SYNOPSIS
Stay Beautiful had its modest beginnings on a weekly Wednesday night at Undersolo, a dive bar (now renamed Colour) on Inverness St in Camden Town, and in those days a three-figure crowd was a rarity. Complications with the venue's licence (it was officially a private members' club) forced us to leave. After a brief and ill-fated spell at Gossips in Soho (after which Martin Wallace bowed out), Stay Beautiful found its feet when it went monthly, switched to a weekend night, and moved to The Islington Bar, essentially a glorified pub on Caledonian Rd. We began regularly booking star DJs, organising prize giveaways, and introduced the now-notorious Watering Can Song. This was the phase when the club really took off, becoming a wildly popular fixture in the calendar (with people travelling from all over the UK to attend, and queues down the street).
As its loyal crowd of flamboyant, glamorous and hard-partying devotees got bigger and bigger, SB eventually outgrew that venue and ventured south of the river to Wicked (formerly Cynthia's Robotic Bar), a series of futuristic chrome caverns underneath London Bridge, usually used for fetish nights and swingers' parties. This is the only time that SB has ever been the straightest, squarest, most normal club hosted by its venue! After less than a year, Wicked was sadly forced to shut down after a costly legal dispute with nearby Southwark Cathedral, who objected to such scenes of sexual depravity happening on its doorstep. Once again, SB was homeless. At this point, Suicide Ally also left the fold.
After a short break, SB regrouped to a trio of main DJ Simon Price, Tony Maggs (now a DJ himself) and long-serving glamorous hostess Davina Silver, came home to Camden Town and reopened at The Purple Turtle, where it began putting on live bands on a regular basis. This is where Stay Beautiful - now something of a legendary clubland institution - currently resides, entertaining crowds of 300+ on the first Saturday of every month.
Some guest DJs you may have heard at SB...
Some live bands you may have watched at SB...
Some celebs you may have spotted hanging out at SB...
To add pictures to some of those memories...
To add sounds to some of those memories...
And now, for the real trainspotters, a full week-by-week, month-by-month history from the very beginning...
2001
Stay Beautiful #2
Stay Beautiful #3
Stay Beautiful #4
Stay Beautiful #5
Stay Beautiful #6
Stay Beautiful #6.1
Stay Beautiful #7
Stay Beautiful #8
Stay Beautiful #9
Stay Beautiful #10
Stay Beautiful #11
Stay Beautiful #12
Stay Beautiful #13
Stay Beautiful #14
Stay Beautiful #15
Stay Beautiful #16
Stay Beautiful #17
Stay Beautiful #18
Stay Beautiful #19
Stay Beautiful #19.1
Stay Beautiful #20
Stay Beautiful #21
2002
Stay Beautiful #23
Stay Beautiful #24
Stay Beautiful #25
Stay Beautiful #26
Stay Beautiful #27
Stay Beautiful #28
Stay Beautiful #29
Stay Beautiful #30
Stay Beautiful #31
Stay Beautiful #32
Stay Beautiful #33
Stay Beautiful #34
2003
Stay Beautiful #36
Stay Beautiful #37
Stay Beautiful #38
Stay Beautiful #39
Stay Beautiful #40
Stay Beautiful #41
Stay Beautiful #42
Stay Beautiful #43
2004
Stay Beautiful #45
Stay Beautiful #46
Stay Beautiful #47
Stay Beautiful #48
Stay Beautiful #49
Stay Beautiful #49.1 and Stay Beautiful #49.2
Stay Beautiful #49.3
Stay Beautiful #50
Stay Beautiful #51
Stay Beautiful #52
Stay Beautiful #53
2005
Stay Beautiful #55
Stay Beautiful #56
Stay Beautiful #57
Stay Beautiful #58
Stay Beautiful #59
Stay Beautiful #59.1
Stay Beautiful #60
Stay Beautiful #61
Stay Beautiful #62
Stay Beautiful #63
Stay Beautiful #64
2006
Stay Beautiful #66
Stay Beautiful #67
Stay Beautiful #68
Stay Beautiful #69
Stay Beautiful #70
Stay Beautiful #71
Stay Beautiful #72
Stay Beautiful #73
Stay Beautiful #74
Stay Beautiful #75
Stay Beautiful #76
Stay Beautiful #77
2007
Music journalist (Melody Maker, Independent On Sunday) and rock biographer (Manic Street Preachers) Simon Price first had the idea for a nightclub dedicated to the tiara, glitter, eyeliner and feather boa-wearing glam subculture - fans of bands like Suede, Kenickie, Manics, Hole, Pulp, My Life Story and Mansun, who also appreciated retro sounds like Bowie, Bolan, Blondie, Roxy and Duran - in the late 1990s with Lucy Madison. He eventually got around to launching it in January 2001 with his then-girlfriend Suicide Ally and his friend Martin Wallace, with Simon's best buddy Tony Maggs acting initially as a silent partner and financial backer.
