Swimming upstream

I am not officially part of the mainstream party crowd!

This revelation comes after being told that I was the “insider ” on all underground happenings around Jozi. Underground, I suppose, is all that happens in Newtown and downtown Jozi, where your typical (this here is subjective) party people don’t usually find themselves. You know, where it’s not a hassle to get there and safety is a sure thing.

So, this past weekend I ventured up north!

I would like to mention that had it not been for the holiday (know where you come from, y’all) there might not been a post this weekend. After spending eight — yes, eight — tortuous hours in a queue at the Funda Centre in Soweto trying to book and pay for my learner’s licence, going out was the last thing on my mind. A bath and hours of sleep were first on my list — oh, yeah, and food. Damn eNatis to hell!

So when the second round of Vintage Sundays in Jozi rolled through, I had to go, this time to the swanky 88 Lounge in Norwood. There seems to be a force that overpowers party people wherever there is mention of a holiday and an extension of party days. They come out in their numbers and 88 was no exception, although I got there pretty early and the first band were performing to an unimpressive crowd. “I wonder how it feels like to perform at such an empty venue,” were my companion’s exact words. But the night moved along and the place got packed.

Now the north is quite notorious for being discriminatory — well, if not discriminatory, let me rather say it has certain standards when it comes to the average party-goer. Dress codes and exorbitant entry fees usually top my many gripes with party spots up north. A party where one doesn’t have to worry about any of these is guaranteed to be a hit. My All-Stars are my party must-haves, and if you don’t want me in them at your establishment, you don’t deserve my business. It’s that simple. So I can count on my one hand the number of time I’ve partied up north.

Naturally I was surprised when all of these didn’t apply to 88; with an eclectic (our rainbow nation in full force) mix of people, the party was a hit. The world’s greatest DJ — OK, maybe not the world, but I think he is the world’s greatest — Kenzhero also made the party a hit. I’ve never danced that much on a Sunday until the wee hours!