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News:
July 18 - Long Weekend
relaunches...again!
After a six month hiatus, Long Weekend is to
relaunch at Mr Magoo's on Lawnmarket (just past Grassmarket) on Sunday
August 4 from 6pm - 3am... We're combining with Sunday Service (DJ's
Alan Paul and Grant MacDonald) to bring you the finest music and
atmosphere to be found on a Sunday... See the home page for up to date
info.
February 14 - Long Weekend
in Love
 Long
Weekend in Love was served up with an extra spoonful of lovin' on St
Valentine's day. The Trafalgar Suite above the Waterloo Buffet was
transformed into a den of lurve, with the usual Long Weekend blue
skies theme adorned with love hearts and Mills and Boon books on all
tables (we were hoping that no one got that bored!). We aimed to
create a romantic getaway from the rather frenetic events we've been
holding of late... and it's our last one for awhile (until we get
bored and need another party!).The gorgeous host Peter DJed under the tricky pseudonym of pH7, launching the evening with some of his favourite tunes... Couch Boy then Davey D played some wonderfully smooth muzak, to be finished off by High Street Mark spinning a whole new batch of stuff he downloaded from the internet. It was refreshing to have an evening devoid of pretension - we only used CD decks (just to make things interesting) and there was much silly dancing.
January 31 -
Long Weekend is undergoing a metamorphosis
Once again, Long Weekend is undergoing a
metamorphosis... Out with the old and in with the new style... and the
new style is nomadic.
We're changing Long Weekend from a monthly club to a social club hosting lots of different events. There's many reasons behind the change; we're better at one-off events, we enjoy one-off events more, the organisation behind holding monthly club is interfering with our sex life and... well, do we need any more reasons? Long Weekend in Love on Valentine's night marks the beginning of a new era, one of parties and unlikely club events. Future ideas include a picnic in the Meadows (DJ's start preparing your mix CD!), a party in a sports club in the botanics, more clubs in various locations and hopefully taking part in some outdoor festivals
January 20 - the
longest Long Weekend
Whew! What a Sunday that was... Peter and I arrived
early, set up, and waited... and waited... The DJ's turned up, but no
staff. What a nightmare! Peter discovered that the decks in the Cooler
(the basement) were working, so a couple of short sets were played
there, but as there were no bar staff the bar was unattended. Using
all of our will power, we didn't touch the bar, but instead got a
couple of bottles of vodka which were polished off in under an hour
between 15 of us.
Peter and I realised that something was really wrong and decided to move the club to our flat (yes, we are mad!). Everyone traipsed through Waverley station back to ours, where decks were set up and furniture swiftly moved. The night was a blast, with Alan Sneddon and Magic Al (entrants of the Open Decks competition last year) warming up the decks for Jon Mac and Jamie Thomson (Basic Level) to follow in fine style. Mista B and David Myers finished off the night, us and our once tidy flat before we convinced all remaining to go to Taste. Our most profuse apologies to anyone who turned up and couldn't work out where to go. We left a sign on the door for all of the freaks of the neighborhood to see... Huge thanks to everyone who made it the crazy evening it became! I can sum up the evening with 'crazy chaotic fun'. After discussion with the Venue this week, we realised that a major communication problem had occurred, causing the Venue to cancel their staff shifts for the day.
November 11 - The
busiest yet
The start of the day was a bit chaotic due
to the late appearance of key venue staff. As much as we like the
space, we're once again looking for a new venue in Edinburgh.
Caroline, our door money box, also went mysteriously missing whilst in
storage at the venue. How unfair! Thankfully we made enough on the
door to buy a Caroline II - cheers!
Organisation aside, yesterday was musically more laid-back than usual (not totally frenetic but not horizontal). High Street Mark popped his DJ-ing cherry on the CD decks first up with a whole bunch of favourites - very smooth. Greg Agnew, our friendly antipodean security guy (who we met when he was working on the door last Long Weekend!) picked up the pace a little, filling in for a slot that became available on the day. Thankfully we had a spare DJ floating around! Mista B as per always, got the folks on the dance floor, whilst Phil Dickson from Spectral proved he knew how to please our crowd. It was Phil that provoked the beginning of some silly dancing that continued to the end. Jon Mac and Jamie from Basic Level finished off the day (and us!) and had most of the crowd up off their seats.
