- A club with no door charge and free beer, where Audio Bullys and Faithless All-Stars line-up alongside Felix da Housecat and Bent in a “secret location”… surely the stuff of urban myth?
Well not on Saturday night. For the second time, Budweiser delivered “King of Clubs”… a night which simply asks you to get yourself there and provide the painkillers you’ll need the next morning. It takes a slight stretch of the imagination to match up Budweiser – hardly the most rock n roll of brands – with a club night, but you can only salute their efforts. Cynics might dismiss it as an attempt to gain credibility, and point out that this was not the most adventurous of line-ups, but who can argue with a night which is well planned, well run, brilliantly entertaining and costs nothing?
Running this as an event for which tickets could only be won, not bought, makes for a interesting crowd. It’s no insult to say that this wasn’t your average bunch of clubbers. A fair proportion may have been unfamiliar with most of the line-up, others were undoubtedly lured mainly by the prospect of free beer, but everyone wanted a party and Budweiser made sure they got one.
The location this year was Bagley’s, north London neighbour to better known The Cross. While last year’s King of Clubs event was certainly impressive, the venue (Old Billingsgate Market) was perhaps too big for the crowd. Bagley’s provided more of an ‘authentic’ clubbing experience –hot, sweaty and crowded maybe, but better for it.
With a line-up this good divided between two rooms, it makes for some tough decisions. Starting things off in room one Maxi Jazz seemed to have the measure of the crowd from the start, chucking in anything and everything to get people moving, whether that be classic hip hop or booty shaking anthem Crazy in Love. With a relatively early (2am) finish there was no time to hang about and Sister Bliss soon moved things up a notch or ten. She took over with a set that was harder, faster and downright impossible not to move to, especially with that beer beginning to take effect (and flying through the air).
So suitably livened up, we’re delivered us into the hands of the Audio Bullys and the highlight of the night. This duo were made to be experienced live; if they don’t move you, you’re beyond help. An unrelenting stream of head pounding tracks which seem to reverberate in the very bottom of your stomach. It’s a full on assault - loud, boisterous, messy and damn impressive.
The rest of the line-up deserve an honourable mention – the ever reliable Rob da Bank, Bent, Felix Da Housecat… think the variety of a mini festival without the dodgy fudge or the £5 burgers.
All too soon we’re delivered back into the cold windy reality of Kings Cross. The verdict? Well missing the action in whichever room you weren’t in was sadly unavoidable, and that last beer probably not the wisest choice I’ve ever made… but did the night live up to its King of Clubs billing? Just maybe. Here’s to the next one.