Tonker is celebrating its 9th birthday next weekend, which takes it into its tenth year! Cliff Joannou speaks to Tonker promoter Tim Jones on what’s coming up for the big butch boy of the gay scene…
Nine years is impressive considering how the brand is still going strong – most clubs have packed-up and left town by now! What do you put its longevity down to?
One of the main reasons is because we stuck to our ethos and ideals, to remain as a gay bloke’s fun club night, and not a part of the gay club rat race. Seeing clubs all around us lose their identity by becoming part of a “corporate club culture” and using the same line up of DJs week-in and week-out just becomes boring. We always try and reinvent ourselves, using brilliant DJs who love to play for us. Bringing in the odd surprise big name guest DJ like Danny Rampling, Joey Negro and Andy Bell keeps us fresh. We like to air new musical talent, many of the London DJs on the scene today got their first break at a Tonker night, now they’re out there playing worldwide.
What have been the highlights for you of the past ten years – both UK and international.
Wow, too much to mention! We’ve loved playing the festivals, Milk in The Park and Brighton Dance Weekend we’re fantastic. I think taking Tonker to Madrid was fun, and then Sydney for Mardi Gras was brilliant, the launch of our night over in San Francisco with Wayne G last year plus the recent Tonker Tea Dance in Canada – we’re truly International!
Speaking of which, what other international dates have you got coming up?
We’re planning Tonker in San Francisco for Pride weekend, and are planning a possible Bear Gay Cruise out of the USA, also a potential monthly party in Amsterdam and sorting out a session in New York city this Spring
What have you got planned for the birthday party at Eagle?
This year we take it to a new level, music will be by the talented producer remixer from New York Vinny Vero and our favorite Rick Parker from Manchester. I’ll be spinning some retro vinyl numbers – to quash the rumor I can’t mix apart from on a laptop! Also we have our sponsors Alphamale Media porn stars and the new British Muscle Bear Dating web site onboard – so expect some pretty hunky models around the bar! All kicking off with a VIP champagne party from 9pm with special guest from TV and film – think Ab Fab meets Pirates of The Caribbean and you won’t be far wrong! I just hope I last through to 3am!
• Tonker’s 9th Birthday is at Eagle London (349 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11) on Friday 23rd March.
TONKER TAKES ON CANADA
Tonker’s Tim Jones was invited to DJ at one of Canada’s premier events, a week of celebration, festivities and partying, the 20th annual WinterPRIDE festival in Whistler Ski Resort, British Columbia, Canada, which came to a close on Sunday 12th February – and if preliminary counts are any indication, it may have been the biggest one yet.
“It was awesome, a week of skiing in one of the biggest and best resorts in North America, plus a week of fantastic parties and events on the slopes and in the bars,” commented Tim. “Many guys made the trip from Europe which added even more fun to the events. I really enjoyed the day time skiing where we would all meet on the mountain for hosted skiing in groups, you got to meet many new friends and see all the 1,000 plus acres of runs and mountain scenery in a relaxed and fun way. The Tonker party on the Friday was rammed, and the Canadians loved the Tonker London sound!”
According to Nelson, the week of activities — with a total of more than 65 events — was a huge success in all areas.
“Some of the ones that proved very popular were the pool party — we had rave reviews for that — the Snowball dance and the Gender Bender,” said Nelson. “Also, many of our après (events) including Tonker from London, were at capacity very early during the day, which was great. We haven’t seen those numbers in a very long time.”
• Winter Pride 2013 takes place in Canada’s Whistler Ski Resort 3rd-10th February 2013
