Party like a pop star at Guilty Pleasures

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Pop in for a good time: Amber, centre, with friends and 'David Craig' in Bo'Selecta mask

A typically shy Guilty couple

Despite having been a music journalist for years, I've never had what anyone would consider a credible record collection. I've always preferred soulful pop and rock - preferably featuring a dewy shot of a piano with a rose on it on the sleeve - to anything "uncompromising". My iPod includes Toto, Supertramp and Abba. Sometimes I worry that if I get any more middle-of-the-road, I'll be better suited to a job with the Highways Agency.

Luckily, both my taste and age put me right in the target demographic of Guilty Pleasures. DJ Sean Rowley's monthly and massively popular "youth club for 30-yearolds" at Camden's KoKo is a celebration of the sort of music made in the Seventies by people with demi-waves, dodgy moustaches and polyester trousers.

It's the only place in London you can get a groove on to Hall & Oates, 10CC and the theme tune from Cheers. "We play stuff you enjoy in spite of yourself," says Rowley. An admirable manifesto - except these songs don't give me a transgressive thrill. I genuinely like them.

I f irst tried Gui l ty Pleasures at Christmas 2005, when I had such a good time I put my handbag on the floor, danced off and forgot all about it. The club has since grown into a proper brand: it tours the country and Rowley has his own twohour radio show on BBC London. He hosted an ITV special in March, featuring the unique moment Craig David covered Terence Trent D'Arby's If You Let Me Stay. Drew Barrymore, Jarvis Cocker, Natalie Portman and The Strokes have all been down for a dance, and Terry Hall of The Specials, who admits to buying most of his music in service stations, sometimes DJs.

Inevitably, the fact that it's no longer held in a tiny venue - it started off at Hammersmith Working Men's Club - has led some people to complain it's the new School Disco or Carwash. It's not. Guilty Pleasures attracts music fans, for a start. And KoKo's size means it can fit in cosy bars, comfy sofas and the biggest glitterball in London. What's not to like?

The club always takes two months off in the summer to tour the festivals, which means the first party of the autumn has a start-of-term vibe. In addition, this "new term" marked a bit of a relaunch of GP, with more live acts and show elements.

To kick off the new season, the theme was pop stars, which the website suggested interpreting as Dolly Parton or Amy Winehouse. After a fashion summit with friends, I decided against something wigbased, and instead to channel the spirit of my favourite singers instead. Which basically meant I could wear my purple glittery platforms that are too outré for the pub.

We got there for 10pm and as we queued behind Keith Flint, Geri Halliwell and a gaggle of male Winehouses, we realised we felt somewhat underdressed. Luckily, Guilty Pleasures is not the sort of night where your fun can be ruined, even when you're upstaged by men in beehives.

The soft-rock sound of Foreigner wafted out like dry ice. Inside, the dance floor was already packed with people singing along meaningfully. "It's like a nightclub in Newcastle, except with less chance of getting a glass in your face," said my friend Donna, approvingly.

Music is the star at Guilty Pleasures and Rowley obviously has impressive crate-digging skills - he has resurrected more tunes than you could mention.

The club has plenty of peripheral attractions, though, including a confession booth with a priest and " redemptive" shots of vodka. There is also cabaret-style entertainment. As we get the drinks in (double vodka tonic, £7) Kylie's Can't Get You Out Of My head starts up and Bearlesque take to the stage.

Words cannot do justice to Bearlesque. They're a troupe of gay, hairy, fat men who perform burlesque routines, complete with Viking helmets and nipple tassels. After taking a bow to rapturous applause, they're replaced by girls in sparkly leotards: The Pleasurettes. They turn the whole club into a giant aerobics class. The soundtrack? The theme tune from Rocky, followed by Olivia Newton-John's Physical.

We then head upstairs to the erection Section, where under dim lights the DJ plays George Michael's Careless Whisper. The aim here is to make you "helpless to the mood of the moment". It must work. I find myself chatting to a man wearing a Craig David-in-Bo'Selecta mask. "David is a lion of pop," he explains. "And it was a reduced item in the fancy-dress shop."

We head on to the balcony, the perfect vantage point for peoplewatching. I spot a Freddie Mercury, an Adam Ant and several women who we figure must be impersonating Meg Mathews: why else would you wear a cowboy hat with pink marabou trim?

By 3am, we're intoxicated by the piano cascades, swooning choruses and bizarre sights that include a giant inflatable penis being lobbed around the dance floor.

A friend once told me his car radio is permanently tuned to Magic FM because uncool music is what makes you happiest. One night at Guilty Pleasures and you'll know exactly what he means.

Guilty Pleasures Presents The Monsters Ball, 25 October. KoKo, 1a Camden High St, NW1. 9.30pm-3am. £16.50 in advance, guiltypleasures.co.uk

 

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