As I leave the bus and make my way towards Privilege for the opening of SuperMartXé, I'm struck by the festival-like atmosphere and I suddenly feel quite underdressed in my shirt and jeans. The festival vibe is compounded by the many people drinking and having fun in some of the green areas on the way up to the top of the hill where Privilege is situated. As I enter the club I'm taken aback by the sheer size of the place - it looks like an aircraft hangar or a place used to store a space shuttle. But overhead I can see a man traversing a tightrope on a unicycle, so I'm definitely in the right place.
The DJ booth is surrounded by what looks like an ice rink and is as yet devoid of any clubbers. The music being pumped out of the impressive sound system is an eclectic mix; the crowd goes wild for ‘Bad Boys' by Inner Circle, Bob Marley's ‘Jammin'' and a personal favourite of mine, ‘When Doves Cry' by Prince. These are tracks everyone knows and the crowd is really warming up for the show to come.
I make my way upstairs to get a good view of the show, which should be starting any minute now. A fellow reveller invites me to join him and his friends in their private booth, and it's an offer I cannot refuse - I have the best seat in the house from which to view the unfolding spectacle. He hands me a glass of champagne that has been chilling in a bucket of ice while the name of the club echoes around my head.
The ice rink area in front of the DJ booth suddenly opens and is flooded with people. I feel like joining them but I'm reluctant to leave my perch as the show is about to begin. It starts with an explosion of light and confetti, and is followed by scantily clad men and women who romp about the stage and trapeze artists who descend from the ceiling and ascend just as rapidly. The light is blinding and at this range makes it difficult to make out all of the little intricacies that are happening on stage.
Impossible to miss, however, are the visuals following the acrobatics of the performers. Huge blue lips appear on the screen, a massive tongue then proceeds to lick them, and to the left and right are a series of twirling suns while white lights encircle the crowd. It is a sight to behold and a total sensory assault. Following the show I make my way downstairs to dance with my fellow partygoers.
Rebekah Brown performed a live PA, spurring the crowd on with her rendition of 'Sun Rising Up'. Barcelona native and SuperMartXé favourite, Salva Di Nobles, greatly entertained, and then it was up to Alex Guerrero, Brian Cross, Abelthekid and Yves V, before Chuckie blasted on stage to close out the proceedings. Bravo Privilege, that was quite some show.
WORDS | David Fleming
