Legends… one of the biggest promoters the world has ever seen, the king of rock n’ roll from Leeds, Dave Beer steps up to the mic…
Well Dave, a long musical journey spanning three decades but it all began lugging amps and speakers about whilst tour-managing for indie bands such as That Petrol Emotion and Pop Will Eat Itself. What were those days like? Were you into the music?
“Yeah, it was fucking amazing. I was already ducking off from school from the age of 15 to go on tour with bands like The Clash and The Damned. I’m then bunking out of art college to do the same, one thing just led to another, but I only went to art school to be in a band anyway and it turned out to be the best education – better than any university or even the university of life. This was the university of the road and it taught me everything I needed to know whilst getting to see the rest of the world at an early age – and yes I love the music, it’s always been about the music with me and somehow I’ve always been able to be on the cusp of what’s cool and going down at the time.”
1991 came along and your new club night ‘Back To Basics’ in Leeds that you started with your best mate Ali Cooke. What made you start a club night and how did you choose what DJs to book?
“We started the club as a backlash against the jaded rave scene at the time, the Criminal Justice Bill had just kicked in and the was a general apathy amongst the frazzled ravers who had been dancing in fields and warehouses at illegal parties. There was nowhere in Leeds at the time playing the kind of music that we wanted to listen to, we’d have to travel to The Hacienda, Venus in Nottingham or down to the ‘Flying’ and ‘Boys Own’ parties in London. We only started the club as somewhere for us and our mate’s to go to, it was never planned to become an occupation or a career move, as everything else in my life just seemed to snowball. I remember doing an interview with yourself at the time for Mixmag and saying I expected the club to last six months at best – and here we are 17 years later, every Saturday night – that’s 884 parties to be precise and that’s not counting outside tour dates. As for booking the DJs, I only ever book people that I’m into. I constantly look for new and fresh things and pride myself on discovering the next big thing, the problem is when an artist or act do actually become the next big thing – I generally dont want to book them then as Basics has always been about the underground and the cutting edge… a two finger salute to the otherwise coporate commercial scene which I’ve always rebelled against.”
Best nights and DJs that sparkled back then?
“There’s been so many, but one’s that instantly come to mind… well I remember the first time Danny Rampling came to play at the Music Factory back in ’91 and the place was absolutely buzzing – everything you touched gave you an electric shock. The same went for the 1st Birthday when Charlie Chester’s ‘Flying’ came to town and we caused a road block… locking out over 1500 clubbers. A special moment was when Andrew Weatherall’s Sabres of Paradise did their first gig and we built a makeshift stage for them, it was awesome – like a punk rock gig inside a dance club, nobody had ever seen anything like it. And then later being the first to put on the like’s of Masters at Work, Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx to name a few. But Basics has a constant sparkle like the North Star!!.”
As we all know, there was that tragic car crash with the lorry on the way to Scotland. What do you remember about the crash?
“Without a question, that time was the darkest and most traumatic, a life changing experience in my life. When something like that happens to you and you hold your dead friend in your arms, you are never going to be the same again. Both Ali and Ralphs girlfriend Joc died in the accident and me and my girlfriend at the time survived – but for a good few years I just wanted to die. It felt weird and unjust that we survived, so I just blocked it out and went on a two year binge. There’s things I saw that night that my memory won’t allow me to remember that only come to me as flashbacks in my nightmares. It’s something that I would never wish on anyone, dying is always harder for the family and loved ones you have left behind. I think about them all the time and Ali is always with us everyday and every decision involving ‘Back To Basics’. God bless them, rest in peace, forver young…”
Wherever you turn up, chaos ensues in a mad party. What have been the GREAT GREAT parties over the years.
“I’ve never quite understood this one, I dont know what it is that gives me the ability to create an atmosphere out of nowhere, my mum always said I could turn a funeral into a wedding in an instant. I think it’s probably that I like to have a good time and make the best out of whatever is going on. So if a party already has got the energy and going off, I can quite easily turn it into chaos. For me all parties are great, I enjoy them all, it is my vacation and purpose in life to have a good time all of the time. Remember, only those who go too far, truely know how far one can go.”
Who have been your biggest caning chums? And who, other than yourself is the biggest nutbag?
“All of my friends cane it – or have caned it at one stage in their life. Howard Marks, Irvine Welsh, Lemmy from Motorhead, Chris Neads, Bobby Gillespie, Charlie Chester, Barry Ashworth all are up there, but the nutbag award would have to go to Brandon Block – just for the sheer laughter and fun of it. Blocko is without doubt the crown prince nutbag of nutsville – I mean who else would walk out on stage at the Brits live on TV and start a fight with a Rolling Stone – now you’ve got to be nuts to do something like that and that was just on booze. Just as well he stopped the other…”
DJing is a big part of your life now, what made you begin to get behind the wheels of steel? How would you describe your style?
