- Chibuku Shake Shake has lifted up the Liverpool club scene, but their monopoly can be worrying. Much like Cream before them, their regular nights at Nation have become a paradise to spend your hard earned, with expensive soundsystems and a variety of genres to please even the pickiest of clubbers. Therefore, it was no surprise that the three candles on Superfly’s birthday cake were not blown out as fervently as hoped, with a Fabric-style monster line-up on at Chibuku the following night.
Big name headliners have been few and far between at Superfly up until recently. With more recognisable acts appearing on collaborative bills with fellow local nights Aztec and Wrongdezvous, it was time that Superfly splashed a bit of cash for a decent headliner. So to commemorate this milestone, Stompa Phunk’s finest Serge Santiago was invited onboard alongside the tight knit group of residents.
With the relocation of Superfly from The Lemon Lounge (the birthplace of some of the city’s biggest nights) to tonight’s more city central location at Zanzibar, it seems they are digging in their heels to establish a stronger name for themselves on the club circuit. A venue used by bands that have stepped up from the obscurity of The Cavern, yet are still unable to fill the neighbouring Barfly, the Zanzibar should have been perfect place for a club night of Superfly’s calibre.
Upon arriving at around midnight, spirits were high, although bar takings were probably not. Santiago was already attempting to work the sparsely filled main room, with the bulk of the guests upstairs raiding the post-Halloween fancy dress box for complimentary hats and masks. In the absence of jelly and ice cream, it was left to pink glittery bowler hats to sweeten up the celebrations.
A booming rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ ushered us down, where the neglected headliner was taking an electrohouse route. Running along the same vein as his recent Italo re-edits, Santiago’s finest moment came with Paul Woolford’s ‘Erotic Discourse’ which proved that this was a crowd that clearly favoured some familiarity to their rave. Despite the online popularity of his funky ‘Black Jack’ remix, it was left out of the set in favour of straighter, harder edged tunes. Finishing on a high to some serious whoops and cheers, resident General Jimmy took to the decks dropping Green Velvet’s classic ‘La La Land’ to the delight of an audience now made up of mainly friends and Superfly diehards. Getting to grips with the well-worn set of decks proved difficult, but luckily the crowd grew more excited with each little slip-up and Jimmy recovered well, knocking out classic after classic and ending the night with Moby’s ‘Go’.
Superfly may not prove to be contenders for the title of Liverpool’s best club night, but that’s not really what they are about. Having already pinned down three years, their identity is now starting to shine through with a sunny ethos of love and good times. It’s just like a big group of mates having a party, and you’re invited to the next one.