Peaches, Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls), Justin Hawkins and Ed Graham (The Darkness), all four members of Ladytron, Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Dave Ball (Soft Cell), David Ryder-Prangley and Will Crewdson (Rachel Stamp), Guy McKnight (Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster), Crispin Gray (Queen Adreena/ex-Daisy Chainsaw), Jason Hill (Louis XIV), Maxi Browne (King Adora), Jonny Slut (Nag Nag Nag), Sheila Chipperfield (Elastica), The Droyds, Micko Westmoreland (Jack Fairy from Velvet Goldmine), Martin Degville (Sigue Sigue Sputnik), Jasper Milton (White Rose Movement), The Parkinsons, 'Dirty' Harry, The Modern, Tim and Senay (Baxendale), Tim and Dickon (Orlando), Marie and Emmy-Kate (Kenickie), Jake Shillingford (My Life Story), John Robb (Gold Blade), Jeff (Transmission/Hill All Hippies), Daughters Of The Kaos (Club Motherf ucker), Mike Superlava (Jet Black And Bleached), Kitten and Preston (Club Bohemia), Val (Fan Club), J Pixi (Kinki), DJ Thermaland (Fan Club, sorta), and Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne)
Nicky Wire's Secret Society, Johnny Boy, Do Me Bad Things, Pink Grease, The Departure, King Adora, Scarling, Client, Luxembourg, Exile Inside, The Pipettes, Protocol, The Modern, Special Needs, The Rocks, David Ryder-Prangley And The Witches, The High Society, and Towers Of London.
Mick Jones from The Clash, Matty from Busted, David Walliams from Little Britain, Howlin' Pelle Almqvist from The Hives, Graham Coxon from Blur, Brian Molko from Placebo, Saffron from Republica, Roger from The Cure, Michael Pitt from Hedwig And The Angry Inch/Last Days, Simon Amstell off the telly, Steve Severin from The Banshees... but NOT Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who went off in a huff when we asked her to pay.
Click HERE for Polaroid images of you lot, us lot, our star guests, and a flyer gallery.
Click HERE and trawl through Simon Price's Livejournal for complete SB DJ sets (only goes back as far as Nov '04).
Stay Beautiful #1
DATE: Wed 10 Jan 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's Opening Night Party!
DATE: Wed 17 Jan 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: Marie Du Santiago & Emmy-Kate Montrose (ex-Kenickie, Rosita and Shimmy club)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: Internet fun for those who couldn't make it, with a special 'simulcast' on SB Radio (R.I.P.), programmed by the Aussie-based Miz Irene The Radio Lady using Simon, Ally and Martin's probable set-lists, with a meet-up in the chatroom of now-defunct Suede site Grandcentral Flashboy
DATE: Wed 24 Jan 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The Donnas Turn 21 album
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Wed 31 Jan 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Mansun "Fool" single and other Mansun goodies
MISC/TRIVIA: a special Mansun fan night, with videos and giveaways, and a crucial one for the club. Many of the Mansunites came back again and again, and some of them are still regulars. Without them, SB might never have survived.
DATE: Wed 7 Feb 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Wed 14 Feb 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: David Ryder-Prangley & Will Crewdson (Rachel Stamp)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: see below
MISC/TRIVIA: Saint Valentine's Day Mascara! (See what we did there?) With Russ Meyer films, our own Rollergrrl dispensing Love Hearts and cherry lips, 'My Mate Fancies You' cards, an "Erection Section", songs with "love" in the title, and a Sexy Dancing competition.
DATE: Fri 23 Feb 2001
VENUE: University Of East London, Stratford
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: A one-off gig at the UEL campus, to spread the word to the students... but a posse of about 20 SB regulars made the journey Out East especially to be there.
DATE: Wed 28 Feb 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Wed 7 Mar 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Wed 14 Mar 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs:
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: a Manics prize raffle (inc memorabilia brought back from the Cuban gig and signed Simon Price 'Everything' book) in aid of the RSPCA (charity nominated by Nicky Wire).
MISC/TRIVIA: special Manics night, featuring the world premiere of the Know Your Enemy album.
DATE: Wed 21 Mar 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: David Barnett (Suede Information Service)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Suede goodie bags, with posters, SIS mags annocuncing Neil Codling's departure from the band, Scandinavian "Let Go" singles, styrofoam videos of the Head Music recording sessions, etc.
MISC/TRIVIA: Suede fan night, Brett Anderson dance-alike competition!
