We check in with Henry Blunt – the promoter behind the UK’s longest running night
Henry congratulations on the 20th Anniversary of your beloved Time Flies this weekend. Is this the longest running club night in the UK – I know Colours in Scotland hit 19 this year…? Tell us about the Birthday plans…it’s a two parter we hear?
“Cheers Princey! It’s certainly the longest running club night in Wales possibly the UK, in as much as it has been continuous without any break since January 1994. I think the longest gap between Time Flies events has been 3 months during the last 20 years. The first of the 20th Birthday party is this Friday with Xpress 2 and Graeme Park and sold out 3 weeks ago, so we have announced Part 2 on Saturday 29th March with Jeremy Healy, Brandon Block and John Kelly…and that party is close to selling out also.”
True or false : Your dad who was also an event promoter, paid Dudley Moore and Peter Cooke £50 to perform at a Freshers Ball in the 60s?
“True – it was a Freshers Event at Oxford University!”
You have promoted events and club nights all across Europe, I remember one very special night at The Manchester Poly in 1991 that you were involved in when you brought The Orb out of London for the first time. What was that night like, the guest list must have been crazy?
“It certainly was – a bit of a “who’s who” of the Madchester baggy scene, the Roses, the Mondays, Inspirals, the La’s. You may be interested to know the Orb played in Cardiff last summer as a warm up to Glastonbury, and (don’t laugh) I was booked by the venue to play a DJ warm-up set, which went down surprisingly well. I took the opportunity to mention the Manchester Poly gig to Alex Patterson backstage, but strangely he couldn’t remember it. I was gutted.”
Fuck me, I’d have paid good money to see you DJ. Sheet! Moving on, tell us some of the tunes that will always remind you of Time Flies…
“Yeke Yeke, Gimme Luv by Alcatraz, Hooked by Tony De vit, Heaven Scent by Digweed.”
What factors have helped Time Flies’ longevity…
“Listening to those around you, namely your resident DJs, your customers and friends to make sure you’re on the right track. Strong brand presence and great customer service. Plus great music of course.”
It’s interesting to see your music policy at the club. The night always features clubland heroes such as Graeme Park, Allister Whitehead and Tall Paul. Is the fact you stay away from the new breed of EDM DJs that are now hogging the headlines purely down to your musical taste or the fact that the Time Flies crew just want to party and now worry too much about the latest Beatport No.1?
“Four years ago I found myself standing around on my own at Time Flies surrounded by 1000 people half my age, being asked if I was a member of security or a dealer, and not making any profit due to high DJ fees. I’m in my forties now, so I decided it would be much more fun if my mates wanted to come to a party I was promoting, and deliberately targeted clubbers in their 30s and 40s by booking old skool house DJs. Their fees are more realistic, I’ve known them all for years, and the parties are a top laugh from start to finish. Our customer base may not want to go out very often, but when they do all hell breaks loose!”
True or false : When working for Mixmag you once had to barricade yourself in a hotel room as you had turned up at the event with guest DJs Luke Neville and Darren Stokes – and not Seb Fontaine and Brandon Block who he had paid for?
“True: this was in Scotland at Bathgate and the club manager was absolutely seething that he’d been duped with the DJs while Ricky from Colours had Tall Paul and Seb down the road at the Arches the following night. “We will not be messed about by you fuckin’ Cockneys” he shouted through my hotel door. “Not my fault guv honest, I’m just a simple boyo from the Valleys” I replied.”
What are the biggest changes from a promoters point of view between 1994 and 2014?
“The only thing new promoters have to worry about today is whether their poster has been ripped down or covered up, while promoters in 1994 regularly received all sorts of underworld threats. I guess one major change is the impact of Social Media in terms of promoting your events. The days of standing in the cold with flyers outside parties has been replaced by uploading artwork to Facebook while sitting on the sofa watching the footy, spreading the word directly in to punters homes and onto their smart phones, with a click of a button.”
Time Flies has been housed in some great locations – has there ever been a more salubrious and stunning venue than the City Hall in Cardiff?
“The Coal Exchange in Cardiff’s docks where we started out was a fantastic historic venue and had a great vibe, but the City Hall will never be equaled that’s for sure.”
Check out this clip from 1995…
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ahdgu_time-flies-bpm-city-hall-cardiff-1995_shortfilms
Why was Tony de Vit such a legend for Time Flies?
“His high energy sets were immaculately mixed, kicked ass from start to finish, and lit up the region. There was a great story from a South Wales clubber at the time, who told Tony one night that his girlfriend could only climax if they had sex with the Time Flies Tony De Vit December 1994 mix tape playing full blast in the background. I’m sure I’ve got the master-tape somewhere actually so I should dig it out – could be worth a fortune!”
Funniest thing that has ever happened at a Time Flies event?
“We had CJ Bolland booked and a photographer from Muzik Magazine turned up from London to do a feature. Our resident Dave Jones was sitting in the office wearing a baseball cap and a pair of trendy specs that were a must-have fashion item at the time. The snapper asked him to pose for some photos, getting him to sit behind the desk feet up then with his elbows on the table looking over his glasses, and finally looking pensively in to the distance. Later on in the evening the photographer came running up to me and said “I didn’t realise that wasn’t CJ Bolland!”.
Has there ever been any times over the past two decades that you thought dance music was on it’s way out?
“I think the aftermath of the disastrous Millennium New Years Eve caused a major scare, and a big lull in the scene, so yes that was a period when I thought it may well be coming to an end.”
From a personal point of view, who is your favourite ever DJ at Time Flies?
“Tony de Vit no question, and then Paul Van Dyk after Tony sadly passed away.”
My mate Sami works in The Balti Empire in Roath. He says you are always popping in. So cards on the table Blunty, you have a night off…do you go for a night at the Indian or a night on the dancefloor…?
“A lamb madras, with a sheek kebab for starters, washed down with a couple of bottles of Kingfisher every time these days pal. However I did go and see Fatboy Slim in a Bristol warehouse following a Happy Mondays gig over Christmas.”
And finally, what does the future hold for Time Flies…is the big three o on the cards…?
“We’ll keep going for as long as people still want to come to our parties. There are plenty of punters 10 years younger than me, so who knows? The 30th birthday, if we make it that far, will coincide with my daughter turning 18, and she has expressed an interest in taking over the family business with her friends, so let’s see. It could mean a live retro PA by One Direction or JLS at her parties though…”
