A review for http://www.4clubbers.net/Christmas: You’ve been sat around for days watching festive films and TV specials, you’ve scoffed everything in sight just for the sake of it, Mariah Carey, Wham and Slade have been blaring on repeat and you’re now getting a touch of cabin fever.
After days of extravagance and laziness, our ears prick up at news of a night out and an excuse to rave off all of that festive turkey, and there were many opportunities to give ourselves a collective kick up the backside after all the indulgence from Boxing Day and beyond; plenty of time to go out dancing and catch up with pals before the hype machine that was New Years Eve kicked in.
By far and away the biggest treat for veteran Mancunian clubbers was the now legendary Electric Chair on Sunday the 27th of December. Held in the quirky rabbit warren - Legends; a predominantly gay nightclub tucked away behind Piccadilly Station, it was the perfect venue to have a one-night-only resurrection of the greatly loved and sorely missed event. Electric Chair ran from 1995 in a grimy basement and powered through gaining a loyal following until its final party in January 2008. Renowned for its untouchable atmosphere and knack of playing consistently excellent records across the board of house, disco, soul, hip hop and techno month by month, 
Electric Chair was, and still is an institution for many Manchester folk. The vibe still lives on at the successful Electric Elephant festival, a sister party ‘Homoelectric’ held every other month also at Legends, and of course, The End of Year Riot, a place where old Electric Chair regulars and new faces could meet, dance and celebrate the true meaning of the festive season: any excuse to party
Electric Chair was, and still is an institution for many Manchester folk. The vibe still lives on at the successful Electric Elephant festival, a sister party ‘Homoelectric’ held every other month also at Legends, and of course, The End of Year Riot, a place where old Electric Chair regulars and new faces could meet, dance and celebrate the true meaning of the festive season: any excuse to party The diminutive doorway and understated sign that led into Legends made the venue look deceptively small and unassuming from the outside. However, once clubbers filed past the bouncers and door whores and led down the staircase, a veritable maze awaited. Every room boasted its own eccentric identity; from the Mineshaft room complete with wall-mounted motorbike, through the eerie tunnels of exposed brickwork, traipsing underneat
h the cargo netting of the named-for-the-evening One Deck Piano Lounge (the netting traditionally yanked down as a rite of passage at Electric Chair parties of old) the raised platforms and metal bars on The Tunnel dance floor and the inter-connecting corridors and various levels, that made it so much fun yet equally exasperating to get lost in as you tried to navigate your way from place to place. To wander around for 15 minutes, discovering new weird and wonderful rooms playing various kinds of music, only to end up back in the main foyer exactly where you started, was fabulous and frustrating in equal measure.
h the cargo netting of the named-for-the-evening One Deck Piano Lounge (the netting traditionally yanked down as a rite of passage at Electric Chair parties of old) the raised platforms and metal bars on The Tunnel dance floor and the inter-connecting corridors and various levels, that made it so much fun yet equally exasperating to get lost in as you tried to navigate your way from place to place. To wander around for 15 minutes, discovering new weird and wonderful rooms playing various kinds of music, only to end up back in the main foyer exactly where you started, was fabulous and frustrating in equal measure. Other Manchester nights made their musical mark on the evening, with resident DJ’s playing from local parties such as Cutloose, Disco Outcasts and Development; all previous Electric Chair regulars, all with a fondness for the night that came across in the records they played. The beauty of having an event in such a large venue was the sheer variety of music played from room to room; from the campest of disco, championed by Greg Wilson, to the deepest of house from Sub Club residents Dominic Cappello and Harri. The Scottish duo kept the crowd glued to the dance floor from the off and right through u
ntil the early hours of Monday morning, a time when people would usually be tucked up in bed with thoughts of work the following morning. Dom and Harri proved a hard act for Manchester deep house producer Trus’Me to follow, however the dance floor was still busy as the night drew to a close, with founders the Unabombers finishing things off on the Main Dance floor.
ntil the early hours of Monday morning, a time when people would usually be tucked up in bed with thoughts of work the following morning. Dom and Harri proved a hard act for Manchester deep house producer Trus’Me to follow, however the dance floor was still busy as the night drew to a close, with founders the Unabombers finishing things off on the Main Dance floor.The sheer size of the place meant that keeping track of what was going on everywhere was near enough impossible, but from the slightly sweaty but smiling faces in The Tunnel by 4am, Electric Chair always had, and always will have that little bit of Manchester Magic.
Photos by Celine Ammeux
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