Author: Kate Aspland

Categories
The Sights

Heel Alternatives for the Clubbing Season

Pictured: iStock

Honey, these boots were made for…hobbling? Nah we like to enjoy our nights out!

It’s a Saturday night, you already know the deal. Getting ready for the club with the girls but don’t know what to wear on your feet. For decades, heels have been the standard, but is that standard getting tired? You’ve noticed every week, more girls are sporting trainers and slides – you start to ask yourself, is this the new norm? Yep, gimme some of that comfort!

Obviously, The type of footwear worn on the night will depend on the club, its rules and possibly its location.

A major example of this can be Mayfair and Central London clubs, as they have a very specific standard for their guests.

“Girls have to wear heels to come to Mayfair clubs, if the girls aren’t wearing good heels the club doesn’t like it, they hate flats.”, says a promoter who works regularly at these venues.

In certain spaces, heels are still the standard for footwear as they are perceived as making outfits more put together. Clearly these guys don’t have a clue, but whatever. However, there are clubbing spaces where this is not the case and you can wear what you like; especially those with. An example being club events where there are sure to be mosh-pits; you want to avoid wearing open-toe shoes because imagine you ruin your fresh pedicure *gasp* or even worse, you break a toe! 

So let’s take a quick look around a gal’s other options…

1. Heeled boots-  This is a version of a heel that gives you a more sturdy balance whilst looking cute and stylish. They also give height without adding strain onto the feet due to the usually thicker heel. “If I want some extra height then I will wear boots to a party because they are the most comfy version of a heel and they go with so many outfits.”Says our pal, Stacey, 20 year old student from Stratford. And yep, it’s all around the socials. Rapper Ice Spice was pictured in a stunning pair of boots for a recent photoshoot for Marc Jacobs.

Pictured: @icespice – Instagram

2. Sliders – I don’t mean any regular slides – this isn’t a pool-side vibe – however, they have to be cute. With a design that gives it a pass for literally being slides and not heels. These could include fluffy slides, designer, or understated sliders with a nice design. ‘Sliders are more convenient and comfortable, I can last the whole night without my feet burning! I will usually take my slides from the cloakroom and change during the night’ – Says Soca afficionado, 22-year-old Amy from Lewisham. Supermodel, Bella Hadid, was spotted wearing a pair of fluffy sliders a while back. And if it’s good enough for a Hadid, then…

Pictured: Bella Hadid – BACKGRID and Teen Vogue

3. Trainers – if you’re going to wear trainers, make sure that they are pretty understated, such as a standard Air Force 1 or designer, such as an Off White shoe. Definitely don’t wear tennis shoes as the bouncers may think they’re too casual or very expensive trainers that you care about getting ruined. Platform trainers, such as Reebox Club C, are a great option as they are dressy whilst giving you additional height and comfortability. “I usually wear Airforces or Converses to the club because they go with everything! I will only wear heels if they are a part of the dress code. Mainly for comfortability and safety in case I need to run away.” Says mosh-pit participant, Valerie, aged 20 from Northhampton.

Former US President, Barack Obama’s eldest daughter, Malia Obama was seen rocking a pair of Converse, in case you need proof of how cool they are.

Pictured: Malia Obama – Splash and footwearnews.com

4. Combat Boots – to piece together a fire outfit, combat boots are a statement piece which serve as a comfortable, highly functional and chunky shoe. Favourites include those by Doc Martens, Calvin Klein and Guess. “I love wearing my Doc Martens to motives because I feel confident and comfortable in them and at the end of the night I am never in excruciating pain.” Says Caribbean club fanatic, 21 year old Seań, from New Cross.

Reality TV star, Kourtney Kardashian Barker, was pictured sporting a pair of Prada boots, which retail at $1,420 at Nordstrom. But do we care about her?

Pictured: Kourtney Kardashian Barker and Travis Barker – Getty Images and InStyle.com

It’s 2023, yes heels are great, but not everyone is a heel girl! Some of us want to feel comfortable whilst dancing the night away. You’ve got no choice now but to rock the boots, trainers – whatever tickles your fancy – and strut into that club like nobody’s business!