DATE: Wed 28 Mar 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY:(none)
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Wed 4 April 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: Jake Shillingford (My Life Story)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Wed 11 April 2001
VENUE: Undersolo
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: The last Stay Beautiful at Undersolo, free admission
DATE: Wed 30 May 2001
VENUE: Gossips
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: First Stay Beautiful in its new venue, Gossips
DATE: Wed 6 Jun 2001
VENUE: Gossips
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Wed 13 Jun 2001
VENUE: Gossips
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Wed 20 Jun 2001
VENUE: Gossips
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: Violent, unprovoked assault upon a club-goer by a member of Gossips staff. Police called. Stay Beautiful leaves Gossips with immediate effect. It is also Martin Wallace's last SB
VENUE: The Islington Bar
DATE: Fri 28 Sep 2001
GUEST DJs: Maxi Browne (King Adora)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's re-opening party at The Islington Bar, with queues down the street, doors shut and people turned away at 11.15pm, more than twice the previous record attendance
DATE: Fri 26 Oct 2001
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: David Ryder-Prangley (Rachel Stamp), but Robin Turner (Manics tour DJ, Heavenly Social club) cancelled due to "ear infection"
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: Spontaneous conga around the bar to Madonna, mass singalongs when the sound cut out (which was to become a depressingly regular occurrence at The Islington Bar), Wheelchairs zooming around the dancefloor, Howlin' Pelle Almqvist from The Hives shows up...
DATE: Wed 31 Oct 2001 (Stay Beautiful and Prom Night's Hallowe'en Prom!)
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: us, plus 'Freddie, Jason and Carrie' (Prom Night)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: classic horror B-movie projections, scary movies, free face paints, Hallowe'en-esque tunes ("The Monster Mash", "Thriller" etc), a spooky recital from Davina Silver, and punters dressed as vampiresses, devils, teenage witches, Clockwork Orange droogs, and "Osama Bin Laden's demon"...
DATE: Fri 30 Nov 2001
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: John Robb (Gold Blade)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Suede 'Lost In TV' DVDs and other Suede goodies
MISC/TRIVIA: Suede karaoke competition!
DATE: Fri 21 Dec 2001
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Davina Silver, Triona and Naomi (Pierrot Lunaire club), but Robin Turner (Manics tour DJ, Heavenly Social club) & Sean Rowley (All Back To Mine, GLR, Guilty Pleasures club) cancel AGAIN due to "illness"
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: free mince pies, and goodie bags (CDs, jewellery, sweeties) every time we play a Christmas song
MISC/TRIVIA: Yule Love Us - Christmas party! SB's Top 20 tracks of 2001, "Erection Section", extension till 3.00am
Stay Beautiful #22
VENUE: The Islington Bar
DATE: Fri 25 Jan 2002
GUEST DJs: Marie Du Santiago & Emmy-Kate Montrose (Kenickie, Rosita, Shimmy club), Martin Wallace (ex-SB)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Andrew WK "She Is Beautiful" single and 'nosebleed' T-shirts
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's First Birthday! The return of founder Martin Wallace will become an annual event...
DATE: Fri 22 Feb 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Martin Degville (Sigue Sigue Sputnik)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The White Stripes "Fell In Love With A Girl" single
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Fri 29 Mar 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Tim Benton & Senay Sargut (Baxendale), Mike Superlava (Jet Black And Bleached club)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Free mini-eggs!
MISC/TRIVIA: Antichrist Superstars - The Crucifixion Party! with heretical tunes for Good Friday...
DATE: Sat 27 Apr 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Maxi Browne (King Adora), Jamie Manners (The Vichy Government, Retro Electro club)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
MISC/TRIVIA: The first-ever SB on a Saturday night
DATE: Sat 25 May 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Micko Westmoreland (The Bowling Green, 'Jack Fairy' in Velvet Goldmine)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Class War/anti-monarchist posters, calendars etc
MISC/TRIVIA: 'No Future! The Anti-Jubilee Party'
DATE: Sat 22 Jun 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: none (The Darkness cancelled due to being stranded in Cardiff)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Muse Hullabaloo DVD and CD, and "Dead Star" single
MISC/TRIVIA: Holiday In The Sun - The Summer Party! Lots of summer songs, £1 off for anyone turning up in sunglasses
DATE: Sat 27 Jul 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
LIVE BAND: Exile Inside (Jake Shillingford, ex-My Life Story)
GUEST DJs: Preston and Kitten (Glam-Ou-Rama)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: summer clearout of all the CDs Simon has accumulated this year
MISC/TRIVIA: The first-ever live performance at Stay Beautiful!
