This show was a real dive back into the past, and the predominantly grey-haired audience was obviously relishing a reminder of the days when going out dancing meant jiving to the likes of Chris Barber and Acker Bilk at 100 Oxford Street. But it’s set even further back in time, and attempts on a small scale, but very successfully, to recreate the joie de vivre of performers and audience at New York’s famous Cotton Club in the 1930s and 40s. At that time the dance was the ‘Lindy Hop’, the best known dance aspect of the swing era, and forerunner of jiving and rock and roll.

Playing the music was Harry Strutter’s Hot Rhythm Orchestra, led by the likeable trumpeter and vocalist Megs Etherington, who also compered the show with a relaxed, dry humour: “This song was originally recorded by the great Billie Holliday — but it won’t sound anything like that!”

We were off to a lively start with a bouncy performance of Who Could Ask for Anything More, and progressed through a whole bunch of standards from that era. Other vocals came in style from Marlene Hill, a stately, feather-topped, boa-draped figure, who gave us fine versions of numbers like Dream a Little Dream of Me. Other highlights were a slow clarinet solo of Benny Goodman’s Nuages, a piano solo to a medley of Earl Hines pieces, and a very long drum solo, Bei Mir Bist Du Schon — with comic asides from Megs as it threatened never to end. There were cheers (of appreciation) when it did.

Dance came from ‘The Jiving Lindy Hoppers’, two men and two girls with a lot of energy and some impressive routines, ranging from a solo soft-shoe shuffle, through some high quality tap numbers and a terrific Charleston, to a great finale in which they descended from the stage to bring members of the audience into the dance.

Some of them were surprisingly good.