KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS + MIKE PANTELI – CHALK, BRIGHTON 19.7.24
Today was hot, hot, hot so what better way to celebrate the arrival of our long overdue summer, by choosing to watch Kid Creole & The Coconuts as they moored up their party boat to Brighton’s Chalk. It has been many a year since Kid Creole and his merry Coconuts had graced our Sussex shores, so anticipation was high as hundreds of people turned up, dressed to sweat in their Hawaiian shirts (plus, even a few fedora hats and zoot suits were being adorned by some of the audience, as they readied themselves for a Latino/Funk party to remember).
We got to the East Street Tap beforehand in order to partake in ‘preparation beers’ and we were surprised to find so many people we knew (with various different musical palettes) who had turned out for tonight’s proceedings. It seems that Kid Creole’s music has touched the hearts and memories of a wide spectrum of music lovers, of which I was one of them (I still own the early 1980’s 7” singles that I bought with my pocket money back in the day). We were suddenly reminded that showtime was rapidly approaching, as Kid Creole himself (or August Darnell, if you prefer) was spotted entering the venue’s back doors, holding his natty 1930’s style briefcase whilst looking as stylish as you would expect him to be.
August Darnell was originally from The Bronx (US) and has been involved with music for a very long time, but he formed Kid Creole & The Coconuts in 1980 (along with Andy Hernandez and Adriane Kaegi). The music was to be inspired by Disco/Latin American and Caribbean styles but all delivered in a contemporary pop and funky manner. Another big influence on their music and style was the big band era of the 1930s/1940s. As well as their memorable appearances on UK TV when I was a youngster, they were also known for their flamboyant performances in the live arena.
They have released numerous albums over the years, but their breakthrough release was ‘Tropical Gangsters’ (their 3rd album) which spawned the classic singles ‘Stool Pigeon’, ‘Annie I’m Not Your Daddy’ and ‘I’m A Wonderful Thing, Baby’. At one point in their career (1990 to be exact) even ‘Prince’ wrote a song for them by the name of ‘The Sex Of It’. This is all just the tip of the iceberg when discussing the band’s achievements, but in 2001 they took a ten year hiatus, before reforming in 2011. Apart from touring and recording, August Darnell nowadays runs a record label by the name of ‘2C2C Music’.
Warming us up tonight, (as if we needed that as the venue was very warm and sweaty at this point in the night) was a DJ called Mike Panteli (of Sweet Grooves/Heart/Capital fame). He played his mix of sweet soul music and disco to an already packed room, accompanied by a video backdrop which added a little extra to the proceedings. His wheels of steel were emitting all the old classics, such as Chaka Khan’s ‘I’m Every Woman’ (It never gets old) and Candi Staton’s legendary ‘Young Hearts Run Free’, which the crowd happily lapped up as they sang along with the blissful chorus. All in all, perfect summer tunes were played, but before we could mop our brows, Mike Pantelli’s equipment was being removed from the stage to make way for the big band that is Kid Creole & The Coconuts.
The time was approaching 8.15pm as the lights went down, and one of The Coconuts (Charlotte De Graaf, I think) took hold of the microphone and introduced us to the band as they took to their positions on the stage. The unmistakable figure of August Darnell followed them as he strutted stage centre, to swiftly break into the opening number of the night, ‘Caroline Was A Drop Out’.
It was soon evident that this big band (There were 12 of them, including The Kid) were on top form and sounded much more harder edged than their well known poppier singles would have you believe. Before you had a chance to murmur the words “Big Hit Single”, the band treated us early on, to the classic ‘I’m A Wonderful Thing, Baby’ which got the crowd singing and dancing as predicted. August said he wrote this song in his heyday, when he was feeling particularly happy with himself, and I was more than happy to hear it tonight. August Darnell has still got the voice I must say, which is refreshing after feeling let down recently by certain heritage acts that rely too much on backing tapes to bolster their vocals. His voice sounded as good as it ever did and he has certainly got the dance moves to match.