DATE:Sat 31 Aug 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Crispin Gray (Queen Adreena/ex-Daisy Chainsaw)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: T.Rex The Essential Collection album, Mark Paytress 'Bolan - Rise And Fall Of A 20th Century Superstar' book
MISC/TRIVIA: World premiere of Manic Street Preachers "There By The Grace Of God" single
DATE: Sat 28 Sep 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Justin Hawkins and Ed Graham (The Darkness), Billy Reeves (Theaudience, Uncle Bob's Wedding Reception club)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Siouxsie And The Banshees Once Upon A Time album, Rachel Stamp goodies
MISC/TRIVIA: World premiere of Rachel Stamp's "Do Me In Once And I'll Be Sad, Do Me In Twice And I'll Know Better", and World premiere of Manic Street Preachers "There By The Grace Of God" B-sides.
DATE: Sat 26 Oct 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Al Zheimer & Victor Torpedo (The Parkinsons), DJ Thermaland (off the message board, basically!)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: David Bowie Best Of Bowie and Blondie Greatest Hits albums
MISC/TRIVIA: SB given an extra 30 mins (now closing at 2.30am), but the extra hour promised by the venue tonight due to BST/GMT changeover is scuppered by Islington Council, who haven't heard about the clocks going back.
DATE: Sat 30 Nov 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Danny Hunt (Ladytron)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Pulp Hits album
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Sat 14 Dec 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Maxi Browne (King Adora), Tim Chipping (ex-Orlando) & Dickon Edwards (Fosca, ex-Orlando)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: free mince pies, and goodie bags (CDs, jewellery, sweeties) every time we play a Christmas song
MISC/TRIVIA: Yule Love Us - Christmas party! including SB's Top 20 tracks of 2002
DATE: Tue 31 Dec 2002
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Al Zheimer & Victor Torpedo (The Parkinsons), David Ryder-Prangley (Rachel Stamp)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The Electric Six "Danger! High Voltage"
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's first-ever New Year's Eve party, with free champagne to everyone, and an extension till "very late"...
Stay Beautiful #35
DATE: Sat 25 Jan 2003
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: 'Dirty' Harry, Martin Wallace (The Boyfriends)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The Faint Danse Macabre album
MISC/TRIVIA: Second Birthday Party, with special hour-long themed sets from our DJs: 'Gone In 120 Seconds' (songs under 2 mins long) from Simon, 'Re:Make Re:Model' (interesting and unusual cover versions) from Ally
DATE: Sat 22 Feb 2003
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne), Mike Superlava (Jet Black & Bleached club)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Ladytron "Blue Jean" single
WATERING CAN SONG: Queen Adreena "Jolene"
MISC/TRIVIA: The inaugural Watering Can Song! And a naughty, unauthorised world premiere of The White Stripes' Elephant album...
DATE: Sat 29 Mar 2003
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: The Droyds, David Ryder-Prangley (Rachel Stamp)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Placebo Sleeping With Ghosts album, BANG magazine Issue 1
WATERING CAN SONG: Hole "Celebrity Skin"
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Sat 26 April 2003
VENUE: The Islington Bar
GUEST DJs: Martin Wallace (The Boyfriends)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: King Adora "Born To Lose" single
WATERING CAN SONG: Joan Jett And The Blackhearts "I Love Rock'N'Roll"
MISC/TRIVIA: The last SB at The Islington Bar and, it seems at the time, possibly the last EVER, so we play non-stop 'Greatest Hits' sets of 'Stay Beautiful Anthems'...
DATE: Sat 16 Aug 2003
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: Mira Aroyo (Ladytron) & Andy Fraser (Intensive Care club)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: miscellaneous CDs accumulated by Simon since Christmas
WATERING CAN SONG: The Darkness "Growing On Me"
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's Re-opening Party at its new venue, Wicked
DATE: Sat 20 Sep 2003
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: Jonny Slut (Nag Nag Nag), David Ryder-Prangley (Rachel Stamp)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Muse Absolution album
WATERING CAN SONG: Roxy Music "Virginia Plain"
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Sat 18 Oct 2003
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: David Barnett (Suede biographer/The Boyfriends)... after first The Donnas cancelled (due to an injury to drummer Tori), then Simon Gilbert of Suede cancelled (due to a more lucrative gig in Dubai, pah.)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Suede 'Singles' album, plus signed Suede mandolin!
WATERING CAN SONG: The Electric Six "Gay Bar"
MISC/TRIVIA: The moral: never work with people who drum behind singers called Bret(t) Anderson.
DATE: Sat 15 Nov 2003
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: King Adora "Drag" single
WATERING CAN SONG: Shampoo "Trouble"
MISC/TRIVIA: After last month's nightmare, an experimental "You Are The Stars" policy with no guest DJs
DATE: Sat 20 Dec 2003
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: Maxi Browne (King Adora), Daughters Of The Kaos (aka Becky and Zena from Club Motherfucker)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: free mince pies, and goodie bags (CDs, jewellery, sweeties) every time we play a Christmas song
WATERING CAN SONG: ???
