Return to ButtonDown Disco

I went to ButtonDown Disco last night, eventhough I'd promised to never go back again. Since Reco is only staying in London until July, I thought it would be nice to go to a few clubs with him so he can see how different/similar they are to the ones in Brasil. And since Silke gets into ButtonDown for free, and can sneak up to five of her friends in too, I thought "what the heck." She was going yesterday with Clare, so Reco & I decided to tag along. Kevin stayed at home, too sore from playing football to move off the bed.

We started out at Silke's place, drinking vodka & red bull or gin & vanilla coke. Took just about two nicely dosed drinks to get Reco & I flushed. Next, we took the tube and got to the club by 10. They were playing David Bowie as we walked down the stairs and into the club. It was already packed, with people crowded around the bar, sitting down, or dancing. The venue was small - this time The Eve Lounge - with a 70s style dancefloor that flashed coloured squares underneath your feet. There was a fake tree hanging over the sitting area, with large mirrors across from it. If you sat down underneath the tree and looked into the mirror, you saw a lonely beam of light coming down on your face, and you could imagine yourself in some fairy tale forest (though this also required the will to ignore the music, the cigarette smoke, the happy drunks and the unhappy staff shuffling around.)

The DJ was less crap than previous times and played tons of good songs. Drinks came and went. Silke and Clare were taken by the lush fairies and didn't come back until it was time to go home. I seem to remember two guys grabbing Silke at one point by the legs and arms and swinging her on the dancefloor. Later, I sat down and found a full pack of cigarettes behind the couch. I called Claire over to give her the treasure (she was the only smoker amongst us) and she started laughing because that was the pack she had lost earlier on. Reco had a good time though he complained that he was unable to get drunk. I was alright for most of the night, apart from the last hour when my legs were stiffening up and I couldn't even muster the strenght to dance to Kylie Minogue's "Better the Devil You Know".

Main highlights included everyone getting into that northern soul classic "Tainted Love" (not the Soft Cell version), dancing to "Disco 2000" on the dancefloor used for the video of the same song (D'uh!) and two boys who freaked out to The Smiths "This Charming Men" and Sophie Ellis Bextor's "Murder on the Dancefloor". But the supreme highlight was when Madonna's "Like a Prayer" started. The coatcheck guy, a camp skinny blonde who was wearing what I would describe as a gold lamé cockroach suit, lifted his arms and started clapping; Silke and some other girls stood on the chairs around the dancefloor and lifted their arms; everyone sang along and were soon clapping their hands too. I guess you had to be there (and drunk).

Bizarre sidenote: there was an attendant selling Ferrero Roche chocolate in the boys' bathroom. What next? Easyjet tickets?

Everyone had fun and now I feel bad about thinking ButtonDown Disco is a poor indie night out. I guess it all depends on the DJ's mood.