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If you have any suggestions or comments about Co-op-Jive please tell Coop Jive.
If you would like more general information about the dance (not just how to dance !) or if you're planning a trip
to the U.K. and would like to know where to go dancing, send us an e-mail
!
COMMUNITY BOARD
Richard Hume
RAVENS FLY EAST !
GERMANS INVADE RUSSIA; BUT THIS TIME IT'S A FRIENDLY INVASION .........
In February this year Black Raven, Germany's top Teddy Boy band, played in Russia for the first time.
The event took place in Moscow. If you have not seen them perform, check them out next time they come to the UK. This is one hot, smokin' band !
The gig was sponsored by Bop Street (www.bopstreet.ru) and Co-op Jive (www.coopjive.co.uk) so I was involved in the organisation of the concert. It was a pleasure to meet the 3 members of the band (Julien, Fritz and Torsti), who came over as nice (albeit extrovert !) guys. They clearly enjoyed living the rock'n'roll life style, which included plenty of German beer !
The venue was the XO Club and the support band was Al and the Hi-jackers. The High-jackers are a very new, young Moscow rockabilly band; and a group with a future. They are energetic, unpolished with plenty of rough edges - excellent ! Their rockabilly sound was authentic and impressive.
We also had a short rock'n'roll beginners' dance class between bands, which I recommend to other concert organisers. As long as the dance class is not too long then not just the participators enjoy - the rest of the audience find it interesting to watch. At the end of the concert there was a prize for the best dancer for the whole evening: The winner we chose was a beautiful Russian brunette in a fetching black and red dress - worth the ticket price alone !
For those present, the performance of Black Raven is one we will not easily forget. For one thing, they played on and on, going well over time and finishing their set late. Talk about value for money !
Their style is Teddy Boy, but they mix it with other genres too. For example there were country songs, smoochy slowys plus some Shadows' instrumentals, to name a few. But my favourites were their Gene Vincent numbers, like Be Bop a Lula, Blue Jean Bop, Bird Doggin' and Poor Man's Prison - smokin ! Another crackin' version they did was Matchbox's Buzz Buzz a Diddle it. These were just a few of the excellent numbers they performed with gusto and enthusiasm.
Their style is certainly extrovert. Their set is raucous, energetic and by the end of the concert definitely alcohol-fueled ! (many of us would love to be able to live such a rock'n'roll life-style; unfortunately these days I have the will but not the time !)
In conversation with them after the gig, they agreed with me about how beautiful Russian women are; in my opinion the most beautiful in the world, one more reason for me to live, work and remain in Moscow ! Another reason is the excellent rock'n'roll scene here: For more details on this you can go to my web-site at www.coopjive.co.uk and head for the feedback page. The band told me they thoroughly enjoyed Moscow and the friendly Russian people.
A big thanks to my friend Lev Gorbunov, who did the lion's share of the work involved in organising the whole event. No thanks to the DJ who never turned up (who shall be nameless and we will not book again), but who we got by well without. And Thanks to Black Raven for a great gig: Welcome back any time guys.
(for more info on the band go to www.blackraven.de)
And there's more ...... In December, Furious, the world's top Teddy Boy band, will return to Moscow. Rock'n'roll is alive and kickin' here in the East !
Richard Hume
Moscow
Richard Hume
Re-printed from UK Rock Magazine ACES COME UP TRUMPS IN MOSCOW !
In October the Jive Aces performed for the first time in Russia. A historic event, especially for the rock'n'roll and swing crowd out here in the East. The venue was the B2 Club, one of Moscow's biggest music venues.
The gig was co-organised by Co-op Jive (www.coopjive.co.uk) and as a result I was involved in the arrangements. The Moscow support bands, the Great Pretenders (rockabilly style) and the Gagarin Brothers (sorta swing / jazz ) put in 2 impressive performances. The DJ played rockabilly in between sets, not exactly gel-ing with the Jive Aces brand of music, but rockabilly is fine by me!
In a previous UK Rock, there was a debate "Are the Jive Aces rock'n'roll" ? Well they're not pure rock'n'roll that's for sure: Too many other influences in there for that to be true. But there is a dose of the great music in there to make them part of the rock'n'roll family. Sure they probably have a bigger following amongst the swing dance crowd, but to hell with being a purist in these matters. Great music is great music and if it's got a dash of rock'n'roll in there even better - and that's what the Aces have got, a dash (not a bucketful) of r'n'r.
In their early days there was more of the r'n'r style. Check out their first ever CD "Our Kinda Jive" and you'll see what I mean. It's my favourite Jive Aces CD.
