SOUTHERN COMFORT FAT TUESDAY - HALLOWEEN HOUSE PARTY

Event Duration:  6 hours and 30 mins.
From: 8.00 pm on Tuesday 31 October 2006.
To: 1.30 am on Wednesday 1 November 2006.

Details:
This Halloween, Southern Comfort Fat Tuesday invites you to taste the magic of Voodoo New Orleans at the grand Old Queens Head in Islington. Drawing on the sights and sounds of one of the greatest musical cities on earth, New Orleans, Southern Comfort Fat Tuesday dons a mask and parties like no other. Expect to enjoy a musical mish-mash of soul, funk, hip hop and disco, bespoke visuals, decadent surroundings, mysterious guests and voodoo courtesy of Gideon Reeling and tasty Southern Comfort cocktails to boot. All of this will be mixed up with Momma Cherri’s Creole soul food, carved pumpkins, simmering cauldrons, Voodoo dress, fortune tellers and the launch of a New Orleans photography exhibition.

After hosting parties at festivals across the UK and a party in Ibiza, the next installment takes you to Voodoo New Orleans for two floors of music, magic and mystery, this time on the spookiest day of the year. Originating in Africa over 10,000 years ago, Voodoo made its way to New Orleans in the early 1800’s, with genuine Voodoo priests and priestess’ conducting ceremonies to this day. A fitting enough venue on its ornate features alone, The Old Queen’s Head, has a colourful history of mooted ghosts including tapping feet and the rustle of a dress belonging to a small girl running up the stairs and along the passageway.

Music will be provided by Brighton-based funkster Blackgrass, one of the highlights of this year’s Bestival, spinning a DJ set in the upstairs room. Meanwhile, breaks maestro A-Skillz, whose album with Krafty Kuts featured vocal luminaries such as Kurtis Blow and TC Izlam, makes a welcome return to Southern Comfort Fat Tuesday. Also on the bill, is Gilles Peterson’s new protégé Ben Westbeech who will be mixing grainy breaks and beats with his own soulful vocals.

XFM and All City Records head honcho Dan Greenpeace will be stepping up to strut his stuff along with Freestyle Records’ Shepdog, with his signature blend of soul, funk and hip-hop. Plus, there will be a very special guest headlining the event (TBA nearer the time).

Following on from the exclusive collaboration earlier this year between New Orleans rappers Da Rangaz and London scenesters Rodney P and Skitz, Southern Comfort Fat Tuesday brings you another first in the form of DJ Pasta. New Orleans resident and local circuit DJ, 34 year old Pasta (his name, not simply a DJ moniker) has been playing records since the tender age of 9, mixing everything from rockabilly and ska to the jazz and blues fare you would expect from a jock hailing from the Big Easy. Having recently been touring with “ghetto-tech” organist and New Orleans institution Quintron, this will be Pasta’s first trip to the UK and sole-DJ gig.

Southern Comfort Fat Tuesday is also pleased to invite the star of ‘Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares’, Momma Cherri, to join the proceedings. Featured in the last series, Momma Cherri (real name Charita Jones) will be spreading her magic, serving up some of her trademark creole cuisine to the guests. The charismatic American chef will be preparing a feast of classic New Orleans dishes mixed with a few of her own secret recipes.

In a secret courtyard, interactive theatre company Gideon Reeling will create a surreal parallel party as well as players mingling throughout the venue. Take a chance and you could have your future unveiled by a Voodoo Fortune Teller, be dazzled by the miraculous magician, or be scared witless by the most harrowing of ghost stories.

This event will also feature a micro-exhibition of New Orleans photography showing the city recovering from Hurricane Katrina through the eyes of 15 local photographers – with all proceeds going to The Southern Comfort Music Fund, a charity supporting New Orleans musicians.

For the latest information, as well as your chance to secure free tickets to this event, log onto www.fattuesday.co.uk.
Know your comfort level. Drink Responsibly

Location:
The City, London, England, United Kingdom.

Last Updated:
Monday 23 October 2006 at 11.55 am UTC/GMT  (202 weeks and 2 days ago).
POSTED: Friday 6 October 2006 at 11.16 am UTC/GMT  (204 weeks and 5 days ago).