There’s a hot new club night heading to Vauxhall that’s all about one thing… FUN! Bringing together some of the hottest established, legendary and fresh talent from all over gay London, Deelooded is the place for big tunes and big personalities – but leave your ego at the door, gurls! We sent Lee Dalloway to have a chinwag with Deelooded promoter Fat Tony to tell us more…
Nothing gets you in the mood for an interview like heavy rain, a Northern line closed for repairs and oversleeping after a heavy night out in Vauxhall. This consummate media professional staggered out on a Saturday afternoon to meet a veritable legend of Gay London’s clubbing scene… at Boy George’s ridiculously jaw-dropping gaff, no less.
Fat Tony has been dropping beats since before some of us were born, still DJs regularly and has the same enthusiasm as the day he started, arguably more. Deelooded is his first venture as a promoter for some time, and that enthusiasm hits you like a tsunami wave as he animatedly talks about his new night.
“I want it to be tongue in cheek; bring everything back to the dance floors,” says Tony. “There are so many places that put on a huge show with endless drags and dancers, which, in truth, has become very ego based. It’s been forgotten that it’s about the music and people having fun. I want to get people involved and make it interactive, which is why we’ve been putting Deelooded stickers everywhere.” He’s even excited about the new venue, Factory. “The club itself is going to look amazing. There’s six foot high stickers of Delooded. You don’t need to do any more. It’s got that unfinished feel, whilst other venues have been primped, pumped and repainted more than I’ve had hot dinners. Factory is like a time capsule; I like that old Substation feel, that feeling that I could be anywhere in the world.”
Indeed, Tony is joined by a full cast list of new and established names for his quirkily titled club night, with Smokin’ Jo, Jodie Harsh and Boy George all joining him to spin in the main room. “I’m quite eclectic, I love a bit of vocal or anything that touches my soul. ’Jo is much darker and deeper, George is more hands-in-the-air, Jodie, you never know what you’re gonna get, which is really cool! As long as it’s uplifting; I want everyone to walk out of there really happy and not thinking the music was too hard.”
Another thing Tony’s keen to also promote is the wealth of new talent across our scene. “Room 2 is all about the next generation. These kids are our future, they’re talented young DJs who know their history and love their music. David Smith, Matt Boagrd and La Gosse are amazing. I’ve let Mark-Ashley Dupé run the room with the other hosts JJ, Danny and Alex who all have new ideas and their own part to play in that room.”
“That comes from fear and ego,” says Tony swiftly. “Fear and resentment underlines everything. ‘Oh, I’m not giving him a chance, he’ll be better than me and he’ll have my job’. If you’re good at your job, no-one’s going to take it! These new DJs in Room 2 piss over half the DJs I’ve worked with in the past. Anyone who does that job well is amazing, and there are some people who don’t do it well – when I was doing drugs, I didn’t. I never once looked at the dancefloor, the whole thing was just a means of me getting more drugs. Over thirty years in, I love my job; I live my job.”
Tony’s more than willing to talk about his own issues with drugs, especially if it means he can help someone else. “28 years of using drugs everyday, I used drugs to the extent that it nearly killed me. I had no teeth, no friends, if it wasn’t for my boyfriend at the time I would have been homeless, but I still had this amazing career in my head that was dangling by a string. Now, it’s great because I see it for what it is. I go to work and have the best time. I laugh, I never laughed before.”
One last thing, why the name Deelooded? “Quite simple,” he says with a smile, “We’re all a bit deluded in our own way aren’t we?”
• Deelooded is at Factory (65 Goding Street, Vauxhall, SE11 5AW) on Saturday 25th February, 11pm–6am.
