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| Slinky
Vs Unleaded |
Date:
Friday 6th February 2004
Address: Ether, Church Square, Taunton
Occurrence: Monthly
Hours: 9pm
- 2am
Ticket Price: £5
Genre: Hard House
Dress Code: Anything goes
Capacity: 650 |
| Line-Up:
Lisa Pin-Up, Dave Lea, Maxmanic,
Birty |
“Banging!”
“Wicked!” “I’ve lost my
shoe!” These are just some of the answers
I received when asking clubbers for their comments
during Unleaded’s February party at Club Ether
in Taunton. Indeed, none of these were a problem
as, thankfully, the first two remarks were not meant
in the literal sense, and the latter issue was resolved
quickly (and rather thrillingly) after a quick game
of ‘hunt the trainer’. No doubt the
lost shoe had been blown off in the explosion that
was DJ Maxmanic taking to the stage! But more about
that later.
I have been clubbing for more years than I care
to remember, and have seen this ‘club scene’
thing develop, peak and (in some instances) mutate
and stagnate completely. What seems clear to me
at the minute is that the intimate feel of smaller
nights, without the extortionate cost of tired ‘A-list’
DJs, seems to be becoming an increasingly popular
choice. I’m all for the ‘small is cool’
mentality as, for 1) in small clubs it’s much
easier to find your mates when you lose them (losing
people is an inevitable part of my night after half
a shandy)! 2) It’s easier to get to the bar
(mines another half a shandy thanks!) or get to
the toilets or wherever else you might want to wander.
3) You get the option of being much closer to the
action, without having to move very far (hell…I’m
lazy!). And 4) with less costs for promoters to
cover, door tax is kept low, which means minimal
strain on the old wallet (freeing up more money
for shandy!). I also find (this’ll be 5!)
that staff and punters are of a more friendly variety;
being much less keen to upset somebody they’re
likely to meet again in the course of an evening.
Taunton, Somerset is a place where ‘proper’
clubbing is a relatively recent phenomenon. For
years, this sizeable market town provided little
besides cheesy 80’s pop nights (with a few
farmers and cider-apple growers) to entertain the
masses. It’s now a growing hub of club activity
as the town (situated directly on the M5) is increasingly
being influenced by night-time activities in the
neighboring cities of Bristol and Exeter. The dance
scene has not yet peaked in Taunton, but young brands
like Unleaded (who also host Funktion alongside
Slinky @ Creation, Bristol) are all adding to the
growth, into what looks set to be a promising and
all together inspirational new scene. However, not
wishing to pigeon-hole Unleaded, it’s necessary
to point out that the night has so far proved to
be a bit of a cheeky chameleon. Not only does it
set off these smaller town nights with unrivalled
excess, but has also managed to break into the highly
competitive Cardiff market and host successful large-scale
parties in Evolution; a club which boasts a massive
1500 capacity. And let me tell you…this is
one mean feat as Cardiff clubbers can be very hard
to please!
So…back to the entertainment. This was Maxmanic’s
first West Country gig and it’s safe to say
he was just as excited as the crowd was. Slinky’s
Dave Lea was up first but we managed to miss most
of his set. Resident Birty (now aka Wendy, thanks
to a stray, homeless bottle of absinthe!) performed
a perfect floor-filling set, with a sprinkling of
timeless classics blended in. It was clear from
the crowd’s reaction that they were now ready
for something special, and this is just what they
got! Amid wolf whistles (well…sort of!) and
shouts of ‘is he that welsh geezer?’,
Maxmanic fought his way to the decks. He began by
laying on a cheeky, uplifting little number (Prime
Mover, Feel What I Feel – for all those tune
spotter geeks among us!). Things were thus moved
up a step and Max’s set built skillfully to
a frenzied crescendo. And, much like during Arsenal’s
2003 win in the FA cup, the crowd went wiiiiiiiiiiiild!
It is clear to see why Maxmanic is such a favorite
back in South Wales. After rising to local fame
by winning the region’s first-ever DJ competition
(whilst repeatedly smacking his head on the ceiling
by head-banging to bass lines), Max was sought out
to play at just about every local night going (including
the widely acclaimed Bionic, and ROAR). He then
went on to host his own-inspired night; Full Force
@ Club Vision, Cardiff and has also played as far
a field as Sundissential; the Mecca of UK hard house,
where he was dubbed as ‘Baby Eddie’
[Halliwell] due to his stylized scratching wizardry.
Needless to say, the Welsh influence was hugely
enjoyed by the Somersetian clubbers (especially
following a no-show from Pin-Up) and several young
men even got their tops off in appreciation. Inevitably,
this led to various people shouting “Banging!”
“Wicked!” “I’ve lost my
t-shirt!” and resulted in numerous games of
‘hunt the top’, which, you’ll
be pleased to hear, saw all clubbers leaving for
home fully dressed (it was bloody chilly outside!).
I personally am very much looking forward to more
nakedness at the next event (Evolution, Cardiff
– 20th Feb) to which Maxmanic himself has
promised to deliver. Deliver what? We’ll just
have to see! |
Venue: 7
Music: 9
Crowd: 7
Sound System: 7
Total: 30 / 40
Rating: Silver |
| Review written by:
Pam Thomas |
pammy@uk-cl.co.uk |
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