MISC/TRIVIA: Yule Love Us - Christmas party! including SB's Top 20 tracks of 2003
Stay Beautiful #44
DATE: Sat 17 Jan 2004
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: David Ryder-Prangley (Rachel Stamp), Martin Wallace (The Boyfriends)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Various Artists Robopop album
WATERING CAN SONG: Marilyn Manson "mOBSCENE"
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's Third Birthday Party!
DATE: Sat 21 Feb 2004
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: Reuben Wu (Ladytron), Gaz Cloud (Felt club)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Various Artists 80s Alternative - The Darker Side Of The Decade album
WATERING CAN SONG: Billy Idol "Rebel Yell"
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Sat 20 Mar 2004
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: Pink Grease, and Sheila Chipperfield (ex-Elastica, Miss-shapes) & Sandra (Miss-Shapes/Popstarz)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The Darkness "Love Is Only A Feeling" single, King Adora Who Do You Love album, Rachel Stamp gig tickets
WATERING CAN SONG: The Rolling Stones "Paint It Black"
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Sat 17 Apr 2004
VENUE: Wicked
GUEST DJs: Peaches, David Ryder-Prangley (Rachel Stamp)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Prince "Musicology" single
WATERING CAN SONG: Grandmaster & Melle Mel "White Lines (Don't Do It)"
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Sat 15 May 2004
VENUE: Atlantis (formerly Wicked)
GUEST DJs: Jonny Slut (Nag Nag Nag), Poodlerockers (aka Rob & Theo, Kennel Club)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Avenue D "Do I Look Like A Slut?" single
WATERING CAN SONG: Justin Timberlake "Like I Love You"
MISC/TRIVIA: venue name changed to Atlantis
DATE: Sat 19 Jun 2004
VENUE: Atlantis (formerly Wicked)
GUEST DJs: Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Pink Grease This Is For Real album
WATERING CAN SONG: ???
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful Summer Party, which turns out to be the last SB at Wicked/Atlantis (although we didn't know it at the time), and also Suicide Ally's last SB.
Two unofficial SB parties, back at ye olde Islington Bar, first for the birthdays of the Nightingale twins (Alex and Lauren), then for the lovely Miss Sarah.
DATE: Sun 3 July 2004
The first-ever Stay Beautiful picnic, in Regents Park. Drunken fun on the grass, followed by a pub on Parkway, drawing moustaches on each other's faces...
DATE: Fri 15 Oct 2004
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: (none)
GUEST DJs: David Ryder-Prangley (Rachel Stamp)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Y Control"
WATERING CAN SONG: Van Halen "Jump"
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's Re-opening Party at its fifth home, The Purple Turtle, and the 50th SB ever (but we didn't realise at the time, whoops).
DATE: Fri 19 Nov 2004
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: The Modern
GUEST DJs: Crispin Gray (Queen Adreena) and his friend Michael
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
WATERING CAN SONG: The Undertones "Teenage Kicks"
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Fri 17 Dec 2004
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Pink Grease
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Christmas goodie bags (every time we played a Christmas song)
WATERING CAN SONG: Alice Cooper "Poison"
MISC/TRIVIA: Christmas party! Mince pies while stocks last, Jack Skellington on the big screen, Stay Beautiful Top 20 of 2004 countdown, etc... Pink Grease the only SB band ever to be called back for an encore.
DATE: Fri 31 Dec 2004
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: King Adora
GUEST DJs: Kitten (Club Bohemia/Glam-Ou-Rama), J Pixi (Kinki/Riot Fever), Val (Fan Club/Pop Klinik)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: (none)
WATERING CAN SONG: Andrew WK "Party Hard"
MISC/TRIVIA: The second-ever SB New Year's Eve party, venue full up by 10.15pm, King Adora onstage at the stroke of midnight (after "Auld Lang Syne"), extension till 4.00am...
Stay Beautiful #54
DATE: Fri 4 Feb 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: none (Do Me Bad Things cancelled due to singer Nic being hospitalised)
GUEST DJs: Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Martin Wallace (The Boyfriends)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Various Artists 12"/80s album
WATERING CAN SONG: Queens Of The Stone Age "Feelgood Hit Of The Summer"
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's Fourth Birthday Party!
DATE: Fri 4 Mar 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Client
GUEST DJs: Jeff Automatic (Transmission/Kill All Hippies)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Kaiser Chiefs Employment album
WATERING CAN SONG: Placebo "Nancy Boy"
MISC/TRIVIA: the first sighting of a laptop computer in the DJ booth...
