Club Watch: Bank Holiday Special

By Londonist Last edited 130 months ago
Club Watch: Bank Holiday Special


East London (well, East of Leicester Square at least) might have its critics, moaners and general humbug-ers, but there's no doubting its ability to deliver the capital's best dance nights. This bank holiday's line up has more East End promise than a young David Beckham at a Leytonstone five-a-side tournament.

On Friday, why not kick things off at Shoreditch staple Jaguar Shoes, where the Recession Sound System bring fast-rising EA Sports down for a free live set. Check the mix below, where the London-based duo blend swinging Chicago house, fuzzed-out footwork loops and 90's cultural ephemera into a satisfying whole. Keep the night going with the Balearic baron Prins Thomas, keeping things smooth at Shoreditch's Plastic People. While fellow Norwegian (and sometime collaborator) might have something to say about the flyer's "King of Space Disco" tag, Thomas brings an assured finesse to his sunset-hued, slow and expansive sound.

Saturday brings the Cannes of East London that is Field Day to Victoria Park. As always it's an epic line up crammed into less than 24 hours, and there are delights galore for those organized types who print the line-up the day before. Highlights include the man behind oddball 1980's Indian Acid record "Ten ragas to the Disco Beat" Charanjit Singh, the sadcore r'n'b of How to Dress Well, Lee Gamble's rave experiments and a bruising set from Teutonic techno titan Shed. In the evening it's over to Cambridge Heath's Oval Space for the highly anticipated live return of Metro Area. The duo of Morgan Geist (aka Storm Queen) and Darshan Jesrani (aka "the other one") have produced a peerless run of disco-inflected house anthems — good-times music that will appeal to Moroder and  MJ fans alike. The line up is dominated by duos — with Glasgow's Sub Club former-residents Optimo and London via Ireland's Bicep promising crate-digging rarities and campy throwback house respectively.

Sunsetsundaze's line-up for the whole day of Sunday looks good enough to call for a second visit to Oval Space. This week's Berghain resident to rock the Capital is Nick Höppner, bringing the requisite mix of hard-edged techno and warmer house shades. Alongside him is KiNK, the Bulgarian-born producer who perfectly captures that epic sunrise vibe that Secretsundaze seems to excel at. With an on-site BBQ with meat shipped in from "The Ginger Pig butcher", expect a cracker whatever the weather.

Friday 24 May

  • Recession Sound System: EA Sports (live), Romare @ Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes, E2 8DA. Info here.
  • Prins Thomas @ Plastic People, EC2A 3QE. Info here.

Saturday 25 May

  • Field Day, Victoria Park, E3. Info here.
  • Metro Area (live), Optimo, Bicep @ Oval Space, E2 9DY. Info here.

Sunday 26 May

  • Secretsundaze: Nick Höppner, Joey Anderson, KiNK @ Oval Space, E2 9DY. Info here.

Browse the Club Watch archives. Image used with permission.

Last Updated 24 May 2013