A dance competition was also ongoing throughout the evening. We chose Yulia and Sergey as the winners, not for any steps or flashy techniques but for the spirit in which they danced - the most important element of jive dancing. Great dancing is from the heart not the feet (if you see what I mean): That's a message for a few swing dancers (!) - "it's not what you do but the way that you do it"
There was some apprehension (by the Jive Aces and myself) of how big the turnout would be, as the gig was booked for a Sunday, starting at 9:00 p.m. Would this affect the crowd and those of us who had to be at work early on Monday morning? But no worries, a big crowd turned up and the atmosphere was terrific.
From the Jive Aces first (instrumental) number, the crowd were ecstatic. If Russian people like something, they're very open with their feelings. To coin a phrase, "the joint was jumpin'". The band went through some of their traditional numbers, "Caldonia", "I ain't got nobody", "Bona Sera", "Accentuate the positive", etc., plus those I hadn't heard during my time following them in the UK. I moved to Moscow from London over 5 years ago to live and work here. It was interesting to see after 5 years how their act has developed and changed. Even their traditional numbers they delivered in an even fresher, vibrant style. I didn't think when I left the UK they could possibly improve significantly on their live performances. But they are better: This is one band that is not going to get smoother nor stay in a comfortable groove. After 5 years they're even more vibrant, lively and unpredictable. As bands get older they're not supposed to do this, but this one does !
A Jive Aces set involves lots of inter-action with the audience, including coming off stage to play their instruments amongst the audience, jiving with some of the dancers, singing to selected young women, etc. ! Plus in the traditional Jive Aces style of giving more than value for money, their set in Moscow was a long one, including a lot of encores.
And another feature of their concerts:
After the gig, just as they always do in the UK, they spent time with the audience, posing for photographs, signing autographs, or just talking to people. A nice touch; being willing to give time to those who've paid to see them.
Overall a superb evening. The plan is for them to return to Moscow next year. When I spoke to the band about their time here, they were all positive about the place and the people. Moscow is a great city and Muscovites, like Russians generally, are genuinely friendly and welcoming. And let's not get into talking about Russian Women - the most beautiful in the world ! Plus it was a bit annoying to see that after 5 years the band don't look 5 years older. Why can't they age like the rest of us ?!
Their advertising blurb describes them as "the UK's number 1 jive and swing band". Having seen the best bands of that style over the years, to me they're "the world's number 1" in that particular field of music.
I've written quite a bit about Russian rock'n'roll for UK Rock over the past 2 years, so won't repeat what has already been penned. Suffice to say the scene here, especially in Moscow, is vibrant, growing and rockin'. The rockers here are generally younger than in the UK, also very enthusiastic about the great music. For more info on Russian rock'n'roll, go to my web-site at www.coopjive.co.uk and head for the feedback page.
There's more to come soon in Moscow. Early next year we're bringing back the Liverpool band Furious to the city - now here we ARE talkin' pure rock'n'roll
Teddy Boys succeed where Hitler failed ... FURIOUS TAKE MOSCOW BY STORM
On 30th May a historic event took place in Russian rock'n'roll history: A Teddy Boy Band performed live in Russia for the first time. Furious from Liverpool were at the XO Club in Moscow.
As the official Flyer indicated, the concert was sponsored by UK Rock magazine and Co-op Jive. There was great expectation amongst the Russian crowd present on the night. Some of them had worn their drapes at various times during periods spanning the nineties and over the last 10 years. When Furious came on, the reception was Great. And . they didn't disappoint. They were brilliant. The Russian audience did not realise just how wild their stage performance was until they experienced it live.
From the first number "Bop a Lena" they had the audience with them (as well as the dancers). My particular favourites on the night were "ASBO Shuffle", "Teddy Boy Boogie", "My Bonnie" and "Please don't touch". When they did "Old Black Joe" the Russian rockers showed the group they knew exactly the English ritual to follow, including the obligatory handful of singers on stage !
Russian support bands the Coral Reefs (swing jump jive style), the Great Pretenders (rockabilly) and Stressor (best neo-rockabilly band on the planet) completed a memorable evening at the XO Club.
After the gig we took Furious back to our Moscow rock'n'roll "mecca", the Rock'n'Roll Pub near Proletarskaya. There we organised an after-gig party for them. Again they performed on stage for us, along with the support band the Alligators that we'd booked for the party. The result - more unforgettable Furious rock'n'roll.
