Itchy Feet @ WHQ, Tuesday 8th February
For those looking for a bit of a retro revival and deviance from the usual Newcastle night of chart music and modern beats then the roving club night of Itchy Feet is sure to delight with its sophisticated and eclectic repertoire of pre-1979 music. This is backed up by a crowd of swing-dance and jive enthusiasts flailing their limbs with reckless abandon clad in their best vintage attire creating a vibrant atmosphere.
This Tuesday February 8th Itchy Feet returns to World Head Quarters bringing you the expected mix of Swing, Soul, Funk, Rhythm & Blues, Rock n Roll and Ska. Although adding an anticipated live appearance from pop-reggae act Will and The People.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Bass Traffic by Stephen Ferrel
Bass Traffic in the Dungeon at Stein Bier Keller.
24th October
Hidden away at the back of stein is a second room, which not a lot of people know about, even regulars at the club. The Dungeon as its known to those that can find it is quite possibly the most underground venue in the city of Newcastle. Stein itself has persistently failed to draw in the numbers it potentially could in what could be one of the major alternative venues in the city. Unfortunately the music policy in the front room especially at weekends has started to become an increasingly commercial clone of other bars/clubs in the area. To be fair they have been suffering from low numbers, as has much of the rest of the once vibrant quayside, once the place to be in Newcastle the Quayside has fallen out of favors dramatically with both students and locals in recent years. Signs of this changing are starting to emerge however with the reopening of the cooperage, the conversion of Sea to a live music venue. The Riverside. Further along on the quayside the drinks price war between Chase, Bar 38 and Flynn’s is ongoing and bringing a number of young newer students to this area of Newcastle. It is to be hoped Stein doesn’t go down this route.
Bass traffic itself is a weekly club night dedicated to putting on the best underground dance music from the newest DJ’s around. This little known night is exactly what Newcastle needs giving new unknown DJ’s the chance to play to a crowd that most clubs just won’t give them. The night is run by DJ ID who has been running events for near 20 years but has lost none of his passion for underground dance music, or for providing opportunities for new emerging DJ’s. The crowd is small but dedicated truly the connoisseurs of dance music in the city. The dungeon claims to have the loudest sound system per square foot in the country, and although its not a claim I believe has been verified its certainly a pretty powerful system especially when the bass heavy music of tonight’s guest DJ’s Matt H and Fijitt play there track selections through it.
The quality of this night and the potential of the venue mean its status as Newcastle best kept secret may well be short lived which is something I have to say I have mixed feelings about. A night and venue this good certainly deserve greater recognition but on the other hand could damage the community spirit that exists between dedicated followers of the night.
What appears to be emerging from this small backroom at stein is something truly special an underground community of dedicated dance music followers coming together to listen to an eclectic mix of dance music in one of the most unexpected locations in Newcastle. This club has to be seen to be believed.
24th October
Hidden away at the back of stein is a second room, which not a lot of people know about, even regulars at the club. The Dungeon as its known to those that can find it is quite possibly the most underground venue in the city of Newcastle. Stein itself has persistently failed to draw in the numbers it potentially could in what could be one of the major alternative venues in the city. Unfortunately the music policy in the front room especially at weekends has started to become an increasingly commercial clone of other bars/clubs in the area. To be fair they have been suffering from low numbers, as has much of the rest of the once vibrant quayside, once the place to be in Newcastle the Quayside has fallen out of favors dramatically with both students and locals in recent years. Signs of this changing are starting to emerge however with the reopening of the cooperage, the conversion of Sea to a live music venue. The Riverside. Further along on the quayside the drinks price war between Chase, Bar 38 and Flynn’s is ongoing and bringing a number of young newer students to this area of Newcastle. It is to be hoped Stein doesn’t go down this route.
Bass traffic itself is a weekly club night dedicated to putting on the best underground dance music from the newest DJ’s around. This little known night is exactly what Newcastle needs giving new unknown DJ’s the chance to play to a crowd that most clubs just won’t give them. The night is run by DJ ID who has been running events for near 20 years but has lost none of his passion for underground dance music, or for providing opportunities for new emerging DJ’s. The crowd is small but dedicated truly the connoisseurs of dance music in the city. The dungeon claims to have the loudest sound system per square foot in the country, and although its not a claim I believe has been verified its certainly a pretty powerful system especially when the bass heavy music of tonight’s guest DJ’s Matt H and Fijitt play there track selections through it.
