CLUBS

Out with the old and in with the new – incoming Clubs editor Adam Anonymous looks ahead to how the big movers and shakers are going to rock 2011's clubbing landscape in Bristol and beyond.

The dust may barely have settled on that liver-breaking annual blow-out to end all blow-outs, New Year's Eve, but there is already much to look forward to in clubland as we stagger, nursing the king of all hangovers, into 2011.

Almost certainly the biggest news on the horizon is the imminent relaunch of a Bristol clubbing institution. Stokes Croft stalwart the Blue Mountain hasn't truly scaled the heights in some time now. But long-time owner Donald Oakley is back at the helm of the two-floor 500-capacity venue after a spell minus his stewardship saw the club unsuccessfully attempt a flashier incarnation. And there is a new man at the wheel taking the famous old building forward too: after leaving Thekla late last year, BlowPop's Julian Smith is overseeing the rebirth, due to kick off in earnest on 29 Jan with The Official Blue Mountain Relaunch Party, featuring Zombie Disco Squad, Style Of Eye, A-Skillz, plus a host of local talent.

The electrics and plumbing have already been renovated, while other much-needed improvement work is taking place during January – which means painting the building inside and out, consigning unsightly mirrors around the dancefloor to a skip, renovating the bars, installing a pummelling new Funktion-One soundsystem in both rooms and heaters on the roof terrace, while bringing in a new management team, plus security headed by staff from late lamented BlowPop-run microclub Tube. Entering their 15th year in operation, BlowPop are going back to their roots too, returning to their base of seven golden years between 1996 to 2003. And a host of promoters follow them across town, including The Blast (who host Plastician and more on 5 Feb), Colours and Monkey!Knife!Fight!, Intrigue and Futureboogie (who have Ninja Tune wiz Bonobo booked for a DJ set on 4 Mar).

“The club went downhill,” Julian recalls. “The people that took it on tried to turn it into a ritzy town centre club and that didn't work, hence the mirrors around the dancefloor and stuff like that. Donald has taken it back for the past two years, but in the time since he stopped, places like Motion and Thekla [have come to prominence] and he hasn't had many promoters come near him because of some critical things that are wrong with the club, namely the soundsystem and the fact it's a bit grotty in there.

“As far as actually what's happening to the club, it's a lick of paint and making sure all the facilities work, and decking out the roof terrace well, because we want to use the upstairs and roof terrace in the summer when people don't want to be doing massive shows. We want to keep that Stokes Croft vibe; we're not going to try to make it something that it isn't. But if it hasn't got a night that's not going to be big, we're not going to open it. Over the next six to eight months we want to build it back so that come October we have a club in its heyday, like it was when BlowPop first started here. I think the city really needs somewhere that's got a bit of heart in it. Motion's proved that – a lot of local people doing something really good.”

With additional plans for weekday live music of the roots reggae and hip-hop variety, it's certainly a shot in the arm for Stokes Croft in its ongoing resistance against creeping gentrification.

BlowPop aren't the only promoting mainstays to celebrate an anniversary in 2011. Among those blowing out the candles are Intrigue, commemorating eight years on the scene in February, and Empathy, who are 10 in April, with the latter's architect Stuart Wilkinson promising something “really special. There will be two massive events. That's all I can say for now.” Freejive's fourth birthday is no joke on 1 April, bringing German duo Session Victim to the Dojo Lounge, and Bedlam hit nine on 4 Feb at Lakota.

The South West continues to attract the largest international names, with humungous take-the-next-week-off-work nights arriving thick and fast from January onwards: Benga and Sinden top the year's first Shit The Bed at Motion (15 Jan), while things get trendy a few days later at the Skins Party at Propaganda (Syndicate, 19 Jan), with a big-name special guest DJ to be announced. February sees online dubstep haven GetDarker take over Bristol for the first time at Basement 45 with a Valentine's special on 12 Feb and the bass weight-based badness continues with Hyperdub's broadsheet post-dubsteppers of choice Darkstar sure to pack out Start The Bus (25 Feb). March necessitates a short weekend trek down the M5 (and, erm, some windy A roads) for the clubbing leviathan that is Bloc, colonising Butlin's in Minehead between 11-13 Mar. The line-up is already pushing toward greatest-ever status and all, starring – lung-busting deep breath – Aphex Twin, Magnetic Man, LFO, Moderat, Four Tet, Vitalic, Joy Orbison, Venetian Snares, Drop The Lime, Toddla T and Bristolian brilliance from the likes of Redlight, Addison Groove, Al Tourettes, Gemmy, Guido and all sorts of other Subloaded-approved fun. Just time to recover before Chase & Status's 'No More Idols' tour – also the name of their next album – booms into the Academy (15 Mar), Club Cosmique present a live show from New York City's DFA-approved Hercules And Love Affair (16 Mar, Metropolis) and beatboxer extraordinaire Shlomo dispenses oral magic with his Mouthtronica show in Bath (30 Mar 30, Komedia). And though, as ever, the turn of the year is way too late to lay hands on regular tickets for Glastonbury, yet way too early for any concrete line-up to go public, if 22-26 June at Worthy Farm doesn't contain more club heavyweights and local luminaries than you can shake a big rural stick, we'll eat our festival hat.

Plenty of South West nights are taking more modest steps toward upping their game in 2011, too. The Big Chill Bar welcomes back regular visitor Norman Jay MBE for a Motown Valentine's bash on 12 Feb. Heavy Soul at The Park is set to relaunch twice monthly, with vintage soul, funk, blues and back on the agenda and Manchester's Paul Welsby among future guests, and with every last tune spun on 45. And Department S goes to three Saturdays per month at The Lanes. Here's hoping that little lot will well and truly stave off the January blues, for the time being at least. Happy New Year.

Copyright Adam Anonymous 2011

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