Sat 26 Nov: Sassitude

Sick of these long cold winter nights? Fed up of being snug as a bug in a rug and missing those long summer nights of sweating and dancing in a basement with your fellow art fags and hags in Dalston? Fear not my friends, the rumours are true! The girls from Sassitude and Polyester magazine are banding together once more to bring you the sassiest night in all the town. Embrace the night and the dance floor and get your glam ass down to VFD on Saturday the 26th of November. Besides, it's perfect weather to wear your favourite fur coat, there is a cloakroom and worse comes to worst I hear a booze blanket is the height of fashion these days. ❤ DJS to be announced ❤

10pm - 3am £5 all night long #keepitsassy

Fri 25 Nov: Big Daddy Records - launch party

You are invited to join us in celebrating the launch of Big Daddy Records! Big Daddy Records is a new label/party run by artists, musicians and DJs to create temporary safe spaces for queer bodies. Come down and get sweaty in the club - expect gunshots, sirens, spluttering bass and a cacophony of drums mixed into the cutest pop tunes.

Get there early as capacity is limited.

Line up and warm-up mixes will be posted nearer the event so keep an eye out ;)

Tickets available OTD - £3 before 11pm/ £5 after

Limited £3 pre-sale tickets available on via eventbrite

Weds 23 Nov: Kembra Pfahler - Rare and Now

A night of unique performances, film screenings and discussion of performance art technique by KEMBRA PFAHLER Tickets £10.00

This is an incredibly RARE and INTIMATE evening with a truly visionary and gifted artist.

KEMBRA PFAHLER will be sharing her wealth of knowledge on the subject of performance art.  She will be showing films and performing work that she has not shown at the Emalin Gallery.

There will be audience participation, unique art being made together on the night, as well as pieces of art to take home.

This will be an evening like no other.

Kembra Pfahler was born in Hermosa Beach, California in 1961, and she lives and works in New York City. Major solo exhibitions include Fuck Island, Participant Inc. (New York, NY, USA, 2012); File Under ‘V’, Rove Gallery (London, UK, 2005); Availablism and Anti-naturalism: A Feminine Experiment, American Fine Arts Company (New York, NY, USA, 2002); and Riddle of the Sphinx, Deitch Projects (New York, NY, USA 2002). Selected group exhibitions include Future Feminism, The Hole (New York, NY, USA, 2014); New York Minute, Garage Center for Contemporary Art (Moscow, RU, 2011) travelling to MACRO Museum (Rome, IT, 2011); Dead Flowers, Vox Populi (Philadelphia, PA, USA, 2010); and Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY, USA, 2008).

*Courtesy of Emalin Gallery

Sat 19 Nov: Anal House Meltdown

ANAL HOUSE MELTDOWN present... BIN BAG DARKROOM

'chase me, chase me'

DJs CHARLIE PORTER PREM DEEP GHL PLEASE

+++

EXTRA SPECIAL GUESTS AND SURPRISES TBA VERY SOON

Fri 18 Nov: Burning Down the House

Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy.Come home. I'm so cold! Let me in-a-your window.

Ooh, it gets dark! It gets lonely, On the other side from you.

- KATE BUSH, 1978

BDTH is back for its autumnal installment. We may not have a window, but will let you into our sweaty underground cave.

Can't wait to see you there!

'80s / NEW WAVE / DISCO / GLAM / SYNTHPOP

Expect to hear: BLONDIE / KATE BUSH / CHIC / MADONNA / DAVID BOWIE / THE SMITHS / TALKING HEADS / FLEETWOOD MAC / SALT N PEPA / PULP / THE SPECIALS / EURYTHMICS / THE SLITS / DIANA ROSS / SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES / THE CURE / PATTI SMITH / THE HUMAN LEAGUE / INXS / EARTH, WIND AND FIRE / BUZZCOCKS / IGGY POP / PIXIES / TOM TOM CLUB / BANANARAMA / DEPECHE MODE / NEW ORDER / JOY DIVISION / KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND / MADNESS / VISAGE / GRACE JONES / PRINCE & MORE!

WHAT? BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

WHEN? 10PM-3AM Friday 18th November

WHERE? VFD, 66 Stoke Newington Road

HOW MUCH? £5 (advanced ticket link to come)

POST YOUR REQUESTS ON THE WALL!

Wed 16 Nov: Spoken Word London

Spoken Word London is an open-mic poetry and performance night for anyone to come and join in, whether to speak or listen. Everyone who wants to speak gets five minutes, but no one gets more than five minutes. Speak in whichever format you want, sharing your own or others' work. Doors open 7.30pm, sign up for a slot 7.30-8pm, readings begin at 8pm.

