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.

Advance tickets are here - http://www.wegottickets.com/event/428276

Photos of Kevin's previous appearances at HDIF are here:

Kevin Rowland DJ-ing at HDIF in 2017 - http://www.howdoesitfeel.co.uk/apr152017a.html
Kevin Rowland DJ-ing at HDIF in 2016 - http://www.howdoesitfeel.co.uk/july162016a.html
Kevin Rowland DJ-ing at HDIF in 2011 - http://www.howdoesitfeel.co.uk/july162011a.html
Kevin Rowland DJ-ing at HDIF in 2009 - http://www.howdoesitfeel.co.uk/nov62009a.html
Kevin Rowland DJ-ing at HDIF in 2007 - http://www.howdoesitfeel.co.uk/feb22007a.html

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How Does It Feel To Be Loved?
Saturday February 17th, 2018
The Phoenix, 37 Cavendish Square, London W1. 9pm-3am, £4 members £6 non-members. Membership is free! Register here: http://www.howdoesitfeel.co.uk/membership.html

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

Reviews of How Does It Feel To Be Loved?:

"This hugely popular night knows there are few better ways to enter 2017 than with a soundtrack of classic sixties soul and the most danceworthy janglepop and shimmering indie tunes." - Time Out
“A speakeasy for anyone who suspects that their life is one big Smiths song' - Big Issue
'Absolutely the best night in the whole of the world!” - The Guardian
“Much-loved indie pop institution” - The Quietus
“Legendary indie club” - NME
"How Does It Feel To Be Loved has, since 2002, easily been one of London’s best club nights. Its unpretentious and welcoming nature, often fuelled with everything from Belle & Sebastian and Orange Juice to Tamla Motown and Dusty Springfield, swipes away any negative connotations our capital has for being a cold, brutal and rather heartless place." - Music OMH
"With a tag-line of ‘From the Smiths to the Supremes’ it’s the music policy that shapes How Does It Feel To Be Loved?; indie-pop and soul draw a quietly hip bunch of revelers. Best of all they are just so friendly; no aggro or posturing here – it’s all crooked smiles and handclaps." - For Folk's Sake
"With a decade of great nights under its belt How Does it Feel to Be Loved? is one of London's most enduring and influential underground indie get-togethers." Flavorpill