Near the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow there's a terrific cafι / restaurant named after an important youth culture festival which took place in Moscow in the fifties. It's called Stalovaya 57 after the year of the festival. We took Furious there a couple of times to eat during their stay here. It's like walking into the 1950s !
On a personal level, all of us who came into contact with Furious (Andy, Mark, and Yann) in Moscow were impressed with them. Genuinely nice blokes who went out of their way to make the whole event a success. We tried hard to organise everything for them to a high standard e.g. accommodation in Moscow, sight-seeing, etc. At every step they were appreciative, understanding and helpful. We look forward to hearing their new CD soon, currently being recorded at Nervous Records.
Teddy Boys have played a part in Russian rock'n'roll history, which made the coming of Furious especially significant. Thankyou Furious, for becoming a part of this history by your coming to Moscow ! Furious, with their youth and wild rockin' music - the FUTURE of Rock'n'Roll !
And Hail the Teds - working class, politically incorrect and baaadd !!
Moscow is one of the fastest growing rock 'n' roll scenes in the world. Like China and India in the global economy it's one of the biggest growth "economies" in world r'n'r ! To find out more about one of the hottest spots on the planet go to:
www.coopjive.co.uk
which has fascinating info on how the East is rockin' (head for the "feedback" page and look at the community board).
Check out the following great Moscow Bands on www.youtube.com (in the youtube search engine box add "Moscow" after each band's name):
DENIS MAZHUKOV AND OFFBEAT - DIAMOND HAND - STRESSOR - GREAT PRETENDERS - BEAT DEVILS - ALLIGATORS - CORAL REEFS
For more information about any of the above bands ask Coop Jive
Plus check out www.relaxclub.ru (then click on "rock'n'pub") to see some of the great r'n'r events happening in Moscow.
***** Co-op Jive is a free Dance Co-operative *****
Re-printed from UK Rock Magazine THE RISE AND FALL OF BRITISH ROCK'N'ROLL ?
In the December issue of the magazine both Pete Shaw and Kav Kavanagh referred to the serious condition of UK rock'n'roll. I applaud their concern and remedies to stem the decline, plus their own active efforts over a long period of time working in their different ways to try and stem it. However in my opinion the solution is more elusive.
Here in Moscow the scene is growing. This expansion is not exponential but it's slow and steady. And crucially the clientele are predominantly young people. Russia has no older rockers going back to the 50s or our UK Revival period of the 70s. The Communist Party and the history of the Soviet Union saw to that: They didn't put up with such decadent capitalist culture. But young people are now continuing to join the scene. The reason for this success is the reason why we need to worry for the UK:
I left the UK to live and work in Russia in August 2004. The contrast that immediately struck me most between the rock'n'roll in the 2 countries was the different generations who follow the great music. Unless a meaningful minority of the younger generation take up an interest in the genre back in the UK, you've gotta big big problem. Here in Russia the scene of course is a minority culture amongst the youth generally but young people are joining and staying with it. I hasten to add I myself am no spring chicken but I'm the exception over here not the rule !
When I lived in the UK my own contribution to this issue was running a dance co-operative (which I still do in Russia, details are at www.coopjive.co.uk). In the "teaching the youth" project (detailed on the site) one of the aims is to ultimately get youngsters turned on not just to the dance (jive) but also to the scene in general.
The solution requires a bit more than adjusting ticket prices at clubs. Remember it's still a market economy out there. Raising prices might mean a significant number of people staying away - the fact that market forces have not resulted in prices going up already in the way Kav and Paul are recommending is probably an indication that that is what might happen. The implication of this is that maybe the numbers of people attending the clubs are artificially high due to the low entry fees (and Paul and Kav are absolutely correct about the great pricing value of the clubs compared to other kinds of musical entertainment on offer elsewhere). So maybe the r'n'r market generally is not big enough to support the current number of clubs and bands in the UK. And without the influx of a new generation the market will only get smaller.
Incidentally Russian entry prices are much lower. For example at the Rock'n'Roll Pub, the premier venue for rock'n'roll in Moscow, entry to see most of the local bands is free (which means expenses are re-couped from the takings at the bar). If a big name band is playing or a band from out of town is performing, the entry varies from 100 / 150 / 200 rubles i.e. 2, 3 or 4 pounds. And the quality of the groups here is excellent: Those of you who read the full page adverts in the magazine about Moscow rock'n'roll and accepted the invitation to view the bands on You Tube will know exactly what I mean.