Free entry, but please buy a drink (or more) at the bar.

***

Watch a brilliant short documentary upon SWL and some of its regular readers, made by Amelia Hazlitt, here: http://vimeo.com/103176010

And a feature length film of our first anniversary of SWL 'Anti-Hate', made by Timothy Lock, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk-TXhERNHo You can also read an academic dissertation written on SWL here, by William Barns-Graham, on 'Lost in the Moment: Opening Up Utopian Performance With the Lost Generation at Spoken Word London':https://www.academia.edu/9916694/Lost_in_the_Moment_Opening_Up_Utopian_Performance_with_the_Lost_Generation_at_Spoken_Word_London

SWL host Patrick Cash talks about SWL and spoken word in London on Lunar Poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrwOqqiqeOk

SWL's second anniversary Anti-Hate is covered on Push Pony by Tracy Kawalik: http://pushpony.com/culture/word/

Tues 15 Nov: Extra Second London - Gender Roles

Extra Second London is a themed monthly poetry/discussion night where we take an extra second to reflect on the ideas touched on by our featured poets. We give you, the lovely audience, a chance to make your voices heard - because poetry shouldn't be a spectator sport. This month's theme is Gender Roles - we'll be discussing how they're imposed on us and how they shape the way we view ourselves and others.

Once again we will have three brilliant featured performers as well as an open mic followed by the main event: a round-table audience discussion. Everyone is welcome to have their say!

Doors open at 7.30, entry is £5 and the open mic sign up is first come first served at the door.

This month's features:

By day, DESREE devotes her time to theatre, arts marketing and community arts but after 6pm (7pm because of traffic), Desree is a talented poet. Desree has featured at events such as Empoword, SpeakEasy, Heaux Noire - for Women of Colour by Women of Colour and Greenbelt Festival alongside World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker.

CAROLINE TEAGUE is a London born and bred poet writing pieces on loss, identity and how she comes to terms with some harrowing realities of being human and being alive, in a style she calls 'tragic optimism' in hopes that the honesty through her writing could translate into something positive for someone else. Member of 'poetrip' poetry London based collective, Caroline is a co runner of the Hammer & Tongue Waterloo poetry night, and creator of the musical project 'Caroline Smiling' which blends music, spoken word and other forms of communication to cross platforms for mental health through creative means. A self proclaimed soft touch poet with some sharp edges. www.facebook.com/carolinesmiling

Touted in The Independent as ‘a name to watch’, GEMMA WEEKES is author of critically-acclaimed novel Love Me (Chatto & Windus); an established performance/spoken word artist who has shared stages with the likes of Kate Tempestt and Inua Ellams; a musicmaker/sound artist who has scored dance and text-based based theatre and film; and a singer/songwriter who has appeared with Cody Chesnut (opening for Black-Eyed Peas), collaborated with Nitin Sawhney, and most recently with international recording artist Pete Philly. She has devised pieces and performed at venues including The Royal Festival Hall, the Jazz Café, The Drum, MC Theatre (Netherlands), New Jersey Performing Arts Centre (US) and at Bestival and with BBC Radio 3. An Inscribe contracted writer, she is currently working on several projects including a stage/performance art piece with accompanying chapbook, a feature film script, her second novel, and raising her witty and wise 9-year old son.

BE THERE!

Sat 12 Nov: Dirtbox

Dirtbox returns to VFD to make you drip. It's time to get all hot and bothered again at that sexy disco  sauna with a deep breath of amyl to loosen you up. Those dark corners can't wait to have you back, so throw on your jockstrap, put your harness and give that moustache a little trim and descend those stairs into our basement of fun.

Residents Gibson and The Duchess of Pork are joined again - because we loved him so much last time - DJ Terry Vietheer

Bringing you heavy loads of hiNRG, electro, new beat, house, italo and whatever else you fancy to get your treasure trails in a twist.

