New Year's Resolution

Everything Must Go

JANUARY 2006

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

UPFRONT, OTW, JANUARY 2007, COMMENTS

New Year’s Eve arrives and each year we’re full of noble intentions: eating less, exercising more, giving up smoking altogether. But by January we’re back to chain smoking, munching a takeaway and vowing we’ll go for that run tomorrow. So this year, why not stop making plans that restrict what you do, and pledge to take some risks instead?

If you need inspiration, look for a makeshift sign just off London’s Oxford Street. Everything Must Go is a temporary venture by Heavenly Social, housed in what was formerly Pop [pictured]. The group had two months to have their way with the venue, before The Breakfast Group decide what to do with it next. “The venue fell into our laps because Pop closed,” says Heavenly Social promoter Carl Gosling. “We had to make the most of the Christmas period and didn’t have time to mull over any ideas - we had to move fast.”

This “accident”, as Carl refers to it, forced the team to act on impulse. “It appealed to us to do something ad hoc that we hadn’t even thought about doing before,” says Carl. “The first thing that sprang to mind was the guerilla shops that appear from nowhere over Christmas, then vanish by new year. We decided to emulate that kind of idea, promoting the venue around the idea that it is here for a limited period only.” Playing on this theme, Carl and the team transformed the venue into a nightclub-cum-art gallery that houses a Saturday marketplace for Christmas shoppers as well of plenty of quirky club nights - with names like Sean Rowley, Cocadisco and KT Tunstall on board.

The ideas for Everything Must Go came from observing the space objectively, something the canny operator will try to do with his own venue each year. “I think it’s easy to fall into the trap of not really seeing your own venue anymore,” says Carl. “You forget the excitement that you once felt for it. We were lucky to be able to walk into Pop and make changes. But we didn’t have a big budget to spend on it.”

The gallery idea emerged from wanting to transform the space for the least possible outlay. “I didn’t like Pop as it was before – it was cluttered and hectic. But if you looked beyond that, you could see it was a good space. It’s a big, good shaped room with a low ceiling. It’s got simplicity.” Carl drew on the unfettered enthusiasm of local artists like Pete Fowler (who produces cover art for Super Furry Animals). “We asked artists like Pete to create murals and display artwork in the venue, and they were compelled to do it. I think young artists generally are, as soon as they hear there’s a cool space to fill that’s going to host some good parties.”

This association with the cutting edge extends into every aspect of the operation. The Saturday market is a tie-in with respected record label Rough Trade, so shoppers get a completely different shopping experience to that offered by neighbouring Oxford Street. And the music poicy promotes a mish mash of music styles: from kraut rock and indie to dirty, degenerate electro rock n’ roll. All of which is promoted according to the ‘try it before it goes’ philosophy. “People want to be part of the new scene all the time, which is why the temporary element of Everything Must Go really appeals. And not just to customers – it’s drawing in promoters too. It’s possible to create the same urgency within an existing venue, by doing something different. But you have to deliver on your promises. Otherwise you risk an Emperor’s New Clothes situation where everyone sees through your claims.”

So why not pledge to do one exciting new thing in your venue this year? You never know: once you step out of your comfort zone, the regular resolutions might see more achievable too...

Words: Sara Oldham

From: January 2007 Issue

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