Disco for Grown Ups is back at Left Bank for a one-off summer special, featuring your favourite anthems from the ‘90s and ‘00s! Happening on Friday 22nd of July, it’s sure to be one of our fave dance parties of the season.
We spoke to Disco for Grown Ups organiser and DJ Simon about how the event began & what you can expect!
Hey Simon! We’d love to hear the story behind Disco for Grown Ups.
My wife and I love to dance; and there’s no one to go if you’re a grown up (i.e. above 40), because you’re a bit too old for a nightclub. Festivals are fine, but if you want a boogie it ends up being at wedding receptions or the odd funeral.
We used to love going dancing when we were younger. All the great songs from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s; disco, soul, all that kind of great stuff that still sounds brilliant today. When I was in my fifties I had a Studio 54 party for my birthday. I bought some old vinyl decks, I played about ten old records and I think I enjoyed it more than anyone else. Someone asked if I could play at their birthday party and it started off from there, doing local events and parties.
I coined the phrase Disco for Grown Ups because I wanted to create an event where people could come and dance to the great music from eras past; a safe space where the things finished at a reasonable time. And it all built from there. I’m now doing one every weekend all over the country.
How were you able to keep the party vibes going during lockdown?
When everything had to stop I took them online. Before the famous Kitchen Disco and all that kind of stuff, I was doing Disco for Grown Ups Live in Your Living Room.
I’d never done a live stream before, and the first one I did was at the very start of the pandemic. The event only had around 1000 followers at the time on Facebook, but all of the sudden I had 25,000 people attending; from all over the world. Chile, Spain, South Africa. It spread like wildfire and I began doing them weekly, from my disco room at home. It was amazing fun and I think gave people a bit of relief from what was a dark time period.
We’ve loved having Disco for Grown Ups in Left Bank!
We’ve had three parties so far; each one has gotten bigger each time. At the last one 350 people joined! It’s one of my favourite venues to host the event. We’ve got lasers, smoke machines, confetti cannons — as it’s such a big venue it’s one of the few spaces where you can do everything! The atmosphere is always great and people in Leeds definitely know how to party.
We get a whole age range too. People in their 20s all the way through to people in their 60s. Everyone is there to have a great time and my role is to keep them dancing! There’s always a real buzz in Left Bank that I really enjoy.
What can party-goers expect from Anthems for Grown Ups on July 22nd?
This is the first time we’ve done a ‘90s and ‘00s theme! You can expect house, rave and dance anthems including classics from Faithless, Basement Jaxx, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, Beyonce and so many more.
It’s going to be a great night and a really special, one-off party for summer!
Thanks Simon!
You can buy your ticket for ‘90s & ‘00s Anthems for Grown Ups here.