Bang Face
The founder of neo-rave mecca, James St. Acid, Bang Face with Isaac Hewlings.
The term ‘rave’ is as contested a concept as any that exists within popular music. For some a rave should only ever mean a free party, preferably in a field or a warehouse, for others the term is just for a type of 90′s hard house, and for quite a few others rave just means neon paint and glowsticks. Whatever it is, the resurgence of ‘rave’ themed nights and accompanying neon paraphernalia suggests that rave is returning to popular consciousness. However, despite this more recent awareness there has been one night flying the flag for loud, obnoxious bass and filthy good times. That night is Bang Face. Its currently based in Electrowerkz (near Angel in London), which is the kind of club where the walls start sweating and when the bass gets going, the masonry doesn’t look up to the task. The perfect spiritual home then for this kind of night.
I talked to the founder of Bang Face, who is known as James St.Acid. I asked him how Bang Face was conceived, “Bang Face came around by accident really, I’d been doing free parties for years and… started DJing more in London at mates’ warehouse parties. I was being pretty reckless with the mashup of music styles and it all went from there. The positive vibes made me start up BF in 2003 as a free party in a converted public toilet. It really felt like people were up for having a laugh at parties again and I started using the Neo-Rave tag to sum up what was happening”. One of the noticeable features of Bang Face is the crowd (known as affectionately as ‘Hard Crew’), a motley mix of trendy kids, old ravers and everything in-between. I wondered whether this had always been the case? “The age range of the Hard Crew has definitely widened over the years. It started out as a group of mates…now we have first time ravers partying with ex-punks in their 40s! It seems the true spirit of partying is ageless.”
With the widening of the crowd and this recent heads-up to rave culture, had Bang Face been helped along due an increased awareness of a more fun spirited type of clubbing experience? “Maybe! I started raving in the early nineties and its great to look back and try to recapture the spirit of that time with the music of today.” The intention seems to be to get a blend of old skool acts and newer, breakcore DJs. With that in mind I asked which James thought had been the best, “Oh it’s impossible to pick out the best acts because so many have played and in such a diverse way. Some people think the early Rephlex live acid shows we did at the start to 100 people were the best, some say 808 State playing the final set live at our last weekender in Camber Sands was the best. Also the wide range of music styles played at Bang Face makes it an impossible call. I’m really proud of the Altern-8 revival from DJing in a basement for us, to a live stage show reunion!”.
This summer sees the beginning of ‘BangFest’ festival: “We’ve done big summer parties as part of the Glade festival for the last 3 years and we really want to have our own summer bash. The venue is amazing, set in the beautiful grounds of Somerleyton Hall in the Suffolk countryside. Its all about recapturing the original ethic and vibe of early rave with a Bang Face style festival twist”. If that sounds like an empty threat, find the photos of the Bang Face weekender.
One brilliant aspect of Bang Face is the preponderance of A4 banners in the crowd, with legends like, ‘I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts’, and (my personal favourite) ‘I’ve deffo fucked the degree up’. James enlightened me to their provenance, “The banners started really early…I took an A3 whiteboard along to one with a load of pens and the first banners with hand written on the spot. It was hilarious to see people expressing random thoughts over the music. Now people send them in…often around each rave theme. Its become a way of Hard Crew galvanising each other during the party.”
For those who want to find the best of what ‘rave’ represents – wild hedonism and keeping your tongue firmly in your cheek, then look no further than Bang Face this summer.
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Wahey, didn’t expect to see fans of Bang Face up here.
If you want to read more about this excellent club night there’s another interview with Saint Acid at http://www.ravetalk.co.uk/bangface1.shtml. That site’s got the official forum too, innit.
Next stop the boat rave! Wooo!
To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d find any either, but at least this might convert a few more?
Next year make a ‘York Hard Crew’ society? I think so!
A society sounds good. I know of at least a couple of people at York who love Bang Face.
Just found out Bang Fest has been cancelled. I’m bleedin’ gutted I am…
that was a pretty good read, have to echo that i really didn’t expect this to turn up here either. bangface is getting ridiculously popular now, it’s great to see. a few of us tried to go to 69 a month ago or so, and it was already 1 in 1 out by 11. incredible. anyone tempted by the weekender next easter?
elliot did you go to the boat rave?
Yes I went to the flipping boat rave. I had a hull of a time!
a comment like that warrants a stern warning
i really like bangface. bang me in the face face. lolz
I think you two have gone “overboard” with the boat gags..!