DATE: Fri 1 Apr 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Luxembourg
GUEST DJs: The Modern
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The Departure Dirty Words album, Pink Grease "Peaches" single, Trash Light Vision tickets
WATERING CAN SONG: The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog"
MISC/TRIVIA: Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls was due to DJ, but had to cancel due to European promotional commitments.
DATE: Fri 6 May 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: The Pipettes
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Kelly Osbourne Sleeping In The Nothing album and T.Rex/Born To Boogie party tickets
WATERING CAN SONG: Sex Pistols "Pretty Vacant"
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Fri 3 Jun 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Do Me Bad Things
GUEST DJs: none (The Departure cancelled due to double-booking)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Ladytron "Sugar" single, Departure goodies
WATERING CAN SONG: Alice Cooper "Poison"
MISC/TRIVIA: It took an extraordinary effort to fit all nine members of DMBT onstage, and for some of the show, singer Nicolai ran along the bar-top!
DATE: Fri 1 Jul 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: The Departure
GUEST DJs: Helen Marnie (Ladytron)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Various Artists 12"/80s Vol 2
WATERING CAN SONG: Britney Spears "Toxic"
MISC/TRIVIA:
Sun 17 Jul: second annual SB picnic, Waterlow Park! Over 40 people drinking, eating, throwing frisbees, kicking a ball around playing best-of-SB compilations on Simon's new Playboy ghetto blaster, and generally misbehaving in the sunshine.
DATE: Fri 5 Aug 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Towers Of London
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: British Whale "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" single, Kerrang Day Of Rock VIP passes.
WATERING CAN SONG: Guns N'Roses "Welcome To The Jungle"
MISC/TRIVIA: no riot, no arrests, but plenty of incident, with Donny Tourette insulting the crowd ("Stay Beautiful? If they enforced that rule, we'd be the only ones in 'ere!"), climbing up into the DJ crow's-nest for the last two songs, back-to-back cock-rock action and guitar-hero poses, and drinks and fags thrown back and forth between crowd and band... an unforgettable gig.
DATE: Fri 2 Sep 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Special Needs
GUEST DJs: Guy McKnight (The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The Dandy Warhols "Smoke It" single
WATERING CAN SONG: Franz Ferdinand "Michael"
MISC/TRIVIA: One of our best and busiest nights in quite a while. We were very proud to be putting on a band whose singer was, when he was younger and more foolish, an SB regular. (It was, incidentally, the band's last gig under the name Special Needs, before they dropped the 'Special'...) Guy McKnight was such a lovely chap. And our Davina was ever so excited that the actor Michael Pitt turned up...
DATE: Fri 7 Oct 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Protocol
GUEST DJs: Jason Hill (Louis XIV)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: John Lydon The Best Of British £1s album and DVD, Tiga feat Jake Shears "You Gonna Want Me" single
WATERING CAN SONG: The Bravery "An Honest Mistake"
MISC/TRIVIA: A bit of a technical nightmare (broken microphone channel, no slide projector, no video projector), but ultimately people still had a great time. Jason Hill's, er, unorthodox DJ style (playing two thirds of a song on his iPod before getting bored, cutting it short and playing a new one) raised a few eyebrows, but he undeniably chose some top tunes. The dashing and Duran-like Protocol stuck around to dance with the punters till the end. They'll go a long way...
DATE: Fri 4 Nov 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: The Rocks
GUEST DJs: Dave Ball (Soft Cell)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The Dresden Dolls in Paradise DVD
WATERING CAN SONG: Manic Street Preachers "You Love Us" (Heavenly)
MISC/TRIVIA: Back to our visual best, with all projectors up and running. The Rocks set started with guitarist Mauro blasting out the opening chords to MSP's "Stay Beautiful", and ended with the crowd singing "Happy Birthday" to singer James (who was wearing a pretty red dress for the occasion). Dave Ball was a top class DJ, playing a very popular hour of 80s synth hits. We payed tribute to recently-deceased Popstarz founder Simon Hobart with his favourite song, David Bowie's "Young Americans". This was the last 2.00am finish at The Purple Turtle.
DATE: Fri 2 Dec 2005
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Scarling
GUEST DJs: none
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Christmas goodie bags (every time we played a Christmas song)
WATERING CAN SONG: Depeche Mode "Personal Jesus"
MISC/TRIVIA: Stay Beautiful's Nightmare Before Christmas was the first SB to benefit from the new licensing laws, with a 3.00am finish (which will be permanent, from now on). Scarling, playing their first ever UK gig, help us to attract an unprecedented crowd, with queues down the block before we'd even opened the doors. Despite a slight technical hitch (a ten-minute break during which Jessicka threatened to deliver a "stand-up comedy hour" instead), their British debut went well, and immediately afterwards we switched into Christmas party mode, with mince pies, crackers and party-poppers while stocks lasted, Jack Skellington and The Muppets on the big screen, Santa Jenna mobbed for pressies every time we played a festive tune, the Stay Beautiful Top 20 of 2005 countdown, etc...
