Been unable to get the Human League's 'Mirror Man' out of your head since it played over the credits of the brilliant first episode of 'Ashes to Ashes' on Monday? You're in for a treat. Every couple of months the people behind popular Purple Turtle night Electric Dreams host a new romantic & synth pop 80s night based around the TV series and this Saturday is their April edition. We caught up with promoter DJ Stix to find out what it's all about.
When and why did you set your night up?
We set it up about a year ago. Twenty of our staff and regulars from our other night, Electric Dreams, were featured as extras in the blitz scene of the BBC's 'Ashes To Ashes' first series. We'd just started going monthly nights at the London Stone and needed a theme for our new night!
How was it being on the TV?
It was great fun. Some of us were in our clothes and make up and the BBC provided others. We just had to dance about and drink fake drinks!
Why was the Blitz club so important to London's nightlife?
I think it just opened up doors for a new scene musically and fashion wise where people could express their own creativity in a more glamorous way after the punk and the new wave scenes.
You've mentioned you also run Electric Dreams (at Purple Turtle.) What's the difference between that and Ashes To Ashes?
Both nights concentrates on the 80s but Ashes to Ashes concentrates on the New Romantic side of things including music from the excellent TV soundtrack. Electric Dreams covers new romantic but also new wave, punk, goth, industrial, indie and modern electro. You'll get a bit of these at AtA too.
Who are your DJs, where and what do they play, and what do they do in the real world?
Me [DJ Stix], Valeriun and the Baron were a bunch of clubbers who didn’t really have many good 80s/synth clubs to go to in the mid 90’s-so we thought we would start our own night at the Soho venue Gossips and see how it went. Twelve years later we are still doing it, much to our surprise! We all live in London and have pretty unexciting day jobs.
What's your venue, the London Stone like?
The London Stone is a pub on Cannon Street in the city. It's a great intimate venue with lots of nooks and crannies to get into.
What are your crowd like?
Usually quite a mix of people aged from early 20s to early 40s. Some people dress up, some don’t. We have many regulars who have been coming to the club for many years.
How dressed up do we need to be to come?
We don't have a dress code as such. Some people come in new romantic, goth, punk, or fetish styles and some home made combinations! Newcomers would look at home with a splash of eyeliner and a nice trilby hat!
Have you ever had any celebs on your dance floor?
Yes over the years we have had members from Adam and the Ants, Depeche Mode, A Flock of Seagulls, Gary Numan's band, Renegade soundwave, UK Subs, Sex Gang Children, Madness and even weirdly Lemmy from Motorhead!
What other club nights do you like going to in London?
There is a pretty good scene at the moment and I enjoy attending (and sometimes guest DJing at clubs like the resurrected Blitz Club, Festival of Sins, Slimelights, Bedsitland, Antichrist, Club Noir, Striplite, Unholy, Invocation and Vagabonds to name but a few..
Wow, that is a lot for us to check out!! What's been your all-time favourite London night?
Probably a club called Planet Earth in the early 90s that played lots of good 80s and new romantic music.
What's your all time floor filler, and your current favourite tracks to play?
Depeche Mode 'Enjoy The Silence' is our classic floorfiller, and Visage's 'Fade To Grey' is another big one. Two more contemporary songs I'm enjoying playing recently are White Lies 'To Lose My Life' and The Knife's 'Heartbeats'.
Ashes To Ashes is on at The London Stone, Cannon Street this Saturday from 9pm. Entry is £5. Full details here. Sadly Phillip Glenister will probably not be there.