Sorry I don't have an easy solution for all this ! The phenomenon of young people (albeit a minority) being attracted to rock'n'roll in Russia is a natural and spontaneous one. For some reason an equivalent number of UK youth choose not to be similarly interested. This applies both to what Kav describes as "jive clubs" and "rock'n'roll clubs". Melvis Brooks in his letter in the January issue of the magazine echoed Kav's argument re. the "jive clubs". Point taken but there are still "rock'n'roll clubs" out there and young people are not going to them in any significant number.
What we've got here folks is a long term trend I think. Global economies like China, India and Russia are growing and those in the West are stagnating - as a result we'll see a change in the future regarding which countries call the shots in the world. Similarly in our rock'n'roll world the same thing may well be happening. Bit like England's national football team - we gave the game to the world and look what a mess we're in right now !
I say the above with a real sadness. After all I'm English born and bred. It's a great r'n'r scene in the UK with some brilliant things happening: But what we're concerned about is the future and the direction it's going in. I'm now resident in Russia so most of my r'n'r energies go into playing my part to support the scene in Moscow but I keep in good touch with what's going on back home (the magazine helps !). Plus as I've mentioned in previous contributions for the magazine, the Russian rockers here are genuinely interested in the UK scene, especially given the very important part played by the UK in rock'n'roll history.
Is such a decline inevitable ? Of course not ! I don't think many people would've predicted the seventies rock'n'roll Revival in advance; certainly not myself and I lived it and lived through it. We can never predict with absolute certainty what's gonna happen in the future and that certainly goes for rock'n'roll. What we need is another Revival !
Plus the British scene is full of great individuals working for no profit to keep rock'n'roll alive. I remember them from my time in the UK. So if there is to be a decline it will be a slow one ! I wish you all good luck and don't give up the fight. Keep the faith !
April this year was the 53rd Birthday of Rock'n'Roll. So here in Moscow we celebrated with a rockin' Party; April 1954 being the birth of Bill Haley's "Rock around the Clock". Moscow's best rockabilly bands performed at the B-2 Club; AND to make the Event very very special, flying in from the U.K. and topping the Bill .. the Jets !
Celebrating this Birthday is an annual Moscow tradition. How about doing something similar in the UK all you guys and gals back home ?
The Jets were preceded on stage by 4 of the best Rockabilly Bands in Moscow: The Prayers, Diamond Hand, the Alligators and the Great Pretenders. They're all quality groups and did the business on the night. My 2 favourites were Diamond Hand and the Pretenders: Both play hard drivin' authentic rockabilly and both have an impressive stage presence. If ya wanna see what I mean go to the following web-site page and hear Diamond Hand rock !
www.dhand.ru/music E.html
The whole event was largely organised by Sergei Kuteynikov, lead singer of the Great Pretenders who played the 4th set. Sergei has introduced more physical movement into his performances and it works - real authentic Elvis-style gyrations ! The Pretenders style is authentic rockabilly but they include traditional rock'n'roll hits in their repertoire (including my favourite "Teddy Boy Boogie", naturally !). They've been playing since 1996.
The Alligators played the 3rd set and gave another solid performance. I always enjoy hearing them play.
By the way those of you who went to the Rockabilly Rave last year back in the UK, don't be fooled re. the quality of Russian rockabilly by the Russian band that performed there, the Neva River Rockets from St Petersburg. Nothing personal, I spoke to them at a gig when they were last in Moscow and they're nice guys. But compared to the best Russian bands they're strictly non-league. I could quote you over half a dozen Russian bands who are premier league material who were NOT invited to the Rave.
Russian rockabilly grew largely out of the change in the scene here in the past few years. In the 1990s rock'n'roll bands attracted huge crowds especially in Moscow and St Petersburg. Unfortunately the quality of the Russian bands then was not particularly good (with some fine exceptions). But then something strange happened. By the turn of the millennium the rock'n'roll crowds had got smaller but the quality of the bands had drastically improved ! The huge crowds had partly been a reflection of Perestroika and Glasnost and the "opening up" culturally of the country after decades of Communism. After a while many simply gravitated to other things as more and more choices became available. And the crowd that stayed with the music tended to gravitate towards rockabilly rather than standard rock'n'roll. A more recent phenomenon is the strong support also for psychobilly here in Russia; but that's another story. For more info about Russian rock'n'roll go to my web-site at www.coopjive.co.uk and head for the Feedback page.
