Boxfresh Streetwear®

Woop! Now,no one can say that Boxfresh doesn’t support other brands (even though we’re obviously the best) but we just found this deal from Groupon and had to share-they’re offering 50% off clothing and accessories at American Apparel for one day only-something to go with all the Boxfresh swagger this Winter. ps.These are the people that gave us cinema tickets for a quid.We like them.

Photos: Craige Barker

The Dead Kennedys

You know the script, a group of good looking teenagers (OK, OK, we might not be either) are holed up in a basement with the doors locked. Fear grips them as they don’t know what the next few hours will bring. News has got through that over 500 dribbling, zombies will descend on them and the tension is palpable. Nope, not the synopsis to Scream or one of them films but us an hour before the Haunted House Party kicked off.

Horror Nurses

Good Time Girls

Ironically, everyone else seemed too scared to have their halloween party on the actual day but it just didn’t seem right. So, Sunday 31st October was the night – the garden was transformed into a graveyeard and we knew who we had to ring to come play some records. The Horrors were amongst our favourite DJs and to get them for halloween was a like a zombie – a no brainer. OK, maybe zombies do have brains but they are usually oozing out of their ears.

The Horrors

We had only just got everything back oop to Manchester from our escapades in London and Ken brought over his lasers and dry ice machines and his DVDs of the Evil Dead and The Excorcist to set the tone.We were holed up all day in basement of The Ruby Lounge like the afore mentioned in a slasher movie – waiting for them , not knowing. We knew they’d be coming but we just didn’t know how scary they would look, we heard an hour before the doors creaked open that there would be 500 of them. All the tickets had gone, this was going to get messy and we’re not just talking fake blood.

Dave Haslam worked his magic

Shireen on the Dance Floor

As well as The Horrors we had Douglas Hart from The Jesus and Mary Chain and some of our old friends to help and from the doors opening at 9pm they arrived in search of blood and the dancefloor – zombie nurses, check. Bloke from Halloween, check. Freddie Kruger, check. Shrek (eh?), check. We were glad we’d got the face paints and fancy dress out ourselves as everyone had made such an effort. Luke French kicked things off and ushered in the sounds of Ibiza to go with the sites of a graveyard. Some things are so wrong they are right and everyone took to the dance floor. In true house party style is wasn’t even haf ten yet but we’ve always done things a bit differently.

Our old friends from The Kings Arms sent over the Witchy Bitches to start procedings and before we knew it the wardrobes were being plundered and the severed mannequin body parts were used as dance partners – Lowline took to the decks and everything from The Brian Jonestown Massacre to Primal Scream had everyone shaking their booties in the fog.  And talking of fog and booties, they came together in perfect harmony at dead on midnight – those vampires on True Blood n’that scrub up pretty well but none of them could hold a candle to Cherie Bebe – all those that weren’t in a trance before she sidled onto the dancefloor sure were by the time she finished. Those that knew there was going to be vampire burlesque looked might please and those that didn’t were picking their jaws up from the floor. Not sure how much of that foaming at the mouth and dribbling was from the joke shop but like an apparition she was disappeared as quickly as she arrived but won’t be forgotten for a long time.

The Witchy Bitches

The Horrors had brought Luke from one of the scariest bands around, Flats, and Dom from Kreeps showed up too with a box of singles ranging from psyche to rockabilly and the dancefloor stayed rammed.

Relaxing in the Bedroom

Dave Haslam had seen some wide eyed freaks shaking their thang from over 450 DJ gigs at The Hacienda but rarely were they wearing scrubs, covered in blood or wielding blades for fingers – Juicy brought enough helpings of both hip and hop to ensure the seven hours just flew by.

Rich Reason had played to a packed Warehouse Project less than 12 hours before but kept things going well into Monday morning with Stand By Me being our pick of the moments of the night – The Good Vibrations gang brought their Motown goodness and it was hard to tell where the make up started and finished on the gathered freaks. We’ve seen our friends in some states but this had something of the Benjamin Button about it. Rick Lees arrived looking undead and grey and dribbling but as the make up wore off he started to look more human – as ever playing some of the best tunes of the night and heading to a party afterwards with us that was in full swing at 6am Monday morning.

We think he killed a few peeps

Kate Dancing

The body count was pretty high but so was the list of survivors – like the inexplicable ending to a cheap film, the sun came up and we emerged, blinking into the sunlight. Some bus hourneys home were difficult as we were covered in gore while everyone was heading to work.

Luke Opened the Night

They didn’t know what we’d been through and what we’d done for the sake of the human race. We didn’t want thanks and we disappeared into the new day, knowing there would be a sequel but not daring to believe how scary that would be….

So don’t do it. Just dance! Its a celebration!

Happy Friday B$%&#es…