Wakefield’s Monday night scene had become stale and generic. Traditionally it’s its student night, so whilst it was generally busy, its venues for house music were pretty much non-existent, barring the resurgence of Passion Bar playing the now familiar and infectious Wakefield soundtrack of jackin’ house with pumping, dirty bass drops. Its biggest venue, Havana, has enjoyed the limelight and seen consistent numbers pouring through its doors. However, although it does give the club credibility, all of that’s taken back when you go through the doors into the main room and hear the awful chart-based pop music they’re playing.
Swagger came onto the Monday night scene and immediately saw success, with huge crowds drawing to the city especially for this event. It was the event that single-handedly spearheaded the revitalisation of Wakefield’s dwindling nightlife, and spawned a new generation of house-only clubs for the city; most notably Sub Zero and Rocco. Taking full advantage of Facebook to promote their revolutionary night, Danny Jones and Benji Kershaw rode the wave of success as crowds flocked to Swagger’s original venue, Hub.
If you’re not familiar with Hub, you could easily miss it as it passes under most people’s radar. It’s located down a side street off Wakefield’s main strip, and because it’s underground, it doesn’t stand out. Inside, it’s a small and intimate setting; low ceilings, two small rooms, and only two bar areas.
What it loses in size it sure as hell makes up for with atmosphere. Atmosphere is what Havana on a Monday is severely lacking, and to me it’s the most important ingredient in a club’s feel, so to be in Hub while Swagger was on was a great thing to witness. The brand brought Hub much deserved recognition, and the two just went hand-in-hand together and fitted like a glove.
In its first room the familiar classics from 1995-2000 played by Jonny ‘Bee’ Brown and Danny Bond gave Swagger a touch of class. It was Hub’s back room which saw those memorable, stand-out moments though with the likes of Julie McKnight belting out the anthemic ‘Finally’ over the extraordinary beats of EDX’s mix of Dubfire’s ‘Roadkill’ track. It really was one of those hair-raising moments; each and every one of the people crammed into that small place singing along, word for word. The room shook Hub’s foundations to the core, and although the infamous air conditioning of that room was dubious, it just added to Swagger’s appeal as everyone just put up with it and got on with having a great time. Every venue has its quirks, and without question the sauna-like temperature of Hub is its.
Time and time again the club and club night linked up several times a year, and never failed to pull in the crowds. Although Swagger’s got its doubters, even its most fervent critic cannot deny its impact of the city when it’s on - it becomes the talk of Wakefield. I recommend it because it’s a transparent club night so you know what you’re getting; great music, people who are like-minded and who are simply there to have a good time. Yes, vests and typical drop-crotch jeans are aplenty, but at least they’re best equipped to cope with the soaring temperatures inside…
Although it’s branched out onto the Leeds circuit too, Monday the 19th of December saw Swagger leave its spiritual home of Hub and move to Wakefield’s biggest venue, Black Flag Warehouse, for a pre-Christmas special. You sort of get the sense that the popularity of the event sadly outgrew Hub’s small proportions, so seeing it at another Wakefield venue was strange but good; strange because Hub and the early Swagger days were a match made in heaven, but good because the bigger space afforded by Black Flag meant that more people could witness the night and maybe, just maybe, the airy warehouse would be a little less humid than Hub’s back room.
What did I think? Well, the big venue was still crammed full of people, so any doubters who questioned whether Swagger could fill a large venue dissipated straight away. You just knew it was going to be a success; the layout was arena-like, so DJs were elevated above the crowd in front of you. It did lack Hub’s key trait of intimacy because of this, but you’ve got to remember that this phenomenon of a night has grown and grown into Wakefield’s undisputed king, so something had to change.
So here’s to Swagger, the sole night that kick started and breathed new life into Wakefield’s ailing Monday night scene. It’s got its critics, but that’s a sign of success as people become envious of people’s good fortune. You can never really predict the future due to the fickle nature of club nights, but there’s one thing that is for sure: Swagger will continue to be a huge success.
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