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Getting into it: clubbers dance the night away

The joint's jumping: Meat Box has quality acts and a relaxed vibe

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Everyone knows you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I can't help myself - I'm a sucker for a good name. So when I heard that Meat Market, Barfly's regular monthly Friday night club, was teaming up with the Lovebox festival gang for a warm-up party in Camden to create the taste sensation Meat Box, I couldn't wait to tell my mates about the new night with the comedy title.

The poster campaign for next Saturday and Sunday's Lovebox Weekender in Victoria Park is now on almost every Tube stop in town - I've caught many a bleary-eyed Tube rider pausing to gaze at the line-up on their way to the office (there's nothing like the promise of a sun-soaked summer festival in the heart of London, hosted by the mighty Groove Armada, to pull you through the week).

With Goldfrapp and Jack Peñate heading the bill, it's set to be a righteous mix of every musical genre under the sun - and I can't wait.

Meat Market - a combination of bands and DJs - has already played host to bands including Pull Tiger Tail, Hatcham Social and Collapsing Cities.

The line-up I saw advertised, in keeping with the eclectic Lovebox ethos, offered up grime bad boy Wiley (the man responsible for that super-catchy Wearing My Rolex track), glitch disco double act The Slips and imaginative indie band Public Service Announcers, among others. A quick ring round secured an excited gaggle of mates and we were off !

Dressed in our finest threads, we trooped up Chalk Farm Road to Barfly. Unassuming and totally unpretentious, the venue is proud of its consistent quality acts and relaxed vibe, and Meat Box would prove to be no different.

"That's why this merger of Meat Market and Lovebox works so well," explained Meat Market promoter Adam Ryan. "We're out for the same things. Our ethos is that everyone's entitled to a night where you can have a proper dance to familiar tunes, maybe even meet a nice boy or girl and have a few drinks, and all without having to worry about your haircut. Lovebox is all about just having a good time to good music and that's what we think we've emphasised here."

With our £8 entrance fee taken care of and our free welcome shots guzzled, we walked into the downstairs bar which was packed with revellers. A great mix of young indie types, dance music fans and everything in between had congregated together, in true Lovebox style. The DJ was pumping out a rousing set - it was a winning mix of Eighties shoulder pad anthems and some wellchosen contemporary electro so we wasted no time in getting down to it.

When Briony and I left the group to powder our noses we overheard some worrying news in the ladies - that pesky Wiley wasn't coming. "Too cool for his own good if you ask me!" Briony spoke for both of us. "Well we'd better crack on, the Public Service Announcers are on in a minute."

As we made our way upstairs, it seemed pretty obvious that the unreliable Wiley wasn't going to ruin anyone's night with his no-show: the place was buzzing and there was no time to waste as we joined the gathering mass in front of the stage on the top floor.

Future household name the Public Service Announcers were embarking on a cheering indie pop set full of the impassioned innocence of Pulp and The Maccabees that got the whole room going. All too soon they'd bounced off stage, but there wasn't any time to stand round.

In keeping with the anything-goes-spirit of Lovebox, The Slips then set up and took the music in a totally different direction, bombarding the crowd with hiccuping synth melodies and stomping, heavyweight electro beats. We went mad as they dropped their famous remix of CSS's Music Is My Hot Hot Sex. They set the mood perfectly for Meat Market resident DJs Gaz and Max when they finally bowed out.

Music from Blondie to Blur, and of course plenty of Groove Armada, had the full house dancing till the early hours. It was only when the lights went up that we realised how late it was. We tripped out into the Camden night and cooled off after a great evening's shaking our thing.

"Wow, I could've gone on all weekend," Briony smiled. It's a good feeling knowing that it's only two weekends until we can do it all again!

The next Meat Market is 25 July, featuring Look See Proof, MC Gaffe and a secret special guest, at Barfly, 49 Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 (0870 907 0999, barflyclub.com), £5 adv/£8. Lovebox Weekender, 19-20 July, Victoria Park, E3, £65 for the weekend (lovebox.net)

 

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