The Manchester club Clone Wars

Is there a clubbing apartheid in Manchester? Are we expected to conform to appearance expectations more than ever before in order to 'fit in' and be accepted?

We recently asked on our Facebook page whether or not Club V would be missed in reponse to one of this site's readers that commented on our feature Club V closes down. The reader, a fella called Matt, said that it wouldn't, which lead to his fellow reader, DJ Boba, making further comment on the FB thread.

DJ Boba offered that Club V would only be missed by "orange people who love commercial 'dance'", by which we take it he meant people for whom having a tan is important and that their musical preference would lean toward the Hed Kandi/Galaxy 102 sound and not underground house music. Another FB friend, Carlie, replied that the door policy is a contributing factor - "gotta agree, no trainers usually = shite!" Boba further expands on his feelings by saying that, "if they were nice orange people who liked commercial dance, I wouldn't be bothered. However, I went there a few times and I encountered nothing but clueless 'It' people who looked at you funny if you didn't look as sexy as them, and the mere mention of anything remotely underground earned you a really funny look like you are some kind of alien."

There's nothing fundametally wrong with having a tan. It's fairly acceptable and expected at this time of year, even without taking a foreign trip. But the question Boba is posing is whether your image is more important than love of music and dancing, and whether people with contrasting image types should behave with an element of bias and snobbery against each other. Of course it can work both ways. One need only look at how the Deansgate crowd feel about the Northern Quarter crowd, and vice versa. Granted, when trying to acquire a mate and maybe pass on your genes, mankind is naturally, biologically, psychologically driven to looking good, but not everyone is attracted to a tanned, leggy, made-up blonde or the skinny, foppish guy with his skinny jeans and heavy fringe. But isn't it possible that those two might like the same music and should be in the same venue without predjudice or judgement? People manage to work alongside each other without social judgements based on things as simple as clothes and music, but this unsavoury side of the personality seems to come out when the sun goes down and the drinks get poured.

It's difficult keeping up with how fashions affect the club world and the door policies. Do you conform? Do you wear what everyone else is wearing that likes similar music to yourself? Do you wear what best suits you and your personality? Do you say to hell with everyone else and wear whatever you want? Should clubs have any say in what their customers wear? It's a minefield of possibilities, potential fashion faux pas and disappointments at club doors. Gone are the heady days when you could wear what you want because we were all one house music-loving family, there for the music and to dance. It seems that image pressure is stronger than ever before in the city's nightlife scene. This is partly because the dance scene has taken over and dominated the nightlife spectrum so heavily. There is now a dance music sub-scene for every type of person, from those that like to remain casual and are more comfortable in trainers and a tee, to those that prefer to go the smarter route, in a shirt and shoes. At this point it's fair to say that all types are wearing jeans. Who goes clubbing in trousers these days? Then you can break it down further into demographics that dress in a conventional manner or go as experimental and cutting edge as they can. None of this division is anything new. Mods wearing chukka boots, Harringtons and suits once clashed a lot more physically than just casting filthy glances at rockers who wore leather jackets and jeans.

Once people are on a crowded dancefloor, who notices or cares whether you're wearing trainers or shoes? Our crew recently took one of our occasional trips to see the nightlife of a satellite town and cruised the bars of Stalybridge/StalyVegas. The doorstaff of Judge's Bar took exception to one of the party wearing trainers. "How about Crocs?", another mate chimed in. "Yeah, they're fine", Mr. Doorman replied. How exactly was a pair of smart trainers going to bring down the non-existent elegance and classy demeanour of this mediocre, small-town bar? Or define the trainer-wearing guy as an unsuitable customer? The irony of being 'judged' as inappropriate by this place wasn't lost on us. Try and catch us up over in 2010 when you get a chance.

Of course, it's hugely ironic that this subject should arise in a discussion right after the final of the World Cup. There's Nelson Mandela, a beacon for the abolishment of bigotry, in a free South Africa, waving and smiling at people of all nations. The spectators are all together, enjoying the football game, regardless of their social status, ambitions, job, finances, skin colour (whether it's a real skin tone or a tan) or their fashion preference. Wouldn't clubs benefit from a relaxing of dress codes and for them to treat their customers as if they are adults with free will, with the ability to think about the contents of their own wardrobe without having their Saturday night garb semi-dictated to them?

Words: Justin Richards

Comments:

15 Aug 2010 mintra

This division is as it has always been, it was disco / punk. Essentially it is the difference between those who choose to conform to product promotion and those who choose to conform to less conformist stuff, when you become an old git, it is the same thing, in each type of club there are a mix of people, most fun would be had with a chameleon approach to life. However I admit there is always some comfort in stereotype. And I suppose that is what the door staff play to.

4 out of 5

15 Jul 2010 Boba

Good article Justin. Being a DJ & having run clubnights in the past & done bits of work for Sankeys for a while just after it was re-opened, I can honestly say that the majority (I'm sure not all of them obviously, but a hell of a lot of them) of the fashion, duckface posers don't care about the music. These people who you see on websites like Don't Stay In are the same people that would come in week in week out asking me when such & such a DJ was due on when they'd been on for about an hour & asking stupid questions like "Are we gonna hear some funky house tonight?" on 3 separate occasions from 3 different people, all dressed up to the nines during a 12 hour Danny Tenaglia set. It's all happened so fast as well, as if someone flipped a switch. In 2006, clubbers were clued up about their music & wearing clothes that suited dancing about in a hot basement & then all of a sudden, they had gone & were replaced by people who didn't have a clue about the music, wore a tie to warehouse parties & gave you a dirty look if you walked in front of them while they were having their photo taken. Door policy has changed too, at most clubs. There also seems to be a ridiculous notion that all clubs have to have a healthy 'Bird To Bloke' ratio as well, I have actually seen girls let in & blokes turned away from non-commercial, underground dance clubs because it needed 'A few more birds in.' I honestly think Manchester has gone mental & I rarely play in the city anymore which I find really sad at times. It's funny because I was having this very conversation with a DJ in a record store last weekend who had exactly the same thing to say as me & most of my friends who play echo my feelings. I tend to both play & go clubbing in other cities now & while there are always the odd judgmental doormen & posers kicking about, it's nowhere near as bad in other places in the UK, that's why I feel so strongly about it, if they can do it like we used to, why can't Manchester? The only time I really go out in town now is to the smaller nights like Micron & Naive Melody or to warehouse parties. Regarding what you said about StalyVegas, you'll find that in most small towns, Bolton, Leigh, Wigan, you have to be wearing proper shoes & a shirt, which for some reason, tends to attract scallies, which might sound snobby but trust me, look outside the bars & pubs in those areas & without fail, you will see a fight. It makes me laugh that they haven't clocked on to that yet & relaxed their rules.

5 out of 5

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