Location: Oval Space, Bethnal Green // Finsbury Park
What we wore: Dolls Kill // Club Exx // Naked Wolfe // Pleasure Chemical VNTG
Our first rave since Creamfields 2019 (memories of waiting in a piss-stained field until 5am for a “shuttle-bus” still haunt us). This one came together, relatively fucking quickly. Over the past 18 months, we have moved cities, changed apartments, and like all of our industry, seen our music business rocked to the core by the pandemic (if you are in the creative industries and you are still here, you will feel us).
We missed raving so fucking badly. It was a physical pain.
Sets I loved started to depress me because it felt like there was no light. I had to turn ASOT off and stop listening to music that got me too pumped up as a way to cope with lockdown. We quit the sesh and took up yoga. And then the restrictions ended in England, we almost won the fucking euros and it seemed like everyone was putting an event on. Like everyone. So we booked A LOT of nights to cover the summer. Creamfields, Tomorrowland Garden of Madness, Saga Festival Romania and a shit load of Warehouse project nights in our home city. This was the special one to us though. The Return.
We’ve wanted to see Peggy Gou for ages. Incredible music, amazing energy and much like us, fucking great shirts.
Peggy was due to play her Pleasure Gardens festival on Sunday in Finsbury Park, London. We missed out on tickets (same with her warehouse project rave).
Then we heard she was playing a special intimate warm-up gig at The Oval Space, Bethnal Green - promoted by the awesome KrankBrother, who puts on a lot of the best raves in London. We got tickets through Resident Advisor (highly recommend the platform inc. for sold out events as returns are put straight up). So we booked a few days at Point A hotel Shoreditch and thought we would make a weekend of it. Right in the heart of the action. Brick Lane bagels, Grind Coffee... gobbled all of it.
Then R.A. came up with the fucking goods again when we were on the poverty bus down and we copped 2 Pleasure Gardens tickets. We went from missing out, zero, nothing, limited... to seeing Peggy Fucking Gou twice in 3 nights. And i have to say, it was lovely.
Friday night - OVAL SPACE // BETHNAL GREEN
Pre -drinks were enjoyed at Loveshack, Bethnal green - what a venue btw - awesome vegan eats and chocolate milk to prep for a big sesh.
First of all the energy that night in the Oval Space were the rave was held was fucking electric. Staff are great and the space is actually mental - with a great balcony for chatting to people from around the world.
All we needed to enter was proof of vaccine or negative covid tests, easy. Seamless. This was definitely the in-crowd, full of genuinely quality people, even the lad who spilled his beer all over me. Forgiven mate. This was a proper rave - Peggy was phenomenal, as were the warm-up acts. This was one of those transcendental, life-affirming grab your fucking nuts evenings and it was breathtaking to rave till 5am with some of the coolest people that east London has to offer. We made it to the front row by about 3.45am and stayed there for the duration. Fucking scenes. People of every nationality vibing to the same beats. Fuck i’ve missed this.
By the end our feet were completely fucked and we limped the 2 miles back to the hotel to sleep all day. Some of the highlights of the night were the tribute to Paul Johnson, the debut of new track I GO and Honorable mention to the absolute powerhouse group of dancers, Little Gay Brother. When our feet were defeated and we were almost fully down, their ridiculous energy brought us back to life and gave us 7 more hours of raving. The sheer orgasmic energy of the stage dancers who hyped us all night. Real heros. You man kept us all going.
if you get the chance to see Peggy, take it. We have raved all over the world but I can honestly say this was probably the best of the lot. So much pent-up emotion was released and I felt alive again. Our hobby was back. We chase the fucking strobes and dance to the music.
Peggy played for HOURS with a whole heap of energy. and I could rave to that set every weekend, no problems. London has some of the best ravers on the planet. That’s what we do know.
Get down to the Oval Space too - good staff, amazing venue, ok drinks prices and some of the most eclectic lineups you will find in the capital. We’ll be back when the time comes.
Pleasure Gardens, Finsbury Park
Sunday was a real switch-up from the down and dirty in the mix clubbing experience that Friday's warm-up gig offered. A real festival feel took over Finsbury park, with 1000s of music lovers, many bars, food stalls, merch, portaloos, hammocks and different seating areas to chill in as day turned to night. People of all ages came to have a good time.
We got there pretty late - queues were very mad outside so my advice is go a bit earlier than we did next year. We mingled with some spaced-out Etonian ravers who moonwalked into our circle. It was fucking hillarious tbh. Some of the convos... I would love to transcribe. As two northerners out of our usual postcodes, these 020 fuckers are something else entirely.
Bar prices on sunday were a bit of a pisstake (£29 for a vino) and the only downside to another fucking banger of a day (11 quid vodka red bull vibes) - free water refill stations were a real help to a lot of the crowd though. This was a real fezzy feel with ravers looking incredible in their outfits - 100’s had the new Peggy Goods shirt with the I Go track iconography. Banger of a tune, watching Lauren trying to sing the words in Korean is always a highlight of any day.
We perched on top of a hill on a chilled one as the warm-up acts finished their sets and then onto Peggy once more - she looked gorgeous in a red two piece, celebrating the National liberation day of Korea (which a lot of the crowd wore too). We descended from M-cat’s answer to Murray mound and joined the crowds. One plan, go fucking harder than last time. The speakers and lighting are a right touch at Pleasure Gardens and I think it is worth every single penny you will pay for a ticket. Everyone went home BUZZING. Peggy’s set was changed from Friday and had a lot of crowd-friendly bangers for the 1000s in attendance to vibe to. I love that Devil Fuck me good tune. If you know, you know. Definite highlight. We danced all night and Finsbury park looks fucking epic when it’s dark and the pyro is in full blast btw. Much pink.
Peggy is one of the it-girls in music and pop culture but what I love is she backs it up with everything she touches, from music, to fashion and design. Wowser. An inspiring woman and she raves as hard as her fans which is nice to note. We are going to make a habit of seeing her again. I can’t fucking wait. I can honestly say this was one of the highlights of the last few years. Getting home from Finsbury is pretty easy if you are considering it as a motive for next year's rave calendar - with a tube and bus station just opposite the park.
Were you at either rave? Let us know in the comments - we would love to hear how you rated it and how you recovered from all that dancing after all this time… my legs were lifeless for days!
Btw if one of you reading has the Peggy Goods yellow sweater vest for sale, hit me up! It’s a banger and I see myself wearing it while I eat Sunday roasts.
Take care,
Dan (amnediel) #musicmoney
Next rave - Creamfields 2021.
What i’m listening to; [Bicep//Apricot - banger]
Dan
Lauren