Interview: Horseplay

For those that live in London, there’s a whole plethora of gay bars, gay club nights, gay venues, theatre and film, so that any one can easily find a night that takes their fancy, be it  G-A-Y or Horse Meat disco in Vauxhall to name but two. But what about those living outside of London? What about the armies of gays where the scene is particularly lacking?

In cities and towns across the country, it’s not uncommon for there to be just one or two gay bars but many can be stuck in tradition, unable or unwilling to try new things.

Over in Bristol, a new era is being pioneered with a number of alternative nights throughout the year.  Three DJs – Mike Pony, Jim Carna and Bronco – have recently launched a monthly alternative queer dance party, Horseplay. We caught up with one of their ‘jockeys’ (there’s a serious horse theme here), Mike Pony, to find out more.

SSG: So where did the idea for Horseplay come from?

Bristol's finest get down and dirty at Horseplay

Mike Pony: Horseplay was born from a desire to hear alternative dance music on the Bristol gay scene. We were inspired by early New York disco and house and the alternative gay scenes in East London, Berlin, Paris and Brooklyn. We wanted to create somewhere with a positive, friendly vibe, but there’s a definite undercurrent of sexy New York sleaze.

SSG: What did you think the Bristol gay scene was lacking that Horseplay could offer?

Pony: Bristol already had one or two regular monthly alternative gay parties, but when we launched there was nowhere playing the music that we play: a mix of disco, synth and alternative dance music. We wanted a party where people dance without inhibition, something dark, smoky and in an intimate venue.

SSG: And do you think you’re filling that niche?

Pony: Well, we hold the night in a sweaty basement club beneath a metal bar in the centre of town. There’s cheap beer and a houseparty vibe. It’s a mixed night: it doesn’t matter who you are or what you are wearing, as long as you’re up for sleazy, sexy beats. We play the music we love and champion new music and we aren’t afraid to play stuff that people don’t recognise if we think it’s worth hearing. At our night you might hear classic stuff by artists like Fonda Rae, Carly Simon and Amanda Lear, brand new disco cuts by Midnight Magic, Faze Action and Tensnake and new alternative dance by bands like Metronomy, Grum, Niki & The Dove, Jessica 6, GusGus and Gigamesh. You’ll also probably hear Lana Del Rey a few times because we love her and her massive lips. As far as niche’s go, there isn’t a night in the city – gay or straight – that plays the music we play, so I think we can safely say we are filling a niche.

SSG: Why do you think nights like Horseplay are important to smaller gay community’s who don’t have access to, say, Soho or Old Compton St.?

Pony: We’re quite lucky in Bristol that we have a thriving mainstream gay scene and a growing alternative scene. There are nights like Wonky and Psycho:Drama catering to specific alternative niche’s as well as organisations like F.A.G. Club putting on interesting queer events. We also have a regular queer film and performance art night at the Cube - Beacons, Icons and Dykon’s. Our alternative scene is really strong and still growing and I think it’s important that it continues to grow and that it has variety. The mainstream gay scene certainly has its place in Bristol, but we received a huge amount of interest when we first talked about starting Horseplay and offering something new. Our first night was packed and over the course of the evening we were very busy , with almost double the venue capacity of people through the door. We want our club to be about the music, but also about building a community of like-minded people.

SSG: So how long has Horseplay been running? How’s it all going?

Pony: We began in April and have held eight parties since we began. We are still a really young night, but we are building up a group of regular club-goers. It’s hugely flattering that people want to come to our night and an enormous buzz when they dance to the music we love. We are still a ramshackle affair with a DIY ethos. We started with an idea and a passion for music and we couldn’t mix for shit: we’d just put great tunes on and dance. Eight months in, the mixing is a little bit better, but the ethos is still the same: if we think it’s brilliant, we’ll play it.

SSG: What have the biggest challenges been in setting up a night like this?

Pony: Beyond the usual technical stuff – booking photographers, door staff, smoke and lights, etc. – the biggest challenge is knowing how to reach people with our marketing. We started out by inviting friends, friends of friends, gay networks and mailing lists of other alternative nights and the word has spread. Many of those who come were disenfranchised with the current scene – reaching those people who have switched off from Bristol’s gay scene was hard, but I think as time goes on more and more people are telling their friends and bringing them along.

Sexy beats at Horseplay's October party

SSG: What has the reaction been to another independent gay night in the city?

Pony: We have received loads of support from other alternative nights, particularly from Wonky who have given us some great advice and invited us to play a few times. Everyone has been very supportive about our night, we feel loved and very lucky.

SSG: Horseplay is held in an otherwise, predominately straight venue. What has the reaction of the proprietors and/or the regular punters been to Horseplay rolling into town?

Pony: Our venue is actually an underused club underneath a straight metal pub. It’s a bit gnarly upstairs, but since we moved into The Cavern Club the proprietors have done huge amounts of work for us. We asked them to buy more lighting and they got onto it immediately. They have replaced all the seating and painted the venue and are always very helpful when it comes to resolving issues. We don’t have much interaction with the regular punters. A night that plays disco and dance music isn’t of much interest to metal-heads, but we co-exist peacefully. It feels safe and the Security are great.

SSG: What would your advice be to other budding DJ’s or promoters looking to set up a gay club night in their city?

Pony: When we started the club, people were hugely enthusiastic and supportive of having something new in the city. People didn’t care that we didn’t mix or that we were winging it a bit, they appreciated that we were trying to do something good for Bristol. I think as long as you have passion for music, know what makes a good party and have a little bit of common sense when it comes to marketing and organising, anyone can run a club. The hard part is finding the right club and having a clear, coherent music policy. It definitely took us a few months to iron ours out and find our direction.

Ronika returns to Bristol for Horseplay's December party

SSG: What’s next for Horseplay?

Pony: For our Friday December 16 Party (Ed: That’s tomorrow night, Bristol Revellers-!) we are very lucky to have rising electro-disco queen Ronika to play a guest DJ set. She has rather hilariously been hailed as ‘the Madonna of the Midlands’ (Electronic Rumors), I think this is because she has peroxide blonde hair and eighties styling, but musically she couldn’t be further from Madge. Ronika’s influences are what attracted us to her initially, she cites some of her influences as Gwen Guthrie, Prince, Acid House, Loleatta Holloway, Georgio Moroder, Inner City & Larry Levan to name but a few. Then I heard her singles and I was hooked.

On top of this, we were offered the opportunity to host New Years Eve at The Phoenix, a really nice gay’ish pub in the centre with whom we threw a smaller version of our party back in October. We have promised a laid back pub disco to see in the New Year and we are still fighting about the perfect song to play at midnight. In 2012 we have plans to infiltrate the Phoenix a little bit more and maybe try a regular mid-monthly social. It’s all a bit exciting for us right now, I can’t quite believe Horseplay has made it through eight months and been so consistently busy. It’s been an amazing year!

For more information about Horseplay and their upcoming New Year’s Eve party, you can join them on Facebook. This Friday’s Ronika Party takes place at The Cavern Club (Under The Crown), All Saints Lane, St Nicholas Market, Bristol, BS1 1JH. Entry is £3 before 12am, £4 after.