Club Chat Noir profile picture

Club Chat Noir

About Me


---
---

Coming Soon...

Club Chat Noir is in the fabulous Art Deco styled and domed ceilinged Hanbury Club and can be found there every third Friday of the month.
The Hot Club of Belleville and our resident tune-spinner DJ Mike the Mic will be joined by:
Fri 19th Jun - Guest musicians, DJ Watkins-Pitchford, and DJ Rob Arcari
---
Pan Promotions set up Club Chat Noir in November 2005 as a response to the growing number of Swing bands based in and around Brighton. Despite the increasing popularity of these bands, and in 20’s and 30’s Swing music in general, there was no dedicated night that these bands could call home and where people could know they were going to find this feel and style of music, come and relax, and listen to some fine Swing music and have a good old dance to till the small hours.
Club Chat Noir began at the Sussex Arts Club , in the beautiful domed ballroom. With a few extra touches of our own to give it a little of that 1920’s feel, we had a charming candle-lit space that made for a warm and friendly atmosphere. The Arts Club was Club Chat Noir's home for nearly two years until it was sadly sold at the end of September 2007.
We didn't have to worry about being homeless for long however as we were quickly invited to move to the then recently refurbished (in beautiful 20s Art Deco style!) Hanbury Club. We've been at the Hanbury ever since putting on monthly nights that have consistently sold out, and now feel so at home that it's hard to imagine the club being anywhere else!
Since these early days, each has night is hosted by:
Resident band:
The Hot Club of Belleville
Resident DJ:
Mike the Mic
Resident engineer:
Mat Benzie
The faithful and dedicated Club Chat Noir audience are what make these nights so special and continue to be as much of the show as the performers! This is a dancehall night in the spirit of those bygone days, with sharp suited gents and finely frocked femme fatales, and a carefree mix of all ages - on the dancefloor and the stage - from those who were young in the 30s to those who are young now!
The number of Club Chat Noir bands and musicians has also grown, as the Brighton swing scene has grown with us. The family of local bands includes:
The Fridge Magnets
Club Tabou
Swing DeVille
The Magic Number
The Diego Parada Trio
The Lost Sock Club
Rythme Futur
Tula and the Bakelites
Minton's Playhouse
Rockin in Rhythm
as well as a number of special guest musicians including:
Lady Josephine, Lady C, and Rene Ansell.
Club Chat Noir is now going to be monthly - so we can fit in all the new bands that want to play and entertain the club's faithful a little more often. So far the club has had 12 great nights with plenty of support, including two sell-out nights in April and December and the accolade of a Guardian Guide ‘pick of the week’. The crowd has been consistently friendly with a very encouraging mix of people and a wide range of ages. On top of which the club has always had a great atmosphere, with the dance floor bringing out waltzes, the ‘Charleston’, and the throw-yourself-around-till-the-music-stops’.
2007 saw two Club Chat Noir Specials in January, at and working in partnership with, two new venues. The first was an intimate evening with The Hot Club of Belleville and DJ Tall Will at the Joogleberry Playhouse . The second was at the Brighton Komedia with DJ Mike the Mic and welcoming the world renowned ensemble of Ritary Gaguenetti . As well as being our first night at the Komedia, it was also the first time we've had an international band at the club.
After the success of the first Club Chat Noir Special at the Komedia, we went on to welcome Gypsy Swing guitar virtuoso Angelo Debarre for our second very popular 'special' there this June 07 and have subsequently welcomed both The Lollo Meier Quartet and The Biel Ballester Trio on 2008.
So far so good… a Swing club for all, and a night of music and dance quite different to Brighton’s standard fare. If the feedback and enthusiasm is anything to go by, then this is a night that is only going to grow…
See you there!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 13/10/2006
Band Members: Club Chat Noir is organised by Nuala and Mark from Pan Promotions and hosted by The Hot Club of Belleville and DJ Mike the Mic. The sound is engineered by Mat Benzie and the club is hosted at The Hanbury Club in Brighton, Kemptown.

