Live: Kid Creole & The Coconuts @ Clapham Grand

First there was a party and then there was a party! Kid Creole & the Coconuts stopped by at the historic newly refurbished Clapham Grand in South London to bring some, samba, rumba, salsa and glamour to this intimate venue.

August Darnell (Kid Creole) bought his family along for support with the band Stony Browder Jnr featuring two of his sons (Lorne Ashley & Dario) and taking the name from his late brother and one-time Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band cohort.

To the chimes of Day-O the full band enters and strikes up in full swing mode ready for the arrival of The Coconuts and the Kid into the song Caroline Is A Dropout from the vastly underrated album In Praise Of Older Women (And Other Crimes). This gives the man a chance to show off his kicks and dance moves and prove, at the age of 64, he still has it.

The great thing about this venue is that the crowd can get right up close to the stage and this ensures that the nightclub atmosphere never drops with Don’t Take My Coconuts ringing in our ears we get the first of some Kid Creole’s classic songs Welcome To The Lifeboat Party and Annie I’m Not Your Daddy included.

The pace is pretty unrelenting and with the feel of spring in the air outside it feels like a hot summer night inside the theatre. So much so that the Kid and Coconuts get time to change costumes that reflect the heat..bright yellow suit and hat and skimpy leopard-skin-jungle-Jane look and into the trumpet driven This Is My Life.

Stool Pigeon and My Male Curiosity round off the night.  The band have such fun that they can get away with not performing such all time great’s as Dario and Mister Softee. Sadly the Coati Mundi anthem MeNoPopI probably now belongs to a different era.

The dancing in the balconies and circles continues into the night way after the band leave the stage. You can see the whole photo shoot here: http://rockshot.photoshelter.com/gallery/Kid-Creole/G0000Px_OT38_rGo

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Review & Photography by Simon Jay Price. Kid Creole & The Coconuts at Clapham Grand.

Simon has his own website here: www.simonjayprice.com