SPOTLIGHT
We are throwing a launch with the guys at Last Resort on the 30th April at the Star Of Kings, Kings Cross, London and it’s completely FREE ENTRY! Click here for the event details. So we thought we’d get the lowdown with the guys behind the decks and chat about why they love what they do and why rock clubs matter…
Q. Who is the team behind LR & what do you do?
Over the past decade, Last Resort’s been fuelled by a rotating cast of around 15 friends, who just so happen to be lovers of heavy music and riotous parties. We’ve been putting nights on in London since 2011, (and also in Bristol for five years). We play all the alternative anthems we like and keep entry free. You may also have seen us play guest sets at Reading, Download, the Kerrang! Awards and various afterparties.
Q. Can you give us a brief history of LR?
Many of us work with bands in our day jobs too, but the spark for LR came when we were at a terrible ‘rock’ night where we’d paid a fiver to get in, the music was average and the CDs skipped whenever anyone started a moshpit. There and then we started thinking about what we wanted an alternative club night to be: how we could party with all our friends, in the biggest way possible, to the music we all loved but didn’t often hear on nights out? The answer was by creating Last Resort. Our ethos has always been about playing the heavy/alternative music we love, and putting on the kind of night we’d want to go to. Along the way we’ve had a bride and groom come straight to the night from their wedding ceremony, as well as a couple that met at LR getting married. Someone once lost a tooth in a mosh, we’ve had Christmas trees ‘crowdsurfed’ across the dancefloor, we’ve even been handed parts of the venue’s ceiling whilst DJing. We once had to conduct a 5 minute Linkin Park singalong in the dark when a pint fell onto a plug socket. And that’s just the stories we can remember.
Q. What can people expect from one of your club nights?
110% fun! Confetti cannons. Mass singalongs. The best anthems of the last 20 years that you remember – and all the ones you’ve forgotten. Jagerbombs. Megaphones. (Occasional) crowdsurfing and moshpits. Expect to hear everything from Slipknot to Carly Rae Jepsen, Paramore to Papa Roach, and BMTH to RATM.
Q. Do you think it’s important or necessary for towns and cities to have alternative club nights & why?
It’s vital. The internet’s democratised people’s access to hear heavy music but you can’t get the feeling of being in the middle of 200 people that all love (and know every word to) the same songs as you on Twitch. Good club nights bring that sense of community and occasion. We also think it’s important that those club nights have as few barriers to entry as possible – it’s the reason every Last Resort is free entry. Skint people need parties too.
Q. The upcoming Last Resort is your first one back in over 2 years! Why the return now?
This one’s very simple: We weren’t ready to stop when COVID forced us to, and we’re not ready now. Now more than ever, people need a good party. Luckily it’s what we do best. Plus – last year saw the the 10th anniversary of Last Resort pass by without a club night to mark the occasion (a decade under the influence, if you like), we need to get back to the venue we’ve made our home since 2011, we aren’t ready to quit this yet!
Q. What do you think about the alternative/rock scene at the moment? Is there any new bands/artists or releases you’d recommend?
The Last Resort team is made up of a range of artistic tastes; we’ll always look to play a mix of new records. At the moment we’re getting our hardcore fix from the new Turnstile and Vein.FM records but given how much we all love pop we’re also enjoying the new Weezer record (who knew) as well as Self Esteem and of course we’re hopelessly waiting, like everyone, for the announcement of a new Paramore record.
Check out Last Resort’s Essential Party Anthems here:
