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James Bond night at Alea Casino Glasgow

November 7, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

James Bond fever has well and truly hit Glasgow these past few weeks! With the release of the new Bond movie Spectre, fans have been flocking to the cinema to see Daniel Craig in action.

The Alea Casino at Springfield Quay Glasgow ran a special Bond theme night in conjunction with the Odeon Cinema to coincide with the film’s release.

The Long Bar was the setting for a Vegas-style welcome for the lucky Bond fans who bagged themselves VIP tickets to this event. Cocktails and canapés were the order of the evening, with the bartenders whipping up ‘Pussy Galores’ for the ladies and ‘Bour-Bonds’ for the gents.

I was on hand to provide the entertainment, performing my James Bond show, including all the popular Bond theme tunes. I must say I was impressed by the audience’s trivia knowledge – they were experts in all things Bond – obviously die-hard fans!

We had a lot of fun, I really enjoy those kind of informal nights where I can get to know the audience and have a bit of banter. When it comes to Bond, there are plenty of great songs to choose from. I included a mixture of old and new Bond themes, such as the recent Skyfall by Adele, and of course the ever popular Shirley Bassey numbers such as Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever.

Afternoon tea party at the Marriott Hotel Glasgow

October 21, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

The Marriott Hotel in Glasgow was the venue for a vintage-style afternoon tea party I performed at recently. Based in Argyle Street in the centre of Glasgow Scotland, the Marriott is a very popular choice for corporate functions and parties.

The event was hosted by a pharmaceutical company, who had invited patients to an open day and wanted to finish off with afternoon tea and entertainment. I came along with a mixture of golden-oldies to cheer up the visitors who had had a long morning taking in information, so they were glad of a little light entertainment with some tea and cake to refresh themselves!

Many thanks to Catherine Price from MPI for ensuring everything ran smoothly.

Vintage tea party at Pollokshields, Glasgow

October 13, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

I recently sang at a lovely vintage tea party at Pollokshields Burgh Hall in Glasgow. The special occasion was the 40th birthday party of Jo Pirie, an award winning film-maker who runs Bowery Productions, an independent film and production company that makes promotional films, wedding videos, and various films for other events.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the gardens in Maxwell Park were all in bloom. Jo had opted for an afternoon tea party to celebrate her birthday, as she was pregnant with her 2nd child so it seemed like a refreshing non-alcoholic alternative to a late-night party!

Vintage music lends itself perfectly to this kind of thing, so she booked me to sing some 1940s and 1950s songs while everyone relaxed and tucked into some delicious looking cakes and sandwiches. It was a lovely informal family affair, with lots of children running about and enjoying the retro-style candy on offer, while people meandered in and around the hall and gardens, making the most of the sunshine.

I included plenty of great old unforgettable classics in my set, such as ‘Fly me to the moon’and ‘My baby just cares for me‘, plus some modern songs with a vintage twist, like this version of Meghan Trainor’s ‘All about that bass‘

A vintage tea party is a unique family-friendly way to celebrate a special occasion in style – and Glasgow has plenty of classy venues that lend themselves perfectly to these occasions. Pollokshields Burgh Hall certainly added a special something to a perfect day.

Wedding at Orocco Pier Hotel South Queensferry

September 4, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

I recently paid a visit to South Queensferry to sing for a wedding at the gorgeous boutique hotel Orocco Pier. What a charming place it was, set on a quaint little cobbled street in a seaside town near Edinburgh. The bunting that had been arranged all the way down the street gave it a real vintage feel.

Once I got to my room I was very pleasantly surprised by beautiful views right out over the Firth of Forth.

The function room for the wedding also shared these same views, making the balcony a very popular place as it was a lovely warm summer evening.

I was very impressed by the bride and groom’s first dance selection – they had put together a cool mash-up which started off with a romantic love song then blasted into 80s classic ‘The Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis and the News, as they invited all their friends up to join them on the dancefloor. Great choice – that’s got to be one of my favourite 80s numbers!

As for my part of the proceedings, the bride had asked for a mixture of music from a variety of eras and genres, and specifically requested some theme songs from my James Bond/Casino show – including the famous Shirley Bassey classics ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Diamonds are forever’ to add a touch of diva-type sophistication to the evening! I was happy to oblige, and as the evening went on I added in some more upbeat numbers to keep everybody moving.

Julie, the bride, very kindly sent me some excellent feedback, which you can read on my testimonials page.

Wishing Mr and Mrs Ryan all the very best for the future!

1940s show in Edinburgh

August 7, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

I’m very glad to let you know that I’ll be performing my 1940s show in Edinburgh next month on Wednesday 30th September. It’s been arranged by the Gorgie Dalry Community Association to provide some entertainment for their community members.

The Gorgie Dalry Community Association are a fantastic organisation who provide a wide range of activities, programmes, and social events for their community, so I’m really glad to be collaborating with them. The show is in the afternoon starting at 1pm, at The Edinburgh Prison Officers Club, 22b McLeod Street, Gorgie, Edinburgh. All are welcome, so if you’re in the neighbourhood come on down!

I’ll be singing all the old favourites from the 1940s such as ‘Don’t sit under the apple tree’, ‘The white cliffs of Dover’, and of course ‘We’ll meet again’. I’ll also be performing my 1950s show, so if you’re in the mood for rockin’ and rollin’ you won’t be disappointed!

So come along and join us on the 30th September for a good old fashioned singalong and a bit of a dance too 😉

To reserve your seat, just get in touch with Catriona Windle from Health All Round. Email: catriona@healthallround.org.uk or telephone 0131 337 1376. See you there!

