Kevin Rowland of Dexys DJs at How Does It Feel To Be Loved?

We're overjoyed to say that our guest DJ at HDIF in February will be Kevin Rowland. The legendary Dexys frontman has appeared at HDIF five times now and each night was absolutely incredible. And this night promises to be better yet. Kevin's first few DJ appearances at the club saw him play an immaculate selection of music, spanning from Toots And The Maytals and David Bowie to T Rex and the Stooges, and sing along with a couple of the selections, but last year he started to develop more of an intricate show.

His vocal spots were more than just accompanying the records - Kevin found ways for his vocals to inhabit some of the songs and reinterpret them, making the night more like a dramatic gig than a regular club. On one track, he even entered into a conversation with the singer in question - we won't say who, no spoilers! - re-assuring him, cajoling him, admonishing him, until it felt like we were living inside a cut from "Don't Stand Me Down". And having proved that the idea could work at last year's HDIF, he's developed it further, with more vocalisation, more invention, more innovation. Exactly what you'd expect from an artist always striving to move forwards.

So to say that we're excited is an understatement. What has Kevin come up with? We'll find out on February 17th.


We play:

The Smiths * The Supremes * Belle & Sebastian * Dusty Springfield * The Magnetic Fields * Love * Orange Juice * The Ronettes * Aztec Camera * Beach Boys * The Temptations * Velvet Underground * Felt * The Shangri-Las * Allo Darlin' * Otis Redding * The Field Mice * Dexys Midnight Runners * Camera Obscura * The Four Tops * The Go-Betweens * Tammi Terrell * Jens Lekman * Jonathan Richman * Le Tigre * Pat Powdrill * The Sea Urchins * Sleater-Kinney * Os Mutantes * Neutral Milk Hotel * The Left Banke * The Associates * Martha Reeves & The Vandellas