The Star of Bethnal Green's Rak Queen...

The Star of Bethnal Green's Rak Queen...

14 April, 2009
by: Simon827

The Star of Bethnal Green is a scary looking place. Black, gothic and surrounded by a haze of smoke, it definitely isn't somewhere you'd expect to find members of camp electro-pop outfit Alphabeat. Mainly because if they were there they would probably be murdered and have their skinny jeans stolen in the toilets.

Appearances, however, can be deceptive and once on the inside The Star of Bethnal Green looks to be quite a nice, rustic pub. Yet once a month, RakQueen takes over and briefly turns it into a wannabe club. Tonights entertainment comes in the form of resident DJ Elma T, DJ D Lightova, Ban the Bouncer and DJ Anders of Alphabeat fame. Yet one of the highlights of the night isn't a DJ at all...

Well, he might be, but tonight Colonel Weng-Wah is playing live. And he really is rather good. Bouncy tongue-in-cheek hip-hop that for some reason reminds me of Rage Against the Machine without being really, really pissed off. And slightly more British. It's enough to get everyone nodding their head, or dancing. Depending on the level of alcohol in their system. Or just pure disconnection from reality. This event certainly seems to attract people of an unstable mind-set. But it's that innocent, talking to squirrels in the park kind of madness that's enjoyable once you embrace it and join in.

Naturally the attraction of a celebrity DJ is hard to resist. Even if they're only a minor name like 'that bloke from Alphabeat'. Yet there's a problem with getting a DJ in for their name rather than their skill. And that problem is that they might not actually have any. Skill that is, not names. And this turns out to be the case with Mr Anders. Despite playing some choons, as the kids say, his mixes are generally messy or non-existent. Such a set would have brought the mood down were the crowd more knowledgeable or critical, but it seems Britney Spears could take to the decks with this lot and they wouldn't care.

After this, DJ Elma T brings the crowd back to familiar territory and the night settles into a nice rhythm. The dancefloor never really gets going, mainly because there isn't one big enough. The numerous tables and benches on the bottom floor take up too much room forcing the people brave enough to dance in such a pub like venue to spill onto the stage. Not necessarily a bad thing. It makes it easier to get a good view of the drunk people dancing.

RakQueen's a night worth checking out. If you like your music grimey, an atmosphere that's almost festival in nature and people who're very enjoyable (even if their sexualities are dubious, which can cause a few minor misunderstandings) then take a deep breath and go for it.


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Simon827