Another few weeks without writing a blog....the weather having played a big part in this again. Today I should have been writing about East Finchley Festival but as it got cancelled due to a water-logged site, I won't be!
Friday saw the first night of an occasional club of mine, "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" (named after the Belle & Sebastian song for those who didn't know). I no longer want to go out to clubs at 11pm and have to put up with night buses full of drunk annoyances so, for purely selfish reasons, I put Dear Catastrophe Waitress on in a favourite bar of mine in Crouch End - Kiss the Sky. DJs for the night were local lad, Bob Stanley (he of St Etienne and muso fame) and Darren Beach. I decided on a "no obscure tracks" rule for the club - just good indiepop, indie, 60s, britpop, punk etc. (Perhaps some swedish tracks for another time - not sure if Crouch End is ready for that quite yet). Thanks to Darren for playing Swing out Sister....it doesn't really fit into any category other than one I've made up called "Random bands that Cath likes". The bar was full, cocktails were consumed, the crowd looked happy and there was even some dancing, so I think for a first night, it was a success. Am considering some themed nights for another time - perhaps 90s indie (Neds, Poppies etc) or punk. We will see.
Those of you that know me well will know I've put clubs on for a very long time now. I don't generally go very long without doing something.
Seeing old pics go up on Facebook yesterday reminded me what a great club Sweden Made Me was. 3 of us put the club on in a little upstairs room in a pub in Brighton every month for something like 4 years & practically every one of those nights during the first few years was packed out. The DJs only played tracks by swedish bands/artists (hence the name of the club) and it proved EXTREMELY popular with Brightons' swedish students particularly. They came, they drank Kopparbergs, they danced to Broder Daniel - and so did we. Maybe it'll be resurrected sometime soon but it will never be quite the same as it was in the mid 2000s.
Another Sunny Day was another one of my club nights - in Stockholm originally. I lived there for a few months (not nearly long enough) and put my club on every Monday night in a bar/restaurant called The Sugar Bar. For someone who planned the club from England and didn't even see the venue until I moved there, I didn't do too badly. Every Monday, I put an indiepop band on and had some djs. Some great, great swedish bands played and I made good friends. I also learnt how to use a cash register, deal with swedish ID, and get by with pigeon swedish if needs be. Another Sunny Day still exists, in Brighton, with friends now looking after it....and looking after it well!!!
Pop Klubb has been another huge success, started originally with friends in Newcastle. The club was (and still is) held in a little old social club which, during the day, is full of old men drinking pints and playing dominos (probably!). Our first night all those years ago was just a handful of people watching my friends' band Your Favourite Question. Now, years down the line (and no longer my baby), Pop Klubb is hugely popular, packed out every time with an amazing reputation, not only in the Toon. Guys, I'm proud of you.
There have been other nights here and there.....good nights, rubbish nights....etc.etc....and there will probably be more.
