Bump 'n Grindhouse
19 Oct 2008 02:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
karohemdOh dear, I'm shattered, I'm getting old...
It was a good night out, I had a fantastic time. I'm absolutely happy for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dj_slingshot, raggedy_man and the rest of the team that it was such a big success. To get that many (I don't know the exact number but they had broken even by 10:30 which is awesome) people through the door on an opening night, just by advertising is amazing. For those who don't know it, the event was held at the Harris Suite of Cambridge football club, which is not only quite a stretch out from city centre but also completely hidden from the road so will never get random passers-by to come in. Basically, all the guests were people who knew about it or had been dragged along by friends.
There was quite a variety of people, and not just the familiar faces from the Cambridge goth and metal scenes. As varied as the people were the outfits, from 30's mobsters/flappers to modern goths and flamboyant cross-dressers.
The music selection was similarly varied and judging by the number of people on the dancefloor, it all worked.
The two Argentine tango dancers were impressive. Having seen the real thing in Buenos Aires two years ago, I can only approve.
The burlesque performers were good fun, too:
- the first one a very classic one with an Eve theme performed by a very cute redhead with an awesome figure and real curves,
- the second a mix of (strip)tease and walking on glass(!)
- and the third a bubbly blonde doing a fan dance and something a little more rude but funny, too
Sadly, these were my main issue with the night, or rather the venue: Ever since hearing about it I had wondered how they were going to do it (or how I would do it) and I couldn't figure it out. The Harris Suite is a long, narrow room, only about six metres wide, a set of tables/chairs on the walls left and right, the bar is on the right hand side built into the wall and then the dancefloor is at the end. For just a club, this works quite well as the volume of the music is concentrated at the end and it's quiet enough in the seating area that you can have a chat without having to shout. I'd only say that there should be a few more indirect light sources along the walls, or maybe one of those LED rope lights so the front bit isn't completely in the dark.
The "stage" the first two performers used was set along the side of the dancefloor and only about 15 cm high so the performers weren't really visible to anyone further back, especially during the second perfomance as the dancer was mostly sitting down and the really interesting bit of her performance being the floor.
This was even worse for the last act as people had to stand outside the dancefloor as she wasn't using the stage which meant it was basically six people standing abreast on the flat at the same level as the performer. The first two rows sat on the floor or crouched down which worked somewhat but I'm sure there were loads of people who couldn't see anything.
I guess the only way to improve this a bit is to have a better stage that's a lot higher, probably at the end in front of the DJ booth and guests will need to sit down during the performance. This would mean sacrificing more of the dancefloor but it'll probably work better. Another option would be a change of venue with a better setup but I can't think of anywhere that would be appropriate or viable. I didn't really talk to people about it but I think that if people pay to see performances they would want to actually be able to see them, too.
Another good idea was the room in the back with various stalls offering handmade jewellery/accessories, corsetry and a table of manga/graphis by Sweatdrop andpinkapplejam and a space to chill out a bit for those who needed a rest but didn't want to go outside into the cold.
Overall, I think it was as good as an opening night could have been or even better so well done and I'm proud to be able to be part of the next one on the 13th of December!
So again, well done to the BnG crew and thank you very much for a great night out.
It was a good night out, I had a fantastic time. I'm absolutely happy for
dj_slingshot, raggedy_man and the rest of the team that it was such a big success. To get that many (I don't know the exact number but they had broken even by 10:30 which is awesome) people through the door on an opening night, just by advertising is amazing. For those who don't know it, the event was held at the Harris Suite of Cambridge football club, which is not only quite a stretch out from city centre but also completely hidden from the road so will never get random passers-by to come in. Basically, all the guests were people who knew about it or had been dragged along by friends.There was quite a variety of people, and not just the familiar faces from the Cambridge goth and metal scenes. As varied as the people were the outfits, from 30's mobsters/flappers to modern goths and flamboyant cross-dressers.
The music selection was similarly varied and judging by the number of people on the dancefloor, it all worked.
The two Argentine tango dancers were impressive. Having seen the real thing in Buenos Aires two years ago, I can only approve.
The burlesque performers were good fun, too:
- the first one a very classic one with an Eve theme performed by a very cute redhead with an awesome figure and real curves,
- the second a mix of (strip)tease and walking on glass(!)
- and the third a bubbly blonde doing a fan dance and something a little more rude but funny, too
Sadly, these were my main issue with the night, or rather the venue: Ever since hearing about it I had wondered how they were going to do it (or how I would do it) and I couldn't figure it out. The Harris Suite is a long, narrow room, only about six metres wide, a set of tables/chairs on the walls left and right, the bar is on the right hand side built into the wall and then the dancefloor is at the end. For just a club, this works quite well as the volume of the music is concentrated at the end and it's quiet enough in the seating area that you can have a chat without having to shout. I'd only say that there should be a few more indirect light sources along the walls, or maybe one of those LED rope lights so the front bit isn't completely in the dark.
The "stage" the first two performers used was set along the side of the dancefloor and only about 15 cm high so the performers weren't really visible to anyone further back, especially during the second perfomance as the dancer was mostly sitting down and the really interesting bit of her performance being the floor.
This was even worse for the last act as people had to stand outside the dancefloor as she wasn't using the stage which meant it was basically six people standing abreast on the flat at the same level as the performer. The first two rows sat on the floor or crouched down which worked somewhat but I'm sure there were loads of people who couldn't see anything.
I guess the only way to improve this a bit is to have a better stage that's a lot higher, probably at the end in front of the DJ booth and guests will need to sit down during the performance. This would mean sacrificing more of the dancefloor but it'll probably work better. Another option would be a change of venue with a better setup but I can't think of anywhere that would be appropriate or viable. I didn't really talk to people about it but I think that if people pay to see performances they would want to actually be able to see them, too.
Another good idea was the room in the back with various stalls offering handmade jewellery/accessories, corsetry and a table of manga/graphis by Sweatdrop and
pinkapplejam and a space to chill out a bit for those who needed a rest but didn't want to go outside into the cold.Overall, I think it was as good as an opening night could have been or even better so well done and I'm proud to be able to be part of the next one on the 13th of December!
So again, well done to the BnG crew and thank you very much for a great night out.
