For those Twinwood goers and visitors to some of the drinking and entertainment establishments in the Big City, the name of Tom Carradine will be very familiar!

I was first introduced to his walk down a marvellous Memory Lane when watching him perform around five years ago at the late night Cockney Sing-a-long at the Annual Twinwood Festival.

All together now…

The Nags Head pub would be packed to the rafters with vintage loving people who *may* have had a drink or two. To be honest, if they hadn’t by the time the performance started, they certainly would have done by the end.

Advertised as around an hour long, the interactive event would finish pretty much when the bar ran dry three or four hours later.

Tom has a fine vintage voice (and even better wardrobe) and delves into a plethora of songs, some even older than any of the attendees, especially me.

Sartorial Style

So, why do I love the sing-a-long so much?

For regular readers you will know that I was pretty much raised by my Auntie who had learning difficulties. Oh, but she did love a good sing-song.

Every weekend we would watch old films on the telly; usually a double bill. It didn’t matter if it was a musical, thriller, country and western or comedy.

Millinery Masterclass

We saw it all. Abbott and Costello, Doris Day, Arthur Askey, Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire and more. We laughed and cried at the appropriate points whilst drinking our Saturday treat of a bottle of pop and ate some hard boiled sweeties.

Vintage Elegance

I grew up with the standards, the ditties, the cheeky little numbers that were sung back in the war and even further than that. She knew all the words and like with most things, if you hear them enough you absorb them through osmosis.

So, when my friends were listening to Wham or Spandau Ballet, I was singing ‘On Mother Kelly’s Doorstep’ and ‘The Lambeth Walk’.

Didn’t do me any harm!

Dapper Chaps and Chapesses

Back thirty years ago, I never realised that these songs would make a re-entry into my life. I didn’t get into the vintage scene until 2014 when I hit 40 years old.

Finding myself in a building with a couple of hundred like minded people, I sang my heart out to all these old songs and I have to admit, I may have shed a tear remembering my Auntie Gwen who passed away when I was just 16 years old.

Each consecutive year, the sing-a-long gets bigger and bigger. In 2019 it was at its best yet, with several hundred people filling a new venue, The Colonial Club at 1130pm to see Tom perform on the old Joanna!

Sing-a-long Style

The event is highly popular over that weekend, and is the highlight for many of the attendees. Of course, this means that we then usually wait for the following year and another Twinwood to experience it again.

Well, not just recently!

Mr Carradine with Charlie and the Bubbly Boys.

As I previously mentioned, Mr Carradine also performs in establishments in the Big City. Of course, these are all closed down at the moment due to Lockdown and he has had to furlough himself!

Usually Tom can be found at Mr Foggs Establishment every Thursday night from 2030 until 2230.

The Fantastic Mr Foggs

This is where us vintage lovers got the treat of a lifetime; A live video performance every Thursday night on Facebook.

And what is even better, you can print off the song sheets in advance in order to really join in with all the well known and not so well known ditties.

What a Marvellous idea!

So every week for the past several weeks, at eight thirty at night, many viewers are sat singing along to all those songs they love.

Cor Blimey Guv’nor

I thought it was such a great idea, that I decided to reach out to Mr Carradine to see if he would allow me to interview him for my blog. Well, I am very chuffed to say that he agreed to my proposition.

Last Friday I had the privilege of a video-call  with Tom and the chance to ask him a few questions. To be honest, we had scheduled an hour for this, and it zoomed by so quickly. I genuinely could have stayed chatting with  him all day!

Clearly he is a very erudite, charming, knowledgeable and interesting  gentleman and it also felt like we had been good friends for years. Like we had thousands of conversations before.

The Dapper Chap!

I think that is probably from watching the live Facebook videos with his lovely wife Faye, interacting and commenting has formed a sort of ‘family’.

A Vintage Entourage, if you will.

Tom and Faye are so welcoming that you feel part of their lives and this is a special trait to have. There are even discussions on creating merchandise for all the Sing-a-longers to get their little mitts on.

Evening Elegance

Tom’s ‘tache Pin anyone?

Anyway, this is the tale of how I came to be one of those Sing-a-longers. Keep your eyes peeled for the interview with Tom which I will be posting in the next couple of days.

Summer Session

I can guarantee it is worth it!

Till then,

SPSG xxx