Blow Up - Saturdays at Bar Rumba (until Saturday July 4th)  |
Blow Up - Fridays at The Shaftesbury (from Friday 10th July)  |
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A bona-fide legendary club night, and now in its 15th year, Blow Up was the centre of the early to mid Nineties Brit Pop explosion, influencing the style and sound of a generation, and voted No.4 in Time Out's Top Ten Clubs of the 90s. From its original venue The Laurel Tree, Camden Town (1993-1996), to the Wag Club (1996-2001) and then to the Metro Club (2002-2009) and now in a new residency, Blow Up has continued its long run of sold out nights for over 15 years in an unbroken run.
Blow Up was founded by DJ and promoter Paul Tunkin in a Camden pub in Oct 1993. Records were played from the emerging 'British pop' scene (that came to be known as Brit Pop) together with Brit-centric 60s and 70s moves and grooves; swinging soundtracks to Mod Beat and Soul; classic pop from The Beatles to Bowie to Blur. The club still stays true to its early ideals - you will hear a selection of indie pop, new wave, pop electronique, underground 60s instrumentals, experimental grooves and easy listening - all sitting nicely alongside a selection of the current favs from artists such as MGMT and Vampire Weekend. Despite its love of buried treasures, Blow Up remains an accessible yet essential night that is always a great party, week after week, year after year.
"There is nowhere else quite like Blow Up, and in many ways it’s still unique. ... ‘Blow Up may be inspired by the ’60s,’ wrote Time Out years ago, ‘but their night could run and run.’ It looks set to do just that." Time Out London, 2009
Blow Up was founded by DJ and promoter Paul Tunkin in a Camden pub in Oct 1993. Records were played from the emerging 'British pop' scene (that came to be known as Brit Pop) together with Brit-centric 60s and 70s moves and grooves; swinging soundtracks to Mod Beat and Soul; classic pop from The Beatles to Bowie to Blur. The club still stays true to its early ideals - you will hear a selection of indie pop, new wave, pop electronique, underground 60s instrumentals, experimental grooves and easy listening - all sitting nicely alongside a selection of the current favs from artists such as MGMT and Vampire Weekend. Despite its love of buried treasures, Blow Up remains an accessible yet essential night that is always a great party, week after week, year after year.
"There is nowhere else quite like Blow Up, and in many ways it’s still unique. ... ‘Blow Up may be inspired by the ’60s,’ wrote Time Out years ago, ‘but their night could run and run.’ It looks set to do just that." Time Out London, 2009
Tickets on the door for Saturdays at Bar Rumba (until Saturday July 4th) :
£6 before 11.30pm with flyer or printout of this page • £6 all night NUS/Conc. • £8 otherwise
18's and over only. If you look under 21 you will need a valid photo ID.
Advance tickets £6 + booking fee: stargreen.com • gigantic.com • seetickets.com • ticketweb.co.uk • wegottickets.com
Tickets on the door for Fridays at The Shaftesbury (from Friday July 10th):
£5 b4 midnight with flyer/web printout • £5 all night NUS • £7 otherwise
18's and over only
CLUB LINKS...
blowup.co.uk/club • myspace.com/blowupclub
blow up facebook group • blow up club facebook page • Blow Up RSS feed • Blow Up twitter
Links : myspace.com/blowupclub • blow up facebook group • blow up facebook fan page
"A refreshing break from the over-polished venue this hidden gem focuses on the music. Paul Tunkin has been DJing at Blow Up since 1993. His experience has paid off and this little beauty has stood the test of time" ThisIsLondon.co.uk, 2008
"Few weekly clubs can keep up the sheer effort of throwing a good party every seven days. Yet, year after year, week after week, Blow Up just seems to get better" The Evening Standard
No.4: Time Out's Top Ten Club's of The 90s
"The club that changed the world" Melody Maker
"Home to and creator of everything, ever, Blow Up" "The original, and we love you, baby" Jacques Peretti, The Guardian
"This is the night which spawned a thousand bands, inspiring fashion designers and stylists to recreate the look for the mainstream" The Guest List
"Legendary. The seminal 60's/90's mod club." Raise
"By the time Blur played Alexandra Palace about a year after Blow Up started, the whole audience looked like they went there. It's global and I think it started at Blow Up" John Best of Savage & Best PR on Britpop
"The London clubland institution" The Guardian Guide