Lorna Irvine has a blast from the time-warped past at the Vintage Festival.
It's refreshing indeed when a pair of jeans in a nightclub marks you out as something of an outsider: outside, it may be July 2013 but here in the Old Fruitmarket people are partying like it's 1943.
Classy dames, mobsters, spivs, GI Joes, munitions girls—everyone has been transported in the Old Fruitmarket to a more glamorous time, of 'make do and mend', 'keep calm and carry on' and 'why, I oughtta!'
The reason for this time warp? Glasgow is experiencing The Vintage Festival, curated by husband and wife design team Wayne and Geraldine Hemingway, the couple behind the famous Red or Dead fashion label. In more recent times, Wayne Hemingway, who is involved with interior design, has branched out into hosting club nights spanning different decades, which he took to various other cities in the UK a few years back. You simply pick a favourite and step into a room in which your era of choice is recreated- be it Northern Soul, Charleston or this: the Swing night, aka The Torch Club.
With delicious nibbles and cocktails in the offing, it's not just about the music, although the vibrant eighteen-piece orchestra, The New Squadronaires, take centre stage, playing everything from Glenn Miller to Duke Ellington and are clearly having a ball. The roar that goes up for a brief Rhapsody In Blue and encore In the Mood is deafening.
Dance tutor Ian 'GI Jive' Hartley is also on hand to teach the younger ones a thing or two. With his wife fox-trotting beside him, it is clear the veteran dancer is still light on his feet, and in his fez and white tux jacket he is an endlessly charismatic and charming figure. Can we have him presenting Strictly instead of Brucie, please?
What really impresses is just how much the crowd are up for it... although the drinks may contribute to that! The dance floor is never empty. Everyone is dressed to the nines and having a go—no matter what age group and of varying dance ability. The Hemingways themselves are here, milling around and chatting to people, proving they really care about what they do.
Swell, swingin' and totally immersive, this is one experience that won't be forgotten in a hurry—and for many, the aching legs and sore heads will have been well worth it.
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