January 2008

Bang Face Hard Crew

January 2008

BRING THE TOYS: BANG FACE GETS ITS FIRST WEEKENDER

UPFRONT, One to Watch, January 2008, COMMENTS

Got a hankering to experience ‘Neo-Rave Armageddon’? Well, luckily for you, it’s here, thanks to the organisers of Bang Face, who have secured a licence to put on their first three day weekender in none other than the Pontins holiday resort in Camber Sands. The 1950s wooden chalets of Pontins, originally developed to cater for the post-war popularity for beachy holidays, will in April play host to several thousand curious clubbers and the ‘Bang Face Hard Crew’ - the faithful group of ravers who have come to love the Bang Face concept since it was launched four years ago.

Created by a St Alban’s DJ, known to his friends simply as Saint Acid, Bang Face started as a party in a toilet in Spitalfields, before rolling out as a regular monthly night in Shoreditch’s Electrowerkz. You’d have expected the concept to die a quick, noisy death: the music policy has been designed to sound like a list of the Daily Mail’s worst nightmares: acid, jungle, rave hardcore, drum ‘n’ bass, breakcore, techno, electronica, dubstep, electro and abstract dance - all mixed in front of a crowd of glow-stick waving and hoodie wearing neo-ravers. However, with an emphasis on good-natured silliness and tightly run by a set of seasoned clubbing pros, behind the mask of Bang Face is simply another well-put-together, sanitised, commercial business venture.

Which is perhaps why the rave format is being tolerated by both the Spitalfields councils and by the Camber Sands licensing board. Moreover, the production of the Bang Face weekender will be co-handled by the people behind the Glade.

“We’ve had a couple of showcase events at the Glade festival,” says Saint Acid. “And they were happy to come and help us with the Bang Face weekender. It’s our first festival gig, so we wanted to make sure we had kosher people to help us perfect the organisation of each day down to the finest detail.”
These details range from the silly to the sublime. The event will kick off with a display of human cannonballs, and will offer such highlights as a swamp party in the Pontin’s pool, fancy dress events, and a whole host of mostly secret surprises.

“But you’re not going to survive a whole three days of rave music,” admits Acid. “So we’ve tried to create a few different dynamics throughout the three days - there’ll be chill-out areas and relaxing activities. The beach is just nearby, and the line-up is a real mix.”

Headlining the event is some excellent (and surprisingly grown-up) acts including Squarepusher, world Beatboxing champion Beardyman and Cylob. These will share the stage with live bands including Jackson and his Computer Band, The Venetian Snares, and cockny knees-up legends Chaz n’ Dave, while comedy DJ Cassetteboy will also be on hand with his trademark mash-up of celebrity quotes. Other acts appeal just due to the imaginative silliness of their names, with DJ Pisstank probably taking the crown.

Amongst all this contained chaos will be the charm of the Pontins resort itself, which is no stranger to the occasional music festival (being the home of All Tomorrows Parties). None of the nostalgia of cheap sixties holidays will be lost, and punters will require electricity cards to make their chalets work. There are no day passes either - and really, this is about dancing into the early hours - but thankfully there is always respite in the Pontins pub, and a supermarket for the hungry sensible.

“It’s going to take some getting used to. The Bang Face parties have all worked best on the small scale; how it’ll feel when there are thousands of us I’m not too sure. But we’ve packed in a lot to do, and I have a lot of faith in our fans - they always bring out the best in everything. Once the hype after the event has calmed down we’ll look at planning the next one.”

In the mean time, their 50th party in December bought Bang Face’s year to a memorable close. You can only imagine what their new year’s eve was like.

From: January 2008 Issue

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