Categories
The Scene.

Clublands True Colours

Pictured: Nia (@niarayne).

On the guest list? Always have a plan B if you’re black, as you’re never promised a seat at their table. We investigate the true colours of London’s Clubland.

he littest clubs with the hottest DJs, the Central London club scene is notorious for being exclusive and cut-throat and in particular with attitudes towards picking women to populate events. It’s a vicious circle for club goers who want to be on the list… but at what cost? For some Londoners, the colour of their skin is becoming a barrier to enjoying the clubland experience.

Nia is a 26-year-old, newly qualified solicitor who loves to live a soft life and party hard on the weekends. She lets us in on her experience with Mayfair Nightclubs.

I received an invite to Reign London by a promoter named Ali, he promised to out me on the guest list, with a table and free drinks for all of my friends. I always wanted to go to Reign, so I was excited. It has a reputation for being a lit and exclusive club, so I was interested to see what it was really like. There were two security guards and one Eastern European door lady at the entrance. Her energy seemed off.

Once I told her my cousin and I, for context we’re both black, were on Ali’s guest list, she looked at us blankly and bluntly told us that his table was full and to ask him to come outside. We were confused as to how the club could be full at 11pm, when the line opened at 10:30pm? Out of curiosity, I checked his Instagram to see how his table really looked – there were only two girls there. The door lady asked us to leave the queue and wait elsewhere. I was so annoyed – he invited us and we were still treated this way.  

“As a black woman, I’m used to stuff like this but they had no reason to turn us away based on our physical appearance that we didn’t fit their ‘quota’.”

I DM’d Ali and filled him in on the situation and he asked for my WhatsApp, then he messaged me redirecting my cousin and I to another club, LUXX. This club was only a 5 minute drive from Reign, but that doesn’t make it any more appealing. This wasn’t the plan, and Ali started making excuses by claiming that he was ‘helping us’. The female bouncer made a snark comment claiming that it’s a 21+ club and denied us entry, even though I was 25 and my cousin was 23 at the time. Ali finally shut me down making excuses that the decision was up to the club and not him, so at that point I blocked him. 

My cousin went home really upset, she thought it was her fault that we didn’t get in. I explained that it’s because they don’t like how we look.  I’ve seen the most mediocre females get into these clubs because they’re white. People may receive that as an insult, but it’s not. Mid white women have a privilege. For black women to get even half of what they have we have to be twice as attractive and well dressed.

I posted a TikTok about the situation with text receipts, a year after posting it surprises me how I still get engagement till this day, but it’s so important that I raised awareness. If the club has a specific look that they want, why was the promoter DM-ing me telling me to come?

But Nia’s not alone. Tiah is a 22-year-old former NHS worker, a self-proclaimed homebody, but on occasion likes to turn up on the weekends with her girlfriends. 

“It stings more when it comes from your own people.”

For a friends birthday, she planned for a group of us to party at a Central London club. I had a slight feeling that I would face some sort of discrimination, but I just kept it in mind. We got there early, with barely anyone in the queue. She is a White Latina and goes to these clubs a lot, so we followed her lead because she knows how to carry herself in these situations.  Out of our group, I was the darkest one, I consider myself brown skinned. 

The door people were sizing the queue up, judging what people are wearing and if they looked suitable enough to come in. There were two black girls in front of us who didn’t get in. It got to us and standing before us were three female security staff at the door; one white, mixed race and black. Funnily enough, the woman with my skin complexion was the one that I felt the most disapproval from.

She scanned me up and down, said hi, in a belittling tone, I felt that her energy was off. Then requested my ID and then peered down at one of my friends who was sitting on a step as her heels were hurting.

Our entry was denied because the club night was suddenly 21+ and the birthday girl was just turning 20. One of my friends thought that vibe was off with the door lady towards me. I explained it’s because I’m the black girl in the group. I just felt like that the black lady was very ‘whitewashed’, she was the same colour as me and still treating me that way. I didn’t entertain it and kept it classy because I refuse to play up to a stereotype if I retaliated and proved her right.  

