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Last orders for Drunk at Vogue

Last orders for Drunk at Vogue

MANCHESTER NIGHTLIFE INSTITUTION DRUNK AT VOGUE THROW THEIR LAST EVER PARTY WHICH WILL TURN REVELLERS INTO A GIANT PROJECTION SCREEN!

All parties have to come to an end, whether it’s Studio 54 or the Hacienda. Drunk At Vogue have become a Manchester party institution since they started throwing back-street discos in Northern Quarter loft Kraak back in 2011. Six years later and the four promoters/DJs Greg Thorpe, Gary James Williams, Thom Docking and James Sizen Bell and their hostess, trans drag artist Grace Oni Smith bring the party to an end after gracing the stages of three Manchester International Festivals, Festival Number Six and Guy Garvey’s Meltdown Festival on the Southbank.

Drunk At Vogue’s manta has been “Manhattan Chic with Mancunian Cheek” and, like the 70s New York discos that inspired them, Drag queens have always been at the heart of the club with Oni Smith being the last in a line of drag queen hostess including Dave Tester, Zsa Zsa Noir and Cha Cha Boudoir duo Cheddar Gorgeous and Anna Phylactic all presiding over over-the-top performances that involve the crowd such as karaoke gospel choirs, Pride parades through the club, catwalks and even a Mister Fire Island beauty competition. For their last party they’re asking you to come “Dressed in White” and turning their crowd into a giant projection screen. 

Previous parties have taken place in Northern Quarter venue Kraak, underground London club Vogue Fabrics, The Southbank Centre and in front of Manchester Town Hall for three Manchester International Opening Parties. Their final party takes place at multimedia Northern Quarter events venue Texture, a New York style warehouse space, home to film events such as Make A Scene and IndieFlicks, and clubnights like Strange Daze and Test Card. The team will add a new twist to the Studio 54-style “White Party” by using Texture’s multimedia projection system to project onto the crowd’s white outfits, turning them into a screen for visuals of past parties and new animations.

The party will be part of the programme for Manchester Pride’s first ever Day With(out) Art. Originating in New York City, since 1989 Day With(out) Art has led the creative community’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with annual interventions, activism and events, ranging from the symbolic closing of art galleries to the active commissioning of work that deals with HIV/AIDS and supports HIV+ artists. The roots of Drunk At Vogue lie in New York City and the glory days of disco, and many of the DJs, musicians and artists that have been lost to AIDS. To honour and celebrate their lives the party’s visuals will be inspired by these artists and a portion of ticket sales and collections on the night will be donated to George House Trust, the Manchester charity which provides services to those living with / affected by HIV.

“Everything comes to an end and after Drunk At Vogue six year nightlife adventure we’re taking our final steps back into the daylight!” says Drunk At Vogue promoter Gary James Williams. “We started the clubnight to bring a bit of the fun of 70s San Francisco and 80s New York to Manchester’s gay scene. In 2011 we had queues around the block and parties filled with a new crowd of Manchester drag queens and club kids and this crowd has stayed with us all these years and gone on the create their own clubs like Cha Cha Boudoir, Pop Curious and Creatures of Catharsis. We’ve been so lucky to work together to create huge parties like Guy Garvey’s Meltdown and MIF opening parties plus six years of Summer boat parties down the Irwell but the party has always been about involving the crowd, getting them to dress up and bring a little glamour to their weekend. All four of the Drunk At Vogue boys are moving on to new things including mine and DAV hostess Grace Oni Smith’s new LGBT cinema night Make A Scene. This is our last ever Drunk At Vogue party so come, dress up and we’ll see you on the dancefloor one final time!” 

Drunk At Vogue: The Last Party

Saturday 1st December 2017, 22.30pm til Late

Texture, 67 Lever Street, Manchester, M1 1FL

Tickets £10 + booking fee via link below

Photo credit: Lee Baxter

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Published: 22-Nov-2017: (4638)

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