- On a blustery May afternoon, the Southport Weekender crew, responsible for no less than 46 weekend parties over the past 24 years, were gearing up to celebrate their 47th soiree in a little seaside town called Minehead, situated on the coast of South West England. Previous events had been held at the now dilapidated Pontins site in the festival's namesake town, entertaining revelers with a selection of soul, garage, hip-hop and house. It was decided that for 2011, however, that a move to a larger, plusher resort was necessary, and the colossal Butlins site—usually frequented by families and holiday makers—was chosen to be taken over by 6,500 attendees. As well as a swish new venue, the stops had been pulled out for the 2011 lineup, with sets billed from Theo Parrish to Carl Craig, through to Grandmaster Flash, DJ EZ and many more.
Upon gaining admittance out of the lashing rain and into the complex on Friday evening, Gilles Peterson was mashing together a variety of genres in the Beat Bar, and introduced the audience to his pal Joy Orbison who had been shifted on the bill to perform an impromptu Friday night set (to the excitement of the Friday audience and dismay of those who tried to watch him the following evening, the night he was due to play). As darkness fell, it was then time to take a trip through the arcades and into the oversized theatre space that for this weekend was known as the Powerhouse. This was one of the largest areas; an aural and aesthetic treat adorned with white décor, podiums shrouded in white ribbon and glittering visuals.
Here, Manchester chaps The Unabombers were warming the audience up with records from past and present including the aptly titled 1993 classic from Blunted Dummies "House for All." As DJ Spinna took over, it was time to seek out heavier grooves, and it was back to the Beat Bar where Dixon was due on stage. For 90 minutes, Dixon provided a selection of chugging, atmospheric house that almost verged on progressive at times, and included tracks from the likes of Osunlade and records from the Innervisions label he chairs with producer pals Âme.
Photo credit: Colin Williams
One of the main attractions of Friday night was the highly anticipated "'90s classics" set by one of the original big hitters, Roger Sanchez. Billed as "an education in '90s house music," this was a set that, judging by the crowds packed into the sweltering Powerhouse, could have potentially gone down in Southport history. It soon became apparent that Sanchez was only intent on educating his audience with a selection of records suited to a Sunday afternoon on Radio One, rather than a musical veteran's paradise, playing hits like X-Press 2's "Lazy," Tori Amos's "Professional Widow" and even an acappella of "Rhythm of the Night" from Corona at one point. It was a disappointment for those anticipating a chunk of old Stealth and Narcotic releases, but the venue remained packed throughout, meaning that it was certainly appreciated by many.
And so it was back to the Beat Bar for the arrival of another huge name—Theo Parrish. A crammed dance floor watched him take over from Dixon with some enjoyable disco, but before long Parrish decided to perform a musical U-turn, steering away from the discernable grooves he had been playing previously and choosing records that even omitted standard kick drums at times, eventually half emptying the dance floor and leaving nothing but a few confused stragglers in its wake.
A somewhat bewildered Carl Craig then took over from Parrish, steering away from his usual synth-based techno and opting for safe classics such as Rhythm is Rhythm's "Strings of Life" in an attempt to draw an audience back in. Following Parrish's assault on the speakers, it took some time to persuade those left in the Beat Bar, but a significant crowd had returned before the doors closed for the evening. Meanwhile, in the Powerhouse, Derrick Carter had taken to the decks with his signature boompty sound, throwing acappellas of recent Adele records all over his beats and giving the house contingent the energy they needed to last until 6 AM.
Saturday rolled into Sunday, and by lunchtime the site was back in full swing again. By nightfall, though, torrential rain had started to fall, and it was a mad dash to get back into the complex without looking like something that had just floated up stream. A cold cocktail paired with the sounds of soul sensation Alice Russell was the perfect way to dry off in the Beat Bar, and her discernable talent, belting vocals and easy stage presence was received with whoops and cheers from the crowd.
Photo credit: Colin Williams
Radio maestro Benji B followed with a set that took over nicely from Russell's performance, playing everything from broken beats, disco and dub, before moving into pure unadulterated house music and finishing with Frankie Knuckles' "Baby Wants to Ride." Motor City Drum Ensemble then took over and went all over the place—house to funk to disco. At one point, he even dropped the classic "Is it All Over My Face" by Loose Joints. Across the piazza, DJ EZ had been playing a classic UK garage set to a road-blocked Funkbase venue.
For the house heads, Kerri Chandler finished the evening off in the Powerhouse arena, which had reached sauna-like temperatures. Playing records from the more uplifting end of the spectrum, Chandler occasionally teased those who like their records deeper, but always returned to soaring strings and soul drenched vocals. By 6 AM, it was time for the venue to close once again and decisions were made over whether to sleep it off before embarking on the journey home or carry on the party. Once the music started again at midday, Southport attendees ranged from the remarkably fresh to the downright disheveled, and the ideal way to finish off proceedings was with the epic award-wining gospel choir The Sounds of Blackness.
For those lucky enough to nab tickets for the official after-party on Sunday evening, Rahaan and Timmy Regisford provided the tunes for those who still had their dancing shoes on. The ever-faithful crowd partied until the lights came up, leaving time for one more snooze before the inevitable homeward journey. SPW47 in its new home was proof that the Southport ethos of happy vibes, good music and a damn good party is the same, wherever you are and whatever the weather.