The night of the raving dead.
Is it me or is America having more influence upon British culture in recent times? Halloween is gargantuan in the US. Where once it was left for the under 12s – then discarded by them when they reached high school – these days the pagan holiday seems to garner more interest with each year that passes. Or maybe it’s just that Londoners love to get dressed up and party hard.
secretsundaze have been wrapping their tentacles further and further around the globe, with nights held as far afield as Barcalona, Ibiza, Tokyo... and Peckham. Tonight sees them take over Village Underground, a mammoth warehouse space slap bang in the middle of the Shoreditch triangle.
Pangs of guilt begin to rise when I see the effort people have put into their outfits. Boy, this crowd know how to dress! Where do all these hot people congregate during the rest of the week? I can’t remember the last time I saw a crowd this gorgeous. That’s the girls, guys just don’t even register in the vision that’s blinded by the tights. Two are dressed as Mexicans, that is all I recall. Last year saw The Dark Knight’s Joker costume as the most popular choice; this year it's the turn of Black Swan. Plenty of them, yet there’s not a pirouette in sight.
The floor swells as James Priestley plays. Space is becoming more compact, not that you mind being closer to your neighbours, and each way you turn you're welcomed into a new circle of dancers. ‘The Sound Of Violence (Franco Cinelli Remix)’ blasts and the refrain “when the sun goes down” feels more pertinent here and now in a murky warehouse than the beaches of Ibiza where it's been a favourite this summer.
Then, Skudge – the name couldn’t be more apt. The Swedish pair release the kind of techno that has no qualms in walking over the tracks with dirty boots and leaving a filthy mess over the frequencies. Sounds creep into the recesses of the room and our ear drums. Subtle nuances are brought into the heavily loop-based tunes to add some breadth. I’d argue for more variation for my own personal interest but it's ideal for this hedonistic crowd; cyclic in nature and hypnotically captivating the jerking zombies. Extended versions of both ‘Below’ and ‘June’ delight, and when their remix of Achterbahn D' Amour 'Trance Me Up' drops, the room goes berserk.
The additional hour gained by the clocks going back is used advantageously, although it's confusing at first as Skudge’s set reads on the setlist as being 2:30 to 2:30. The lasers are dimmed as Skudge come to a close and Fred P takes over with deep techno set, the kind Derrick May would be proud of. Our soundtrack to Night of the Raving Dead.
Looking for some Actually Scary Things To Do In London?
Return to Spoonfed's London Clubbing homepage.
Add an event
Review: Disgraced at Bush Theatre
Writer Ayad Akhtar is a peculiar tour guide taking us through very familiar territory, intent on showing...