Pleasures time at the Institute
BACK IN PLAY: Guilty Pleasures
SEAN Rowley’s Guilty Pleasures has come along way since first launching on an unsuspecting London audience all those years ago.
Once a small section on his BBC London radio show where the audience would phone in with a song they admitted was a guilty pleasure it’s become a phenomenon that’s been the sensation of Glastonbury and led to a succession of compilation CDs not to mention DJ residencies around the world.
Sean’s cohort is leg-warmer clad Ms Anna Greenwood from Marple who shares his passion for records that aren’t hip but are cool and champions them at the duo’s new residency - continuing on Saturday, December 13 at Deaf Institute on Grosvenor Street.
“We’ve moved to Deaf Institute because it has the largest glitter ball in the city,” explains Anna simply. “We had a good run at Mint Lounge but like all good things it had to end. It was us not them. I thinks that what people say when there’s a split.”
Infectious enthusiasm for pop
Originally brought in by Sean Rowley because of her infectious enthusiasm for pop, dancing and singing over the mic, Anna has since become a vital ingredient to the success of Guilty Pleasures.
Despite working in Manchester she takes the trek down to London weekly to co-host Sean’s show and is quite happy to take the limelight at any opportunity.
Any opportunity indeed. In fact people who’ve witnessed her DJ sets at Guilty Pleasures will note that they are characterised by her charming ability to sing over the songs and whip the crowd into a frenzy to such '80s legwarmer classics by people like Toni Basil and The Pointer Sisters.
London underworld
“The radio show is absolutely fantastic,” enthuses Anna. “We have themed shoes most weeks and it’s just really funny to have a load of people with cockney accents phoning you and telling you about certain '70s pop stars connections with the London underworld like happened last week. You really don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Saturday’s launch sees Sean and Anna working the main floor whilst the Erection Section DJs play ballads and more downstairs for those ‘looking for a little romance, given half a chance’ to quote Chris DeBurgh.
“We’re an injection of fun at a time of doom,” concludes Anna with a stateswoman-like quality.
“Like an '80s feel good movie we’ll have you bursting with joy; made whole by the medium of pop."
Guilty Pleasures takes place at The Deaf Insititute again on Saturday, December 13. 10pm - 3am. £7, £8. Call 0161 832 1111.
Published: Wed, 08 October, 2008
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