It’s all about Friday this week, with a trio of tempting party offerings all falling on the same night (if you’ve got deep pockets and start early enough you could even enjoy a bit of all three). Does this cluster of must-attend clubnights have anything to do with it being Rabbie Burns’ birthday weekend? In one instance at least... kind of. Elsewhere there’s a chance to get messy with Eton Messy, and take tea with Bigfoot at the top of their new Sub Club residency.
Brut Burns Party – Berkeley Suite, Jan 23
Berkeley Suite regulars Brut mark the 256th centenary of Scotland’s most famous poet in their own rave-y idiom. This special Burns-related party is 'not a toast, supper, ceilidh, flag-wave, nationalist jump or Scottish-jukebox selection,' they say, 'but rather a celebration in a way we see fit that will emboss one of the days in auld Scottish tradition we feel needs a little more illuminated in the party sense.' Better still, sympathetic as Brut are to punters’ flat-lining bank balances around this time of year, it’s free entry before midnight then a paltry £3 in thereafter. Were he alive today, the Bard would no doubt be the first one on the dancefloor.
Weekend Special: Eton Messy + Bondax – The Arches, Jan 23
From their origins making UK garage and house mixes for YouTube, Bristol DJ trio Eton Messy – Adam Englefield, Charlie Wedd and Ed Byass – now host parties UK-wide, and run a successful record label Eton Messy Records, which some years ago became the first label to release music by these-days chart-toppers Clean Bandit. They hook-up with Glasgow’s ShangriLa club at The Arches for a Weekend Special featuring Blonde, Just Kiddin and Karma Kid plus the ShangriLa residents. Elsewhere in the venue as part of the same ticket price, Lancaster’s Bondax (pictured) will demonstrate why they’re one of the most in-demand new DJ duos in UK house and on the verge of a breakout into the dance music mainstream.
Bigfoot’s Tea Party – Sub Club, Jan 23
After celebrating their sixth birthday at the same venue last year, Bigfoot’s kick off their 2015 residency at the Sub Club with a residents showcase that’ll see the Glasgow and Berlin-based team prove why they’re among the most respected DJs and promoters in the city and beyond. After this, across in Berlin they begin a new series of parties at the Farbfernseher venue – a cult club situated in an old TV shop in the hip Kreuzberg neighbourhood – which will run in parallel with their regular spots at the Subby. Like Brut, entry to Bigfoot’s Tea Party is free before midnight.
Words: Malcolm Jack