Image: Club Mofo Flyer design by Zena Blackwell

For 10 years, Club Mofo attracted a loyal capacity crowd to its inimitable monthly offering of queer DIY decadence and championing new music. The parties had a reputation for future-facing, live programming and played host to bands including The Killers, The XX, Charli XCX, Bloc Party, Crystal Castles and Grimes, among many others, way before they climbed up festival bills. After a 6 year hiatus, promoters Daughters of the Kaos are bringing the night back to celebrate the 16th Anniversary of its launch, with a series of shows, events, and hangouts to mark the coming of age.

The first event is a triple live bill at Corsica Studios on 22nd August. Featuring the haunting goth-pop of NYC’s Light Asylum, the cult live music project of producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Shannon Funchess, rising Norwich dance-punk duo Sink Ya Teeth, and dreamy London R&B punks Secret Power.


Image credit: Photo of Light Asylum by Helge Kramberger

Under its swearier, algorithm troubling moniker, Club Mofo (Motherf**ker) was founded in 2003 by me and Zena Blackwell, aka Daughters of the Kaos, best mates with a shared passion for new live music and dance parties. Inspired by the legendary indie gay club Popstarz and a new wave of ‘Riot Grrl’ bands, we set up as promoters to give a looser, leftfield, and unashamedly hedonistic offering to London’s queerdo’s and friends. We’d been regulars at the DIY shows happening in the early 00’s that were great musically but a little ‘worthy’ and straight for a knees up. We wanted to go to gigs with interesting eclectic bills, where there was no hierarchy between the bands and audience, with a polysexual house party style do thrown in afterwards. So did a lot of other people it seems as the nights become a regular hang out for a community of like-minded people.

Over the years, bands big and small have graced the stage and dance floor. Most we booked and programmed but quite a few were the bands of people that came to hang out. Romy Madley Croft was a girl we met and liked at Club Mofo nights so we put on her solo project a couple of times, and her new band The XX. They played one of their first shows for us at the old Barden's Boudoir in Dalston. Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) was a cool kid who’d come up from Essex to play records between the bands and often do the door for us. He’d bring his friends sometimes and when they formed a band (Test Icicles) we put on one of their first shows too. There are loads of other examples of musicians who came to party and ended up playing. London is full of insanely talented people!


Image credit: Photo of Club Mofo 10 Year Anniversary by Wumni Omnibudo.

It seems more important than ever that promoters like Club Mofo continue to provide a platform for emerging musicians to experiment and grow as artists, and give audiences a chance to discover them in a fun, safe space. Small music venues and Queer/DIY promoters are being priced out of the places they made attractive and new diverse voices are fighting hard to be heard and seen as independent promoters and venues disappear. Though not exclusively promoting womxn and LGBTQ talent, Club Mofo has always aimed to give an equal platform to underrepresented artists and provide an inclusive, fun and celebratory (and sometimes totally nuts) space to watch bands and party in. It's a little harder to do these days as London be expensive dude - I have a day job and Zena has kids and her art practice to manage, but we're totally committed to promoting shows for overlooked talent again. We're super excited to help a new wave of mofos graduate from the dancefloor to the stage.

Written by Beck Rosoman, Co-founder, promoter/booker at Club Mofo.

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Club Mofo Presents
Live: Light Asylum + Sink Ya Teeth + Secret Power
DJs: Daughters of Kaos + Too Many Man (Fay Milton of Savages)
Thursday 22 August 2019
Corsica Studios
4/5 Elephant Road
London SE17 1LB
Tickets and more info


Image credit: Photo of Sink Ya Teeth by mystery snapper.


Image credit: Photo of Bloc Party by Zena Blackwell.