Kate and Mariam interview Goldsmiths students to find out the tea about London nightlife!Show less
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Tag: vibes
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!
- 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.
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The Barman Shot Me Down
Drinking on the dance floor is akin to a ritualistic experience where we can shed our old selves and become someone new. Mariam and Kate took that journey one boozy night in Peckham and this is how it went.
There’s no doubt that as soon as you step into the club you’re going to experience something, a beautiful moment where everything comes together.
Moves flow, you ride the vibe of your fellow clubgoers, and you don’t want it to stop. Usually, that moment is facilitated by alcohol – tequila, rum, childish cocktails or, for the demons that walk among us, vodka.
We moan about queues, not bringing a jacket and the state of the gender-neutral bathroom, but alcohol and the club atmosphere can make all of these bearable…dare we say, even enjoyable. As the drinks drop, we subconsciously become different versions of ourselves, so we took this as a catalyst to document the booze-soaked psychological shifts on a night out to see how reality changes at the club.
Mariam’s account
Shot number one: Tequila I arrived very early so I’m currently cowering at the corner of the club drinking the tequila I smuggled in a rainbow flask hidden in my jacket. Even though I have student finance and I live at home, I’ll have to be inebriated to pay £9 for a single shot. There are only three positions to take so far: standing by the wall, prepping in the bathroom or at the bar seeking some Dutch courage. The scene is best described by the guys' style: straight leg jeans, either a branded fleece or a plain coloured shirt and trainers, the kind you would see on a self-proclaimed “creative director.” We are in Peckham, might I add. At this point, I’m feeling very self-aware and I’m not ready to go with the flow. The DJ is playing music that is actually danceable and I could see myself going nuts once the façade of confidence sets in. So, the goal is to get tipsy-cute and not properly pissed. We aren’t eighteen anymore so pissed and yaking is not the move. Shot number two: Tequila again. I’ve moved to the bathroom again where I met some nice girls. I look into the mirror to see if I feel the buzz. I do. Why do I find myself in the bathroom? It almost acts like a purgatory between real life and whatever the hell this is. That said, I feel the love in Peckham tonight. Slowly, the stress of young life is dissipating, the scene starts to feel friendly, and you are ready to buy your new-found friend a shot. At this moment, inflation doesn’t seem so bad. Getting ready to go back out there again, finally the tequila confidence is creeping its way through. Shot number three and four: Fuck-yeah tequila. I’m on the dance floor trying to type into my Notes app, whilst being ping-ponged between sweaty bodies. By now everybody is feeling it. Bodies, bodies, bodies backdrop the DJ’s hypnotic mixes and euphoric songs. I see people truly lose themselves in the music. COVID is a thing of the past as bodies grind on each other - they will soon be praying that they are attractive outside of the club lighting. I could try to struggle towards the front of the stage to feel the full effect of the sounds but no one would hear my excuse-mes. So I make the most of where I’m at, unsure of whether the liquid I feel on my back is sweat or someone’s vodka and Coke. Saturday nights are back. This is it, I have discovered the sweat spot of a spiritual experience before self-deprecation. Nothing says ecstasy like buying three shots of tequila for yourself and your friend. I am well and truly a different person right now. Eventually, I succumb to the gaze of a man dressed like all the other Peckham bros. Hopefully he’ll ask for my Instagram handle instead of my number. ‘Maybe I am not as socially inept as I thought,’ as I find myself engaging in conversations with strangers. Shot number five (drink safely): No more tequila. Time for McDonald’s. With the effects of the night wearing off, it's time for another bathroom trip - a sacred space where I break away from the clubland to collect myself and check in on how I’m really feeling. Where everything outside of clubland is moving a mile a minute and there is no opportunity for a pause, the zen I feel in this messy powder room is not known anywhere else.
Kate’s account
Shot number one: Two shots of silver tequila – shock to the system, but lowkey refreshing. The night begins with pre-drinks at my friend's house – two shots of Captain Morgan and a swig of vodka mixed with iced tea. As an improving lightweight, I am already the slightest bit buzzed. Fast forward to the queue outside the club, shivering with excitement and anticipating strutting into the club for tonight’s motive. My coat safely stowed away in the cloak room, the next stop is the bar. We arrive just in time as the party starts to get lit. My group of five take turns to pay for drinks as the alcohol gradually wears off. After our shots, we head to the middle of the packed and dance floor. My guard is up, my vision slightly blurring, but I am giggling and my body feels looser and ready to dance. After a few minutes, we decide to head to the bathroom in the stereotypical fashion of moving in a girl pack. But we backtrack as soon as Ice Spice’s In Ha Mood plays - to the dancefloor, quickly! Shot number 2: Obviously, another tequila shot (and an accidental shot of Wray & His Nephews). Forget the toilet right now. Back to the bar we go. Those shots were cool but I am too sober for this place. Another shot of tequila down, I start to feel blushed and buzzed, as a typical lightweight should be. I am then handed what I think is another tequila shot by my friend – it’s in fact a shot of Wray and His Nephews. I’m so gone that don’t notice that it doesn’t come with any salt or lime. Shot number 3: One last tequila shot – I promise! I tell myself one more shot for the night. At this point, it’s two in the morning, the current vibe is trap music and entranced boys congregate in a body-odour-infused mosh pit. Nauseated, my friends and I decide to find a booth to chill out, which turns into a power nap for three-fifths of us. I wake up to the music still blaring in my ears and my friend filming me, then we sing along to Banking on Me by Gunna. Once we’re all awake, it’s time for a cup of water and a loo break before we head back to Lewisham for much-needed recovery sleep. My friend’s couch, a refrigerated sandwich and more water await me in ends.