“It’s mad really how its developed. I’ve always had a little tinker behind the decks since the beginning but always preferred to be on the dancefloor and promoting the parties and making sure everything was running smoothly or not so smoothly – a kind of organised chaos. But over the years I’ve found myself getting asked more and more to go and play for people. Until now, I had never called myself a DJ but I suppose there’s no getting away from it. I’m actually loving spending time behind the decks, it gives me less chance of getting up to mischief and into bother and I get to play the music I want to hear. I’ve paid DJs hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years, its nice to actually get some of it back. My musical style is varied but I’ve always had an ear and drop a bad tune even if I railroad some of them in. I’m not known for my long drawn out mixing capabilites of which I must say I have improved these days as it is more a case of necessity now when you get put infront of several thousand people and fuck up a mix. It’s pretty embarrasing, so you have to learn to do it very quickly, or look an absolute twat. But I like to keep the energy up there, I dont like DJs that just play to themselves – it’s always about the dance floor and the party for me. What the crowd wants the crowd gets…”
Best Ibiza party?
“Well they all blend into one, I have been going to the island now for 18 years or more every summer, so there have been some absolute classics but the best for me has to be DC10. Those parties are above and beyond the pale, theres an energy in there like nowhere on earth. I also love playing the terrace at space, and i have had many special and magical moments on there. But everywhere in Ibiza is a party when im there. Beautiful beaches, beautiful clubs and beautiful people, what more could you ask for. Oh I forgot then there was the manumission hotel, once got off my nut with Maradonna and made him play kicky up with an orange, I told him if he could keep it in the air 18 times I’d let him off with the hand of god. He was slaughtered so I thought he’d be fucked – but he nailed it, piss funny. It was always great fun in there if you could get past ‘Jonny The Dwarf’ on the door.
What are your view on drugs?
“In the immortal words of Hunter S Thompson… ‘I have never recomended or condoned fast living, loose women, the use of hard drugs and strong liquer. But in my case it works for me’.”
Who’s going to win The X-Factor?
“Simon Cowell is the only winner on that sad programme – although I have shed the odd tear when I’ve caught it.”
Best ever Miami party?
“Has to be the party when Back To Basics hosted Teneglia’s 18 hour marathon session at Space. It was the year he recorded our 10th aniversary album. But the bestist best of them all was one particular year. I went to a party on Star Island and met the guy whose house it was – he asked me what I thought to his party… I said the house was amazing, I loved the fact there was a yacht at the bottom of the garden – but to be honest the party was pretty lame. He said his aim was to get some famous DJs there but didn’t have the contacts – I told him I had all the contacts he needed and persuaded him to let me host my own party at his house a few days later. Something I bet he regrets to this day, I went away and photocopied a load of invites and proceeded to pass them round my friends at the Music Conference. It was an after-party to a night we did at Liquid, we started to arrive on Star Island about six in the morning and it went on to about six the next morning attracting attention from the entire Miami Police force. There was a helicopter constantly hovering over the party that kept getting drowned out by the ever increasing sound system as more and more people arrived at the party. But I kept my end of the bargain, there were more superstar DJs per square foot than anywhere else on the planet. But I do feel bad about sinking his boat…”
Blingest party you’ve ever been to?
I’ve been to quite a lot of bling parties, but don’t generally care for them. I suppose the blingest party was again on Star Island. The home of one Mr Sean Combs, the P Diddly himself. By far the blingiest gaff and the shittiest party. Recently I went to a party at Eddie Davenport’s house which used to be the Ugandan Embassy, I didn’t even realise I was going to a party. I was with my friend and actor Rhys Ivans and his then short time girlfriend Sienna Miller after a film premier where we fell out of a taxi to be surrounded by flashing lights of the papparazzi and was quickly escorted into a large house. But once inside, the attention switched from the then most talked about couple in London as a girl in a very posh voice started to screech “oh my god It’s Dave Beer” – I didnt have a clue who she was but she said my husband is going to die when he sees you and escorted me upstairs to meet the hubby who turned out to be none other than Tom Parker Bowles and his wife (who used to come to Basics when she was a student at Leeds Uni) who said when he was 15 he would have cut off his right arm to meet me. Not knowing who he was (or the rest of the people who were there), I told him he could keep his arm for a cocktail and sat down with them and chatted the night away with a bunch of Hooray Henry’s… all the time staring at a very drunk Fergie lookalike. Than god I didn’t find out who they were until I left as the lookalike turned out to be the real thing and I had just been in the presence of the Royal Family.”
What’s on your stereo at home?
“A soundtrack of Tibetan hand held drums and Buddist chants – isn’t everybody’s ?
Don’t you think Russell Brand is a wanker?
“Deffo. I’ve never quite got the Russel Brand thing. I’ve always thought he was a wanker and looks like he could do with a good bath, but a lot of people I know and respect have got a lot of time for him. Noel Gallagher thinks he’s cool. I’ve actually never met the guy so I’ll reserve judgement until I find out what all the fuss is about. But if he shags any of my mate’s daughters, I’ll kick his head in.”
How is Basics and the Leeds scene at the moment?
” Like I said before, it’s the one love that never lets me down.Leeds rocks and goes from strength to strength. It’s been voted the European city to live in by Conde Naste. So eat your heart out Barcelona, Paris and Ibiza. Leeds rocks and don’t you forget it!”
What is the longest amount of days you’ve gone straight through partying?
“It’s not something I like to brag about, but four days used to be the norm – it’s more like three these days now, but when I was 19, I once stayed up for two weeks, well ten days to be precise from what i can remember. I was informed the lights were on but no one was home for the next few days. The only other person I know who is daft enough to put his hands up for this is Lemmy from Motorhead. The Speed was mighty potent in those days.”
Is the credit crunch going to affect Clubland?
“The credit crunch is affecting clubland and everywhere else – there’s no getting away from it. This motherfucker is hitting everybody’s pocket. I’d like to personally thank the governments and banks of our fine nation for making a right pigs ear of things. The last recession came at the height of Acid House so we never really noticed it, because when people are down they like to party the most – but if you have got no money you cant go out these days which makes it a bit tricky. Let’s just hope we all get through this one with a roof over our heads.”
Which bands out there at the moment do you rate?
“I like MGMT, Arctic Monkeys, Sunshine Underground, Pigeon Detectives, The enemy are great little lads too but when it comes to bands it always coes back to Primal Scream. Bobby is a true rock and roll god and britain needs more of them.
Best club you’ve played at this year?
“The best gigs I’ve done haven’t been at clubs this year – but festivals. A real moment for me was playing Glastonbury, this year the sun shined and it re wrote the book on what parties and gatherings of large crowds of people is all about. It was absolutely unbeliveable. ‘Bestival’ was also great… but fuck that mud. I’m still finding it now months later.”
If you could fuck any celebrity, who would you dip your wick into?
“If you put your mind to it, anybody can fuck anybody they want too. I’ve never really had any crushes on celebs – even as a kid. I’ve never wanted to fuck anyone I haven’t met and these days what defines a celeb? I saw Beyonce’s sister on telly the other day, she looks really fit – does that count? I would have done the Queen Mum just for kicks, but she’s dead now so guess that’s out of the question.”
What has been your proudest moment in your life?
“The birth of my kids’. Also, when myself and Ali recieved a gold disc at The Royal Albert Hall at the DMC Awards in our first year at the club. I think I’ve got yourself and your dad to thank for that.”
Worst place you’ve ever woke up at?
When I was a kid I was hitch hiking following some band. I once went to sleep in a ditch by the road after not getting a lift, only to wake up in the morning with my sleeping bag wet through as the ditch turned out to be a stream. More recently, I missed my flight by two days after the WMC in Miami and found myself in a cockroach infested motel somewhere near the airport – it was straight out of the film Psycho. Like the Bates Motel with flickering neons, no locks and the place stank of piss. All I could do was get dressed for the following day, tie my record bag and laptop to myself and take a sleeping tablet and hoped for the best. I’ve never been as happy to see a morning in all my life.”
What DJs tickle your ribs at the moment?
“Who really rocks my boat is Claude Von Stroke – he’s fuckiong awesome… groundbreaking whilst holding onto the true values of House Music. On a similar tip is Matthias Tanzmann who is inovative and creative whilst pushing boundries and taking dance music into the future. Here in England, I have a lot of time for Jamie Jones who has his groove going on and also Buckley and the rest of my ressies. And my new boy Burnski who has a bright future ahead of him, watch this sapce….”
What’s the future for Basics?
“A backs-against-the-wall and forward into oblivion, so business as usual really. But we do have an album coming out in March with myself, Ralph Lawson and hopefully the aforementioned Claude Von Stroke… we plan to do a world tour to promote this in the countries we are allowed back into. Also, I’m staging some big one-off warehouse parties with that old skool feel and relaunching the Back To Basics Recordings record label. And live by our motto…”two steps further than any other fucker”.