October 14 - The Second
coming
Another excessive afternoon last Sunday
with the second Long Weekend at the Venue. Thankfully this time the
bar manager's car didn't break down, however the cleaners were running
late and were mopping around us we set up... One day all will run
smoothly!
The new decor provided by Peter Holman and Ian Kinghorn looked fantastic, real escapist stuff - the blue skies theme made it the perfect place to escape the rain to. Chris Boyle's computer-generated fractals and psychedelic patterns projected onto a big screen gave vague punters something to be mesmerised by. They will definitely be back... Onto the DJ's - Stevie started off the day slightly shaky due to technical problems, with Euan Chalmers picking up the pace and pumping up the bass. Alan James (from Up!), played his last ever public set - we were all sad hearing Alan for the last times as we reckon he's one of the most 'stylish and understated' DJ's in Edinburgh... Andy Chalmers leapt into his slot with gusto cranking up the sound system until it couldn't take no more. Yes, we had problems with the sound system as well - we've been promised that they'll be resolved for the next Long Weekend. Derek Aire returned to his fine techno form after a couple of months of more experimental sounds and Charlie Aire finished off the day with her first set since returning from the U.S.A. Brilliant stuff...
September 9 - Long
Weekend resurrection
The beginning of the afternoon was a
stressful couple of hours as Rob, the bar manager, had a car breakdown
and consequently we could not get the cartridges for the decks - no
music! We sat around for an hour and a half, whilst the friendly bar
tenders sold us drinks (if we had the exact change as there was no
till) until a cheer erupted when Rob arrived.
Derek Aire played the first ever Long Weekend set at The Venue, an abstract mix of ambient tunes which complemented the projection of 'Baraka' perfectly. We'll be projecting videos each month, with October featuring videos from Heather and Phil (Spectral promoters). Darren Cairns followed up Derek's set with a frenetic mix punctuated with some classic tunes - we'll get him playing later in the day next time... Jamie Thomson and Jon Mac from Basic Level brought down the tempo a touch and got all those capable onto the dance floor. Upstairs at The Venue has one of the best dance floors in Edinburgh - it's luxurious to be dancing on a proper wooden floor rather than hard concrete. The decor comprising of Ian Kinghorn's clouds hanging from the ceiling also gave the place an 'escapist' feel! Ian Kinghorn will be responsible for much of the Long Weekend decor from here on in. Mista B continued the good time vibes followed by David Myers NOT doing his amazing collapsible DJ trick and remaining standing for the duration! Many thanks to the DJ's, and to those who turned up for the resurrection of our wee club. We know that it is going to grow as Long Weekend will be sponsoring the Open Decks competition in November, we're on Beat 106FM in the Tennents Network Informer and as many listings and websites that I can get us on...
August 18 - a very
crazy night...
After a two month break from holding Long
Weekend at Oxygen, we felt a resurrection party was needed, here's an
except from the post party email:
"Q. How do you fit 150 clubbers into
a one bedroomed flat?
A. Have a Long Weekend resurrection party!
What a crazy night Saturday was! The Long Weekend party went off with a bang as about 150 people squeezed into our flat and spilled out into the rest of the building. Eight DJ's from 11pm - 8am kept everyone dancing maniacally, and thanks are due to the DJ's Andy and Euan Chalmers, Darren Cairns, Barrie (Mista B), Jon Mac and Jamie Thomson, David Myers and Derek Aire. Also big thanks to Barrie, Matt, Jon and Jamie for the loan of the equipment. There were a few hairy moments as a large bunch of uninvited people had to be turned away - although it was a great feeling to have people congregating at the front door trying to get in... We're hoping to have a similar problem with Long Weekend itself! Amazingly the only casualties were drowned pot plants (thanks Ross), a bent telephone aerial (I'm sure that's not the only thing bent over the course of the evening) and our carpet (now steam-cleaned). Inviting everyone on the mailing list did seem a bit excessive, but we wanted to have a party for all of the people who keep Long Weekend going and we knew that anyone who knew about the concept would respect our flat. The best thing about the party was that it highlighted the fact that Long Weekend itself is a big party rather than a club run by promoters trying to make a swift quid. It became very obvious that we're not in it for the money! We're sure we can keep the party vibe when we relaunch..."