Many thanks to Atticus Oldman of Steampunk Almanac for designing this cool retro-style poster 🙂

Vintage wedding at Lanark Memorial Hall

July 25, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

I recently sang at a lovely Vintage style wedding at Lanark Memorial Hall. Vintage weddings seem to be increasingly popular these days, and no wonder, as the fashions and music of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s lend themselves perfectly to an elegant and stylish wedding day. Bride, Groom, and guests all have plenty of inspiration for their outfits, whether it be from Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly or Frank Sinatra.

I was really impressed by Lanark Memorial Hall, not only by the fantastic newly reburbished building, but by the friendly and professional staff who were really helpful from the word go. I was able to park at the back of the hall and load my equipment straight in to the back of the stage area, which made my job SO much easier. The dressing room was perfect as well – clean, tidy, and with everything I needed. Oh, if only every venue was the same!

The beautiful bride Rebecca looked gorgeous in a stunning dress her mother had made. She gave some wonderful touches to the room, making many of the decorations herself, and also had some great unique vintage-inspired ideas such as a cool retro 1950s-style popcorn machine.

I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a bride who was so lovely and laid-back! She just floated through the day looking completely relaxed and enjoying every minute, and her little son was equally happy, dancing enthusiastically all night!

I performed songs both old and new for a mixture of guests, some of whom had travelled up from Birmingham – but that didn’t stop them from hitting the dance floor 😉

It was a real pleasure to perform at this wedding amongst such truly lovely people. I wish the happy couple best of luck and all the happiness in the world.

Wedding at Discovery Point Dundee

July 9, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

I made a trip to Dundee last week to sing for a wedding reception at Discovery Point. This was my first time at this venue and I was very pleasantly surprised as it was a lovely place in a unique setting. Right on the waterfront, it was a beautiful sunny evening as I arrived to set up.

The staff were all very pleasant and helpful and everything was very well-organised. The reception was on the 1st floor in the conference room, with fantastic views out over the River Tay.

The bride had given me a great choice of requests, with lots of great 60s, 70s, and 80s classics – her song choice had me dancing away while I was preparing the set! She also was a bit of a James Bond fan so I added a few Bond theme songs in to the mix. It was a lovely night with friendly fun guests and lots of dancing. The bride and groom were truly gracious hosts and everything went very smoothly.

I never knew about RSS Discovery before, so it was very interesting learning about her rich history exploring the Antartic – and even more interesting to find out about all the ghosts that now inhabit her – Ed the security man regaled me with stories that gave me chills! I hope I get a chance to visit Discovery Point again soon and explore the ship.

VE Day Show in Altrincham

May 12, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

I spent a lovely afternoon in the beautiful village of Hale Barns near Altrincham last week, commemorating VE Day at Sunrise Senior Living retirement home. What a gorgeous place – it was more like a luxury hotel than a retirement home! I asked if I could move in but unfortunately I’m not eligible yet! 😉

I performed my 1940s VE day show to the residents and staff there, with plenty of great wartime classics from Vera Lynn, plus some other popular songs from the 1950s and 1960s. We had a good old singalong and really enjoyed ourselves. Even the resident Sunrise dog, Alfie, got into the spirit of things as he wandered about checking it all out (thankfully he didn’t ‘mark his territory’ on my mic stand, ha!).

It was great to see the staff had really made an effort to get in the mood, decorating the lounge with bunting and dressing in 1940s style. A big thank you to Ashleigh and her team for making me feel so welcome, and to Terry of Steppin’ Out Entertainments, hopefully I’ll be back again soon.

Vintage 1940s & 1950s Show Newtonmore

April 29, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

This Saturday (2nd May) I will be heading up north to Newtonmore to perform my 1940s / 1950s show at the Village Hall for Friends of the Main House. We’ll be commemorating the 70th anniversary of VE Day by singing all the great songs from that fabulous era.

There are still some tickets left for this event, so if you fancy spending your May Day weekend celebrating vintage-style up in the beautiful village of Newtonmore, call 01540 662294. Tickets are £12.50 and include a light supper. The show starts at 7.30pm. Hope to see you there!

1920s themed party Glasgow

January 23, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

Last weekend I was singing at a wonderful 1920s themed party at the Anchor Line bar & restaurant in Glasgow city centre.

I was asked to provide a musical backdrop which would be reminiscent of a New York speakeasy from that glamorous and exciting era of jazz and prohibition.

1920s parties are currently enjoying something of a comeback, no doubt due to popular TV programmes like Downton Abbey and movies such as The Great Gatsby, and people need little excuse for dressing up as a glamorous flapper girl or a Chicago gangster.

The Anchor Line is a beautiful place which has been converted from the original offices of the old shipping company. Memorabilia such as old menus, photos and news articles are scattered around the walls and give an authentic nautical feel of times gone by.

With the vintage art-deco surroundings it feels like you’re in an elegant ocean liner heading from Glasgow to New York – so it was truly the perfect venue for a 1920s themed party.

The 1920s is one of my favourite eras for music, with its catchy tunes and witty lyrics, and there are a surprising amount of 1920s songs that are still well-known today – in fact most people probably don’t realise they were written so long ago.

Songs like Sweet Georgia Brown, Bye Bye Blackbird, Someone to watch over me, Blue Skies, S’Wonderful, Mack the Knife, Ain’t Misbehavin, I wanna be loved by you, and Side by side have been covered throughout the years by many popular artists, so it is easy to forget that they were written so early in the 20th Century.

The evening was expertly organised by Chloe, who gave me this lovely feedback:

“Just a quick email to say THANK YOU so much for everything on Thursday evening at The Anchor Line, Glasgow – you were absolutely fantastic & fitted into our ‘Gatsby’ theme perfectly! I have had lots of complimentary emails from Brodies hosts & external clients since the event, all echoing that they thought you were superb! I have no doubt we will be in touch again re. future events.”

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