108 Lower Dock Street, Newport
Sat 18 June
Perc have been going for nearly five years now, which is not a small feat in Newport. Though the city has been a hotbed for rock and metal, it’s a kind of cultural hinterland in many ways, between Cardiff and Bristol, and a walk around the moribund-seeming city centre attests to that. Perc is the brainchild of Paul Blandford, a producer who has worked under the monikers Blandf, The Omega Men, Something Crooked, Kodiaks, Polar Patterns and his own name – he’s also the owner of Death Proof Recordings, a digital label releasing techno and house since 2011. Perc have been holding it down against all odds in the city of Newport – not exactly a popular spot on the clubbing map – for over four years, and this event also sees the return of Newport’s original party starters, the Suntrap crew.
This is the second so-called car park party we’re featuring this month, and they’ve brought down the glorified Delete promoters and resident DJs, Clare James and Matt Owen, sometime-saviours of Cardiff’s club scene, for an afternoon-evening party that ushers the sun out with a stream of beats and bass. They’ll be warming up for the outdoor party they’re hosting in Cardiff the following evening that we didn’t have room to feature on this page, that hosts Ben Sims under his Ron Bacardi alias, where he’ll be laying down the housier side of his rhythmic rationale.
Tickets: £8. Info: facebook.com/perc.newport (GTDC)