June 24 - The last day
of Oxygen
After a much-needed fortnight's break, we couldn't contain our excitement... And got Long Weekend banned for the venue! Teri from Da Needle Sisters started the day with a fine set of soulful classics - very civilized. Jon Mac and Jamie Thomson from Basic Level upped the tempo, although unfortunately the motley crew of regulars didn't haul their bodies in the door until too late. Mista B got people on the dance floor whilst Derek Aire pulled a few existential tricks out of his record box. It was near the end of the day that we got two noise complaints from the neighbors. The issue was caused by the fact that we were given incorrect levels to keep to. We have always been aware of the neighbors, however the levels we were given to set the amp/ desk meant that the sound was distorting and the levels on the desk were in the red. So, with Derek's assistance, we aimed to rectify the levels so they wouldn't damage the equipment - this meant turning the amp up and the desk down. However, it seems that the explanation did not bear well with the management and so Long Weekend is no longer at Oxygen. No fear, it will be resurrected in September in a new venue (hopefully with deaf neighbors!). Until then, enjoy your summer!
June 10 - The wind of
change Another major change in the Long Weekend camp is that Peter has handed the organisational reins over to Tracy, retiring as Long Weekend co-promoter. He will still be at every Long Weekend, but in a leisure-oriented capacity! Peter has done a huge amount of work for the club (in the form of ideas, being supportive and liaising with the DJ's), and the conception of Long Weekend was a joint effort - it would not exist without himd. There was no antagonism in this decision and we're both really happy with how this will effect the running of the club and our lives together... Yesterday marked the last of our weekly sessions with Freaky Dancer Stevie launching the day in fine style. Having just finished his Uni exams, Stevie whizzed through his debut on the decks in polished style. Very impressive and he'll undoubtedly be back at Long Weekend... Brothers Euan and Andrew Chalmers were joined by Darren Cairns for three hours of quality house and techno. Derek Aire finished off the day in his unique techno fashion coupled with copious amounts of smoke from the neurotic non-smoking smoke machine operator. If you've not seen Derek play yet, you're missing out on witnessing a totally unique style - he's a musician, not just a mixer. June 3 - Charlie's farewell & Alan Joy's birthday
What a Long Weekend it was! Undoubtedly
our busiest and a fine way to say farewell to resident Charlie
Aire (who has headed to Michigan until October) and happy
birthday to Alan Joy - also to Gooey... Somehow we crammed
eight DJ's into seven hours! The day kicked off with Dodgy
Dave followed by the Basic Level boys, Jon Mac and Jamie
Thomson playing head to head. Mista B got the dancefloor
jumping in characteristic style, whilst Brett King built
up the momentum for Chris Healy, Charlie and Derek Aire
to finish off. The atmosphere was quite amazing for a wee bar
on a Sunday. You could have sworn that it was 2am on a Saturday
morning. Who says you can't dance on a Sunday?
We also saw the introduction of our new door person, Caroline. For those of you who haven't met her, she's a 2 foot tall Newcastle Brown Ale bottle money box who collects our door money. Saves us standing at the door and she's far more talented at that sort of thing than we are... Caroline is named after an Australian friend currently residing Japan. She's a black belt in ninjitsu with a penchant for Newcie Brown - so watch out!
May 27 - Time to go
fortnightly
May 20 - Another crazy
afternoon May 13 - A Sunny Scottish Long Weekend What a beautiful sunny weekend it was in Edinburgh - perfect weather for sitting in the park and absorbing some rays. Not good weather for day clubs however... After the excitement of Up! last week, we knew that were bound for a quiet one. Nonetheless, the show did go on and as per always, dancing and drinking were high on the agenda. We're not sure if the 2 4 1 drinks are good for our day jobs on Monday though! Teri from Da Needle Sisters pulled out a stonkin' set to start with and also appeared on Fresh Air FM later on. Mista B, Chris Healy and Charlie and Derek Aire then played rotating half hour sets for the rest of the afternoon. Typically, on one of our quietest days, the DJ's pulled out all stops and had a great time. Unfortunately noise complaints from the flat upstairs quietened things down a little. Our theory is that as there were fewer than normal people at Long Weekend, the music was bounced around a lot more and therefore appeared louder. In other words, we need more people to come along to buffer the good sounds that are being transmitted by our DJ's. There's a scientific theory that agitation in the form dancing also helps ward off complaining neighbours... May 6 - Then we all went to Up! We've now got over 100 people
on our mailing list. One of our best dates yet... pH7 (a.k.a.
