ALL TIME TOP 100 – Jeff Hemmings’ (Latest 7)

ALL TIME TOP 100 – Jeff Hemmings’ (Latest 7) – Friday 2nd March The Cosmopolitan Bar, 29-31 New Steine, Kemp Town

Like most people in Brighton, I went along to an All Time Top 100 night and came out thinking I’d discovered it first. I mean, not first first, like Christopher Columbus setting eyes on the southern coast of the United States and thinking he’d found the city of gold (Florida) for the first time, but more like thinking it hadn’t been around much. In fact, upon further investigation, I discovered that ATT100 had been around the block, and then some. Four years, actually.

The first venue was the Full Moon in May 2003. I might have been there. At the time, I was living it up as the unofficial mascot of a start up based at Brighton Media Centre and spent most evenings along with still surviving dot-commers at the Hop Poles, Full Moon and surrounding Thai restaurants. However, according to my sources, I was largely spending May 03 working furiously on a serious edit of my script and planning out production schedules for my first feature film.

September 2003. Black Lion. Probably not. Still shooting for the film to wrap up and then off to my friend Mike’s rock n roll wedding. We had a September 11th celebration party.

We didn’t. That was a joke.

Later. Sidewinder. Okay, yes, I was there. I can even remember the date. It was Halloween night, I was dressed up as the OTHER Cleopatra (the one who was cousins with Diana Ross perhaps) and I was with Nina and I think we either went to a Positive night or a Slackers night or neither of the above. It was at the time that I wasn’t seeing the person formerly known as my boyfriend so it was Halloween 2005. All I remember is that the place was PACKED, the djs were playing – I might have even known one. I’d been taken by people much more in the know, and at the time, the Sidewinder was definitely the place to be. Much of this buzzy energy could be attributed to the ATT100 nights.

Then we get to the Cosmo Bar. Named aptly for my favourite drink, the Cosmo Bar is a mirror and chrome job with subtle lighting, two small rooms and a charming chintz uni-sex bathroom with invisible doors. (Go see it for yourself- it’s definitely on the top 10 list of all time favourite public bathrooms, with Inside Outside café being first with it’s secret one-way mirror.)

The Cosmo Bar boasts a hefty cocktail list with about-average prices (comparable to Audio), the quality of which comes in at the same mark, minus the bottle throwing flair that the Audio lads like to show off. Add the very-behind-the-scenes-but-surely-are-the-scene bar staff, a handful of treasured friends (1 is enough at a push), a jar of your favourite poison, and a close up seat on the leather sofas and for a Friday night you’re laughing. ATT100 provides the background entertainment, namely being the DJ of the night who’s sharing his honed down list of favourite songs (more on the logistics of coming up with said list later). The clientele I’d say is largely dictated by the DJ of the night. Anyone can be a DJ – it’s not just DJs. Brighton movers and shakers, from promoters (She Likes Parties) to roadies (the Perv), can have a turn on the decks, sometimes for the first time. The first time I went to ATT100 and was consciously aware of what was going on was my friend Alex aka Silverhaze was djing for the night on 12th January 07. The place was packed, about 30 people were dancing on what is not really a dance floor but plenty of space for people to get up to all sorts of mischief. I’d arrived on the later end, at around 11pm – the night kicks off at 8pm and finishes at 2am, but it’s gotta be some sort of night when you’ve got your first casualty at 11.30pm and there is no kicking out time in England anymore, is there? Alcoholics Anonymous, beware. This place is kitted out with low chrome and glass tables and sharp corners. It’s begging for disaster to stumble through the basement door.

Tonight. I’ve enticed my cross-dressing friend to come out for a few drinks and catch up on the past 30 years. It’s raining. Jim, the promoter of the night, assures me that surely no one will be coming out in such a downpour. Yeah, right. I didn’t know what to expect of the night, even though I’d read the “what to expect” blurb on the myspace advert. Jeff Hemmings from the Latest 7 (another local mover and shaker) was taking control of the music for the night, and I vaguely recalled a long list of genres (some made up) that included gabba. Why gabba? When we came in, it was 9pm and still fairly quiet. Dire Straits “Romeo and Juliet” was on. Lovely song. My friend and I settled near the decks with bottles of Westons and shots of Swedish liqueur and talked of Romania and whether there was any truth to the Count Dracula myth. By about 11pm, when it was time for my friend to go home (he had an early start the next morning), the place was pretty packed and full of 30-something arts professionals. I clocked the brains-behind-the-artsy-braun that is Brighton Fringe and half recognised others.

At midnight, the night took on a new dimension. I met an Elvis impersonator. Jeff threw in a few housy numbers before returning to the largely southern-influenced rock n roll tunes. I threw back shots of Tequila with the Nigerian born British bar man, who was wearing his favorite blond wig, and ATT100 promoter. Smooth tequila, which is always a nice surprise. I talked to a drummer, a man from LA, and then questioned the DJ as to why he didn’t play any gabba. “What? Is that your favourite type of music or something?” he asked, looking at me with some humour. “No, not particularly,” I told him. “It said you would.” He looked momentarily confused and scratched his head. “I wonder why they’d put that.” In fact, it didn’t say gabba – I’d just dreamed it up. Sad.

At two, we spilled out onto Devonshire Place and travelling down to St George’s Road, made our way into a secret party location, another basement where there was a full-blown party going on and it was fairly out of control. Mainly because there was a full bar and they accepted plastic. Dangerous in a word. The night was made up of fantastic electro djs. Hey, they may have played other music, but I would never remember. Electro. Nice. Apparently ATT100 djs. These people do put on some good parties, you know.

I got home at 6am. When I woke, going around my room was like stumbling upon a crime scene. I found £2.70 in a yellow Chinese teacup. I discovered my bank card and two receipts for £7.75 from the secret party next to my computer. I also discovered I’d lost my favorite jumper. And then I remembered that I was going to have to sober up so I could do all over again in London. Jesus, life is too short.

Overall impressions: get there early and bring your friends. Do it so you can tell your grandchildren you were there.

Top tip: £5 minimum for cards so don’t stress about the cash machines, which are around the corner anyways

The next All Time Top 100 is on Friday 9th March at the Cosmo Bar. FREE ENTRY from 8pm – 2am and there’s usually a party to be had afterwards. The DJ for the night is Thomas H Green (Dirty Weekend)

Idiot-proof directions: Top of St James’ St. Turn right at Cash Converters into New Steine. Walk 15 secs towards seafront, it’s on your left. Apparently extremely easy.

Words: Amy the Film Maker