Stay Beautiful #65
DATE: Fri 6 Jan 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: The Boyfriends
GUEST DJs: David Ryder Prangley
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: home-burned Best Of Stay Beautiful CDs
WATERING CAN SONG: Altered Images "Happy Birthday"
MISC/TRIVIA: A landmark: our fifth birthday! Quite a lot of coverage (including Club Of The Week in NME), and a great turnout for January. It was nice to get The Boyfriends (led by SB co-founder Martin Wallace) onstage at last, and it seemed right to get our most loyal and frequent guest DJ, DRP, involved. The Stay Beautiful CDs given to the first 50 through the door proved popular. The theme of our DJ sets was Greatest Hits, from the moment the doors opened (no new stuff, no obscure stuff, just anthems all the way), and it was so enjoyable - and there were so many spare songs left over - that this may become an annual thing...
DATE: Fri 3 Feb 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: My Passion (formerly Shard)
GUEST DJs: The Duke Spirit
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Tiga Sexor CD
WATERING CAN SONG: Dead Or Alive "You Spin Me Round"
MISC/TRIVIA: It's good to get a band from the SB glam scene to play, and we'd been chasing The Artists Formerly Known As Shard for a while: this was their first gig under their new name. Simon's Holloway homegirl Liela Moss and her Duke Spirit mates played a fine set. Tony was away in Rio De Janeiro, so Simon was the only in-house DJ. A fantastic night.
DATE: Fri 3 Mar 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Betty Curse
GUEST DJs: The Two Johns (BigSexyLand)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: 12" 80s Dance CD
WATERING CAN SONG: Daisy Chainsaw "Love Your Money"
MISC/TRIVIA: The first London gig by Betty Curse (aka 19-year-old goth-pop princess Megan Burns, former star of zombie movie 28 Days Later) brought a lot of media types along. You got the feeling we'd be hearing a lot more about her... John D and John T dropped some fantastic tailor-made mash-ups. Tony was still away in Rio. Other than that, we can't remember much, so it must have been good!
DATE: Sat 1 Apr 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Johnny Boy
GUEST DJs: none (but Tony made a comeback...)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Japan The Collection CD
WATERING CAN SONG: David Bowie "Diamond Dogs"
MISC/TRIVIA: A great night, this. The combination of a move back to Saturdays (for the first time in 2 years), a popular band who hadn't played London in roughly as long, and a handful of birthday contingents brought in a big crowd (including Mick Jones of The Clash, and punk film-maker Don Letts). Tony was back from Rio, the video projector was working again (we showed Labyrinth), Simon showed off his new 'Stay Beautiful' tattoo, and Tallulah, dressed as a cheerleader, led the dancing on the stage with pom-poms and high kicks...
DATE: Sat 6 May 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: David Ryder Prangley And The Witches
GUEST DJs: Kitten (Club Bohemia)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Only After Dark (Duran Duran mix CD)
WATERING CAN SONG: Soft Cell "Sex Dwarf"
MISC/TRIVIA: Relatively quiet in attendance terms (torrential rain plus broken Northern Line), but a really enjoyable night otherwise, and there were no fewer than five birthday parties in the house. Getting David Ryder Prangley on the SB stage at long last was wonderful, and he and his Witches played an impressive and intense set (despite the rude buggers who chatted loudly at the back). Kitten was as reliably glamtastic as ever on the decks. Simon played the "Sheila's Wheels" song twice. It was funny at the time... This SB saw the inauguration of the Stay Beautiful Style Medic (aka Jenna), attacking the less glamorous punters with an emergency first aid make-up kit, and in a couple of cases turning them into Bowie and Bowery. Oh, and the bubble machine was used for the first time at the Purple Turtle...
DATE: Sat 3 Jun 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: The High Society
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Towers Of London Blood, Sweat & Towers CD
WATERING CAN SONG: X-Ray Spex "Oh Bondage! Up Yours"
MISC/TRIVIA: Again, not a classic. Quiet in terms of attendance, and the atmosphere was spoiled by a bunch of boneheaded lager louts who had somehow bluffed past Davina and the door staff, and who spent the evening groping girls, threatening boys, and dancing like twats on the bar top. However, once we'd successfully repelled them, the remaining crowd (including the hen party of early SB-goer Vicky, down from Sheffield) had a whale of a time. It was neatly symmetrical that The High Society (the new band from Maxi Browne and Nelsta from King Adora) should play their first London gig at Stay Beautiful, as their New Year’s Eve show back in 2004 turned out to be King Adora’s last London gig. Simon spent most of the night making barely veiled hints about our super-secret guest the following month. Oh, and our Style Medic crew doubled its numbers with the recruiting of Jodie. Henceforth, no unpainted face is safe...
