Kill Em All at Fabric

Kill Em All at Fabric

28 July, 2008
by: ChloeM

After going to Fabric in March to see Drop the Lime, I'd vowed not to return, due to the relentless harassment that for any girl ruined the whole night (and ruined it for any guy going with a girl). But after hearing that the venue has been making real efforts to combat the yobs, I ventured back to check out one of the regular nights, Kill Em All.

This time the ratio of those interested in dancing rather than sleazing had tipped a bit more in my favour. It was easier to ignore or move on from a selected few, plus the bouncers had a strong presence and were ready to step in where necessary. Add to this Fabric’s continually impressive line-ups, outstanding sound-system and friendly staff, and it becomes clear why it remains one of London's best super-clubs.

First up in Room One were the XX Teens, who despite being in their twenties certainly had the energy of teens. Their unique style of indie-dance was delivered with ferocious drumming, trumpet blasts, rapid-fire megaphone shouting and drawled vocals. They put on a loud, chaotic show but were also strangely deadpan – against all this we had a stationary main vocalist, too cool to take off his shades let alone dance or move around on stage.

The Whip followed, and judging by audience response had established themselves as the main act. The lead singer paraded the stage, occasionally leaning over to tweak a synth as the keyboarder did some kind of manic pigeon dance. Known for their phenomenal electro-pop track 'Trash', they worked the crowd and saved this track for last, which definitely got everyone jumping.

But much of the rest of their show sounded like a random combination of acid bleeps and handclaps, cruelly driven by keyboards and guitars in some kind of dance-rock conflict. Each of their tracks seemed to have a build-up that didn’t quite take off and minimal repetition where we’d hoped for thumping bass. Their fast rhythms kept things hooky and dancey enough to keep the crowd's attention, but the overlaid gruff vocals just didn't fit.

Not to worry – the Filthy Dukes took over the decks and brought things back to basics. They played a healthy serving of dirty electro-house, with a few old school tracks like Human Resource's 'Dominator' mixed in for good measure. A personal favourite was the Crookers remix of 'Day' 'n’ Night' by Kid Cudi, and they later dropped The Human League's 'Electric Dreams' – of course a big crowd-pleaser. These guys kept the vibe energetic, lively and fun – as Kill Em All residents they single-handedly make the night worth going to.

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ChloeM