:: I LOVE GLOOM ::

What do you do when your entire world is falling apart? Discuss your problems with your friends, take positive steps,
draw complicated flow diagrams? No, me neither. I tend to drink a few bottles of wine and listen to The Smiths and cry
bitter, bitter tears in the stinking decrepitude of my hovel. Shit – I’ve said too much…

But taking clichéd bed-sitter angst to one side – take it to the far, far side, please – there is a lot to be said for
listening to seriously maudlin music when life has knocked you down one too many times. Like a warm blanket and a
mug of something nice, the sadder end of the spectrum can often be a hit of what you need. This is a concept that DJ’s
Leonard and Cliff can relate to. They run a club night dedicated to such good time misery, called, in presumably a
knowing wink to the blissed-out Simon and Garfunkel track of similar name, Feeling Gloomy. So does this really work as
a concept for a club and, more importantly, is it a good time?

As I entered the venue on a chilly Saturday night it didn’t look too good. The familiar mournful strains of the theme
from Midnight Cowboy lilted over to my ears. The room was almost empty. A solitary bespectacled figure stood at the
decks – Cliff, as it turned out. Leaflets advertising the depression alliance were placed surreptitiously on the tables. I
realised that I didn’t have very many cigarettes. Er, are we gonna have a party here??

Soon, however, the place began to fill up. Cliff introduced the night properly and got some crowd reaction. It wasn’t
long before soundtracks gave way to indie disco classics and people started moving about. The place had a very
chilled out atmosphere and everyone seemed content to do whatever he or she wanted. If you wanted to sit in the
corner and listen, that cool. If you wanted to dance like an idiot and not care at all (usually the better option, if you ask
me) that’s cool as well. The art school posing often associated with indie(ish) clubs was thankfully not in evidence.
Leonard (looking resplendent in tight shirt and bow tie) and Cliff added to the relaxed mood by greeting people and
dancing around in geekish fashion.

Before I knew it I was lying down in the middle of the dance-floor during Johnny Cash’s ‘hurt’. Well, it seemed perfectly
reasonable at the time. Soon after came Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ and a bizarre loose limbed
performance from Death himself… and then things got really weird…

When I had recovered from such
tomfoolery I caught up with Len
and Cliff – or, Mike and Carl as
they’re known in the real world -
and asked them about the ideas
behind the night. For example,
there must be some points during
the night when they just want to
go home and cry? Carl was quick
to refute this:

“No, all of the tracks that make me
cry are off the playlist! So there
are a couple that are banned… but
I don’t want people to know what
they are and I won’t be playing
them.”

I suppose people have different
ideas about what ‘sad’ is?

“There are certain songs that we like that will get played, but mixing it up keeps it fresh and it means you’re getting a
slightly different product each time. We could never play the same set list though and we do take requests and if
people want they can bring stuff in. Sad songs are individual - it’s a very personal thing. Whereas happy songs are
obviously happy.”

What I liked about the club is that there was more to it than you find with most nights – the characters, costumes,
poetry in the toilets – it all adds something. Where did the idea for Len and Cliff come about from?

“Pretty early on actually. It developed organically from us just messing about basically. Silly voices…I think they’re our,
and everyone else’s frustrations, in a way. I think they’re nerds who have had enough and just decided to put on their
own night so they can meet girls! They go around in their own little world, they’re quite lovable. They’re not sad, well
they are sad – but not miserable.” Mike adds; “I think we get into them ourselves…I think there’s a lot of us in them.”
Don’t they worry that they might not be able to get out of the roles? Carl laughs loudly. Mike quickly says; “I think they’
re more the perfect cover for us really.”

Carl agrees - “They’re intrinsically important to the night – I mean they distinquish us from some kind of metal ‘I hate
myself and I want to die’ style thing.” Mike adds - “Exactly, Len and Cliff are that cypher.They give a real identity to the
night. There’s a bit of a story and a background. So, apart from my lie-down on the floor, what the strangest thing
anyone had done at the club?

“We had a proposal of marriage and afterwards we played Dolly Parton’s D.I.V.O.R.C.E. He proposed to her on stage
and she said yes and it was very sweet. They’ve got their own little section on the gallery of the website.

Guess it would have been quite tragic if she’d said no…“Would have been perfect for our night…” I was interested to
see the depression alliance leaflets around the club and the donation jar. Could people take this the wrong way and
see it as somehow mocking the illness? Carl quickly takes this on.

“They’d have to be pretty stupid if they did. Like with anything it’s all about context. The main thing is we know why
we do it. Those leaflets are out there because a) we want to help them raise some money no matter how small and b)
raise the issue. I mean, someone might come down and feel a bit down and not know where to turn and they might
have a look. It’s no effort on our part. And the serious part of the night is something we haven’t forgotten – we collect
money every week and we try to help them in any way we can, it’s not massive, but they’re only quite small
themselves. They don’t have loads of money and if we can help them then we will. We’re not throwing it in people’s
faces – it’s there if people want to read it.”

My top 3 songs that make me cry (in no particular order) are ‘5,6,7,8’ by Steps, ‘Let me Entertain You’ by Robbie
Williams and ‘Agadoo’ by Black Lace – with ‘the Birdie Song’ bubbling under. What songs are always going to get
played? “Well, it’s likely you’ll hear The Smiths, The Cure and The Pixies… apart from that you’ll have to come down and
see.” I finish up the interview with the burning question of the night – does the reaper costume get really, really hot?
Both Carl and Mike burst into laughter. “You’d have to ask Death – he comes down every week…and we always let him
in, I mean you don’t argue with Death do you?” No, I suppose you don’t.

Feeling Gloomy is every Saturday night at Islington Bar Academy 10 – 3 £5 before 12pm/NUS, £7 after

For more information visit www.feelinggloomy.com
Interview by Robert Monk