusiastic dancing on the neighbouring floorboards, particularly by those fond of the Charleston – all that stamping about.

One solution is to forgo CDs altogether, and play mp3 files on a laptop for the whole set, something I’ve seen others do a few times now. I’m told there’s a program called Traktor that’s particularly suitable for the purpose. Thing is, I don’t have a laptop. If any kind London-based soul out there can lend me one for the night, or has alternate helpful advice, please get in touch.

Or perhaps I could try this suggestion from Alex M:

“You could borrow two Sony mobiles and do it off them! My K750 plays mp3s and you can get a standard photo audio lead for it. I don’t actually think it’s been done before and you’d be hailed as the New Streets overnight!”

A reminder. This Easter Monday (April 17th) I’m playing a four-song acoustic set. I’m billed as Dickon Edwards solo, but will be accompanied by Tom Edwards on guitar.

It’s at the Boogaloo, as part of Ms Anna Page’s 4×4 night. Four songwriters each play four songs, and I’m one of them. Not sure what the running order is, but it all starts at 9pm. Free entry.

The Boogaloo, 312 Archway Road, Highgate, London N6 5AT, UK.
Nearest tube: Highgate (Northern line).

Please come.

Just a reminder that Fosca are playing tomorrow night at the Brixton Windmill, supporting Amelia Fletcher and Claudia Gonson in Tender Trap.

Full information on the gig here.

I’m told the gig is close to selling out, so if you’re coming it’s advisable to book tickets online at:

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/9462

You should also be aware that Brixton tube station is closed this week, with bus replacement services running from Stockwell. However, Brixton National Rail station is open as usual, and trains run there from Victoria every 30 mins.

Once in Brixton town centre, you can take a longish walk or get a bus to the venue: 59, 159, 133 or 333.

Alternately, take a tube to Oval then one of the above buses directly to the venue.

The Windmill is three stops up Brixton Hill from Brixton town centre. Get off at the Blenheim Gardens stop, cross the road (Brixton Hill), and walk down the small road opposite (Blenheim Gardens). It looks all residential, but the venue is at the end on the right; just before you get to the actual real windmill.

Fosca are onstage at 9.30pm.

(thanks to Matt Haynes for the travel info)

This only applies to those who use the LiveJournal Friends Page system to keep up with this diary.

I’ve just realised that the syndicated Atom feed includes all the diary entry’s text in one’s LJ Friends page, not just an excerpt and link like its RSS counterpart.

So if you’d like to follow this diary on your LJ Friends page with fuller entries, click here to add “dickon_atom” as a Friend. And make sure you de-Friend “dickon_rss”.

If, however, you’re worried about me posting long entries that rudely dominate your Friends Page (the next entry is full of DVD vidcaps), stick with the RSS feed, which acts as a kind of ‘cut tag’.

To answer a frequently-emailed question, The Beautiful & Damned club will return on Thursday May 18th. So put that in your diaries now, please.

I would be doing an mid-April date, but the only available slot coincided with Fosca’s concert in Brixton.

Some songs played last night, in addition to those mentioned in the earlier entry:

Bernice Bobs Her Hair – Divine Comedy
Get Happy – Judy Garland
You’ve Either Got Or You Haven’t Got Style – Frank Sinatra
Nice On The Ice – Vic Godard
Initials BB – Serge Gainsbourg
I Wanna Be Loved By You – Helen Kane (1920s recording)
I Feel The Earth Move – Carole King
Casino Royale – Bacharach (theme from the movie)
Dream A Little Dream Of Me – Mama Cass
Anything Goes – Harpers Bizarre (theme from ‘The Boys In The Band’)
The Lady Is A Tramp – The Supremes
I’ll Keep It With Mine – Nico
How Does That Grab You Darlin’? – Nancy Sinatra
Move Over Darling – Doris Day
The Number One Song In Heaven – Sparks
Mrs Robinson – James Taylor Quartet
Yada Yada La Scala – Dory Previn (this works fantastically well)

After twelve years of going to other people’s clubs in London, I thought I’d finally give it a go myself. Please come. I may do it again if there’s enough interest.

Time Out have given it a Recommended star, which is very nice of them.

Club title: ‘The Beautiful and Damned’

Date: Thur 16th March.
Times: 9pm to 1am.

Venue: The Boogaloo, 312 Archway Road, London N6 5AT, UK. 020 8340 2928.
Tube: Highgate (Northern Line). Buses: 43, 134, 263.

‘A new decadent disco curated by dysfunctional dandy DJ Dickon Edwards, with Miss Red. Patrons are encouraged to dress up in their own take on 1920s and 30s glamour, though anything more stylish than the ubiquitous Old Street fashions is welcome. Cigarillos, braces, tweeds, beads, silk scarves, unforgiving teddy bears… Drink, dance, and ponder the night’s tenderness to an eclectic but discerning mix of Sinatra, Strauss waltzes, soundtracks, musicals, El Records, deviant disco, shadowy soul, parvenu pop and insouciant indie. Free entry. ‘

In the interests of band visibility, I’ve rather reluctantly set up a Myspace page for Fosca.

http://www.myspace.com/foscatheband

At least people can now listen to a few Fosca songs easily. And maybe it’ll help us find a suitable new label.