03/02/2025
What a night! 🥳
Thank you so so much for all of the positive feedback regarding Saturday’s Speakeasy. But this post is our opportunity to say our own thanks.
A massive thank you so everyone who attended. You looked absolutely fantastic, giving the illusion that we really had stepped back in time. Thanks for embracing the evening and giving it your all – it was a real pleasure having you along for the ride!
A huge thank you to our talented musicians and acts. With the vocals of an angel, Hot Ginger kicked the evening off in elegance and style – the perfect Speakeasy introduction. Downstairs, shrouded within the plush depths of her very own Jazz Suite cavorted the illustrious Mama Tokus Trio (MT will be back playing for us in May – bring it on!) Also stationed in the Suite was the rather naughty (and aptly named) Fantastic Ms F***y – what a performance! The Marvin Muoneké Quintet fuelled the Main Ballroom with their swinging awesomeness – each set was absolutely flawless. Sadly, Swingology had to pull out due to an illness but a huge thankyou to our bespoke Gypsy Jazz trio for filling in last minute - you were brilliant!
The Gambling Snug was in good hands with Nicola and Jenna who were our gorgeous and gracious croupiers whilst in the Bootlegger Bar, Ben and his team kept you well hydrated and in good spirits (quite literally) – those colourful cocktails looked delicious. The cloakroom worked really efficiently this year – a shout out to Rosie for keeping all of your stuff safe and sound. Similarly, Mike did a grand job in the Photography Studio capturing you all in your finery as well as the various ents – photo gallery coming soon!
Our highest gratitude goes out to the set up and set down crew (AKA The Speakeasy Avengers) who worked exceptionally hard for several hours turning a downtrodden church hall into a veritable Speakeasy paradise (and then stripping it all back again after everyone had gone home) – you would not believe the lengths that the team went to in order to deliver such an exceptional evening. A special mention to Tim and Charlotte who, in addition to a host of other tasks, created the stunning props that graced MT’s Jazz Suite and the beautiful Speakeasy mirror beside the entranceway. Without the Avengers, the Speakeasy would not be feasible. Thank you so so much!
Some of you will be aware that one of our attendees became unwell mid-evening. We just wanted to let you know that fortunately he made a full recovery and, come the morning, he was fit and well again. Phew!
A Speakeasy in 2026? Possibly? If you have any constructive feedback that could help inform the creation of an even better Speakeasy style event, we’d love to hear from you.
Our next social, entitled “Swing It” will take place on Saturday 1st March. Tickets are already on sale and the early bird rate expires this Tuesday. https://www.madaboutswing.co.uk/socials.php
Our Lindy Love and Bal Hugs,
Duncan and Lou ###x
Speakeasy Fun Facts:
1. We hosted our first Speakeasy in 2010 in a friends’ farmhouse near Ermington and, like this year’s shindig, also featured the incredible Mama Tokus. Our second one, also staged at the farmhouse, featured Rich (who this year performed as part of Hot Ginger but, back then as part of Hamer & Isaacs)
2. In the ladies’ Powder Room, we placed a range of sweets in jars which jokingly promised a range of life-benefitting properties. Of these, the purple sweets were the most popular. The purple sweets, entitled UPLIFT pledged “perkier b***s guaranteed”. Ladies, we’re not making any promises!
3. This Speakeasy took a team of 12 people, 6hrs to set up and 2.5hrs to set down. One of the most time-consuming tasks is removing and hiding all of the clutter from the various rooms (and then putting it all back again!)
4. We placed full soap dispensers in both the ladies’ and gents’ toilets. At the end of the evening, the ladies’ dispenser was half full whereas the gents hadn’t noticeably been touched (eek!)
5. For the second year running, one of our bands has pulled out at the last minute on the morning of the Speakeasy. On both occasions, after a series of phone calls, we’ve fortunately managed to find a replacement (phew!) This year Swingology was replaced by a band cobbled together for the first time.
6. This year’s cloakroom was an upgraded iteration on previous years. It was a bespoke construction specifically for the event and having it costs us nearly as much to as one of the bands!
