Anyone who came of age in 2000 will probably go misty-eyed at the sound of Toploader's Dancing in the Moonlight. Carefree, catchy and infuriatingly hard to sing without sounding like a tone-deaf idiot, it rang out from radios almost continuously that summer, catapulting the previously unheard of band from Eastbourne, England, into the limelight. A decade on, their name has all but faded from our lips. There was a second single, Achilles Heel, which did well. But they failed to follow up on the success of their first album, Onka's Big Moka, and split in 2003 after being dropped from their record label. Then in May 2009 came the news that they were reforming. Their comeback brings them to the UAE, where they will perform for two nights, on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi and on Thursday in Dubai. Expect an audience of swaying people in their late twenties, who will be able to sing along, badly, to at least two of their songs.
The spirit of Duke Ellington lives on in the Duke Ellington Big Band, the tribute band dedicated to the great American jazz pianist and composer, which will perform at the Palladium in Dubai on Thursday. It is billed as the first event of Panoramajazz, a programme of concerts that aims to bring jazz performers to the Gulf "to stimulate increased cultural interchange". Out of respect for Ellington, the band has no conductor but a lead musician, the saxophonist and clarinet player Victor Goines. The great man will also be represented by his grandchild Mercedes Ellington, who is Panoramajazz's producer, director and choreographer.
A lucky few in Abu Dhabi will also get to see them: the band, who are being brought to the capital by Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, are holding two workshops, one tonight for the students of the UAE University in Al Ain, and a second on Tuesday for the students of the American Community School. Both workshops will be followed by private concerts. Pecha Kucha has been doing sterling work since it was launched in Tokyo in 2003 as a way of getting young designers together to meet and exhibit their work. Events now take place all over the world, with the Dubai community meeting regularly at The Third Line gallery in Al Quoz. Wednesday's session will follow a 20x20 format in which each (previously registered) participant will present 20 images for 20 seconds.
For film and opera buffs, Art Sawa's Cine Club rolls on with its Opera Screening series. Tonight will feature Puccini's 45-minute operetta, Gianni Schicchi, accompanied by a talk by the musician, composer and lecturer David Lesser. Tickets are Dh25. Prior registration is required (call 04 340 8660 or e-mail workshop@artsawa.com). To describe any show as "perfect" might seem foolish. But for dance fans, a show that incorporates Indian dancing, belly dancing, salsa and tango might be just that - except that's not why The Perfect Show, which takes place at the Palladium on Tuesday, is called that. Instead, it's a show within a show, in which the audience will be taught what makes a "perfect" show (so lights, music, choreography) all through the medium of dance. It's a rather niche concept but one that might appeal to those interested in the more technical side of the entertainment experience.
