Maeve Keane's Profile

Acts including American folkie Willy Mason, dance-punk band Foals and
singer-songwriter Emmy the Great have all played “living-room gigs”
recently.

As a means of reconnecting with fans and gaining publicity, the appeal of live
performance – particularly in intimate settings – is clear. One of 2009’s
most-heralded new artists, Little Boots, came to prominence after posting up
YouTube videos of herself performing future hits such as “Meddle” on a
keyboard in her bedroom, wearing pyjamas.

The possibilities for retrosocialising are almost limitless – and the more
bizarre the better. Take a cue from existing groups: members of The Tweed
Cycling Club (motto: “Style not speed, elegance not exertion”) kit
themselves out in plus fours, Forties Fair Isle sweaters and bicycle clips
for day trips on their beautifully refurbished steel touring bikes.

The Last Tuesday Society’s Viktor Wynd hosts decadent fin-de-siècle salon
events in and around London – from lectures and poetry readings to masked
balls. In the north of England, meanwhile, the Northern Forties hosts Second
World Warbased events where guests are free to dress in civvies or
militaria.

And dressing the part is only the half of it. Some retro-socialisers are even
dipping into Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management to create historical
recipes, such as fowl pie and Aunt Nelly’s pudding.