The reasons behind this unfair treatment are clear, according to our anonymous promoter source, who hosts events for Central London clubs.

“It’s so brutal, you do really have to be a cunt to work in that.”

I work in Mayfair. It’s good because the clubs give fair payment, including £10 per girl invited and a percentage for people buying a table, which normally go for at least £2,000. Promoters get in for free. However, if you’re a nice person and not trying to do clubbing your whole life, it can be a bit damaging for your image. As it can ruin relationships, especially when they reject people that you actually respect who don’t fit the ideal image of the strict door people. 

The promoter says that in their experience the clubbing scene is very selective and exclusive. We as promoters, do care for our guests but don’t have control over who gets accepted, the people in charge are usually a really cunty door girl and the nightclub manager.  You have to be mean in this industry and it’s hard because people think that promoters have a lot of power but they really don’t. They confirm that women of colour are held to a higher standard and look for women who have whiter features and cute outfits.

The staff at the door are really brutal towards black girls who don’t have those features. The treatment differs depending on which club you bring them to. But even if they do get let in, they will not get a table. Apparently it’s because a lot of the guests buy tables which are worth thousands of pounds and they want to see ‘beautiful models’, not everyday girls. 

The promoter adds that clubs are OK with one black girl, but when there’s a whole group, they don’t like it. The tend to be redirected to ‘easier clubs’ and end up having a better time there. 

The door people are all white, they pretend that they ‘don’t see colour’ but if a black girl was acting ‘ghetto’ then they would feel uncomfortable. The clubs believe those girls might cause trouble. They favour black girls who they consider posh and proper.  

A lot of people find me on TikTok and it’s hard because there will be girls who go to promoters who have already rejected them, and come to me thinking I can get them in. I can always try but can never promise they will get in through me.

This racist clubbing system is very outdated, not aligning with our diverse London culture.

“I don’t think they’re going to be progressive and once they see that people have no hope in Mayfair, they might try to change for themselves. I hope they will change, maybe an article out one day that calls them out?”

Categories
The Sounds

Six African-Caribbean Clubs to visit this Summer!

Pictured:www.zizoo.com

The African and Caribbean club scene in London, is one like no other. Masses of people liming and jamming to both legendary and modern hits, uniting people from different sub-cultures.

We will be guiding you through six London clubs with the best music and vibes that take you back to the Islands.

Also, make sure to keep up with their socials so you don’t miss out on their upcoming events!

  1. Bashment Party @bashmentpartyuk – IG/TikTok

This club event describes itself as the UK’s #1 for Dancehall, Reggae and Soca music. Notorious for hosting bustling and vibrant concerts in the winter and chilled out day ‘rave’ parties and concerts in the summer. The party is guided through by both lit older and new-gen DJs, playing absolute bangers and Caribbean classics. Their next upcoming event, ‘DJ Nate’s Caribbean Rocks London’, will have performances by modern day Caribbean celebs including Barbados’ own Father Philis, best known for his viral TikTok hit, ‘Face Beat’ and Jamaican native Stalk Ashley, well known for her tune with Valient, ‘Narcissistic’. Hosted by DJ Nate (@djnateuk), a DJ and Producer with over 15 Million+ Mix Streams. This event is on Friday 7th July 2023, held at Indigo at the O2, 205 Peninsula Square, London SE10 0ES. A party you will kick yourself if you miss!

2.   Rampage Sound System @ramagesound – IG/TikTok

’UK’s most renowned Sound System’. 

A very popular group which performs at Notting Hill Carnival, as it hosts a sold out end of year motive. At their nightclub events, hosted at Fire and Lighthouse Vauxhall, DJs play an array of genres ranging from dancehall to garage, as a result the crowds are always buzzing. Their club venue has multiple rooms, so people can walk into different exciting settings in one night and as a result a well connected and popular. Previous DJs include Izzy Bossy (@izzybossy), known for her infectious energy on the deck and lit mixes and have featured artists such as world renowned dancehall singer, Kranium.

