At Tulse Vegas – one of Diamond Jive’s awesome Friday night bashes in the Railway – half the girls there were dressed from Retro Village (me included, sporting a breezy summer frock from Emblaze London). Diamond Jive are the local rock n rollers who have made the 1st and 2nd Retro Villages come alive by demonstrating their strolls and turns and spins and furls. They also inspired their audience to peruse the vintage stalls in the Village for 50s chic so that they can look as cool as the Diamond Jivers.
1950s dance and 1950s fashion is what Retro Village is all about. So what other entertainment and interactive retro shenanigans can we get going? A hairdresser would be cool. More than cool. Much as I love retro clothes I’ve never got the hang of vintageising my hair and make-up and there must be similarly inept women (and men) out there who could do with a helping hand. How about tattoos? Nothing more retro than a sailor tattoo (though perhaps getting inked in a burst of retro fervour is going a little too far).
Furniture restoration would also be brilliant. I’m forever finding battered but lovely furniture that’s been left out for the waste truck, like the green velvet wing-backed armchair I spotted on Norwood Road and reluctantly left, knowing I didn’t have the skills to patch up its moth eared bits. So maybe we could get some furniture repair workshops going. We have the brilliant Emmaus right across the road and furniture repair is right up their street. Interested?
We’ve also had brilliant retro music courtesy of Michael who’s been selling his records at the Retro Village, but live music would be awesome as well. It doesn’t have to be jive – doo wop, rockabilly, swing, rhythm n blues, retro reggae, jazz or old fashioned folk – we are open to all as long as it’s cool old stuff.
If you know of any suitable retro entertainment, or workshop type stuff, get in touch with retro@westnorwoodfeast.comwestnorwoodfeast.com