[dropcap style=”font-size:100px; color:#992211;”]D[/dropcap]o you sometimes find yourself sometimes gazing nostalgically at the bygone glamour of sequinned flapper dresses, tilted trilbies and whiskey soaked mahogany bars?
Have you ever wondered what would happen if these grainy snapshots were let loose to twirl and tap beneath nightclub strobes and booming synths? Do you dream of streets filled with late night prohibition revelry and circus performers swaying to a fusion of smooth jazz and electro beats?
Swingamajig is the UK’s first one-day urban festival dedicated to the showcasing of Electroswing, Cabaret and Gypsy Mayhem. Curated by the infamous electro swing band ‘Electro Swing Circus’, the festival mixes vintage glamour with the raw urban setting of the Custard Factory complex in Birmingham’s industrial quarter.
Now in its third year, the festival has become not so much an event as a lifestyle, which brings together the most unlikely and captivating mix of people. United by a love of dancing and dressing up, you can expect to see original swing fans swaying alongside the younger generation of students, whose glowing faces illuminate the night time’s carnival atmosphere.
From live bands to DJs, curiosity shops to Burlesque and magic tricks, the event– like its visitors– is utterly unique. This year is no different, with an eclectic line up boasting not only the Electric Swing Circus, but a whole host of seriously crowd rousing beats. Particular highlights include the bass heavy mash-ups of Dutty Moonshine Band and the wonderfully eccentric kings of ‘hip-hop swing’: The Correspondents.
Fasten your fascinators and see in the Summer with style.
Bank Holiday Sunday 3rd May 2pm-6am, The Custard Factory, Digbeth
For more information and tickets – swingamajig.co.uk
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. – Aristotle
