clubs

On clubs, culture, commerce and… candles



DISCOTHEQUE Paradise Garage candle
The post-Covid hedonism wave we were promised doesn’t seem to have quite materialised. There are glimpses of it – a whiff of a smoking revival, the return of the indie sleaze aesthetic – but mostly it’s a lingering backward glance to wilder times.

Discothèque candles got the memo and ran with it. Founded by L.A ladies Jessie Willner and Hanover Booth, the intoxicatingly-scented and gorgeously packaged candles are named after storied clubbing landmarks of their time – think Hacienda, Crisco Disco, Paradise Garage and the Mudd Club. (more…)



Acid House As It Happened, a new photo book by Dave Swindells



Acid House As it Happened book by Dave Swindells
‘We sat on the stairs watching a group of football fans and erstwhile hooligans who were sat a few steps below us as they hugged and (literally) made daisy chains together. Andrew [Wetherall] gestured towards them and half-whispered: “He’s a Chelsea fan, that one’s Millwall, those two are ICF [West Ham’s Inter City firm of hardcore fans], he’s Arsenal and I’m not sure about those two wrong-‘uns behind them but you can bet that a couple of weeks ago they’d have happily been kicking chunks out of each other. This “Summer of Love” thing could be getting out of hand.”‘

This quote from Dave Swindells comes from his new photo book documenting the Acid House raves, warehouse parties and clubs of 1988, the year that dance music changed British culture and society (if you want to get really deep). (more…)