Falling out and in love with the club

 Hello,

I went to Cobalt in Newcastle yesterday. Que Sakomoto was DJing - I'd never heard of him before, but my friend sold it to me as "washing machine robot sex music" which is right up my alley. To be fair, I wasn't initially intending on going, but I was hosting a dinner party (which aforementioned friend rocked up to with a bottle of vodka to adequately prepare herself for the night) and 3 glasses of wine later I had bought a ticket. £14.33 - quite steep for a club night. However, I had never been to Cobalt before and I was intrigued. I'd heard good things.

I was reluctant because I have fallen out of love with clubbing. Everywhere in Newcastle plays the same 2000s bangers or some variation of generic R&B, rap or other typical club genre. Everywhere has the same awful crowds which are never properly down for the music. I loved it when I was 18, 19, and alcohol was an escape, a tool. Not so much now, when I acutely care about my health. If I'm getting drunk, it better be worth it. 

My expectations were blown out of the water. I had the best night of my life. The venue itself is gorgeous, with a perfectly spaced dance floor and lots of nooks to either watch from or escape to. There's a no camera policy and they put a sticker over your phone camera when you go in. I think the idea is excellent. I knew about this beforehand, as it's a mysterious fact about Cobalt often brought up whenever the place is mentioned. I thought it just added to the mystique a little. What I didn't expect was just how unreserved I felt in that environment, knowing that nobody could film anything, not capture anything that was happening. It felt like a communal commitment towards the music and the atmosphere. 

The music was incredible. Truly incredible. I think my friend described it accurately. Labels feel pretentious, but to paint a picture, it was almost a techno-house synthpop blend. One specific moment sticks out to me. He played a remix of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence (coincidentally, I'm listening to the original on my play through of Violator right now). Hearing the synth instrumental made me snap out of my conversation and stare at the DJ booth, utterly overwhelmed with emotion. I've never had such a physical, emotional response to music like that in a club before. It was amazing and it sounded amazing. I stayed till close, dancing till 3:30, knowing that I was wrecking my sleep schedule and my chance to hit the gym today, but I didn't care. 

So I've now fallen in love with clubbing. But I'd maybe hazard a guess and say I've fallen in love with a different kind of clubbing. Specialised, committed clubbing. I think dancing and partying is a very human experience and I'm glad I've found somewhere I can truly enjoy it.