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A short Dark Stranger

@ashortds

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The Hartnell haired dapper doyen of scathing, sarcastically cynical, absurdist synthpop. A 21st...ish century tragi-comedy in a silver suit... 😈

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It’s Cloth Cat’s annual fundraiser, ‘Hair Of the Dog’ at the legendary Brudenell Social Club for our 16th year. We always try and bring you the best upbeat positive music we can find from around the Leeds. And prices stay static for a second year running, it’s a mere £8 plus bf in advance. Here's the amazing line up:

Happy Daggers
An eight-piece brought together by a mutual love of all things funky, they bring a unique blend of guitar driven disco-funk, thumping beats, throbbing bass lines, infectious melodies, and a captivating lead vocalist (Sinclair Belle), Happy Daggers are on a mission to make you move!

“Turn it up... that’s what I’m talking about #longlivethefunk” Nile Rodgers

“Sometimes it’s just too funky.” Norman Jay MBE (BBC6 Music)

Les Vegas & The International Playboys of Rhythm
As an absolutely fabulous10 piece lounge and swing band with full brass section, they will be performing a set of pop classics from over the decades, but as you’ve never heard them before! It is going to be so much fun to have them play for us once again.

Hot Jupiter
Nine-piece funk and soul band, Hot Jupiter love to play music that gets people dancing. There’ll be an eclectic mix of repertoire spanning your favourite pop songs with their own soul and funk twist.

Kemi Kali
A six-piece band from Leeds, fusing funk, reggae, soul and jazz into a vibrant, feel-good sound. Formed in 2024, the band combines infectious grooves and smooth soulful vocals to create original music that gets people moving.

A Short Dark Stranger
He has been at the centre of proceedings for all these years, holding it together and entertaining you guys as host. Now, it’s about time we actually gave him a proper slot, because he’s worth it!
He says: “Leeds' (and indeed the world's - or at least The North of England's...) premier purveyor of poetic provocative pumping power pop!
The dapper doyen of darkly dour yet determinedly defiant disco."
“If you went to Butlins in Twin Peaks…" (Still Forever)

All money raised will help us support those struggling with their mental well-being, through music-based projects.

Doors at 6.00pm #leedsgigs #hairofthedog #positivementalhealth by @ashortds

We're currently sat awaiting our flighty back to Blighty 🇬🇧. Opposite the Sophia Loren bar, which looks even more expensivo than where we are... 😮

More importantly, we're awaiting pre-flight Negronis. Well, when in Rome... 🥂 😉

Seeing as we'll be missing Hallowe'en shenanigans (well, unless you count spending the night at the shittier Gatwick Travelodge as part of the creepy goings on, which we don't), have a suitably stygian and spooktacular evening from us! 👻

Oh, and one of my favourite songs from a most good (most good) film... 😈 😉

(I bought this song on cassette back in the early 1990s, and (along with its other 'A' side, 'Little Bird'), I've loved it ever since then... 🖤

#ashortds #annielennox #dracula #halloween #rome by @ashortds

Hmm. Do I buy the foldable pocket mirror with the heart on it?

Do I buy the foldable pocket mirror with Roma emblazoned across it?

Or do I buy the foldable pocket mirror with the drunk cock faced cat on it?

As if that was ever a decision I had to consider.

😉

#ashortds #rome #travel #souvenir #cockfacedcats by @ashortds

Ye Gods. There is a Scottish themed pub in Rome.

The first such pub I have ever seen (well, apart from in Scotland, but that doesn't count...)

And no. We didn't go in. Not because (having been to both Edinburgh and Glasgow) the Scots are unfriendly or unwelcoming, but the sign advertising a breathalyser being placed directly above the entrance did slightly suggest this particular hostelry might just possibly very likely almost certainly definitely maybe involve - to quote Leeds's very own Kaisers - watching the people get lairy... 😮

Oh well. At least it's not an Essex themed pub...

