Gauteng's a swing state

There was a time when The Chairman of the Board referred to a blue-eyed crooner and not your boss; when The Rat Pack was a crew of black-suited, cigar-smoking, mischief-causing singers and not the rodents in your roof.

It was a time of big bands and even bigger heart-throbs - when the cocktails came in martini glasses with swizzle sticks and umbrellas, and the girls came in Chevrolets and could jump, jive and twirl the night away.

Just when House music was making you house-bound and you wished that Goa trance would just go away, a revival of swing has been gaining ground all over the world.

The film Swingers, which enjoyed unexpected success in the late 1990s, is one of the reasons for the swing revival.

One of the masters of the swing scene, Louis Prima - who enjoyed huge popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s - has his music used so frequently in films and commercials that it's instantly recognisable to young and old.

Following his lead, a bunch of swing bands popped up in the 1990s emulating his foot-tapping style, including The Cherry-Popping Daddies, The Squirrel Nut Zippers and The Big Bad Voodoo Daddies.

In an age of gangster rap and death metal, swing offers something completely different: optimism and fun.

''That appeals to people here," says Michael Lesar, one of the greatest purveyors of the swing scene in Johannesburg.

''Swing is my first love. It's naive, innocent and just plain groovy," he said.

Every month Lesar hosts a swing party at which people get dressed up, get down and jive to retro-swing, electro-swing and the latest Neo-Swing. And there's burlesque performed by Miss Oh.

"Let's Swing It"is on tonight in Pretoria, at Arcade Empire, with DJ Michael Lesar, Greg Georgiades live on ukulele, Plaat Japie and Tiny T, from Audio Villains. Entrance is R60. Call 082-722-3858.