Having only even been to one hat club night many years ago, I thought it high time I once again donned my hat, yellow braces and best smile and revitalized the excellent memories. Four4 Official years have passed since Hat Clubs first night and what a four years it has been, they are now a UK wide brand taking the concept on the road to most of the UK’s top clubbing areas and for their 4th Birthday party at Pacha people had come from all over the country to help celebrate, here is my stroy.
Arriving at Pacha just before midnight there were four queues assembled outside full of all manner of hats accompanied by their excited owners, waiting to get their coats off and enjoy the party. As we got to the front of the queue I hear that they have closed the pay on the door queue with at least 75 people still waiting, this all due to the fact that the club was full and even the official VIP area had been opened up to the public to help alleviate the swell of happy hatters.
Getting inside the club and to the bar actually wasn’t as hard as I had thought, it was busy but unlike some lesser clubs Pacha doesn’t fill to the rafters when full there’s still plenty of space for those dancers that like to cut the biggest of shapes on the dance floor and the layout of the bars means it’s not too long until we’re standing behind the decks drinks in hand taking in the electric atmosphere that has already charged up on the dance floor.
At this juncture I have to put the record straight and point out that I wasn’t the most diligent reporter, I seem to lose myself in the moment and found myself in the middle of the dance floor being one of those Hat clad sharp cutters I mentioned earlier, dancing to an awesome remix of ‘what would you do’ and many more to follow, I hadn’t even noticed the DJ’s changing shifts, shame on me, to my defence the night was going off a storm, at least three quarters of the crowd were wearing hats of all size, shapes & designs and I was swept away with it, I did keep dragging myself off of the dance floor to grab a drink and to check out the upstairs room where I caught snippets of some great sets from all of the DJs and I made sure I spoke with those laying on the infamous Pacha Beds and those dancing in the second room and most had said they hadn’t been on the main dance floor much, which for me is a testament to the quality of the second room DJ line ups, the main room was ’quality but I like the intimacy of the smaller room’, quoted one enthusiastic fireman helmet wearing Hatter.
I kept finding myself, being dragged back onto the main dance floor like the undercurrent of the sea pulling me further from the safety of the beach, but in this case the safety of the bar or area behind the DJ booth. I spent a good solid hour on the dance floor from 2-3am, chatting and dancing with some sexy hat wearing clubbers (oh and having my Fusic braces pinged but some naughty hatters), trying to ask a few questions to get the crowds feedback, as if multiple hands in the air moments weren’t enough to tell me they were having a ball, everyone I asked had almost the same opinion with words like 'awesome night', 'quality just quality mate' and many more superlatives all directed at Hat club, the DJ’s and those that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make the birthday party go off.
Come 4:30 am with my feet trying to get me to the saftety of the shore and my mind willing for more more more I was just on the edge of the a dance floor which was still a wash of Hat clad happy clubbers (or are they hatters? you decide) in some great outfits; a few had lost their hats, their heads and the urge to rest their danced off feet, but all had a bigger smile than when I saw first saw them 4 hours earlier.
Hat Clubs concept has been copied in many forms over the last four years but nothing seems to have caught the imagination more than the original Hat Club, the concept is easy wear a hat, a smile and come have a bloody good night out
For me it was one of my Top 3 UK nights this year and to all those that pinged my Fusic yellow and black braces, I have pictures of you all and next time I see you be prepared to be Flashed. ;-)
Well done Hat Club I take my hat off to you all!
