Or #Getyourdancingshoeson
As a resident of stabby South London the closest I usually get to an amnesty is the knife bin next to the recycling bins at my not very local Sainsbury’s.
Well, that and knowing one of my Facebook friends used to work for Amnesty International.
They both have their place as acceptable amnesties but what if I told you there was a much better one, tailored to kids who like their tunes with a bit of swagger (but not this kind of swagger)?
It’s called Indie Amnesty and, a week on from discovering the devastating news about Beth, it was just what I needed.
(As an update to last week I have decided I am going to go to Cornwall and will probably go overnight rather than just for the day. As a further update to last week my head has been all over the place so apologies to anyone I’ve messaged if the messages have seemed even weirder than normal.)
In the very loved up (there was a massive lit up heart on the stage which would be ideal for a Tinder profile picture) setting of the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, Alex Haddow and her trusty band of merry men were on the decks for five hours of top quality entertainment.
I can’t remember every single part of the night so don’t remember whether I got fingered, as this tweet implied could happen:
But I do remember the tunes Alex was playing were so good I wanted to dance from the moment I stepped in the room, which never usually happens.
I stopped myself and had a drink first because my style of dancing (if a style is the right word for it) is probably best witnessed when it is hidden behind a throbbing mass of bodies rather than as a soloist – I’m definitely no prima ballerina.
As well as the great tunes playing throughout the evening the thing that I’ll remember is Alex looking absolutely overjoyed dancing on the stage surrounded by a lot of her friends.
She was most definitely in her happy place, as if she’d put some tunes on in her house and a few hundred people had turned up to enjoy them with her.
Leading the crowd like only the best DJs can, she got them all involved in the dancing and the love in the room, even if all they knew about her was that she was the queen of the night.
Regular readers will remember how in a previous episode of Fiskal Policy I described her as a rockstar crossed with a comedian. This time I’m describing her as a musical goddess.
I had a suspicion that the world’s best comedian would also put on the world’s best indie night but couldn’t be sure until I’d witnessed it for myself (I’d tried to go to Indie Amnesty a few times before but tickets were always sold out before I could get my hands on them). But she most definitely does.
Pricewise you’ll find it is also great value for money. Tickets were reasonably priced at £6 (plus 60p admin fee), which works out at just over a pound per hour of top quality tunes and a round of a pint of lager and the indie disco classic of Jack Daniels and Coke came to £12.50.
The biggest expense came from me buying a tshirt especially for the night and then thinking it wasn’t good enough to wear so wearing one I bought in Georgetown before the pandemic hit.
If I did stars in reviews I’d give it five (out of five obvs) and will urge you to get tickets to the next one. I’m not sure when the next Indie Amnesty is so my best suggestion is to follow Indie Amnesty on Instagram as the date will definitely be announced there.
When it is announced make sure you book your plane, train, boat, taxi – whatever mode of transport you need to get to London for the night of your life.
In the meantime my best suggestion is to catch Alex Haddow when she does some of her super comedy in a town near you – this isn’t an exhaustive list. It’s just what I could find during a quick internet search – and you should doublecheck with venues:
All in Comedy – Glee Club – Cardiff – Thursday, May 19
Friday Night Comedy – Glee Club – Cardiff – Friday, May 20
Saturday Night Comedy – Glee Club – Cardiff – Saturday, May 21
Woman in Progress (work in progress – Edinburgh preview) – The Bill Murray – Islington, North London – Sunday, May 22
Quip Shed Comedy – Old Cranleighan Club – Thames Ditton – Friday, May 27
Very Funny – MKII Studios – Hackney, London – Sunday, May 29
Choose Laugh – Genesis Cinema – London – Friday, June 3
Friday Night Comedy – Glee Club – Glasgow – Friday, June 24
Stay safe for another week!
Fiskal Policy 