3.   Piano People @pianopeopleofficial– IG/TikTok

Presented by Ministry of Sound, Piano People, a South African Amapiano genre club event, is one of the coldest motives which unites Amapiano fanatics. With its refreshing and bouncy mixes, it’s a vibe-y event unlike any other. Exploding with South African culture and trending dances. The group performs at festivals such as AfroNation and Carnival every year, when they’re not captivating crowds for monthly parties at venues all across the UK. You need to buy your ticket for their next event, ‘Piano People Presents: Kelvin Momo and Mas Musiq’, accompanied by many DJ acts including, Nicky Summers (@nickysummerss), DUO (@des.uo) and Red Hour (red.hour_). Taking place on 22nd April 2023 at HERE at Outernet!

4.   Recess @rec.ess – IG/TikTok

‘The Party of the People’, Recess is a newly emerging, popular event, known for hosting rollerskating parties and park festivals in addition to its usual nightclub setting. Not regular club settings, however, as their parties often have themes: an example being ‘Nollywood Style’, where guests would dress in the theme of Nigerian TV show characters of the early 2000s.  Often hosted at Box Park Wembley alongside multiple food stalls and bars, it is also a huge venue, so you’ll have to make sure to not lose your friends and have a strategy of how you move about. Attracting a mixed audience who value African and Caribbean genres such as: Afrobeats, Amapiano, Soca, Bashment and Dancehall .

5.    No Signal @theresnosignal – IG/TikTok

No Signal host a string of local parties throughout the year, with young and upcoming DJs engaging with the excited crowd. The events were introduced during lockdown through their ‘10v10’ series on Radio and YouTube. If you missed it, this was a competition between two artists and two sides would pick their best ten songs, then play them against each other, which ever artist got the most votes would win. No Signal’s genres differ per event, however, it is mainly catered to celebrate the black diaspora and its’ culture with ‘house parties’ featuring well known DJs such as Henrie (@henrieviii – presenter for Kiss Fresh) & Scully (@isthatscully – content creator) to set the tone for the night. Their events often take place across London and abroad, including locations such as Amsterdam. But the next event will have a fusion of African and Caribbean sounds, ‘Diaspora Dance: Estilo Palop x Franco Fever’, ‘a duet of francophone and lusophone music’, on the 30th April 2023 at The Steel Yard, London – make sure to cop your tickets for this Sub-Saharan African inspired fest!

6.    Moody HiFi @moodyhifi– IG/TikTok

Moody HiFi is a club event which has collaborations and pop up events in different clubs around London. They host parties once or twice a month with a handpicked selection of talented DJs. With these DJs providing and specialising in a wide selection of music, examples include Ella DHC (@elladhc), who is known for her dancehall sets and Freddie XODOS (@freddiebale)  who enjoys playing Amapiano selections. However, they don’t forget about the essential genres including: Soca, Bashment, RnB, HipHop and Pop remixes at their parties – so everyone feels included. Their events always have a cool vibe with like minded music lovers, it entices you to go to every event.

Categories
The Sounds

Freddie XODOS x Moody HiFi

DJ Freddie XODOS
Pictured: DJ Freddie XODOS (@freddiebale).
Meet Freddie Bale, AKA DJ Freddie XODOS, founder of Moody HiFi in Peckham. He tells POWDER how he went about creating one of the vibiest nights around.  

At 23, Freddie Bale is fast becoming one of the most sought-after event organisers and DJs in South London.

Having played Milan Fashion Week, the Oxford-born DJ has an impressive CV that includes musician, producer, graphic designer, and promoter. Now living in East London and immersing himself in the creative scene with events such as Shifting Culture and Fortem International, we caught up with him to talk about his biggest event to date: the trail-blazing clubbing event, Moody HiFi.  

Tell us about XODOS. What does that mean?  

My DJ name is Freddie XODOS. That name came from when I was DJing at 16 and my DJ name was Exodus – like in the Bible. The joke was, ‘When I come on, everyone leaves,’ until I started releasing music on SoundCloud and it got a nice following.   

What influenced your love of music? 

