Right On! weekend - 14-15 November - Vibe Bar & Ronnie Scott's

A whole weekend of quality vintage black music coming up next month courtesy of Right On!

We're talking SOUL, R&B, DOO WOP, JUMP BLUES, JAZZ, FUNK, SKA, REGGAE, BOOGALOO, SAMBA, MAMBO, CUMBIA, CALYPSO, MENTO and other exciting sounds from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

On Friday the 14th November I will be hosting Chick-A-Boom at The Vibe Bar alongside Mistah Brown. Our special guest is none other than Andy Smith (Portishead, Jazz Cafe, Lost & Found, Document, etc.) so expect plenty of ska, reggae, Northern soul and rockin' rhythm & blues.

Then on Saturday 15th November, I will be returning to the legendary Ronnie Scott's Club for another three hour Right On! style set at Walking In Rhythm. The relaunch party went so well that I've been asked back to do it again. The last one was a roadblock with a one-in one-out queue by 11pm. This is an intimate venue so anyone thinking of coming this time is highly advised to reach early (I'd suggest 10pm) to guarantee admission.

Ronnie Scott's upstairs bar is one of the coolest venues in town (see photos below) so don't miss out. I'll be playing a full spectrum of sounds - the likes of which you'll not hear elsewhere.

I have a FREE guestlist for both events, so just email me with your names if you would like to come along to one or both nights: paul@right-on.org

Chick-A-Boom @ The Vibe Bar
Friday 14th November
The Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL
8pm - 1am. £5 (NB. over 21s only)

Walking In Rhythm @ Ronnie Scott's (upstairs)
Saturday 15th November
47 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 4HT
9pm - 3am. £5 before 11pm then £8

Festival New Orleans @ The O2 - 24-25 Oct

New Orleans r&b and funk legends Allen Toussaint and Dr. John are to headline a free festival at The O2 this weekend along with a large line-up that covers blues, r&b, gospel, jazz and other old-school musical genres associated with the Crescent City.

The festival is possibly the largest ever celebration of New Orleans music and culture outside of the USA and runs from 4pm til 11pm on Friday and 3pm til 11pm on Saturday. Admission is absolutely free and there is no need to book - just turn up. As well as all the live music across 3 stages, there will also be traditional cuisine on sale and even a recreation of the legendary Bourbon Street.

Festival New Orleans @ The O2
Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0DX
Nearest tube: North Greenwich (Jubilee line)
(but be warned there are closures on the Jubilee line on Saturday)

For full details visit www.theo2.co.uk/inside/festival-new-orleans.html

To read more about Allen Toussaint check out: www.nynorecords.com/allen.shtml

Dr. Sketchy's relaunch @ Proud - Mon 27 Oct

London's only burlesque drawing event, Dr. Sketchy's, relaunches this month at Camden's famous photographic gallery and bar, Proud Galleries.

A unique take on the idea of live drawing, the principle of Dr. Sketchy's is to: "comb London to find the most beautiful burlesque dancers, the most bizarre circus freaks, and the most rippling hunks of man". You then get to draw them for three hours. Interspersed with this are crazy contests to win art supplies and other prizes.

Dr.Sketchy's was started in New York in 2005 by illustrator and performer Molly Crabapple, and has since spread to 57 cities around the world, including London, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, and Melbourne. There are UK branches in Brighton, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dr. Sketchy's London was started in December 2006 by lingerie designer Ruka Johnson and has been running in various London venues ever since.

Hosted by cabaret performer Dusty Limits, the relaunch night features a Halloween themed burlesque performance from UK Burlesque artiste, Leyla Rose.

Dr. Sketchy's @ Proud, Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH
Monday 27th October. 8pm - 11pm
Advance tickets: £8.50
On the door: £10 / £8.50 (with student ID)
Suggested dress code: All Hallow's Eve

For more information visit: www.drsketchylondon.co.uk

New club night from Natty Bo - Sat 25 Oct

Natty Bo - resident at Gaz's Rockin' Blues club and one of my favourite DJs - is hosting a new night called Killer Dillers this coming Saturday 25th October.

