The Soho Takeover

For four years, QX was part of the huge dance party that took over swathes of our central London village. Soho Pride ran 2006-2008, before Gaydar presented Soho Live in 2009.

When we were approached by Soho Pride to sponsor the dance stage on Rupert Street in 2006, I nearly creamed my pants. ‘Yes’ had to be the answer.
Of course, I had to get the ‘OK’ from my publishers. It took a lot of convincing to persuade them that this would be a wise move for the magazine. It was a huge financial investment for effectively no return. After all, it’s not like we were selling anything or charging people entry. But I persevered and they eventually agreed. Organising such an event is a massive undertaking when you’re also trying to churn out a weekly magazine. But as challenges go, I didn’t care. This had to happen. Everyone at QX Towers got involved too, from designing visuals to helping staff the backstage VIP area. It was a huge team effort.

I booked some of the scene’s best house DJs that I knew would deliver the right sound. I programmed PAs, dance acts and MCs. While the main Soho Square stage was a more straight-up dance affair, this would be a day of non-stop, high octane entertainment.
The day came and we were nervous about hosting what effectively was the second stage of the whole party. But as the hours ticked on, the crowds flocked in, and by 3pm the street was absolutely going off.

Over the years, our DJs included the likes of Mike Dower, Kris Di Angelis, Jodie Harsh, Jamie Head, Per QX and the GutterSlut bitches, and many more. Dance troupe The Powder Puff Girlz were a constant thrill, along with other surprise acts, and singer Therese provided the vocals. Finally, Crystal MC kept the crowd whooping along to the very end. It was a formula that delivered. 

What was most impressive – and gave me most pride – is that unlike most street parties, the crowd didn’t seem to leave, they came to check us out, and they stayed for the party, screaming for that one extra track when closing time came. The police were impressed enough to let us carry on, for a good few encores. When we closed, the street exploded in applause after the last track.

The DJs, performers and team at QX were all utterly elated. It was one of the most uplifting days of my life, watching it all unfold. After that reaction, everyone agreed, it was worth every penny.
We continued to host the event for the following Soho Prides (where we hosted two stages – the second one Old Compton Street, which featured pop DJs and cabaret acts.). After it folded, we came on board with the first Gaydar-run Soho Live party.

But this was to be the last street party of its kind that Soho was to enjoy other than the annual Pride celebrations. Largely due to the uncooperative authorities and local residents that resisted it, costs of staging an event on such a scale as well as the worldwide recession that had just hit, it became unfeasible to produce another Soho Pride/Live.
But for those who were there, and those who have only just joined us on London’s gay scene, here’s a tiny selection of the shots our resident snapper Chris Jepson took to give you a taste of what was a phenomenal experience for us at QX…

Photos by Chris Jepson

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