About The Show
The singalong/faster songs:
Beer Barral Polka
GI Blues
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Too Fat Polka
Don't sit under the Apple Tree
D'ya Ever get one of those days
Hold Your Hand Out
My old man said follow the van
By the light of the silvery moon
Oh Johnny Oh
Mr Bassman
Pack up your troubles
Bless them all
Hang out the washing
In the mood
Show me the way to go home
Beat me daddy eight to the bar
The ballads/slower songs:
We'll meet again
Button up your overcoat
Apple Blossom Time
When the lights go on again
White Cliffs of Dover
Lili Marlene
Berkeley Square
Where the Boys are
Shine on harvest moon
On moonlight bay
Rum and Coca Cola
Que Sera Sera
Sisters
Bye Bye Blackbird
Chatanooga Choo Choo
Wish me luck
Underneath The Arches
Where it all began...
Having been performing on the club circuit of South Wales and England for three years, The Pashy Pops were singing and appreciating music from the 1950s to now, but it was when they bumped into a friend who enjoyed attending 1940s weekends as a re-enactor that they found their favourite niche in 2012. Their friend suggested that they become 1940s themed performers and come along to one of the weekends in Caldicot Castle to sing some of the 40s songs in aid of Help For Heroes. With only a week to prepare and not people to do things by halves, the girls went straight out to buy a costume apiece and set about learning ten songs in only a few days. "We had never heard most of these songs, but we knew that we had fallen in love with them from the first note." They said. Studying the wonderful talent of artists such as The Andrews Sisters, Ruth Etting and Dame Vera Lynn awoke in The Pashy Pops the need to help preserve and revitalise this music so the people of this generation and the next wouldn't forget. Singing their songs live that week in front of an audience in one of the turrets of Caldicot Castle gave them the feeling that we were onto something special here...
What happened next...
Since that first performance, The Pashy Pops have brought the entire show to the table which is now known as 'Underneath The Lantern'. The title was taken from the first line of the song Lili Marlene (incidentally the first song that they learned and one which still brings tears to their eyes when they sing it!) Costumes, props and sound effects were added with each performance and their inventory is still growing. The girls love to create the entire feel of the 1940s to the show, not just through music, but through what they wear, what they say, how they move and through their surroundings. Their props include an authentic 1940s living room scene, sandbags, flags, many propaganda posters from the time, a vintage radio that tunes in to Churchill's speech, Air Raid Sirens and much much more. They encourage maximum audience participation, giving out flags, calling members of the audience up for service during their own army section of the show and engaging everyone is a 'cockney singalong' in their civilian section. "We have studied everything from this era so that we can make it feel as real as possible, but it has just been a pleasure to do so and not like work at all" they said.
The future...
Now Underneath The Lantern is a well established part of the entertainment industry. It has continued its appearance at popular historical sites and has maintained a close link with CADW whilst building a strong reputation with other notable organisations and venues such as West Somerset Railway, Spetchley Park, The NEON, The RBL, Help for Heroes, The NHS and many others.
