Catching a fever would not be top of most people’s To Do List but if you get an opportunity to find yourself amongst an outbreak of Day Fever, my advice is go get it!
Blog Research
Last month I wrote a Blog, Less Sex, Prescribed Drugs and No Rock and Roll after 9.00pm. Blog writing often takes me way too long because I not only end up down a rabbit hole of research but in a whole warren of Googleness that leads me far from where I started. And then, thanks to Brain Fog, forget most of what I read!
The People Behind Day Fever
While researching aforementioned Blog, I re-discovered Day Fever. Actress Vicky McClure, she of Line of Duty fame, her husband Jonny Owen, a film producer and DJ and their Midlife, just, Mate, Reverend and the Makers singer Jon McClure, are behind the idea that launched in Sheffield in November 2023 and has become a huge UK nationwide success during the early part of 2024. It had interested me when I first read about it last year and, the more I read, the more I wanted to be part of it.
Lets Get Day Fever
So, having seen that day clubbing was coming to Leeds, the nearest city to catch Day Fever at the moment when you live on the Yorkshire Coast, on a Bank Holiday Sunday, I bought Mr B and I a ticket. An opportunity for a 56 year old dance and music lover and 58 year old who is mainly dancing averse but loves music to do some clubbing. Not, however, at night but in the day between 3.00pm and 8.00pm, sounds like a perfect afternoon and early evening to me.
Mr B, however, was less enthusiastic when I mentioned it to him! ‘Clubbing in the daytime, it’s all wrong!’ The man is resistant to change and is getting worse. Things were not helped when we went out for dinner for his brother’s birthday. ‘What you doing this weekend kid?’ asked his bro, ‘Going to Leeds day clubbing’ replied Mr B trying not to let me see him rolling his eyes. My husband can be a Tosser at times, it’s a good job I love him! ‘You can’t go clubbing in the day, it’s a night thing!’ my brother-in-law added. They are like a pair of bloody bookends at times!
You will love it and you know you will
Having spent two days modelling at York Fashion Week, more about that in a future post, one with my little fat feet stuffed in very pointy high shoes, and waking to what felt like the first rain free, warm, sunny day of the year, I could quite easily have spent the afternoon sat in our garden. But no, I wasn’t giving Mr B that satisfaction, I can be very stubborn when I want to be!
Heading for Leeds we fit in some shoe shopping and a drink at Grand Pacific at The Queens Hotel before walking in the sunshine along the Leeds and Liverpool canal from the City Centre to Project House Leeds, the Day Fever venue. Mr B was still sporting his little mouth, the reference in our family to that face you pull when you purse your sulky lips together! Project House was a great event space for a sunny day. With both an outdoor and indoor area it felt like a cross between a clubbing and festival vibe.
After a couple of pints of very reasonably priced House Lager, while stood at the back for fear of me dragging him on the stage, having realised he was surrounded by fellow Midlifers, I found Mr B tapping his toes to the music. I knew he would love it and he did!
The Music, The Atmosphere and The Experience
Chris McClure, there is an abundance of McClure’s involved in the Day Fever formation and turns out they are not all related, was the DJ in Leeds accompanied on stage by Kavita Varu, Lawyer by day and DJ at all other times. What a team, what an atmosphere, what tunes. Everything that Midlifers knew and could sing along to and trust me there was a lot of singing along.
A couple celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary were invited on to the stage to dance amongst the other people up there. Dancing on stage is a thing at Day Fever! Friends were having fun, those that had never met were dancing together, no one was judging anyone, everyone was there for a good time.
As I stood in the queue for the bar a guy turned to me and said ‘It’s f*!king bonkers isn’t it but I am having the best time’. Him, me, even Mr B, and about 1000 other people as well! A lady came over to me and told me she had been admiring my hair and asked me if it was naturally grey or dyed ? Those weren’t the type of conversations I had when clubbing in my 20’s.
Day Fever is a must for Midlifers who enjoy dancing and music – Mr B and I had the best time and it was Day 51 of being alcohol free for me.