Peter Holman - co-promoter) started off the day with some retro dance
that took us way back. Charlie and Derek Aire got the
place dancing with more of their quality techno, to whom the 'bendy
dancers' danced with glee. Nic Cavendish and Alan James from
Up! enjoyed their one and a half hours each, preparing us for the
second half of the marathon. April 29 - Topsy Turvy A bit of a topsy turvy afternoon with Charlie and Derek Aire playing first instead of last and new musical directions being explored... Derek's ambient set with new drum machine was a rare treat to start the day, after which Charlie leant in a house direction. Teri from da Needle Sisters played nearly every single dance track she had in a mix that got even Tracy's father dancing! Mista B kept the pace going strong for Jon Mac to finish off in fine style. April 22 - All quiet on the Long Weekend front Despite a slightly quieter time on
Sunday, Long Weekend is still going strong. Our new 'sky panels'
decoration straight out of Miss Selfridge's windows meant that there
were blue skies inside whilst outside was damp and grey! Each week
we're also now SMS messaging all who have supplied us with mobile
numbers - if you don't want to be messaged, please let us know. Also
tell us if you'd like your email in plain text format, as we have a
separate distribution list for you. April 15 - Crazy days Long Weekend is officially up and running and gathering momentum. Teri from Da Needle Sisters broke us in gently with a fine selection of funk and soul classics, after which Peter (yes, co-promoter) couldn't resist having a go for himself. Pretty damn good for a DJ virgin (no, I'm not biased), thankfully Bananrama were absent this week! Mista B (or Barrie to his mates) got the crowd jumping by 5pm. It was fantastic to see so many people dancing in the afternoon - in denial about Monday, or was I the only one working the next day? Thanks to all of you who have told your friends - we depend on you! Charlie followed in seamless style, a true perfectionist. Derek Aire was the last on, by which time we were all having such a good time, bartender Cameron gave us another hour to run until 9pm. Thanks Cameron! Thanks Derek! April 8 - Blame it on the Mixing Desk
We had two DJ's losing their DJ-ing cherries as
they faced the public for the first time - Aaron Wright
from Biggar and Darren Cairns from Falkirk
were faultless and will definitely be back...
Unfortunately just as we were really getting into something dirty,
the mixing desk decided to throw a tantrum and consequently (despite
some nifty techie solutions) we had to close early.
Many thanks also goes to Barrie for
filling in at the last minute and providing the after party. Love
your place!
April 1 - Acting like fools on April Fools Day
After a slightly disastrous second coming, out
third date was a complete success. After three hours of
dancing, the happy punters couldn't stop - even after we turned
on all the lights at the end of the day. This craziness continued at
various parties. As you can see we're
geographically diverse! Over the last two weeks Derek Aire has been
offered work from Luvely and Underground Resistance whilst at our
wee club.
March 25 - The Shaky
Second Coming March 18 - The Launch Derek Aire and Da Needle Sisters were a fabulous team playing the best techno and classic tunes that got us all dancing - what a feeling... dancing on a Sunday afternoon! They'll be back next week bringing more DJ friends (good thing it lasts six hours) and Charlie will also make an appearance. The crowd was mostly our friends, but we did get some paying customers! As the capacity is only 80 we're going for quality rather than quantity.
Karine Daragon's installation
art worked really well with the venue and the large sun-like shapes
will almost certainly return. We're going to get someone to do
projections next week, but we've not confirmed it yet, so we better
not say his name - check out this site later this week for more...
Oh, and we got a very positive article in the Evening News on Friday as well... Under Van Morrison!
Prove that you can go the distance... the Long Weekend starts here |
Everyone had fun with the
dress up box and bouncy castle and Long Weekend resident Charlie Aire
was invited to do a set. Needless to say, her performance was seamless
and professional - this is the nineteen year old women who had her DJ-ing
debut at the first date of Long Weekend eight weeks ago. What a gal!
Also many thanks to David Cairns (Up! promoter) for being such a good
bloke...