Fri 11 Nov: Fuck You Russella

FUCK YOU Russella is a Party withA Man To Pet and Fabulous Russella Celebrating the hate between them Dance Pop up cat fight Shows DJ Drinks Two drag queens from the same era One very successful the other one not One very nice the other one not One super talented the other one not One very beautiful the other one not But in the end of the day is all about FUCK YOU Thank you very much

10pm - 3am

Q&A: Liam - Big Girls

Big Girls are back! After their amazing rock 'n' roll 'n' drag 'n' disco extravaganza on a sweaty July night here at VFD, we cornered Liam from the band, to get the low down on the next instalment of Big Girls Disco: Q: Give us a potted history of Big Girls, how the band was formed, and how you arrived at the name A: Big Girls are Clement, Yuko, Jon, Juniper, Adelina, Sasa and myself, Liam. We started about 3 years ago with Clem and myself writing songs in his kitchen and picked up the others in various Hackney dives since. We've got a few fixed members, a few floating members and almost exclusively blasé members. As for the name, Clem and myself were previously in a much louder, much faster band with some rougher boys who used to laugh at the big girly songs we brought in, so Big Girls seemed like a more logical, safer option. And we're all about safety and logic.

Q: How would you describe your sound for the uninitiated? Who are you biggest influences - both musical and otherwise? A: Our original inspiration for Big Girls were people like the Everly Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel, Buddy Holly, Ray and Dave Davies. We just wanted to write short simple pop songs with nice melodies and simple subjects and stuff. Of course once you add a whole bunch of people to a band and synthesisers and congas start popping up things can change. What we usually hear people compare us to are bands like Talking Heads, Roxy Music and the Modern Lovers, which is very nice to hear but not true at all of course.

Q: Your last gig at VFD you had special guests Kevin and the Matriarch warm up for you. Is anyone sharing the bill with you this time round? A: We couldn't find anyone to possibly top Kevin and the Matriarch, it was like the Pistols at Manchester student union or something, and we demand the attention so, no! But we will have some top London DJs playing all sorts of disco bangers all nite long.

Q: Will you be dragging up again? Are attendees encouraged to do the same? A: We will indeed, and it not being the middle of summer we'll be able to dig deep into our man-made fibre box for this one. We do like a man-made fibre. Attendees can wear and do whatever they like, as long as they remain free and loose!

Q: One of your tracks is called ‘Why Am I So Easily Pleased?’. What does it take to please you, on a very base level? A: We honestly don't need much, apart from Clement because he's from Paris. We would like if London stopped being so not fun though, and that's why we throw our parties at one of the only remaining fun houses in town! And free drinks are good.

BIG GIRLS DISCO!!! DJs PASTY KENSIT // FRIGID NIELSEN // FUMIX 9PM TIL 3AM Free > 10pm < £5 LOADSA DRAG!

Q&A: Marcia Vidal on forthcoming Monday happening, Wig Out

Blasting a cleansing breath of fresh-yet-funk-laden air through the debaucheries of the weekend will be VFD's new Monday night happening, Wig Out. Marcia Vidal, mistress of ceremonies for the evening, let's us in on the secrets of her new weekly residency:

Q: Hi Marcia, you’re launching a new Monday night happening at VFD called Wig Out. Can you tell us: what is it? and: do we need to bring wigs…?

A: Wig Out is a place to dance all of your cares away. A cross between a booze-free club night and a choreography-free dance class. Wigs are not required but however you choose to express yourself is welcome at Wig Out.

Q: There seems to be a recent rise in people seeking alternative release and avoiding traditional hedonism. Does this factor into the ethos of your event?

A: Totally. Dancing is a transcendental experience and, while I love a bit of traditional hedonism, there's something special about letting yourself go mental on a dancefloor without the help of alcohol and other animals. It's a very powerful way to get in touch with a primal part of yourself. And, as a woman, it's great to know that you can go out for an uninhibited boogie on your own without having to fight off all the sex pests!

Q: What do people need to know about attending?

A: This isn't a club night so there will be no bar. Just wear comfortable clothes, bring a bottle of water and leave your ego and inhibitions at home.

Q: Why is Monday the new Friday?

A: If you start your Monday with a bang, you'll spend the rest of the week as happy as you are on the weekends.

Wig Out: launches Monday 17 Oct, click here for FB info.

Sat 5 Nov: B.S.S.M. (Blood. Sugar. Sex. Magic.)

B.S.S.M (Blood. Sugar. Sex. Magic) brings you some of the best new sounds, plus nostalgia & memories, please find below a comprehensive list of some of the memories we hope to bring you: *Crying to Mr Brightside at your student union. *The days of smoking indoors at an Artic Monkeys gig. *Wearing Bolt trousers and listening to System of a Down in your local park with a can of Red Stripe. *Sticking to the floor of the Astoria watching new emo bands such as Panic at the Disco & Fall Out Boy. *At any given moment that Kate Bush comes on feeling the need to dance like your in the Wuthering Heights music video. *Wearing eyeliner so that you are as cool as Brian Molko.