---
NEXT NIGHT Fri 19th Jun 09
 The Hot Club of Belleville
Album Launch

The Hot Club of Belleville
+ Special Guests
+ DJ Mike the Mic
+ DJ Watkins-Pitchford
+ DJ Rob Arcari

Doors 7pm / Show 8pm
@ The Hanbury Club, 83 St Georges Road, Brighton, BN1 1TE
01273 647100 / www.thehanburyclub.com
Tickets: £9/£7 (conc) in advance (see below)
This night has consistently sold out so getting advance tickets is strongly recommended

---
TICKETS
Recent nights have sold out so we recommend getting your tickets in advance. Advance tickets are also cheaper!

Doors 7pm / Show 9pm / Close 2am
Advance tickets: £9/£7 (concession)
On the door: £10/£8 - half price (£5/£4) after midnight

Food available between 7.30 and 9.30 - Check out the Hanbury Club website for details. Tables may be booked for food:
The Hanbury Club, 83 St George Road, Brighton, 01273 605789

Tickets for the regular Hanbury Club nights are available in advance from:
· Resident Music, 28 Kensington Gardens, Brighton, 01273 606312
· Rounder Records, 19 Brighton Square, Brighton, 01273 325440

Tickets will be available on the door if we're not sold out.
---
Tickets for Club Chat Noir Specials at Komedia are available in advance from:
· Komedia Brighton, 44 Gardner Street, Brighton, 01273 607100

Influences: Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, The Hot Club de France, 1920's and 30's dancehalls, Mike the Mic's record collection, and all the fantastic Swing and Gypsy Swing bands who play at the club, support us, and are our friends!
Sounds Like: REVIEWS:
Guardian Guide Pick of the Week - May 09, Jan 09, Apr and Feb 08, Apr 06
The Times Top 5 Clubs of the Week - Jan 08 and Apr 08
The Argus Guide No.1 reason to go out - Apr 08

"Club Chat Noir at the Hanbury Ball Room. One of Brighton’s best kept secrets, the Club Chat Noir is a night of jazztastic revelry under the elegant art deco dome of the Hanbury Club."
"On entrance you’re instantly transported to prohibition America of the 1920’s as the hall is alive with glamorous women spinning flapper dresses and pearl necklaces as pin-striped boys with coiffured hair twirl them under arm and over knee. DJ Mic the Mike plays the raspy vocals of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald as Harry’s Tricks prepare for a set of fast paced gypsy swing complimented by the hubbub of excited chatter that fills the ornate venue. The dulcet tones of woodwind, brass and string get progressively up-tempo as suave boys and sophisticated girls twist, turn and swing. Resident band the Hot Club of Belleville keep the sequins shaking with more hot gypsy beats."
"Fortunately if your jitterbugging isn't what it used to be, you can sit in the black suede banquettes under the light of voluminous lampshades and play Sam Spade while toe-tapping to the music and sipping one of the many drinks from an extravagant bar, watching the vigorous lindy-hopping as strangers engage in classic 1930's courtship. By the end of an infectiously fun night the elbow-length satin gloves are in disarray and the guys have had to loosen their slacks after being taken over by the spirit of jazz for the last five hours."
Whether you're a swing-dance enthusiast or a jive-turkey amateur Club Chat Noir has an open, welcoming vibe so everyone can come shake a leg."

- Brighton Source , Jun 09

"This much respected monthly 1920s and 1930s swing and Gypsy beats night is back with another array of impressively coiffed 'dos. Harry's Tricks Perform live"
- The Guardian , May 09

"With guest band Harry's Tricks and resident band The Hot Club of Belleville, alongside DJ Mike the Mic, Brighton's twist, shake and groove night tangles with well dressed floor peddlers to within an inch of their ability to dance. The club's blend of live acts and DJ ensemble sells tickets at a toe-tapping pace and the night has been name-checked in The Times and The Guardian. So, all you flapper fiends and hot swing romantics should get down for an old fashioned mess around and let the equally hip staff staff clean up the tail feathers you leave behind."
- XYZ Magazine - XYZ Magazine , May 09

