Dundee’s Gardyne Theatre audiences will be getting in the swing on January 31 as ‘mini big band’ Down For The Count bring their All Stars line-up to the city venue.
Down For The Count, comprised of a group of friends from a Buckinghamshire music centre who formed the outfit in 2005, are one of the UK’s top swing bands.
Their All Star line-up tours up and down the country injecting classics from the ’30s and ’40s with fresh energy.
Their upcoming Gardyne Theatre show, celebrating A Century of Swing, will be their second in the City of Discovery, and band leader Mike Paul-Smith insists they intend to make the most of it.
“We can’t wait!” he effuses ahead of the concert.
“Last time we were there, it was just coming out of one of the Covid lockdowns and everyone was a bit unsure about going out, and still wearing masks and socially distancing and things like that.
“So we can’t wait to come back and for it just to be normal!”
Celebrating a century of swing
The show will see the band start at the origins of swing in the 1920s, and trace its story throughout the decades, with songs from favourites such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, all delivered with a dash of wit and humour from the band.
And while the ‘mini big band’ – just five horn players and a rhythm section instead of the traditional 13 – may be smaller “and a bit easier and cheaper to tour around with” than a full-size swing band, that doesn’t stop them making some memorable noise.
“It’s quite spontaneous, swing and jazz music,” Mike explains.
“No two performances are ever quite the same, so that keeps musicians on our toes. It means that every night we’re doing a slightly different show.”
With big, bright classics like Sing, Sing, Sing and Mack The Knife as staples in the line-up, he says the show attracts a fairly mixed audience – from the very young, to the original vintage.
“I’d say there’s probably a few more people over 60 than under 60, but we really do see people of all ages,” he says.
“The feedback we get from the audience, the applause and the encouragement, is one of the top things about performing.”
For Mike, one of the important aspects of the show is to demonstrate that musicianship is not just a trick, but a skill – and one that people really can make a living out of, if they master it.
“We particularly love it when we see young people who are 10, 12, 14 years old and learning instruments coming along to see us.
“We hope that it inspires them to keep going and to realise you can play an instrument for fun, but you can also make a career out of playing music.
“It’s a perfectly viable thing to do, and we hope young musicians can come to our show and see that.”
Down For The Count All Stars will play A Century of Swing at the Gardyne Theatre on Tuesday January 31 2023. Tickets can be purchased directly from the Dundee City Box Office, in person or online.
