Girlcrew goes vintage

Last Saturday night I found myself out for the night with a group of women I had never met before. It was my first proper outing with Girlcrew aside from the two occasions last year I had met people for coffee. If you are not already familiar with Girlcrew then let me give you a brief introduction. Girlcrew is a hub for women who are looking to make new friends. Sometimes its because they have moved/ changed jobs/ gotten married or divorced and find their social group has drifted. I have been living in Waterford a long time now and yet I find I don't really know anyone down here so when I first heard about Girlcrew South East I was really excited. I joined immediately and met up with people twice and then nothing. I work pretty mad hours and I am also taking a bit of break from alcohol so I found the get togethers that were happening either clashed with my work schedule or were too daunting a prospect for me. So I mostly just looked on in envy at the happenings being posted on the page.

Then last week a post went for an event I was planning to be at anyway. The third songs from the parlour event. It's a monthly themed night in The Parlour (Vintage tea rooms) in the Port of Waterford building. This one was a 1930's theme with many dressing accordingly and music by the amazing Susan O'Neill followed Amber and the Bear. I had been to the one the previous month a Rockabilly 50's/60's themed night but I was there with my boyfriend who was working so I spent most of the night hugging the wall (not literally !) which is what us introverts do at events like this when sober. I really wanted to go this one and was until I saw the Girlcrew post I was bracing myself for a similar experience. I joined the conversation about the night, expressing my enthusiasm to be part of the group going and then spent the rest of the week changing my mind about going. I was still in my pyjamas cooking an hour before I was due to leave. It wasn't that I didn't want to go but I was nervous about the whole thing and I would not be adverse to choosing the path of least resistance which in this case would have been staying home with my book. In the end I bit the bullet and headed out nervously into the night.

As I arrived in the bar we were meeting at one Girlcrewer was already in situ much to my relief which saved me the awkwardness of approaching random women and asking them if they were there for Girlcrew. Within a few minutes the others began arriving and we introduced ourselves and soon we were chatting away and I was glad I came out. After almost an hour we left the bar and made our way to the Parlour which was already heaving even though the music had yet to begin. The parlour is perfect for these sort of nights as its in an old Georgian building with great big high ceilings. Sarah Jane and her team were all done up immaculately as always and loads of people there had gone all out in capturing the style of the 1930's with the men looking especially dapper. 
I must say I enjoyed a lot more this time around with the company of new friends and all the banter and laughs that followed. 

Susan O'Neill was up first and as always I was blown away by the power of her voice. Her sound is a folky pop mix and I have a wonderful feeling she's going to go on to do very great things and I shall regale people with my very boring story of how I talked to her once before she got very famous. She sang a mix of covers and her own stuff leaving us duly impressed and the crowd was very much warmed up by the time Amber and the Bear took to the stage.

Amber and the Bear are a jazz/funk band and they are both ridiculously young and very talented. Their music is all instrumental but it could not have been better suited to the  1930's theme. They had everyone moving a long to the music within minutes of playing. I am looking forward to hearing more from them.

By the end of the night I had no voice and very sore feet but I was really glad I had been brave enough to be part of a Girlcrew night out.