/ Tough Cookies. Gotta light? Wonderful pic courtesy of the red hot A Queens' queen blog /
Because this Dr Sketchy fell on a Bank Holiday Monday, it was scheduled as an afternoon one from 4 pm until 7 pm. But apparently there was a misunderstanding with the management at The Paradise in Kensal Green, who assumed we wanted the venue from 7 pm till 10 pm like normal. For one thing, that meant there wasn’t enough staff to work behind the bar upstairs: Dr Sketchy customers would have to go to the downstairs bar for their drinks and to order food – not the end of the world. More worryingly, apparently a few people had called The Paradise enquiring about Dr Sketchy and been told to come at 7 pm like normal! Dr Sketchy promoter Clare and I felt a sense of mounting panic: the tickets hadn’t sold out in advance and people had been told to come at the wrong time -- was anyone even going to come? So it was a massive relief when people started filing in by 4 pm and in fact everything went off fine. The info was correct on Twitter, Facebook and the Dr Sketchy website and obviously that was what most people referred to. Phew!
Clare herself was the emcee this time, and she's getting more assured onstage all the time. The model and performer was the reliably excellent Sophia St Villier, a Dr Sketchy veteran. The ethereal Sophia looks like a pale-skinned redheaded English rose (although she’s actually from New Zealand!): think of the beautiful red-haired English actress Moira Shearer in the film The Red Shoes. During one of Sophia’s poses, it felt compulsory to play a slinky sex kitten track by that other red-haired vixen – Ann-Margret. It may have been the pose while Sophia was wearing a glistening emerald green latex dress. (Yes, Sophia St Villier even looks ethereal while wearing rubber).
/ Sophia St Villier /
/ Moira Shearer /
I’d been to a boozy dinner party the night before – the hint of a hangover combined with it being a Bank Holiday Monday afternoon made this Dr Sketchy feel nicely mellow and low-key. (I also drank a few Bloody Marys). I eased into things with some 1950s Cool Jazz and Latin exotica before building into more raucous titty-shaking mode.
I Remember You - Chet Baker
Falling in Love Again - Billie Holiday
Dansero - The Don Baker Trio
Chihuahua - Mina
Besame Mucho - Betty Reilly
Babydoll Mambo - Belmonte and His Afro-American Music
Mambo Baby - Ruth Brown
Oink Oink Mambo - Chuy Reyes & His Orchestra
Fredy - Eartha Kitt and Perez Prado
Ou es-tu ma joie? Caterina Valente
Witchcraft - Joe Graves & The Diggers
Les Cigarillos - Serge Gainsbourg
Rum & Coca Cola - Wanda Jackson
Eso - Conjunto TNT
Misirlou - Laurindo Almeida
Maria Ninguen - Brigitte Bardot
Peter Gunn Mambo - Jack Costanzo
Night Walk - The Swingers
Imagination - Diana Dors
Anasthasia - Bill Smith Combo
Romance in the Dark - Ann-Margret
Drive In - The Jaguars
Fever - Nancy Sit
The Stripper - John Barry (Beat Girl soundtrack)
Rigor Mortis - The Gravestone Four
Mondo Moodo - The Earls of Suave
You're My Thrill - Dolores Gray
Beat Party - Ritchie & The Squires
Chattanooga Choo Choo - Denise Darcel
Jungle Drums - Earl Bostick
Sick and Tired - Lula Reed
De Castrow - Jaybee Wasden
Vesuvius - The Revels
The Coo - Wayne Cochran
Harlem Nocturne - The Viscounts
The Fire of Love - Jody Reynolds
I Only Have Eyes for You - The Flamingos
The Stalk - The Giants
Little Things Mean a Lot - Jayne Mansfield
Honey Rock - Barney Kessel
Wondrous Place - Billy Fury
Cheesecake - The Nite Sounds
You're Crying - Dinah Washington
My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
I'm Through with Love - Marilyn Monroe
Boss - The Rumblers
No Good Lover - Mickey and Sylvia
Witchcraft - Elvis Presley
Bacon Fat - Andre Williams
Your Love is Mine - Ike and Tina Turner
Whatever Lola Wants - Eartha Kitt
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend - Julie London
Give Me Love - Lena Horne
Baubles, Bangles and Beads - Marlene Dietrich
Sometimes I Wish I Had a Gun - Mink Stole
Mack the Knife - Hildegard Knef
Begin the Beguine - Billy Fury
Petit Fleur - Chet Baker
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Gene Vincent
So Long - Ruth Brown
That is a phenomenal set list.
ReplyDeleteYou are taking cool to a new realm.
What a kind thing for you to say! I try my damnedest! DJ'ing at Dr Sketchy sadly came to an end a few years ago, but I do my own monthly club night called Lobotomy Room. Thanks for stopping by!
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