Words by Ed King / Pics from The Tootsie Rollers 
6 days to go…
In BIG BOLD TYPE on the Swingamajig 2016 bill are The Tootsie Rollers – bringing their all girl line up of mischievous glitz and femme fatale glamour to the best dressed festival in Birmingham.
Comprised of six styled and sassy lasses from darn sarf, The Tootsie Rollers ‘are a retro girl band who fuse old-school classics with contemporary hits’ – reworking modern chart familiars with their homage to a catalogue of Swing standards.
Backed by their booted and suitably named band, The Dappers, a Tootise Rollers’ set can give Pharell Williams’ ‘
Happy’ a rouge blush, Lordes’ ‘Royal’ a sparkling new smile, Rhianna’s ‘Umbrella’ a touch of the Gene Kelly, and make Meghan Tranior’s ‘…Bass’ pale in comparison – with a little help from George Gershwin of course. Great fun, and arguably sexier the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
So who are these debutantes of debauchery? First up we have Katy, aka ‘the poppet’ – who ‘is cheeky, lively and cute’ and the blonde doppelganger of someone I used to work with (…Christina?). Next up is the ‘enchanting and seductive’ Khiley, aka ‘The Siren’, who’s hopeless romanticism may cost more than an H. Samuel gift voucher, followed by the ‘wide eyed, charming and loyal’ Anna – aka ‘The Sweetheart’.
Flo, aka ‘The Bombshell’, is the ‘epitome of old school glamour’, whilst Lisa, aka ‘The Diva’, has a self confessed 
‘penchant for the decadent’ which no doubt earned her the high maintenance moniker. Then last but not least is Meg, aka ‘The Peach’ – a ‘5th avenue princess’ who strikes a remarkable resemblance to Grace Kelly. With a bit of Audrey Hepburn round the eyes. Blimey, it’s like a hen party from heaven.
But it’s serious fun with The Tootsie Rollers, whose website boasts collaborations ‘with everyone from DJ Yoda to Bruce Forsyth’ and a recent sell out show at the 1340 capacity London Hippodrome. Hard to argue with that CV.
Birmingham will get its chance to see The Tootsies for itself when they roll into town as part of the Swingamajig 2016 headline bill – kicking off across the Rainbow Venues on Sunday 1st May.
Meanwhile, back at the speakeasy…
‘All About That Bass/Slap That Bass’ (Meghan Trainor/George Gershwin) – performed by The Tootise Rollers & The Dappers
Other acts appearing at Swingamajig 2016 are The Destroyers, JFB, Electric Swing Circus, Balkan Beat Box, The After Hours Quintet, Jim Wynn Swing Orchestra, C@ in the H@, The Chicken Brothers, Aries, Tallulah Goodtimes, Jenova Collective (DJ set), Father Funk + burlesque from Kitty Bang Bang & friends.
Swingamajig 2016 comes the Rainbow Venues in Digbeth on May 1st – running form 2pm until 6am. Tickets are priced at £22/£25/£30. For the full Swingamagig line up, alongside everything else you need to know about the festival – including online tickets, visit http://swingamajig.co.uk/
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For more on The Toosie Rollers, visit http://www.thetootsierollers.com/
For more on Rainbow Venues, visit http://therainbowvenues.co.uk/
