Read more
There's something especially hedonistic about a bank holiday; having 50% extra weekend is definitely conducive to a whole lot more partying. As part of #throwbackthursday this week, we shared a link to a documentary we produced a few years ago, Classic UK Clubs. In it, Ronnie Herel looks at some of the most pivotal nights in UK club culture, including Soul II Soul at the Africa Centre and Goldie's Metalheadz - click here to listen.
For the blog this week we thought we'd celebrate in anticiplation of one of the biggest clubbing weekends of the year, and so we've all picked our favourite UK club nights. Whether they're sadly deceased or still going strong, they've all got special places in our hearts. We'd love to hear about your favourite club nights too - get in touch on Twitter @FoldedWingUK
Karen's Choice
Move On Up at The Underground, Leeds
"I used to spend at least three nights a week at The Underground in Leeds.. They had the best club nights & live music while I was at uni there, from 1996 onwards. I'd go every Wednesday, and always on New Year's Eve, too. The sound and everything was absolutely spot on and it was the first time I heard Gil Scott Heron, Roy Ayers etc; totally blew my mind."
Andrea's Choice
Wax:On at Digital, Newcastle
"I always had the best nights at Wax:On in Newcastle around 2005-6. I saw some amazing DJS there - Scratch Perverts, Erol Alkan, 2ManyDJs... The track that reminds me of that time most is Mylo - 'Drop The Pressure'. It was just so massive." Jim's Choice Balance at Plastic People, London (2000 - 2010)"My choice has to be the legendary Balance at Plastic People in Hoxton. Resident DJ Abdul Forsyth (aka Adé who owned the club) used to hold court every Saturday, playing the deepest, most soulful tunes on the club's super heavy sound system, and using his special vintage EMT turntables, the envy of audiophiles the world over. Each week he'd have a guest DJ... people like Kenny Dixon Jnr, Theo Parrish, Carl Craig, Francois Kevorkian and Gilles Peterson... but for me, what made it special was Adé and his very 'purist' style of DJing. No real mixing or flashy 'DJ skills', just 100% deep selections of music across all genres, played on the best equipment and the best sound system in the UK, if not the world. All in a small and very dark basement! Adé is making a very rare return to the club this coming Saturday so don't miss it!
A Balance classic: Erykah Badu - 'I Want You'"
John's Choice
Cyclone at The End, London
"From 1996 to 1998 I was a regular at The End and there was this great Saturday night put on for a time called Cyclone. It was a techno and drum and bass night, but what was cool about it was they'd switch rooms half way through. So it'd be quite banging 4/4 stuff in the main room and D&B in the side room up until 3am when they switched over. At a time when you almost always had specific rooms for different genres, it was a really refreshing way to keep the night varied. I saw loads of great DJs play at The End, but I particularly remember LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad playing the final set in the main room and being completely blown away. I usually got a bit bored with MCs after 15 minutes, but Conrad was in a different league. He always knew when to shut up and let the tracks speak for themselves. In his sets, Bukem almost always dropped 'Music', which is up there as one of my favourite tracks of all time. And hearing that track, blasting through The End's legendary soundsystem with Conrad's flow over the top, was something really special."
Pete's Choice
2uned at Rock City, Nottingham
"My favourite club night wasn't a typical club night. It was at a venue in Nottingham called Rock City. I went to their night '2uned' every Thursday for the three years I was at Uni. Mainly because it was 2 for 1 on all drinks, but also because the music was great. It could get pretty rough some nights, leading to some songs having to be banned because it made the crowd get a bit too lively. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was one of those but on a few occasions as a treat they would play it, but I don't think it ever lasted more than a minute or so because basically everyone would go nuts and the bouncers would have to step in!"
Lucy's Choice
Sink The Pink, London
"I first started going to Sink The Pink when I lived in East London for a year, round the corner from a venue called Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. It's still a functioning working men's club, but they allow a load of enthusiastic and flamboyant promoters to put nights on there, the most fabulous of which is the Sink The Pink team. The whole thing is so fun and silly - it's sort of a drag night, but anything goes really. One of the best nights I've ever had was the official afterparty they hosted when Scissor Sisters played in London a couple of years ago - Jake Shears was on the decks and the whole Sink The Pink crew did a synchronised dance routine to Let's Have A Kiki. Amazing!"