Along with DJ Count Sizzle and guests, this is to be a night of "hot music from the 1920s-1950s" all played on 78rpm records. Think jump blues, calypso, mento, hot jazz, swing, cumbia, etc.

The action takes place at KCLSU (King's College London Student Union) and, being a student venue, drinks are super cheap (beer from £1.50, £2 for a vodka). Even better is the fact the night runs til 4am.

Details as follows:

Killer Dillers @ KCLSU (Macadam Building)
Saturday 25 October
10.30pm - 4am. £5 on the door
Surrey Street, London, WC2R 2NS (nearest tube: Temple)

New exhibition from Twinkle Troughton - 7-19 Nov

Running from 7th-19th November at the Evil Gallery in Shoreditch, "Never Shall Be Slaves?" is a solo show of new paintings by cult artist Twinkle Troughton.

Following on from her last solo show - "Cor Blighty" - in late 2007, Troughton has continued with the theme of Britishness, but her work now shows a darker direction. The paintings in this new collection contain elements that in a way we are all slaves to, such as the media, fast living, drugs and material goods. Troughton wishes to make us think about our fixations with accumulation and consumption as well as the way we treat each other.

Born in Coventry and raised in Leamington Spa, Twinkle Troughton moved to London to study fine art and received her BA in 2001. Over the last few years she has developed both her technique and her trademark of bold and bright, slightly surreal paintings which, whilst paying homage to the pop artists of yesteryear, also conjure up nostalgia for a Britain which has seen change at an ever-increasing rate over the last decade.

With commissions from the likes of Damon Dash and Howard Marks under her belt, as well as being shortlisted for the Celeste Art prize in 2006, Twinkle Troughton is a name to watch out for. She is currently represented by the Stella Dore Gallery on Brick Lane and exhibits frequently in London as well as throughout the UK and Europe.

Never Shall Be Slaves? @ Pure Evil Gallery
7th November - 19th November 2008
Private View: 6th November
108 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4RH
Opening hours: 10am-6pm or by appointment

For more information visit www.stelladore.com
or email twinkle@twinkletroughton.co.uk

R&B allnighter with Big Joe Louis live - Sat 18 Oct

Blues and r&b fans, don't miss this! On Saturday 18th October I will be DJing at a Rhythm & Blues allnighter at The Hootananny in Brixton alongside a live set from the fantastic Big Joe Louis - one of Britain's greatest blues voices.

Born and raised in Jamaica, Big Joe Louis has lived in Britain since the 1980s and has been twice voted "Best UK Male Blues Vocalist". His band The Blues Kings are widely considered one of the best in the UK.

As well as recording with David "Honeyboy" Edwards and Van Morrison, Big Joe Louis has played with artists such as: Lazy Lester, R L Burnside, Big Jack Johnson, Homesick James, Louisiana Red, Big Bad Smitty and Big Lucky Carter to name but a few.

His albums for Blue Horizon and Ace Records are highly acclaimed and his latest dancefloor 45 "Go Go Train" has won him popularity on the mod scene.

You can expect a rockin' dancefloor set from Big Joe Louis to get you on your dancing feet and I'll be keeping the vibe going before and after with some killer diller 50s and 60s r&b and soul platters as well as some ska thrown in for good measure.

To top it all off, admission to this night is absolutely free. But arrive early to guarantee admission!

Full details as follows:

Right On! Rhythm & Blues Allnighter @ Hootananny Brixton
Saturday 18th October. 10pm - 4am
95 Effra Road, London, SW2 1DF. (020) 7737 7273
(nearest tube: Brixton)
Admission FREE

For more information about Big Joe Louis and to listen to some of his music visit myspace.com/bigjoelouis