Gig preview: Black Lace at the Brudenell Social Club

Picture the scene: a chilly November evening in Leeds, a gig at the Brudenell Social Club completely sold out four weeks in advance, desperate folks clamouring for spare tickets posting pleas online and offering vast riches/body parts for a chance to get in, overheard conversations in local shops and university libraries anticipating ‘the best night ever’.

Now imagine this: 400 happy punters in a conga line snaking slowly from the stage to the bar with barely an inch to squeeze past each other, inflatable palm trees and Hawaiian shirts as far as the drunken eye can see, joyful voices harmonising to the strains of ‘push pineapple, shake the tree’, seething bodies merging into one sweaty mass at the culmination of the night – a ‘Rita, Sue and Bob Too’ inspired gang-bang.

Sounds like an amazing night doesn’t it?! If you don’t have a ticket to the BLACK LACE gig this Friday I can only suggest that you retire to your bedroom and sulk soundly until you can no longer feel the dull ache of jealousy that reaches to your very core. Yes it will be that good! I should know – I was at the gig last year (aka ‘Nathan’s birthday’) which signified the band’s happy return to mainstream consciousness and the platform which catapulted them towards renewed commercial success  in the form of the trainline.com advertisements which aired earlier this year. To be perfectly honest my recollections of that evening in August 2010 are somewhat murky; subsequent viewings of footage unearthed on YouTube have reassured me that indeed a good time was had by all…oh look, there I am dancing on stage in a not entirely sober manner.

In preparation for their highly anticipated comeback on the 25^th November, I caught up with Jonny Strangeways (@jstrangeways) – established gig promoter and self-styled local celebrity – to get the low down on the latest Black Lace news and to find out a bit more about the supplementary entertainment planned for the evening:

So Jonny, 2010’s event was in celebration of Nathan (@nath_brudenell) turning thirty, why the repeat performance this year?

Basically we had so much fun last year and it surpassed all expectations, check out the videos on YouTube! Everyone was dressed in Hawaiian shirts waving inflatable palm trees and monkeys, and Black Lace said it was the best gig they’d done in 25 years! They played all the hits and everyone had an amazing time – it was such a success. Nathan made me promise to get them back again this year; he said they were one of his top five bands ever to appear at the Brudenell…

It sold out well in advance of the night; there must be demand for this kind of event in Leeds?

Last year it was free because Pat (Nathan’s mum) paid for the band to appear. This year we’ve charged a token £3 per ticket but that is a good price for a whole evening’s entertainment. The night starts off with a quiz and the top three teams get to select two members each to take part in the Bullseye competition. Me and my friends have put a lot of effort into making sure that everything is right, such as making a Bully’s special prize video, preparing the dart board and finding old adverts to show in the break. And then we have the Stars in their Eyes section, including local talent from bands such as Shark Teeth and Cowtown. Finally of course we have Black Lace!

How does putting on a gig of this type compare to your usual fare of Jeffrey Lewis, Herman Dune et al? Is it more rewarding?

Well over the years I have done a number of events like this such as Family Fuckwits – a variation of Family Fortunes – and had a psychic at a Blind Drunk/Date night for Valentine’s, along with many bingo and pie-eating contests. People really do enjoy fun, light hearted events like this; it gets them involved and socializing, and makes gigs more than about listening to music. It’s fun, it’s silly and captures the imagination.

Can I ask you about your outfit, I hear you are playing Jim Bowen for the occasion?

I’ve actually spent all my money on prizes for Bullseye so can’t really afford an outfit. I do have a double breasted suit to wear, and I may trim off my beard and get some large rimmed 1980s glasses if I have time.

So why Black Lace then?!

Well I remember having a Christmas party when we were dancing on the stairs to ‘Agadoo’ and ‘Gang-Bang’ etc and there was some drunken talk of getting them to play. Then I found out that Trev (sound guy at the Brudenell) actually knows Black Lace so I got Dene’s number and excitedly phoned him and booked a gig! I didn’t know what to expect but about 300 people turned up, and the band were so excited about the last time that I asked them to play again this year. They really enjoyed playing live, plus Dave Simpson from the Guardian was there and wrote a bit about it in his piece on one hit wonders.

Do you think you’ve introduced the band to a new audience then?

Well people are now talking about ‘Generation Black Lace’ – it’s a culture, it’s a movement, it’s a mindset. It’s a fashion saying I’m not afraid to wear a Hawaiian shirt during the winter and I don’t mind having fun. We all know the true meaning of the song ‘Gang-Bang’, and that is having fun with your mates… just don’t go too far.

So this is not being done in a studenty ironic fashion then? You do genuinely love Black Lace?

I’ve always seen myself as moronic (and iconic) rather than ironic…. I just like hanging around with people who like having fun and don’t take themselves too seriously. Black Lace actually played at the Brudenell in the nineties on what has become known as Agadoo Day when they played twenty concerts in one day. Pat said they were the best band she’d ever seen at the venue!

Jonny, you don’t have any other gigs lined up at the moment – do you see this as your future?

No not really.

~ Interview Ends ~