Halloween, when the graves yawn, ghouls tread the firmament, and children seek out candy with all the vigour of the Beaufort Hunt riding to hounds. The holiday’s been popular for ages in the States, but has only recently taken hold in London, where it’s mostly manifest in scores of fancy dress parties, and who doesn’t like those? I found myself at a few this weekend, including the chastely named Steamboat Bordello, which took place on a Thames ship that paddled its way gently down the stream from Tower Hill to the Barrier and back. London’s enjoyed a burlesque renaissance of sorts over the past couple of years (some might say pseudo-burlesque), and a few of the scene’s performers were on board in order to spookify the evening. They were joined by the Hot Club of Cowtown (who I first heard play in Middlebury, of all places, several years back), and the hugely popular MC/DJ duo, The Correspondents, who really rely more on energy than any kind of actual musical talent, but nevertheless put on a hell of a show, and when you’re floating down the river on a Sunday, surrounded by vampires, spectres, and blood smattered club kids, that’s all you really want.
It’s been brought to my attention that my blogging has been woefully nonexistent over the last little while, so I’ve resolved to be more conscientious in re. Nimble Tread. My new year’s resolutions have never really come to much, but here’s hoping the November 2nd edition enjoys greater success.