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BIRTHDAY PARTY KILLER KITSCH STREET PARTY The Buff Club & Bath Lane, Glasgow, Tue 1 Jun
Although not exactly over-endowed with good quality, alternative midweek club nights, Glasgow has at least one star operating on Tuesdays, the Buff Club’s Killer Kitsch. ‘When we started,’ says co-founder, promoter and resident DJ Euan Neilson, ‘the only choices for Glasgow on a Tuesday night were Sauchiehall Street clubs, which are fine as far as they go. But we [KK’s co- founder is Dave Sinclair] thought it would be good to do a night for students that was a bit to the left of the mainstream, and we wanted to reflect our own taste for things like 2 Many DJs, Basement Jaxx and Groove Armada, and for older music like Blondie and The Human League.’ That was five years ago, and now Neilson, Sinclair and
fellow residents Duncan Harvey and David Brown will be celebrating their half-decade anniversary in unique fashion. For one night only Bath Lane will be transformed into a mini festival site, with Neilson and Sinclair playing on a specially constructed outdoor stage with a full lighting rig and PA. ‘The lane will have its own bar,’ they promise, ‘but sadly no burger van.’ And if the weather disappoints, as it can do at Scottish festivals, the club’s 400 plus regulars will still have the run of the Buff Club and the adjoining Butterfly & Pig bar. This isn’t KK’s only highlight of 2010, though. They’re
also looking to start a monthly weekend date, beginning with guest Alex Metric at the Sub Club in July, while Grum will also be appearing at the regular Tuesday-nighter that same month. ‘The ambition is,’ laughs Neilson, ‘to run a club that people like enough to queue for.’ (David Pollock)
BURLESQUE CLUB NOIR: SUMMER HOLIDAY O2 Academy, Glasgow, Sat 29 May
‘No-one’s got any money at the moment. Everyone’s unemployed or worried about their jobs. Volcanic ash clouds are spoiling people’s travel plans, and who would dare go to Greece on holiday right now? So we thought, for anyone who can’t get away on holiday this year, they can at least get their bikini and fake tan on, come along to our club and pretend they’re far away from it all.’ So says Tina Warren, the lady in charge of Glasgow’s original and best burlesque extravaganza Club Noir. Thankfully the onslaught of burlesque nights of varying quality which
threatened to overrun Scotland’s clubs in the last few years has died down, but it’s equally pleasing to see the Club Noir brand rolling on. Now running four events a year (and one with a ‘secret partner’ coming up at this year’s Edinburgh Festival, at the HMV Picture House), the night still relies on a combination of risqué glamour from their performers and crowd, and a saucy, tongue in cheek sense of humour which veers towards the Carry On. ‘Spreading our events out allows us to make them bigger and more spectacular,’ says Warren. ‘It’s something our regulars can put in their diary, plan their costumes for and really look forward to, but it’s also easier for us to organise. This time we’ll have a saucy seaside postcard act, a Shanghai madam, a Turkish Delight act, the Kenya Warriors dance troupe, breakdancers. These aren’t all staples of your classic British holiday, but as long as they feel exotic and summery, that’s what we want.’ (David Pollock)
Clubs PROFILE
ROLL DEEP Occupation Grime stars turned chart toppers
More info please East London grime collective whose ranks currently include MCs Wiley, Skepta, Riko, Scratchy, Breeze, Jet Li, Manga, Brazen, J2K, Killa P, Little Dee and Flow Dan alongside DJs Danny Weed, Karnage, Maximum and Target.
Phew, that’s quite a line- up! Any other info on their origins? Founded in 2002 their alumni includes various leaders of the UK grime and urban scene such as Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder. That’s a pretty impressive pedigree – what happened next? Their debut album In at the Deep End (2005) showed a humorous and inventive approach to grime beats and included two top 40 hits, ‘The Avenue’ and ‘Shake a Leg’. This was followed by Rules and Regulations in 2007 and Return of the Big Money Sound in 2008, both of which failed to repeat the impact of their first record. The collective was accused by some in the grime community of looking for a more commercial mainstream sound – which is exactly what they got on ‘Good Times’.
A bit of a departure then? Very true ‘Good Times’ is as a high energy Euro dance number that has proved itself a massive club hit and stormed to the top of the UK charts. On first appearance it has more in common with Cascada than Lethal Bizzle with Jodie Connor warbling over the top of a thumping beats, sirens and Roll Deep’s slick raps. Not what anyone expected then? Many people had written Roll Deep off and then ‘Good Times’ came from out of nowhere, but they never hide their ambitions for chart success, so you can’t really deny Roll Deep their time in the sun even if they have diluted their dark beats and dancehall rhythms, though the rest of their forthcoming album sounds like a return to their roots (fingers crossed). (Henry Northmore) ■ Roll Deep guest at Mood, Edinburgh, Fri 28 May.
27 May–10 June 2010 THE LIST 45