😄

P.S. Isn't The Nag's Head in Peckham? 😉

#ashortds #rome #travels #pubs #fuckbrexit by @ashortds

"When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie..."

😉

#ashortds #rome #travels #getaway #fuckbrexit by @ashortds

Jesus loves you?

*Kojak impression*

Who really loves ya, baby?

😉

#ashortds #rome #travel #singerlife #negroni by @ashortds

Absolutely 💯 Still, give me a terrible but passionate Lady Gaga impersonator over AI 'music' every time.

You've got to get it wrong before you get it right 👊

#stopai #ashortds #realmusic #realart #kittensofinstagram by @ashortds

Essential Things To Pack For A Flight.

Part...whatever Italian for 'one' is...

(I'm doing well learning basic Italian. Can you tell?)

😉

#ashortds #holiday #leeds #fuckoff #annoyingkidseverywhere by @ashortds

I am by no means someone who has a natural artistic flair (at least not in terms of painting, drawing, design or similar... 😄 )

But even I, armed with nothing more than a monumentally rubbish laptop that even Heath Robinson himself would have laughed at, have managed to knock up a non AI slop quick holding poster for the next Hard Light gig (which is going to be amazing, by the way - but more details about that soon... 😎 🎤 🎹 )

And yes. That is indeed apparently a picture of the ginormous alcohol cloud floating somewhere out there in the universe. As if I was going to choose anything else for the backdrop... 😁 )

Details at (due to stupid Instagram cropping the poster...) -

https://www.ticketsource.com/alterviva-promotions/hard-light-a-not-so-silent-night-of-dark-electronica/e-ollbxl by @ashortds

Beautiful 😄

Obviously, I'm not Danish but... *chef's kiss*

*proudly spells 'colour' and 'mould' correctly & is also aware 'invite' is a verb, not a fucking noun...*

😉 😛

#ashortds #memes #true #tongueincheek #britain by @ashortds

A little 'behind the scenes' snap or two* from Saturday's fab Electro Umbrella gig for your delectation 😄

Better with? Or without? 😎 🕶 👓

(Without, I'm sure... 😁)

*two. It's definitely two...

#ashortds #backstage #Leeds #synthpop #gigs by @ashortds

A little later than planned (entirely due to tiredness and a Brontosaurus sized mountain of ironing that was partly located in a time zone that wasn't Greenwich Mean Time... 😄 ), but a HUGE thank you to everyone that came along to Electro Umbrella: A Live Showcase of Local Synth Artists on Saturday! 😃 😎 ☂

It was a great night all round! A massive thank you to everyone that came to watch and support some fantastic electro acts, as well as a ginormous thanks to @vinylwhistle themselves for being such a fab venue!

Thanks to all our acts: gloriously uplifting and powerfully passionate techno from @cherylhollandmusic (it really is all about the energy... 😃 ), cynically witty yet annoyingly catchy and energetic absurdist synthpop courtesy of, well, me ( 😂 ), fabulous feisty feral feminist electro riotgrrl majesty from @doberwomansounds & of course our headline act, simply splendid sultry, suggestive and saucily salacious synthpop provided by the spectacular @silkcircussynth 😀 😎

And - shock horror! Thanks to all you lovely people that came along on the night, we didn't lose any money! 😲 (Trust me, the unwitting mantra of every local promoter is but a mangled Queen classic...'I Want To Break Even'... 😂 ) It isn't the most important thing, of course, but it's always nice to know you're not actually losing money putting these events on. It's so difficult, this wicked and abhorrent cost of greed crisis. It shouldn't be, of course, but it is, so we really appreciate everyone's wonderful support making these sort of events such a resounding success 😍

Who the scene? 🤔

WE THE SCENE! 😉

Don't forget to follow all our fab performers on their various social media platforms! And - keep this on the quiet for now - but there may even be plans for another amazing Electro Umbrella: A Live Showcase of Local Synth Artists sometime in early 2027!

😲 😎 😃

#electroumbrella #Leeds #electronicmusic #gigs # livemusic by @ashortds