After the 4 Moscow bands had all given full value for money, then it was the turn of the Jets. They completed the evening's line-up and the old clichι "they brought the house down" pretty much approximates to the truth. They began their set with their traditional opener "Turn up the Guitar" followed by their classic "Rockabilly Baby". After all these years their rendition of the latter is still a highlight for me; a great number performed superbly with a hard edge. That was enough to get the large audience going and the place rocked ! Standards like "Josephine", "Somethin' Else" and "Runaround Sue" kept the momentum going.
The Jets still have that ability to vary the content of their performance. For example they threw in the odd Doo Wop number plus one or two distinctly non r'n'r songs like "Hobo". But it worked; they never stay far away from the next hard drivin' rock'n'roll song so the variations are not a distraction for the audience.
Speaking to Friends during and after the gig, it was clear the Jets willingness to travel all the way to Moscow for a one-off performance was much appreciated (UK Bands out there please note !). Following the Restless gig in Moscow last year falling through (the details of which are messy) the Jets presence was especially savoured by the Rockers here.
Although I'd seen them quite a few times when I lived in the UK I hadn't known them personally, so it was nice to have a chance to chat with the Band during the evening. They came across as nice, quiet and genuine blokes off-stage. After all their years together, it was clear they still got along well with each other (being brothers probably helps !). They told me they didn't miss the big fame they'd had following their hit records all that time ago - they were still happy and glad to be playing the kind of music they loved and being able to do it for a living. In other words they lived the opposite of the stereo-type wild, crazy, destructive rock'n'roll life ! (speaking personally, my only regret is that I no longer have the energy to live the wild, crazy, destructive rock'n'roll life .. ). I also asked them their views on Russian rock'n'roll from what they were hearing that evening: They were hugely impressed.
So from all of us back in the big city in the East, a big Thankyou to the Jets. Welcome back any time.
Moscow October Wildfire Willie and the Ramblers from Sweden came to Moscow for the first time, to perform at the Mezzo Forte Club.
What a night ! Willie has a reputation for let's say a fondness for fizzy lemonades and pepsis and generally "living life to the full". Well all I can say is as a performer he is sensational. He did all his wild physical movements, plus his band were superb. As many of you back in the UK know they've been on the rockabilly scene for a while now - some friends at the gig told me they remember seeing Willie perform in the early nineties in Sweden. And apparently he was pretty wild then too.
The Russian support bands on the night were excellent. The Rattlesnakes from St Petersburg started things off: They are an interesting band in that they very much vary their set according to the audience. As the clientele this night were largely the rock'n'roll / rockabilly crowd, they cut out their "pop" stuff and played the good stuff.
They were followed by the Wise Guys from the Ukraine: First time I'd seen them. They lived up to their reputation of being the number one Ukraine rock'n'roll / rockabilly band. Young band, lots of enthusiasm.
The whole event was largely organised by Sergei Kuteynikov, lead singer of the Great Pretenders, and his band played the third set. Sergei has introduced more physical movement into his sets and it works - real authentic Elvis-style gyrations ! The 2 best rockabilly bands in Moscow are the Great Pretenders and Diamond Hand and predictably the Pretenders didn't disappoint on the night. Their style is authentic rockabilly but they include traditional rock'n'roll hits in their repertoire (including my favourite "Teddy Boy Boogie" naturally !). They've been playing since 1996.
Finally Wildfire Willie and the Ramblers completed the evening's line-up and they didn't disappoint. The old clichι "they brought the house down" pretty much approximates to the truth. Plus after the gig I had a chance to chat to Willie and he's a really approachable and friendly guy.
Whilst writing, found it hard to believe what I read in the October issue of the magazine (on the same page as my own letter about "Kids at gigs"). What's going on back there in the UK folks ? A band suing (successfully) a non-profit making club of volunteers over what seems to me to be a very minor issue i.e. when the band were informed of a cancelled gig. I knew many of the Folkestone Club members when I lived in the UK, lovely people. Don't know the Firebirds personally but am sure they probably are too. But guys if you're going to sue someone please stick to big profit-making companies, not people who willingly give their time and effort to keep rock'n'roll alive. Fortunately the Folkestone crowd have decided to keep their great work going and donate even more of their time and energy to try to raise the money to pay what the judge has told them to. Suppose they hadn't and Folkestone / Dover rock'n'roll folded - how would you feel then guys ? Plus how about the debt you owe them re. your careers ? They booked you many times at the Folkestone Club - part of your musical reputation and following maybe rests a little on the opportunities they gave you ?
We may be a few thousand miles away from the UK but here in Moscow we know the importance of anniversaries! April this year was the 52nd anniversary of Bill Haley's "Rock around the Clock " - the genesis of the great music. As you can see from the poster we made a big thing of it here and the organisers got the best bands from Moscow and St Petersburg for a rock'n'roll Extravaganza.