My biggest influence was my granddad. He was always talking about blues and jazz. That was my first introduction to music, and as I got older, I started learning the guitar, drums, and piano. That’s when I got heavy into music. All my friends had their football, but I had my instruments. I mainly play jazz and funk jazz. Then I got into producing. I feel like a lot of my inspiration comes from this weird genre on SoundCloud of jazz infused with electronic stuff. Kind of like early Mura Masa, that type of vibe.  

Scenes at Moody HiFi (@moodyhifi).
Is Moody HiFi your first project?  

 My first ever project was K-FUNKZ STUDIOS when I was 17, a garage-jungle night that I started with my two best friends. When I first started DJing, I realised the promoters were making all the money, so I said to my boys, ‘Let’s start an event.’ It went really well but it died after [the first COVID-19] lockdown. I have also worked on a few other events but Moody HiFi was my first solo project.  

How did Moody HiFi come about and the vibe you were going for?  

I moved to London the day we went into the second lockdown, so that was a bit of a kick in the teeth. During the first lockdown, everyone was shook and abiding by the rules by staying at home. The second lockdown, I feel, was more relaxed though there were obviously still people who lived with people at risk and had to stay at home. I was always DJing during that lockdown, so I built my network when I was meeting people at people’s houses. By the time the lockdown was eased, I had a circle of people who all liked the same music as me, liked to party and had good vibes.  

The original idea of Moody HiFi was a radio show, for when you wake up after a heavy weekend or long week to a nice, chilled R&B and rap moment, SoundCloud edits, alternative Afrobeats and so on. I made up little logos and an album cover for this first idea but I never released it. After lockdown, I decided I wanted to start a new event, and I still liked the name and the branding and thought, ‘Let me use that.’ So, I have been growing it since then.  

DJing lies in being able to read your crowd and catering to them.

DJ Freddie XODOS
How do you decide on the setlist?  

The actual act of DJing is not that hard, mixing one song with another. I feel like the skill lies in being able to read your crowd and catering to them. I will never go into a set with a predetermined set to play, but with crates of music that are a similar vibe. I like mixing different vibes in the same crate to experiment with different things. I always start my set with a banger that everyone knows, so they can sing along and get everyone locked in. Once you have the crowd there, you can push in a certain direction and see if it’s working. If that works, keep following it and see where it goes.  

Scenes at Moody HiFi (@moodyhifi).
How would you say you inspire loyalty with your audience?   

One thing that I always do with events is make sure that I am on good terms with all the staff because one member of staff can ruin the whole night. There are a lot of events now that treat you as if you should be honoured to be there, the bouncers ‘G-checking’ everyone that comes through the door. The whole idea of Moody is to have a space where it’s not like a typical club, but like a party where everyone is there for enjoyment, to make friends and fuck around and get loose for the weekend without being judged. I feel like in London especially, there is a lot of that with a lot of clubs, where people show off and get drunk, but if anyone acts too crazy, everyone judges. I say: just be yourself, man, we’re all trying to have some fun.  

 Keeping it personal, I think, is a good thing. We hit capacity at one event and there were a lot of people who bought tickets and could not get in. I think the guest list QR code got leaked meaning that people who paid for tickets could not get in. At another event, the bouncer was not letting people in claiming that the venue was at full capacity, but he was straight up lying because it was empty inside. I pushed my set back to make sure that I was there, chatting with everyone that was outside. The least that I could do in both scenarios was go up to them and say, ‘Hey, this is my event. I’m sorry, and obviously, you’ll get a refund for not getting in’ and explain the situation. I have spoken to a few angry people but as soon as I have explained it, they are all bless about it.   

Are you happy with how Moody HiFi has worked out?  

Yeah, definitely. I never expected it to grow so quickly. In the first year, we did Milan Fashion Week twice – both of those shows sold out. One street party we had in Paris was so lit, within twenty minutes of starting, the whole road was locked off and people were climbing on cars and shit. That was lit. I have been getting recognition in the right places and speaking to certain people in the industry. It’s a nice feeling when I introduce myself to someone and they’re like, ‘Yeah, yeah, Moody HiFi, I see you.’   

The Freddie XODOS Experience (@freddiebale).