These are just a few examples...

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What is B.S.S.M?

It's simple, from the team that brought you award-winning night, Chick Habit, this is an indie, rock, emo and old school night for the LGBT community and every other single letter - so basically, in short, everyone.

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Requests?

Absolutely. The indie and dirtier, the better.

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DJs & guests:

DJ AMYb & Ruby Wednesday. Some beautiful faces will be gracing our party too ;)

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Artwork copyright- www.lkwlmsly.com

Click here for early bird tickets - just £3, they will be £5 on the door and online once the early birds run out

Fri 4 Nov: Poundcake

People, it's been a minute, but we're baaaaack for another one! The Two Step People and Black Emoji Music bring you the final Poundcake for 2016.

As well as our usual rotation, guest DJs on the night include C Digits.

Turn up, get down and pound as we spin the latest in trap // bounce // southern hip hop // grime // garage.

Doors 10pm

£5, advance £7, door

It's bound to get ram up, so tell your people and grab those advance tickets.

Wed 2 Nov: Spoken Word London

Spoken Word London is an open-mic poetry and performance night for anyone to come and join in, whether to speak or listen. Everyone who wants to speak gets five minutes, but no one gets more than five minutes. Speak in whichever format you want, sharing your own or others' work. Doors open 7.30pm, sign up for a slot 7.30-8pm, readings begin at 8pm.

Free entry, but please buy a drink (or more) at the bar.

***

Watch a brilliant short documentary upon SWL and some of its regular readers, made by Amelia Hazlitt, here: http://vimeo.com/103176010

And a feature length film of our first anniversary of SWL 'Anti-Hate', made by Timothy Lock, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk-TXhERNHo You can also read an academic dissertation written on SWL here, by William Barns-Graham, on 'Lost in the Moment: Opening Up Utopian Performance With the Lost Generation at Spoken Word London':https://www.academia.edu/9916694/Lost_in_the_Moment_Opening_Up_Utopian_Performance_with_the_Lost_Generation_at_Spoken_Word_London

SWL host Patrick Cash talks about SWL and spoken word in London on Lunar Poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrwOqqiqeOk

SWL's second anniversary Anti-Hate is covered on Push Pony by Tracy Kawalik: http://pushpony.com/culture/word/

Sun 30 Oct: Sunday Funday - Spooky Vibes

This one is for all you hardcore fright~fans and AAAARRGGHHHH-addicts! SUNDAY~FUNDAY are bringing you an authentic haunted-horror-house experience as we turn VFD into a spooky-dungeon, complete with horrific surprises that'll make you scream!! As well as serving the ultimate spooky music to make your blood-boil and bones rattle, we've invited some truly terrifying creatures to tease, trick and treat you in our legendary late~night~drag~show!!!

Dress code is awful trick or treat costumes, fake blood, missing limbs, undead politicians and celebrities, more fake blood!

£5 on the door. First 20 victims, oh I mean guests, through the door get a special party treat!!!

Mwa ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaa (lightning, thunder) !!!!!!!

Jake: Why couldn’t the ghost see its mom and dad? Philip: I don’t know. Jake: Because they were trans-parents

Sat 29 Oct: STRAIGHT NASTY HALLOWEEN BASH

Basic witches beware – Straight Nasty’s Halloween Bash is back and ready to R.I.P you a new one. Serving you ghoulish gays and girlz the spookiest POP eleganza to really put the willies up ya. Call your friends up on the ouija (Grindr), and we’ll see you there. Featuring all your favourite pop chanteuses from beyond the grave…

