Wednesday 15 July 2015

Karen, Mary & Trish report from the Dreamsville Mod weekend in Lowestoft


Friday 3rd July, we took the train from Sheffield to Lowestoft for our first ever trip to Dreamsville!

We were so excited we had heard so many good things about this weekend.  

After a long journey we arrived in Lowestoft late afternoon, we dropped our bags at the digs and set off to Claremont Pier where we met up with everyone else who had just arrived, in the downstairs bar. The first thing that hits you as soon as you walk into the venue is the buzz. 

The Claremont Pier is situated directly on the beach front, Lowestoft is a typical seaside town, and the sunny weather all made it perfect for standing outside with a pint in your hand.  Anticipation could be felt in the air and we knew it was going to be a great weekend right from the start. 

It appears that Dreamsville is an opportunity for mods from all over the country to have a rare get together. There is a feel of reunion as each group of people arrive at the venue and this is backed up by the array of different accents that can be heard.  

We headed back to get ready for the Friday evening which started at 9.30pm, feeling very merry and caught up in the atmosphere of the weekend. 

Arriving on the first night, again at the Claremont Pier, we were greeted with a free CD!
 
As we walked in we were struck by the retro ambiance of the venue, the seating was around the left hand side separated from the dance-floor, and a great place to meet up and chat with friends old and new.  The dance-floor was situated on the other side at the back of the bar, and was always packed right from the off.  

The DJs on the Friday night were residents Andrea Mattioni, Lee Miller and Dave Edwards, joined by Bill Kealy ‘For Dancers Only’ Ireland and Michel Wink ‘The Two Men from Linz’ Germany.  All played excellent tunes, personal favourites ‘Baby You’ve Got What it Takes’ Dinah Washington and ‘Don’t Mess With My Man’ Irma Thomas.  The room was very hot (not just the temperature) and buzzing with attendees from South of England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Austria as well as Sheffield.

So much for taking it easy on the first night, it’s hard not to get carried away with the fantastic atmosphere, and we left as the night finished at 2am with glowing faces and sore feet. 

On Saturday afternoon most of the activity took place upstairs in the area that was used for the Friday night venue although it had been transformed into a buying heaven. There were many stalls such as Handbags n Gladrags, Crimson Vintage & Tank Top supplying top quality clothes, shoes and bags for the ladies, along with stalls supplying items for the gents (although we cannot be more specific about these) as well a selection of, amongst other things, vinyl, mod prints (courtesy of Jamie JDogg McGrane) and John Smedleys, basically anything a mod could desire all set to a backdrop of excellent music.   

We would also like to make a special mention regarding the talents of the lovely Maggie Mattioni aka Peggy Jane who had prepared an extra special birthday present for Karen. 

The Saturday night started again at 9.30pm and was a bigger venue, again at Claremont Pier on the next floor up from the Friday night.  This venue was much bigger with a really large dance-floor with seating around, and a separate bar area.  So whether you were dancing, drinking or catching up with old friends you still felt the buzz, and it was packed with smart/sussed people all here to enjoy the music. 

DJs on the Saturday night included Lee Miller, Andrea Mattioni, Dave Edwards, Michel Wink, Bill Kealy and Paul Anderson. 

Again excellent tunes keeping people on the dance-floor right until 4am!  In our opinion the weekend couldn’t have been any better. 

Hotels are already getting booked up for next year, and you need to buy tickets in advance as the venue has limited capacity and was a sell out this year.  We would recommend booking something quite nearby so you can take a dip in the sea at 4am and then stagger back to your digs!!

 
 
 
 
 

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