DATE: Sat 1 Jul 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Nicky Wire's Secret Society
GUEST DJs: Jasper Milton (White Rose Movement)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Peaches Impeach My Bush and "Downtown" CDs, posters and cardboard penises
WATERING CAN SONG: Nelly Furtado "Man Eater"
MISC/TRIVIA: A night to go down in history. Not the first time we'd had a queue down the block before opening (Scarling also managed that), but the first time we'd literally had people sleeping on the pavement overnight, including a handful who'd flown in from Finland. Rather than waste space here describing the mayhem caused by having a Brit Award-winning Manic Street Preachers legend in the house, we'll direct you instead to a full report (with pictures and video clips) HERE. This was also the unveiling of Stay Beautiful's super-sexy neon sign...
DATE: Sat 5 Aug 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: GABBA
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: The Cure The Top, Head On The Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me reissues
WATERING CAN SONG: Queens Of The Stone Age "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer"
MISC/TRIVIA: The return of the not-quite-annual Summer Party, with added sun/sunshine/holiday/beach/surf/sunglasses tunes, everyone wearing shades, Jenna the Hawaiian Princess giving out floral garlands, cheap kiddies' sunglasses, drinks umbrellas and silly straws, GABBA playing their inspired Abba-played-by-the-Ramones set, the first time we've repeated a Watering Can Song (thanks to DJ Belle, who loaned us a copy cos we'd left it at home), and one of the best crowds and atmospheres of the year...
DATE: Sat 2 Sep 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BANDS: HUSKI and PAUL ST PAUL AND THE APOSTLES
GUEST DJs: (none)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Pulp His & Hers, Different Class, This Is Hardcore sampler CDs
WATERING CAN SONG: Adam And The Ants "Prince Charming"
MISC/TRIVIA: The first time we've ever had two live bands at Stay Beautiful, with Melanie 'Maple Bee' Garside's electro duo Huski followed, much later in the night, by the Venus-via-Beverly-Hills transvestite sexfunk troupe Paul St Paul And The Apostles, one of the most extraordinary spectacles ever at the club. Jenna gives out cherries every time we play a cherry-related song... and a couple are ejected from the premises for having sex on the pole-dancing podium. The night Stay Beautiful turned into Glamumission?
DATE: Sat 7 Oct 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BAND: Towers Of London
GUEST DJs: The M&Ms (Barcelona)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: John Peel Right Time Wrong Speed 1977-1987 compilations
WATERING CAN SONG: T.Rex "Children Of The Revolution"
MISC/TRIVIA: A queue down the street, "one-out/one-in" on the door, and Bravo TV cameras in the house for the glorious reunion of Towers Of London (the first band ever to play at Stay Beautiful twice), who had all but broken up a couple of weeks earlier in Japan. The M&Ms travelling the longest distance ever travelled by DJs purely to play at Stay Beautiful (all the way from Barcelona).
DATE: Sat 4 Nov 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BANDS: The Acute
GUEST DJ: Dave Ball (Soft Cell)
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Manic Street Preachers Everything Must Go reissues
WATERING CAN SONG: The Sweet "Ballroom Blitz"
MISC/TRIVIA: The first-ever London show from the sure-to-be-huge Acute, three skinny Scots led a by a man with 'DISTRUST YOURSELF' painted across his bare torso, involving scenes of crowd-baiting, instrument-trashing and groupie-shagging debauchery. An ill-fated decision to let off sparklers causes the smoke alarm to go off and the club to be evacuated 30 mins before our usual closing time, and the surreal sight of a three-figure crowd of glam kids milling around a fire engine on Crowndale Rd. This happens just as Amanda and Brian from The Dresden Dolls are about to show up...
DATE: Sat 2 Dec 2006
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BANDS:
GUEST DJ:
PRIZE GIVEAWAY:
WATERING CAN SONG:
MISC/TRIVIA:
DATE: Sat 31 Dec 2006
VENUE: Bullet Bar
LIVE BANDS:
GUEST DJ:
PRIZE GIVEAWAY:
WATERING CAN SONG:
MISC/TRIVIA:
Stay Beautiful #78
DATE: Sat 3 Feb 2007
VENUE: The Purple Turtle
LIVE BANDS:
GUEST DJ:
PRIZE GIVEAWAY:
WATERING CAN SONG:
MISC/TRIVIA: