Miranda and her tales from Sundissential, Birmingham…
“For a few years in the late 90s the only good reason I had for visiting Birmingham was Sundissential at Pulse. (Oh, and maybe to stop in at Mr Egg where you could ‘breakfast like a king for £1). I arrived on the opening night, and stood gawping as trannies did arab springs across the danceflooor and Birmingham’s glamourous night-dwellers put on their slap for round two on a Sunday afternoon. I was hooked and came back for almost every night. How funny was seeing chief entertainer Gary string a washing line up in front of the DJ booth and hang a giant pair of Y-fronts up over the DJ booth as Seb Fontaine was boshing it out? What about the bison’s head being pushed around in a shopping trolley? Sophie the human doll (whose wife thought he was just out walking the dog)? The bloke who thought it’d be cool to go clubbing with a toilet seat round his neck and chocolate sauce round his gob? Of course the amazing Tony de Vit was resident – him dropping ‘The Dawn’ as a last tune inspired a whole new generation of DJ/producers. People said Sundissential was trying to be ‘the English Manumission’ but it didn’t have to try – it was a natural, right time, right place phenomenon. Some of the craziest times I’ve ever had were spent dancing on Pulse’s purple and red swirly carpet. Shame it all went a bit wrong when it moved venues.”
Dan Prince on his, erm, hazy memories from the same night…
“I have never been to a club night like this. It really shouldn’t have taken off. Housed in an a big old ritzy styled venue, carpets and mirrors – that sort of vibe, but somehow it flew off after only three weeks. Thanks mainly to an incredible resident team of the sadly missed Tony de Vit and Lisa Lashes, Fergie, Nick Raffterty and Andy Farley. It was fucking carnage in there. Naked Twister, people walking around with toilets on their heads, DJs like Tall Paul, Tong, Tiesto, Seb, Jules just ruling the roust – it was like New Years every Sunday. I drove up to the club every Sunday and there was always thousands queuing up all the way down the road. All dressed in the most hilarious fancy dress clothes imaginable. People would walk out of that club crying because the night was over, it was that good.
