11:46am Friday 11th December 2009
By Richard Bell
RICHARD BELL’S quest for the best hits a high note at Rocket 88 @ Baby Simple.
In what seems to be a never ending quest to seek out a night with something a little different, I think we may have finally found THE one.
When people are looking for a new experience to slot into their regular social calendar, they’re on the look-out for the newest possible entertainments and distractions to entice them.
New people, new surroundings and new music all conspire to offer this – a whole new world if you like that gives you a change from the norm.
Baby Simple has managed to do something very clever with this last criterion, and that is what gives shape and brilliant form to its latest initiative – Rocket 88.
But before we get to the music, a few notes about Baby Simple.
A Peroni, the only draught beer on offer, will set you back £3.80 which feels like way too much.
Of course there are many cheaper bottled alternatives so I can’t complain too much, and the fact that Baby Simple actually offers draught unlike its chain mate Baby Love is certainly in its favour.
The toilets however are the same as Baby Love, a bizarre Ally McBeal-style unisex bathroom emporium. The toilet tends to be the one area that boys don’t want to be anywhere near girls in a club, so why this is the mainstay of the chain is beyond me.
Heading through the bar into the larger back room gives you the rather bizarre impression that you’re walking into a village hall.
It’s rather an empty space with no particular focal points, and that gives you a constant feeling of being lost. The accompanying smell of fresh paint and canvas hanging from the ceiling makes you suspect the club is halfway through redecorating, which is a little unsettling.
These are small quibbles though, and I’m not trying to put across the idea that I had a bad time; in fact quite the contrary.
Not only is Rocket 88 a fantastic night, it’s also one of the most original nights it’s ever been my privilege to attend.
Created as a solution to the problem we all face of not having anywhere to dance after hours, Rocket 88 forces you to dance through the quality of its music alone – an eclectic and rousing selection of near ancient soul jazz and jive, that gets your feet moving entirely of their own accord.
Trust me, to not dance is not an option; the songs simply bounce into life and you can’t help but get swept up in the energy of it all.
Sure it’s music you’ve always been aware of, but it’s also music you’ve never thought could be used successfully in a club, and that culminates in an unforgettable and unstoppably danceable night.
I have the utmost confidence that this night will have a long life and huge fanbase in the months to come, and honestly I can’t wait ‘till the next one.
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