This was my first visit to The Club, and I was excited to see what the people who brought Manchester the amazing showcases that were the Warehouse Projects and who restored our faith in a quality clubbing scene in the city were doing with a more conventional club.
The best measure of this is that my journalistic notebook, pencil and pork-pie hat all went away pretty quickly as I was swept up in the excited and frenzied atmosphere that seemed to be enveloping the clubs main room from the moment I stepped in. The crowd that was squeezed onto the dance floor were already dancing hard to the first DJs of the night. The energy being created was easy to spot from the first floor balcony which, as well as providing a good viewing point for the now very familiar neon colours, face-paint and sunglasses and the not-so-expected sight of a large group of men dressed as fairies, was a nice space to dance away from the crowdedness of the main floor whilst still getting all of the dirty electro beats and the energy of the sweating, heaving masses below.
The top floor provided a nice change of pace and sound with Iration Steppas putting out some dub-heavy beats easing an appreciative hardcore of the crowd into the evening. The fast-rising talents of Futurebound then banged out some high BPM drum and bass to keep those who preferred the eves of the attic to the bright lights below happy and dancing.
And below Kissy Sell Out was shining brightly indeed. Mashing up well loved pop anthems and underground grimy classics all to the backing of some dirty synthesised beats is what Kissy has been making a name for himself doing for several years now, and he only gets better at it. Although becoming a big name in his own right, his low-key underground style went so well in the smaller space, the energy that can be felt in the underlying beats of his mixes reached into every corner and left the whole crowd unable to stay still.
So how have the promoters done? They did a near-perfect job of placing a befitting headliner in the space as The Club (aka Paradise Factory) continues in doing an excellent job of pushing Manchester clubbing back to the filthy, friendly and damn fine ways it is always celebrated for.
8/10
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