CityLife

Gigging or clubbing? Lost & Found provides the answer

Luke Temple

IF you ignore the drunken boys who fall down stairs in a flurry of flailing limbs and the perma-tanned girls whose dancing is more overstated than their earrings, the average clubbing experience doesn’t offer too much in the way of live action.

Sure, there is the thrill of the flashing lights and the promise of sweaty unison with a roomful of perfect strangers to look forward to – maybe even a couple of girls on podiums trying not fall off their heels, or an inordinately muscular man on stilts – but many times you’ll be lucky to get more than some bloke crouching behind his laptop while a token glitterball dangles limply above.

There is, however, a certain type of club that aims to put a bit of actuality back into proceedings; to offer its patrons tangible visual appeal to complement the audio and to bridge the gap between the worlds of clubbing and gigging.

We are talking, of course, about band nights. In case you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a band night is a night on which bands perform. At night. With other bands.

DIY accessibility

Their popularity has been on the rise this past few years, ever since groups such as the Libertines made DIY accessibility cool again and every kid in a trilby wanted to ‘put on’ their favourite guitar-wielders down the local boozer.

Manchester, Home Of All Indie Music (and so on) has been perhaps one of the more progressive exponents of the band night.

Clubs such as Bring On The Dancing Horses, Now Wave and Lost & Found, the last of which relaunches on August 7 at the Ruby Lounge, have pushed the set-up forward, regularly bringing the world’s most exciting bands to town while accompanying them with a selection of forward-thinking disc-spinners.

“I just like to put on events where you have a mix of live music and great DJs,” says Lost & Found’s Luke Temple, whose night has been on hiatus for a while, something which the promoter puts down to him needing time not only to reflect but also plan ahead.

New ideas

“It's good to step back sometimes and assess what's happened over the previous 12 months. I wanted to spend a little bit more time getting out and see some new bands, looking at some new ideas and potential line ups for autumn.

“The break seems to have paid off because I've already managed to book some great headline acts like Good Shoes, Ten Bears and Wolf Gang. There’s plenty more to come too.”

Ahead of all that, L&F returns on Friday with its familiar mix of bands and DJs.

“The DJs have always been an important part of the night for me. [They] keep things fresh, bring new faces and inject that bit of extra excitement into the night's proceedings.”

Florence and the Machine

Hardly in need of an adrenaline shot was one evening at the club back in March, when Florence (of ‘and the Machine’ fame) hotfooted across town after playing the NME Awards Tour to perform a set.

Her interaction with the audience – including, at one point, a memorable dialogue with a decidedly worse-for-wear local indie messiah – merely added to the thrill of seeing 2009’s bright young thing in one of Manchester’s most intimate venues.

“The night Florence and the Machine played... is probably the one that stands out most, especially when you see how well she's doing now, selling out the Academy,” says Temple.

“It’s always good to look back and say you've had acts such as Florence play the night.”

Star quality

Among the acts hoping that a bit of Lost & Found’s magic will rub off are The Kings, a local lot tipped for big things. The brisk punk rattle of their song She’s Doin’ Time and the star quality of frontman Liam Manton made them Pete Doherty’s support band of choice last time he shambled into town.

“I've know Liam for quite a few years now. He has always stood out as a great frontman; they're a good band who'll kick things off nicely.”

Afterwards, devout Motown fan Manton will be able to kick back and enjoy the Sixties psych sounds of the Revolver DJs, who will be tearing themselves away from their seemingly neverending series of Up The Racket double-headers to appear.

The lineup is completed by sets from The Sensations, New Education and Orphan Boy, alongside further pre-recorded tunes courtesy of Strangerways DJs.

“Obviously the night does have an emphasis on bands, but the club always stays busy,” says Temple. “We tend to find the crowd wants to have a good dance into the early hours.

“It's a strong line up and we're expecting a really lively crowd. The bands we've got on the bill know how to get the audience involved, and for me that's the key to a great atmosphere in the club.”

Lost & Found is on Friday 7 August at the Ruby Lounge, High Street. 8pm-3am, £4/5.