What's better than food in a club? Free food in a club! As if we ever needed encouraging, Sankeys had laid on quite the spread last night to tempt partygoers through its doors for the first chapter of its two-part opening fiesta. The club's opening night, the first of twenty Tribal Sessions this season, kicked off in true Ibiza style with sun, tunes (courtesy of Mr Tribal Sessions himself Darius Syrossian) and a BBQ. Yes, even the weather cooperated with Sankeys' big plans - a sigh of relief if you were a Brit like myself, and starting to worry that the rain had permanently emigrated over with us.
Sankeys opened its doors at 6pm, which meant a whopping twelve-hour stretch was on offer for the truly dedicated. Of course not everyone had this much faith in their stamina, which meant a smaller, more intimate crowd for the BBQ, perfect for enjoying the sun and food out on the Terrace. As it got later, more and more people ventured in to join the party, and by twelve both inside and out were heaving. This did start to make toilet and fresh air trips a bit of a mission, but as if reading our minds Sankeys swiftly opened the doors to the new room The LAB, letting the crowds spill in and The Element kick off.
Back in the Basement, Recondite's live set didn't disappoint, with an hour of impeccably timed peaks and drops to keep the crowd going. They tailored the set perfectly, with steel drums dipping in and out of the bass line - practically declaring that yes Sankeys, they are tribal. The crowd got into the spirit too, with the standard short-shorts and vests accessorised with warpaint and coloured feathers.
PHOTO | Danny Tenaglia in The Lab (top + right), not technically the main room at Sankeys but a fantastic space, the spirit of Ibiza (bottom left) and the basement with Tribal Sessions (left middle).
As the night went on the club certainly seemed to filter into two quite different tribes of party goers. In the basement it was all about louder beats, heavier basslines, and bigger drops. The crowd of bodies seemed to merge into one sweaty mass worshipping the DJ booth, where Shlomi Aber - who just in case it wasn't loud enough for you had kindly thrown in some sirens for good measure - was followed by Darius Syrossian back-to-back with Sidney Charles, who continued with the more is more approach. However over in The LAB there was a far more chilled vibe, with the gaggle spread out across the room with space to breathe and two-step 'til their heart's content to the signature funky house and punchy bass of Danny Tenaglia.
The party was very much in full swing when I headed off at half four (come on, I went to the BBQ and everything), so undoubtedly a great success for Sankeys' start to the season and an exciting look ahead at Wednesdays to come. Are we tribal? Yes, I think we just might be.
Words | Joanna Wright, Photography | James Chapman
