Retro Singer

Professional vocalist, vintage wedding entertainment, music, functions, events

Remembrance Day Singer

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I had a busy weekend for last week’s Remembrance Day, performing my 1940s wartime show in Glasgow and Fife, Scotland.  It was a lovely sunny but briskly cold November weekend, and it was great to see such a large turnout for both events.

Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day, is a memorial day held every year on 11th November to commemorate the end of the First World War, when hostilities finally ended in 1918 at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  It gives people the opportunity to honour the memory of the members of the Armed Forces who gave their lives in the line of duty.

My venue in Glasgow was the Kirkintilloch Rangers Supporters Club, a lovely friendly club with a really strong community spirit about it.  Everybody had turned out in force wearing their poppies with pride, and the band played a rousing selection of hymns and marches.

I sang my selection of old-time classics by Vera Lynn, Gracie Fields and many other wartime favourites, and it was great to hear everyone singing along.

At the end of the day a beautiful memorial bench was presented in honour of a local member of the community who had fought in the First World War.  What a beautiful gesture on a lovely occasion, and a privilege for me to be a part of.

On Remembrance Sunday I travelled across to Glenrothes in Fife to perform at the CISWO club.  Another fab club, CISWO host a broad selection of events for the local community to enjoy.  I was made very welcome by staff and customers alike, and enjoyed performing a wide range of music for the afternoon, beginning with my wartime show and ending with modern songs for dancing.

This will be my last opportunity to perform at this venue as they are moving next week to new premises across the road.  I wish them the best of luck, and look forward to returning to see the new club.

1940s Tea Party Waldorf Astoria Hotel Edinburgh

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Last weekend I performed my 1940s show at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (the Caledonian) in Edinburgh.  A very special event was taking place as it was a tea party for Contact the Elderly, a wonderful charity organisation who organise get-togethers for elderly people who live alone.  This is such important work as there are so many older people who are alone and lonely, with no real way to get out and about.

Contact the Elderly brings together volunteers and older community members so that they can enjoy tea, cake and a chat.  This year is a special year for the charity as it is their Golden Jubilee year, so Bailley Gifford (an investment management firm who has chosen Contact the Elderly as its Charity of the year) very kindly organised a fabulous 1940s style tea party at the luxury hotel right across from the Edinburgh Castle in the heart of the city.

Also performing were the fabulous trio ‘Le Swing’ headed by excellent guitarist Marcus Ford.  I was booked to perform my show during the band’s break, and afterwards we did a couple of impromptu numbers together.  It was lots of fun, and it’s always a treat for me to work with such great musicians.

Here’s a video snippet we caught on the day:

The audience had a fantastic time dancing and singing along, and there was lots of lovely feedback from people who were so pleased to hear all those beautiful songs again.

Big thanks to Sam from Ballie Gifford and Kirsty the events coordinator for all their help on the day, and also to Doug and Fiona at the Entertainers Agency.

1940s show in Edinburgh

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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!

1940s-show-edinburgh

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