It’s traditional for the nightlife scene to ease itself gently into the new year, but it seems there’s something funny in the water in 2012, with Jersey’s top promoters quick out of the blocks and hitting the ground running, offering up one of the tastiest looking February line-ups Gallery can remember. We’ve chosen the choicest of choice choices for your weekend entertainment throughout the month…
Club Kamikaze presents
JAMES LAVELLE
Gallery magazine is very pleased to be partnering with Club Kamikaze on arguably their biggest event yet. They’ve scored something of a coup by booking the UNKLE founder and dance music pioneer James Lavelle. Having previously headlined the Jersey Live Dance Arena, and just last year headlined the Reading Festival Dance Arena with UNKLE, he’s still big business so this is a rare opportunity to see him perform an up close and personal set of trip-hop, hip-hop, techno, trance and all manner of wild musical beasts. With supports from Fuzzbox and Tharindu, and the middle floor hosting live acts including The Bloody Battle, The Tracys and Brighton’s Ben Parker, this is a fine way to kick off this stellar month.
Friday Feb 3rd, The Live Lounge, 9pm-2am. Tickets £12 from Whitelabel & iQ.
Entry £15 on the door.
Boogaloo 5th Birthday: JASON BYE
Set up by resident DJs Paul Shoer and Keith Robinson, it’s hard to believe Boogaloo has been showcasing their love of house music for a whole five years. To celebrate, they’ve invited a huge headline guest in the shape of Jason Bye. Starting out in 1994 as one of the first resident DJs of Café Mambo in Ibiza, he has since gone on to hold residencies at Amnesia, We Love @ Space in Ibiza, and as a main room DJ for Home London and Sydney. All whilst finding the time to broadcast the weekly Ibiza Club 971 radio show to over 260,000 listeners.
Saturday Feb 4th, Pure, 10pm-2.30am. Entry £5 on the door.
Rocksteady presents an EFLO fundraiser with RIVA STARR
Prepare to get excited about one of the most talked-about producer-DJs currently operating right now, Italian house maestro Riva Starr. Described by Mixmag as ‘the hottest property in house music’, Riva’s mix of Balkan folk and sexy beats made ‘I Was Drunk’ a dancefloor-filler just a couple of years back, and his Starr has been rising (sorry) ever since. A new track with Fatboy Slim and Beardyman recently surfaced to rave reviews, and 2012 might just be his biggest year yet. This event will be raising funds for the Education Fund for Luweero Orphans, and offers 3 rooms of action including the likes of Schema, the Lloyd Yates Band, Hip Hoperation and Terminal State.
Saturday Feb 11th, Jersey Bowl, 8.30pm – 2am. Tickets £12 (early bird), £16 (regular) from Whitelabel. Entry £20 on the door.
Revolution Records presents MC BLIZZARD + Inter-Island Rap Battle
Revolution Records have been revamping the local rap scene over the past few months with a series of events showcasing the finest MC talent Jersey has to offer, and their first event of 2012 features the Channel Islands’ first ever inter-island battle, with Guernsey and Jersey rappers facing off at the Havana Club. Aside from the chance to see who’ll take the hip-hop bragging rights, there’s support from local MCs UG and Teeko, Guernsey rap collective Asylum Seekas, and a headline set from Manchester-based rapper Blizzard. Blizzard, aka 18-year old Bradley Green, has been carving a name for himself on the UK grime and rap scenes since the tender age of 12, previously topping the Channel U charts not once, not thrice, but twice. He could be one of UK hip-hop’s next big things, so don’t miss out.
Saturday Feb 18th, Havana, 7pm-2am. Tickets £6 from Roulette Clothing. Entry £8 on the door.
Theology Quintessential presents JOHN DIGWEED
Surely one of the biggest shows of the year, and it’s only February. John Digweed is amongst a handful of ‘superstar DJs’ worthy of the title. Voted the world’s number one DJ by Mixmag readers in 2001, he’s never been far away from the top spot in their influential ‘Top 100’ poll in all his years behind the decks. As the owner of the Bedrock label, he’s as much a star-maker as a star himself nowadays, and this show is a great opportunity to see him in a relatively intimate venue, with only 600 tickets available. Raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust (Jersey), it’s all for a good cause too. With Jersey Grand the venue, you can expect it to be a decadent affair, so prepare to party in style.
Saturday Feb 25th, Grand Jersey, 8pm-1am. Tickets £25 (early bird), £30 (regular) from Whitelabel and online. VIP booths available.
Phonetic Freefall presents MR WOODNOTE / LIL RHYS / SNAREOPHOBE
Fresh from their support slot with Dub FX at the Splash last September, Aussie multi-instrumentalist/loop pedallist extraordinaire Woodnote and MC Lil Rhys return to Jersey to promote their forthcoming album ‘Modus Operandi.’ With bouncy beats, fat bass lines and a heady sax n’ beatbox combo, they know a thing or two about getting a party started, and with accompaniment from Bristolian breaks/dubstep DJ outfit Snareophobe, this is a line up not to be sniffed at. Could this be the best February for nightlife ever? We think it’s a contender. If you’re still standing at the end of it, we salute you.
Saturday Feb 25th, The Live Lounge, 9pm-2am. Tickets £9 from Whitelabel. Entry £12 on the door.
