The UAE has hosted plenty of guitar-centric, indie club nights over the years – but nothing quite like Bad House Party.
Giving fresh meaning to the oft-used labels “alternative” and “underground”, the night boasts a wildly eclectic, across-the-board music policy – but they call it indie and punk, so we’ll go with that for now.
Only it’s not your normal indie night. Anyone who’s ever owned a radio might recognise a fair smattering of the Britpop-era classics on the playlist at contemporary Step On, or the former Loaded or Twisted Melons indie nights.
No such comforts at Bad House Party. As one regular at their monthly nights at Dubai’s Casa Latina bar put it: “I can be on the dance floor all night and not recognise one song – and I like this kind of music.”
Since launching in September 2013 – on Friday the 13th, no less – the Bad House Party team have been dropping wilfully leftfield sonic nuggets to a crowd that mixes connoisseurs with the curious.
The night was founded by a group of music enthusiasts, many with no prior DJing experience. The early ethos was always to pick music the DJs themselves wanted to hear – credibility took precedence over danceability.
Among the myriad acts listed on the online flyer for the night are TV on the Radio, Ladyhawke, Fugazi, Flying Lotus and LCD Soundsystem – but it’s best to leave any preconceptions at the door.
“We honestly thought we’d be lucky if people would dance to our music at all – we would never have dreamt we’d have the dance floor packed out, which it always is at some point,” says Jane Aldersley, the co-founder and resident DJ.
“People have been really, really open. There’s an incredible number of people who are really just bored with commercial music. They might not know a lot of what we play, but they’re curious.”
There’s more that is novel about Bad House Party than just the music. There’s a refreshingly unserious, student-y kookiness on display. At every event, cheap blow-up zoo animals are thrown and kicked around the crowd, and the DJs have taken to dressing in masks and costumes.
The Bad House Party Animals even have their own Facebook page. Not that there was any great plan for them to become such an integral part of the night’s iconography.
“It was just something easy and fun to brighten the room,” says Aldersley. “I thought they would just sit around on the edges of the dance floor, but it didn’t take long for people to start kicking them.”
And among the regulars who have embraced such self-conscious silliness, there’s an accepting, community vibe; a welcome antidote to the kind of dress code-related snobbery found elsewhere on the local nightlife scene. “A lot of people have been happy to embrace the animals and masks,” adds Aldersley. “We didn’t set out to create this freaky group, but it seems that people want to feel something more inclusive.”
It’s a vibe that fits the new spirit of collectivism and mutual support found on the local underground music and nightlife scene. In October, Bad House Party DJs were invited to spin at the UAE debut of the experimental indie collective Flamingods. In December, the band were invited back as guest DJs at the club night.
Next up, the night’s founders are planning to start hosting live sets from up-and-coming international acts.
“That’s the one thing that’s still really missing,” says Aldersley, “the chance to see interesting new bands live on a regular basis.”
Bad House Party, Thursday. January 8, from 8.45pm, and on the first Thursday of every month at Casa Latina, Ibis Al Barsha. Free before 11pm, Dh60 after including two beverages
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rgarrate@thenational.ae
