The faces behind FACE talk turning 3 years old…

 

FACE has become a stalwart event, not just in Birmingham but in the UK itself attracting some the biggest house and techno artists on the planet. Elliot and Scott are co-promoters of the event and they chat to Plain and Simple about their history and up and coming events…

 

FACE will be 3 years to the good in October – what does it feel like being 3 years old?
It feels great!! When we first started FACE we really never knew how long it was going to be around… So to celebrate our 3rd Birthday in October is pretty special.. It has flown if im honest – here’s to another 3years! 🙂
What was your initial inspiration when starting?
Initially Lee Mcdonald approached me to start up FACE with Scott.. They had being running another night on a Saturday at The Rainbow called Fused it ran into a few issues with the name which is another story haha, but also a change in direction was needed for it to work. So with a different name & vibe so the 3 of us started up FACE. Since spending the summer in Ibiza back in 2009 i was really eager to get back to the UK & start my own night up & when I had the call off Lee to get involved i was buzzing, i’ve always loved The Rainbow since my first trip to an early Below many years ago. We’ve always wanted FACE to be a great social night.. with a different vibes in each of the 3 rooms.. Only one room ever being really underground & serious.. the other 2 rooms purely party vibes! We tried & tested a few different things when we first started out & we learnt from some mistakes & I think now we have the perfect formula for what we want our night to be about & have a great team behind it.
Have you any highlights amongst them
For me personally there has been to many to mention.. But particularly our 1st Birthday was pretty special with Jamie Jones, purely on the fact that we had made it to our first big milestone, which now is such a hard thing to do with a weekly clubnight.. Other highlights have been hosting parties this year at both Snowbombing in Austria with Heidi & Soul Clap & also our pool party Hideout Festival in Croatia with Subb-an, Adam Shelton & Simon Baker together with myself Scott & our other resident Bunny. Our last NYE party with Maceo Plex, Tanzmann & Dyed Soundorom was amazing with us witnessing our first “sit down” at FACE
Your birthday showcase leaves no stone unturned – what was your thoughts leading upto the booking of the line up?
Well basically there are 3 very distinctively different vibes at our regular FACE weekly Saturdays.. The house & techno in the courtyard & the more bass orientated music in the cellar & the party vibes in the bar.. For our birthday we’ve tried to get the house & techno sounds transferred to the Warehouse & Garden with the line up we’ve planned.. With Tanzmann & Squillace looking after the Warehouse & Joy Orbison & Scuba in the Garden, then of course the party vibes in the inner room of the Warehouse.
The Rainbow itself has been a great home for the soiree – what is so special about the Garden, Pub and Warehouse?
I think its to do with its raw vibe.. They aren’t venues that have been designed by big commercial architects & had millions of pounds spent on interior design.. Yeh there has been a lot of time & effort spent on making the venues what they are today, but with an ethos that it still has its underground appeal to them right in the heart of a creative Digbeth.
For the new students coming to Birmingham – why should they come to the FACE events?
Well there really is something for everyone – the younger crowd that we get at FACE literally love all of the 3 rooms & wonder quite freely around most of the night.. We pride ourselves on bringing the best artists/DJ’s from around the globe to Brum on a weekly basis with a crowd that is all smiles.. No-one else does that really in the city weekly so if they want to have it right off in probably the best venue in Birmingham then they definitely should come check us out.
Is it true you will be doing a special membership for FACE that entitles punters cheaper entry?
Yes we are releasing our exclusive FACE membership card in the next couple of months so everyone really needs to  keep their ears to the ground, as there will be a limited amount available.
Do you have any special recommendations for the freshers coming to Birmingham?
Yes, we have some amazing events coming up at both FACE & at The Rainbow itself.. First one is our SHOWCASE FESTIVAL on Saturday 29th September over all the whole Rainbow Venues.. Expect to see Toddla T, Jordan Peak, Burnski & shit loads more over all areas.. This is involving Brum’s best brands such as Bigger than Barry, Seedy Sonics, FACE & a load more.. We also have a massive event planned for Halloween (Sat 27th Oct) This is always a party which we really go all out on every year & everybody gets well into the spirit (see what I did there ha) We will be releasing details shortly.. And of course the Annie Mac show which were involved in again this year, this is on Saturday 17th Nov.. Check our fanpage for more updates soon www.facebook.com/faceevent.
You have been one of the focal events in the city since you started, do you think you have been a huge part in reviving the cities house music scene?
Thanks, We’re always trying to push & introduce new artists / producers to the city & i think we’ve succeeded in having alot of Birmingham debuts throughout the 3years FACE has been running.. Maya Jane Coles being one that sticks in my mind. She’s huge now 🙂 Id also say Birmingham brand Below have always been at the forefront of bringing really cool credible underground music to Birmingham aswell, long before FACE started.. We have a close relationship with Below as Lee Mcdonald is also one of the heads behind the party together with being our partner in FACE.. Also theres another cool daytime party in Birmingham called Cloak N Daggar which is pushing some really good underground artists/DJ’s at the minute.
Can you tell us more about the future of FACE and what else you have in store?
The way that this country is at the minute with its economy, we’d like to see us still being here weekly! haha.. But we will still keep pushing boundaries & always trying to keep things fresh. We have talked in depth about taking FACE to Ibiza & also touring UK & beyond.. So maybe that could be on the horizon for us.. But of course we will always make sure its done right & never neglecting our humble home in Brum.
Finally, you have had and have some mega line ups coming up – but if you had to pick your dream line up, what would that be?
Shit that’s a hard one! For me personally it would go on all the favourite sets ive heard over the last few years – So.. Adam Shelton & Subb-an back to back, The Martinez Brothers, Tini, Jordan Peak, Heidi, Darius Syrossian, Art Department, Kerri Chandler, Tanzmann & Squillace back to back, Apollonia, Loco Dice, then Daft Punk LIVE to finish.


Comments