"Older just got sexier. Hot Gypsy beats, sequined dresses, pin stripe and coiffured hair contained in art deco surroundings of the Hanbury Club. Live acts, be-suited DJs and a huge bar all add up to make this one of Brighton’s most glamorous nights."
Following dinner at seven the Ballroom is transformed into a loud, vigorous venue with couples performing swings and throws that even Fred Astaire and Ginger Roberts would be envious of fill the dance floor and don’t stop until the early hours."
So if trashy electro and pop synth has ran its course with you, people shuffling nervously about on dance floors looking casual has gotten stale then come wine and dine at Club Chat Noir, to put it simply it is one of Brighton’s best kept secrets and a fabulous excuse to dress up."
- Real Brighton , Jun 08

"Swing DJ Mike the Mic creates a flapper's paradise on this happy-go-lucky night of 1920s toe tappers along with guest band and The Hot Club Of Belleville."
- The Guardian , Apr 08

"Ever-sassy Gypsy and 1920s and 1930s swing night featuring a hooting live show."
- The Argus , Apr 08

"Having successfully negotiated the move from the sadly deceased Sussex Arts Club to the plusher Hanbury, this 20s and 30s Gypsy and swing jazz monthly just seems to be getting more and more popular, which is hardly surprising when you can dance to the likes of Swing DeVille and resident band The Hot Club of Belleville, whilst dressing suave and sophisticated, like."
- Latest 7 , Jan 08

"Club Chat Noir is a monthly extravaganza... and it’s utterly delicious. The theme is 1920s and 30s swing and Gypsy tunes, and the live bands on show deliver an impeccably cool, infectious and joyous soundtrack to shake your fancy frock or pinstriped trousers too. The majority of the audience throw themselves into the occasion with an abundance of rakish trilbies, feather bowers and baggy pants on show (but the dress code’s far from enforced – everyone’s just there to have a laugh and jig about to some mighty, mighty songs). Fiddles, guitars and smoky vocals abound and old school jazz classics like Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t (My Baby)? and Sweet Georgia Brown nuzzle up to quirky covers like that-tune-in-Star-Wars-that-the-alien-band-in-the-bar-play-w hen-Luke-first-meets-Han-Solo.
A delight of a night, I left with a mile-wide smile."
- BBC Brighton Festival Review

"Brighton does a great line in 20s swing nights, and this is the top cat. Smooth, swinging music at an evening of opulence that roars like the twenties. It's rare that you get a chance to act like The Great Gatsby and go for a kebab afterwards. You've got to savour these moments when when they come.
What's the cool rating? Sky high."
- New Currents, Brighton Festival 07

"The South Coast is infused with the spirit of Pigalle as DJ Mike the Mic spins 1920s swing, while Swing DeVille and the Hot Club of Belleville play live."
- The Times

"I think it may have been Socrates who first uttered the immortal words, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing”. But regardless, it’s now broadly accepted as one of humanity’s guiding and toe-tappingly good principles. And flying the flag for all things swing in Brighton town are... Pan Promotions and the splendid Club Chat Noir. It is a total experience. The setting is perfect and there’s no shortage of feather boas, trilbies and ‘individual’ dancing styles on show. Everyone’s there to have fun."
- Matt McGuire, Latest Homes , Aug 07

LIVE CDs: CD1 - Full Swing

A selection of dance tunes, lively highlights and special moments from a range of favourite Club Chat Noir bands

CD2 - Swing Low

A selection of mellow tunes from various Club Chat Noir bands - with a more relaxed Sunday feel.

CD3 - The Hot Club of Belleville

A full range of 14 top tunes from the Club Chat Noir resident band.

CD4 - The Magic Number

The complete live recording of their knock out first Club Chat Noir show in February 2006.

CDs are £10 each. (£18 for 2 / £24 for 3 / £30 for the full set of 4)

All CDs are available on the night at the club
... or by emailing: [email protected]

VIDEOS:The Fridge Magnets at Club Chat Noir, Dec 07:

One visitor's experience of Club Chat Noir:

.. ..

Type of Label: Major

My Blog

The item has been deleted


Posted by on