Rachel Stevens ♥ Geri Haliwell ♥ Mis-Teeq ♥ Kelly Rowland ♥ Madonna ♥ Jennifer Lopez ♥ Kylie ♥ Holly Valance ♥ Cher Lloyd ♥ Sophie Ellis Bextor ♥ Cheryl Cole ♥ Eve ♥ Rihanna ♥ Cher ♥ Sugababes ♥ S Club 7 ♥ Aly & AJ ♥ Charlotte Church ♥ Carly Rae Jepsen ♥ Steps ♥ Diana Ross ♥ Backstreet Boys ♥ Britney ♥ Nicki Minaj ♥ Cascada ♥ Gaga ♥ Little Mix ♥ Girls Aloud ♥ Loreen ♥ Atomic Kitten ♥ Ariana Grande ♥ Mel C ♥ Mel B ♥ Victoria Beckham ♥ Emma Bunton ♥ Spice Girls ♥ Amerie ♥ Lolly ♥ Beyonce ♥ Althea and Donna ♥ Iggy Azalea ♥ Ciara ♥ Nicola Roberts ♥ Cheryl Lynn ♥ Alexandra Burke ♥ Billie Piper ♥ Mini Viva ♥ Janet Jackson ♥ Kelis ♥ Missy Elliott ♥ RuPaul ♥ The Corrs ♥ Katy Perry ♥ Shakira ♥ tATu ♥ Charli XCX ♥ Venga Boys ♥ Timbaland ♥ Scissor Sisters ♥ Lil’ Kim ♥ Lady Sovereign ♥ The First Wives Club Soundtrack ♥ Lily Allen ♥ Kevin Lyttle ♥ Selena Gomez ♥ B*Witched ♥ Khia ♥ Gloria Gaynor ♥ Christina Milian ♥ Olivia Newton John ♥ Gareth Gates B Sides (jokes) ♥ Alesha Dixon ♥ Aqua ♥ Azealia Banks ♥ Fergie ♥ Gwen Stefani ♥ Christina Aguilera ♥ Destiny’s Child ♥ M.I.A ♥ Taylor Swift ♥ Shania Twain ♥ Dolly Parton + MORE

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'The kweens of kitsch are giving you an unapologetic pop party ... set to revolutionise your weekend.' - QX Magazine

'Straight Nasty provides a safe space for you to workthrough that repressed Cat Deeley fantasy' - DIVA Magazine

'Straight Nasty is hand on heart the best night out I’ve had in my whole life EVER' - Pigeons and Peacocks

♥ SAT 29 OCTOBER VFD 10PM-3AM £3 Facebook ‘GOING’ Guestlist or £5 ON THE DOOR.

With resident DJs SARAH, MARY & WINIFRED SANDERSON (Salem Town Hall) JE M'APPELLE ROCHELLE & GG BEAR (Dalston Superstore)

For updates and event photos be sure to 'like' STRAIGHT NASTY here:facebook.com/straightnastyclub

xx Spook C’est La Vie

Fri 28 Oct: "I DO" disco presents 'The Curse of the Bridezilla'

Calling all bridezillas, corpse brides, brides of Dracula, bunny boiler bridesmaids, demonic divorcees, and hammer horror hunnies... London's best worst wedding disco has risen from the dead to scare the confetti out of you and yours.

Sling on something spine-chilling (and/or bridal) and let Dalston's dankest dance dungeon be your playground for the night while you sink your teeth into...

☠ Mildly insane wedding games + prizes ☠

☠ Halloween facepainting ☠

☠ Vintage horror movie projections ☠ ☠ Music from MAGGIE MACALL (80s/90s dance), LOST BOY (Disco/classic House), and resident HAVISHAM (R&B classix n' pure chartbangers) + more to be confirmed ☠

☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠ £3 if you come in a wedding dress or look terrifying. Otherwise... £3 before 11. £5 after that. And as always we'll give you your very own "REAL" WEDDING RING on the door. ☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠

Like our page for photos etc - https://www.facebook.com/TheIDoDisco/

Twitter/Insta - @TheIDoDisco

Mon 24 Oct: Wig Out

A weekly dance gathering/booze-free mini club night. Dance like no one's watching and shake off those Monday blues to the ruffest, tuffest sounds from Bhangra to Ragga and Jungle with A LOT of Hip Hop.

Music you can't sit still to and that will make you sweat! Sack off the gym and come and dance yourself fit instead.

Doors open at 6.30pm, dancing starts at 7pm (doors closed soon after) £10 or £5 concessions

Sat 22 Oct: Queer Litter no.2 - the change of the litter tray

Queer Litter no.2 - Mitch's official birthday party! Get down VFD for Mitch's birthday special, while she DJs a selection from her 22 years of experience at the wheels of steel. Help her celebrate and help her neighbours not complain about the noise this year...

From French Kiss to Tony De Vit and beyond!

£3 < 11pm > £5

**Free guestlist for friends - PM Mitch directly**

Fri 21 Oct: Big Girls Disco

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!!! The last one was so much fun that the powers that be at VFD invited us back!!

Expect more of the same, a stunning set by Big Girls and then glorious DJs to make you disco all night long!!!!

Put on your finest frocks and let's do the Big Girl!!!! BIG GIRLS!!! DJS: PASTY KENSIT, FRIGID NIELSEN AND FUMIX!!! 9PM TIL 3AM!!! FREE BEFORE 10///£5 AFTER!!! LOADSA DRAG!!!