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Peepshow, The Big Chill And Me
Peepshow wouldn’t exist without the Big Chill, which has been an inspiration since my first visit to the Enchanted Garden in 2000.Before then, I’d learned to DJ as a student in Leeds, and always enjoyed throwing parties, so the idea of promoting a club night had appealed to me for a long time. Inspired by my experiences at the Enchanted Garden and after fulfilling a life’s ambition of actually playing at the festival (when I DJed at the first Eastnor) I became ever more determined to see my dream come to fruition.
Moving to Oxford in late 2002 provided the ideal opportunity. As I didn’t know many people in Oxford at that time, I posted a message on the Big Chill forum to see if any locals fancied meeting for a drink. Rob and Alan turned up, Ron appeared on the scene a couple of weeks later and the nucleus for Peepshow was born. And as we remember it, the idea of doing something was mooted even at that first meeting!
Oxford had some decent nights - there’s a thriving drum n bass scene, some good house nights and a very strong indie scene here for example. What we wanted though was something a bit more eclectic than simply a single-genre night, hosting live acts as well as DJs, making an effort with the décor, and also bringing the art of VJing to a hitherto unsuspecting Oxford public. Most of all though, we wanted to throw a damn good party.
Catching wind that the Big Chill was embarking on its first nationwide tour in spring 2003, we offered to host a leg in Oxford, helping to promote the event. On the night we also provided support for the Big Chill artists, with Alan and I DJing, Ron’s Omeron project playing live, together with Rob’s band Laroca. That was the first time our four names appeared together on a flyer, and buoyed by the experience, we set about making our own night a reality.
So, after finding a venue willing to take us - and with Jim Myogenic installed as our resident VJ - our first night took place in November 2003, and Bussetti, amongst others played to a packed house.
At our second night, in February 2004, Boomclick and Ulrich Schnauss played a double-header for which the Guardian Guide listed us as pick of the week in the club listings. We enhanced our reputation with a few more dates, before our first birthday party and Halloween special ‘Creepshow’, with Pitch Black, made 4th best night in the land in DJ magazine!
Since then we’ve moved up Cowley Road to Oxford’s main music venue, The Zodiac, and 2 years down the line, with the local press now describing us as Oxford’s best club night, to think we’ve been able to host not just Ulrich Schnauss but also such luminaries as The Bays, Mylo on his first UK tour and recently Hexstatic is like seeing a dream coming true.
We round 2005 off with two more dream bookings, bands we’ve been hoping to book since day one in fact - RSL visit on Friday 18th November, supported by forum-favourites Belleruche, and on December 16th we host an Oxford bands special as the Egg headline, with support coming from the Spiralist.
We only do it because we love it, it’s a joy bringing a bit of the Big Chill spirit to the Oxford club scene, and with some fellow big chillers. We enjoy it anyway, and if you’ve not been before, well, we reckon you’d enjoy it too.
Cheers,
Peepshow Paddy, and the Peepshow crew.
For more info, check out: www.thepeepshow.co.uk
Photo: Paddy DJ-ing at the first Peepshow, 8th November, 2003
Written: 15th Nov, 05
Read: 6142 times
