LDM, Music Quiz, SPAT!, Jezebel: A Week in Concrete

If you weren’t at Concrete last weekend for any one of the amazing nights we had on, then you really missed out!

Literary Death Match kicked off the week with an astounding debut in Concrete, marking their 7th London outing, and what a following they brought with them; every last inch of Concrete was full!

The night kicked off with a reading from iD magazines very own Milly McMahon, who read a piece about losing her virginity at the tender age of 22. Peppered with sarcasm and lots of phallic references, she sent the crowd into wild applause and laughter and was the perfect ice-breaking start to the night.
Next up was Clare Pollard who read out a few pieces of her poetry to the eager audience and we lapped up every second of it. I think everyone agrees that alliterations sound so much better with a Bolton accent. She had the audience absolutely at her mercy as she read out (with unabashed passion and perfect comedic timing) her work, and it was no surprise when she made it into the final two.
After a short break where audience members were asked to participate in some fun games to win the new Bret Easton Ellis book, Imperial Bedrooms, the night carried on with Nikesh Shukla reading a piece he had written about him and his mate beatboxing on tape recorders back in the 80’s. It was gut-wrenchingly funny and incredibly well-written and the seven minutes allotted to read his piece couldn’t have been enough for him or the audience. We were indubitably left wanting more.
Rounding out the four guest speakers was Lee Rourke who read an excerpt from his new novel (The Canal) about his experience battling his brother on Atari’s Pong. Captivating and humorous, I’ve never heard so much laughing than when he read, “F—k, f—k I’ve f—-ing f—-ed it!” Brilliant!
Guest judges Simon Hickson (Trevor & Simon), Marie Berry and Sun journalist Dave Bromage were excruciatingly funny and were the perfect judges for the night at hand. Each seemed to have the perfect anecdotes for every reading and kept the crowd chuckling all night.

Lee Rourke and Clare Pollard were announced as the final two, and the “death match” saw Tod Zuniga split the audience down the middle, one side on Clare’s team and the other Lee’s. The “Death Match”? The DJ played a song from the 80’s and an audience member from the respective side had to dash through the crowd, to the front and slap the hand of Suzanna (executive producer of LDM) and shout out the name of the song or the artist. It got very heated and they were neck-in-neck with 6 songs each. The final song, Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” started playing and yours truly bounded through the audience, over our Charlotte from Bugged Out, barely missing a few hands on the floor, slapping Suzanne’s hand and shouting “DIANA ROSS I’M COMING OUT!” How befitting.

So Lee Rourke won the 7th Literary Death Match and got his own little trophy. The DJ started swiftly after and dancing and gaiety ensued, with a few even heading up to Pizza East to grab a late night snack. The next Literary Death Match is August 11th and I would recommend you get your tickets early because after last Wednesday’s event, the next promises to be even more unbelievable. Get in!

Thursday was Kirstie and MC Quizzical and their fab, dancing-on-tables, hands-in-the-air music quiz, Sounds Familiar Music Quiz. With a record number of tables booked out, the quiz was a riotous affair; the players seemed so engrossed in the interactive quiz, and yet simultaneously seemed unable to sit still for the want to dance! So when the breaks came and the music started, there was dancing to be had by all. And every time, Kirstie had to wind the crowd back down into their seats so they could commence. What a great night. Sounds Familiar Music Quiz is a monthly affair, so make sure you and your mates book a table for the next one. Keep checking the site for info about the upcoming quiz.

Friday was SPAT! Organizers Damien and Will scout out the freshest, bang-on-trend live acts and DJs and put on a night that begs for more attention. DJ Hairy Bastarde kicked off the night with some rock ‘n’ roll and swing, warming up the guests for band De Shamonix who hit the stage at 11:03pm. Shrouded in the pink, red, yellow and orange stage lights, De Shamonix brought the house down with their “hard indie” and had everyone in Concrete clapping their hands and dancing themselves silly. When De Shamonix finished, DJ Wolf Cooley spun the decks with his indie and 80’s pop set, followed by DJ Sybian, the dynamic DJ duo who rounded off the night with a bash on the decks, churning out more indie and 80’s hits for the dancing punters. We love SPAT!

Saturday was the Jezebel Disco Wagon Lovebox After Party and it couldn’t have been better. DJ Eleanor played for the ever-growing crowd and as Jade Jagger’s arrival became imminent, everyone started to go a bit bonkers. Jezebel hit the decks at 11.30pm playing all the 80’s music you’ve ever loved, interspersed with 90’s hits and the most generous sprinkling of Prince I’ve heard anyone play in a while. It was divine. Favourite moments had to be when Jade decided a coat of fairy lights was de riguer and a breakdancing collective descended on Concrete (unexpectedly?). As the crowd formed a big circle around the breakdancers, the guys spun, flipped, danced and WOWed the crowd. They were AH-mazing. All in all, a night full of Loveboxers and Pizza Easters and anyone who heard Jade Jagger and Co. were going to be down in Concrete. If you missed it, I’m sorry, because it was ACE!

The Nautical But Nice Jumble Sale followed by Soul Syndicate rounded out the week on Sunday day and night respectively and both were fab as promised. A jumble sale in Concrete always goes down a treat and there really isn’t anything better than soul on a Sunday.

Coming up this week we’ve got Youth Club Ping Pong on Tuesday night, Happy House with Girlcore DJs (and very special guest Cocknbullkid) on Thursday, Buffalo Stars with Alejandro Ascensio and Co. on Friday and Eat It on Saturday night. Don’t miss out!

Yours truly,

Josh