The BurnTheJukebox night...

So I just dropped that news on my blog without really expanding on it and I want to pen something of a manifesto/disclaimer.

One of the things about moving to a new city is that each place has its own atmosphere and this takes some getting used to (and when I came to Lisbon I unfairly blamed the problem on Lisbon when most of the problems were with me). I was used to a very specific kind of clubnight in Manchester (and to an extent in London) whereby a group of people would want to inflict that music on others. They would group together, find some dive of a bar or pub (basically anywhere that served alcohol), get some CDs or mp3 and play them. If they were lucky then people showed up ( my favourites were Smile, Spiral Scratch and How Does It Feel To Be Loved) and sometimes people didn't. If they were very lucky they became a highlight of the weekend, they put on bands and people traveled to their clubnights. The point was to have fun and have a dance.

I'm not saying that this idea doesn't exist in Lisbon but for me the language barrier was/is a big problem and it took me a while to make the contacts and to get up the courage to talk to people. Also there is something of a different bar/club culture, with many things based around Bairro Alto where the point seems less to go to a place for the music and more to talk to your friends on the street.

My hope is to have a place for people to listen to the music they like. Have a dance and come and speak to me. I'll try and play any requests I get. The idea is not to have a completely rigid music policy, my taste wouldn't allow it, whilst at the same time not being completely random and disjointed.

I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself now, we haven't even had the first night yet but I have some idea for this, there's a lot of potential so we'll just have to see. If the first night goes well then this could be a regular thing, otherwise I can always leave town in shame.

If you're reading this and live in Lisbon then pop in on the 26th and say hi - I'm going to be so nervous on that first night that all I'll be able to do is grunt but your presence is appreciated.