‘Animal Crackers’ (from their 2nd album ‘Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places’) was played shortly afterwards and the band were fully in their stride at this point, with a cool horn section giving it some to the right hand side of the stage. The Coconuts performed various dress changes throughout the evening and were a tight dance troupe to boot.
Their backing vocals gave us that signature Coconuts sound that we know very well, and their choreography was entertaining and impressive. (As a side note, I do think the ogling of The Coconuts from the stage was dated somewhat and it didn’t sit too well with me, but I suppose the band would say that it’s all part of the show, where the 1940s and 1980s collide).
Next up, we were treated to another Kid Creole & The Coconuts hit, in the form of the excellent ‘Stool Pigeon’ which got the crowd (and me, come to that) singing along with it’s unforgettable and infectious chorus (Otherwise, known as an earworm. ‘Stool Pigeon….Ha, cha, cha, cha!’). They followed this with ‘Midsummer Madness’ (from their 1987 album, ‘I,Too, Have Seen The Woods’) and Kid Creole got the crowd to chant for “The Coco-Nuts” as the legendary singers and dancers took to the stage in new sparkly outfits to perform ‘You Can’t Buy Me Love’ by The Beatles.
August introduced his band to us again and listed the various countries they originated from, including the U.S (the bassist was from Manhattan), The Netherlands and the UK. The lead guitarist was also from the U.S and played a mean funky guitar and had a big stage presence. After briefly meeting him afterwards, I can also happily confirm that he is a big ‘Prince’ fan (He spotted my ‘Paisley Park’ T-shirt).
It was now approaching the end of the band’s mammoth 90-minute set, but this enjoyable big band performance made the time absolutely fly by. We were definitely in the presence of a class act that duly broke into a funky rendition of the ‘Don’t Take My Coconuts’. The last song of the set was ‘Welcome To The Lifeboat Party, Child’ and a party was indeed being had by all in attendance tonight, as they danced the night away. Kid Creole & The Coconuts briefly left the stage, but before we could finish our cocktails, they returned to deliver an encore in the form of ‘Darlin’ You Can Take Me’.
Sadly, this sold out show had come to a close, so we waved farewell to Kid Creole & The Coconuts as they left the stage to a room full of smiling faces. It was time for them to gather their hats and big coats and get back on the party boat, as they readied themselves to unmoor their ship and head towards the next port of the tour (Anchors aweigh!). Tonight, truly was a wonderful thing (baby).
Kid Creole & The Coconuts setlist:
‘Intro’
‘Buttermilk Channel’ (from 1987 ‘I, Too, Have Seen the Woods’ album)
‘Caroline Was A Drop-Out’ (from 1985 ‘In Praise Of Older Women… And Other Crimes’ album)
‘I’m A Wonderful Thing, Baby’ (from 1982 ‘Tropical Gangsters’ album)
‘Broadway Rhythm’ (from 1983 ‘Doppelganger’ album)
‘Animal Crackers’ (from 1981 ‘Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places’ album)
‘Stool Pigeon’ (from 1982 ‘Tropical Gangsters’ album)
‘Midsummer Madness’ (from 1987 ‘I, Too, Have Seen the Woods’ album)
‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ (The Beatles cover)
‘Chances’ (from 2021 ‘Nothin’ Left But The Rest’ album)
‘Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy’ (from 1982 ‘Tropical Gangsters’ album)
‘Flip, Flop And Fly / My Gal’s A Jockey’ (from 2001 ‘Too Cool to Conga!’ album)
‘Oh! Look At Me Now’ (Frank Sinatra cover by Coconut Charlotte de Graaf)
‘Don’t Take My Coconuts’ (2002 reissue of 1983 ‘Doppelganger’ album)
‘Welcome To The Lifeboat Party, Child’ (from 1983 ‘Doppelganger’ album)
(encore)
‘Darlin’ You Can Take Me’ (from 1985 ‘In Praise Of Older Women… And Other Crimes’ album)