As the groups listed on the poster you can see mean little to all but a tiny number of UK readers, I'll concentrate more on the event than the individual bands. But just to say the real show stoppers were the Big Livers from St Petersburg: raw, authentic rock-a-billy. They got the crowd going 200%, dancers and non-dancers alike. Some in the crowd had come to see just them, including a small contingent from St Petersburg (have a look at the map, St P is not "just down the road" from Moscow). The Great Pretenders also stood out (and I'm NOT prejudiced by the fact that the lead singer and guitarist Sergei got me in for free on the band's guest-list!). They were superb, laying down fast rockin' numbers one after the other. They're decidedly NOT psycho-billy but for some reason the Moscow psycho-billy crew decided the Great Pretenders' set was their cue to strut their stuff on the dance floor. You've gotta see Moscow psycho-billy "dancing" (speech marks required) to believe. Without the benefit of a video to demonstrate let's just say it's infinitely more psychotic than the style in the UK. Plus unlike some venues in the UK it's more sociable - only the psycho-billies experience the physical collisions, not innocent bystanders on the dance floor. Will just mention one more band on the night - Diamond Hand from Moscow; a great set.
The DJ for the evening "Texan" aka Yuri is one of the best in the city, based on the quality of the stuff he plays. He plays the authentic r'n'r and rockabilly tracks but never forgets to tailor his music to the nature of his audience on a particular night - the key to a successful DJ i.e. getting a good balance. On 15th in between bands he did a superlative job putting this into practise. Plus he was the main organiser of the event along with Edik "Mad Cat".
The gig had plenty of punters dressed in the rockabilly style. Over here the percentage of rock'n'rollers who follow the rockabilly style is higher than in the UK. Likewise the bands. But there was also one drape jacket being worn (modesty forbids me advising who).
Unlike the UK, where the clientele who go to the rock'n'roll events is predominantly working-class (which I love, being from the same stock myself) the rockers over here are from a more varied social background. A reflection of Russian history; whatever else it did, the old Soviet system lessened the class differences amongst the people.
The best bands here in Russia are not just cheap imitations of the Western sound - they have their own style and stand up in comparison with all but the elite bands in the West. If Moscow and St Petersburg were closer geographically to the UK these bands would be touring and you'd see what I mean.
The history of the old Soviet Union meant the members of these bands never grew up with the authentic r'n'r sound. Uncles Brezhnev, Andropov and other Soviet leaders made sure the youth were not "corrupted" with such culture from the class enemy. So what they did was play, play and re-play vinyls of the original r'n'r recordings when they became available from the late 1980s onwards, until after countless hours of such "homework" they finally acquired the authentic sound in their own music. And I mean COUNTLESS hours. And the result is impressive. If you could hear them live you'd know what I mean.
Oh yes, sorry to all you ladies back in the UK, but a permanent fixture of r'n'r gigs here in Moscow are the Females. Russian women outclass any other country in looks and appearance (at least that's based on my experience). Another good reason to support Moscow rock'n'roll. Like I said sorry UK and yes I know it's a very safe thing to say a few thousand miles away!
And sorry you all missed this Great Event over there in Blighty! Then again you've got the "Jive, Jive, Jive" coming up in Reading next month which is one big bash I REALLY miss here in Moscow. Plus no longer being able to see live the WildKatz, Ravens, etc., .
By the way we do get a UK group over here in Moscow now and again. Not often, but occasionally. The last one was the Space Cadets in December last year; full credit to the "Spaceman" Viktor who organised it and personally lost money overall on the venture. The Space Cadets gig itself ? For me, disappointing: The band fell into the common trap of assuming the top-of-the-bill must crank up the amps higher than all the previous bands on the bill and BLAST it out. Result ? Yes you guessed it (for those who have experienced the Johnny Fox and the Hunters Syndrome), sound distorted and the whole thing turned into just a wall of uncomfortable sound. Rock'n'roll's gotta be loud and raucous but not an imitation of heavy metal. But
Talking to friends during and after the gig it was clear I was in a minority. The majority loved 'em.
The moral ? - Maybe I'm getting old
Poka (sounds a bit rude but don't worry it's Russian for "Bye") from Moscow!
All successful co-operatives depend on the participation and active involvement of its members and supporters.
If you have any suggestions or comments about Co-op-Jive please tell Coop Jive. 
re-printed from 'UK Rock' 