The quality of this night and the potential of the venue mean its status as Newcastle best kept secret may well be short lived which is something I have to say I have mixed feelings about. A night and venue this good certainly deserve greater recognition but on the other hand could damage the community spirit that exists between dedicated followers of the night.
What appears to be emerging from this small backroom at stein is something truly special an underground community of dedicated dance music followers coming together to listen to an eclectic mix of dance music in one of the most unexpected locations in Newcastle. This club has to be seen to be believed.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Mark Ronson at WHQ by Amy Stewart
Mark Ronson at WHQ
As part of BBC Radio 1’s Student tour - in which Zane Lowe joins various well-known acts at various university locations throughout the country – Mark Ronson appeared at WHQ this Monday after a set at Northumbria University. The tickets were reasonably well-priced for such a high-profile event, at £12 with a £2.40 booking fee. Those who have been to World Headquarters before will know the charm of its eclectic decor, cool mix of reggae and soul and relatively cheap drinks. Beginning at 10pm, the night kicked off with some chilled out reggae classics fusing in to more mainstream, old-school tunes as the venue packed out in preparation for Ronson’s set which started at around 11pm. The effect was immediate and electric – a mosh-pit style crush developed at the front for the hard-core fans and the more reserved hung back and just enjoyed the exciting mix of old soul and contemporary alternative tunes. Complete with bleached hair and some sort of straw hat, Ronson commanded the attention of the crowd like not many other DJS can with such ease and effortless cool. Although slightly repetitive at times, the set was fresh and unpredictable for the most part and there was never a lull in the excited and frenzied atmosphere. In addition the set was impressively long in contrast to most high-status DJ nights, lasting well beyond two and a half hours.
By Amy Stewart
As part of BBC Radio 1’s Student tour - in which Zane Lowe joins various well-known acts at various university locations throughout the country – Mark Ronson appeared at WHQ this Monday after a set at Northumbria University. The tickets were reasonably well-priced for such a high-profile event, at £12 with a £2.40 booking fee. Those who have been to World Headquarters before will know the charm of its eclectic decor, cool mix of reggae and soul and relatively cheap drinks. Beginning at 10pm, the night kicked off with some chilled out reggae classics fusing in to more mainstream, old-school tunes as the venue packed out in preparation for Ronson’s set which started at around 11pm. The effect was immediate and electric – a mosh-pit style crush developed at the front for the hard-core fans and the more reserved hung back and just enjoyed the exciting mix of old soul and contemporary alternative tunes. Complete with bleached hair and some sort of straw hat, Ronson commanded the attention of the crowd like not many other DJS can with such ease and effortless cool. Although slightly repetitive at times, the set was fresh and unpredictable for the most part and there was never a lull in the excited and frenzied atmosphere. In addition the set was impressively long in contrast to most high-status DJ nights, lasting well beyond two and a half hours.
By Amy Stewart
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Inertia Review by Stephen Ferrell
Inertia has been running monthly Thursdays at the world headquarters for a number of years now. It has a dedicated crowd that turn up to every event the music policy has slowly been moving from house to dubstep for some time and with a DJ line including the likes of James Blake and l-vis 92 the transision seems complete. A few months back inertia took the decision to run over two floors instead of one which has lead to the crowd seeming a lot more spread out at recent events. However at this event thewhole thing took place on one floor. I’ve always felt this was the best way for inertia to operate. The club seems fuller and the atmosphere is better. The crowd wasn’t as big as at some recent nights but the people who did turn up were clearly dedicated to the dubstep on offer. This lead to a really good atmosphere and reminded me of some of the older inertia events. Maybe because it’s the club its held at but for some reason inertia always seems to attrack a more knowledgable crowd then other student clubnights like rub a dub dub and mudlove. I would recommend inertia to true fans of quality dance music above those other nights anytime.
Vibrance Preview by Ben Thorne
The World Headquaturers in Newcastle is launching its new Dub Step, D n B and electro night Vibrance this Thursday. The club prides itself on being independent and underground, and is a far step away from other club nights you may experience in the city, which is reflected in the carefully selected music they offer there eagerly awaiting audiences . The night will be showcasing a range of DJ’s to delight your listening senses and with there ethos of bringing the intimacy and excitement of a house party to a rave environment, it is set to be a night of hand waving, dance floor pumping, raving. Vibrance opens its doors at 11 PM. Tickets can be purchased on the night and are student friendly priced at £5 or £4 for guest list tickets, please contact the venue for further details on guest list tickets. The venue is located on Carliol Sq, which is just a short walk from Northumberland Street.
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