The King Street Social Club in North Shields embraces DJs and dance events.

Ibiza-headlining DJs and Elvis impersonators may seem an unlikely combination, but for one unassuming social club it is proving a winning mix.

Hundreds of people dance enthusiastically as the thundering basslines rumble.

Downstairs,

Away from the din of the four-to-the-floor beats, a different group of clubgoers take aim on the snooker tables and dart boards while others chat merrily over cut-price pints.

The idea to bring these two worlds together at the King Street Social Club in North Shields came from Geoff Kirkwood, aka Man Power, a DJ who has taken to the decks across the globe but calls Tyneside his home.

“We managed to persuade people to come and do something unconventional – play at a working men’s club – and they all absolutely loved it.”

“Now we have a reputation of being one of the best parties in the UK,” he explains proudly.

“The club members don’t perceive much difference between our events in the concert room and the Elvis impersonator performance on another night.”

“Our event may be a bit louder, but it follows the same principle.”

Launched in 2022, these Are You Affiliated events now run half a dozen times a year and have drawn big names from the dance music world, such as Caribou, Skream, and Leftfield, to a town once famed for its shipbuilding, fishing, and mining.

Musically it is perhaps better known as the birthplace of singer-songwriter Sam Fender, who performed a secret gig at the club in 2019 to mark his album Hypersonic Missiles hitting the top of the charts.

According to media reports, Fender “upset a few regulars” with the show, forcing the cancellation of one of their regular nights.

Kirkwood, for his part, has tried to avoid such conflicts.

“We’ve had to turn down international superstars because we couldn’t find another room to move the bingo into,” he says wryly.

While many club promoters might bristle at being unable to accommodate such acts, Kirkwood, who is subletting the building’s main event space for a 10-year contract, neatly symbolises the collaboration.

“It sounds hilarious until you start looking at things from the point of view of the members and their experience.

“Social clubs are owned by their members, and no one is there to maximise profits.” It’s the only place I’ve seen notices plastered on the wall warning people the price of a pint is going to go down 50p in the next week.

“That’s the attitude they come with and that’s the attitude we have to have, too. We’re just guests.”

Posters pinned to the noticeboard in the foyer advertise upcoming acts, including the aforementioned Elvis Presley tribute and a medium promising the opportunity to communicate with lost loved ones.

The juxtaposition with performers who have rocked the likes of London’s Fabric nightclub, as well as the Glastonbury and Coachella festivals, is striking.

King Street Social Club

Paul Yellop, King Street Social Club secretary as well as Northumberland branch president of the Club & Institute Union, reveals the DJ nights’ success and subsequent media attention led to “annoyance” among some of the roughly 600 members who feared their favourite spot might be “taken over.”

He says the money brought in by the agreement is hugely important, especially at a time when many nightclubs, pubs, and other venues across the country are closing down.

“Many places are struggling. I believe Covid bears significant responsibility, given that people have become accustomed to settling in with a few cans from the supermarket.

“We have snooker and pool teams, a darts team, and we also host bands, but often it is difficult to get people to come in, even when they only need to pay a few pounds for a ticket to see a band.”

“The DJ nights work well alongside what we do and the income helps us keep going.”

Speaking in the main bar, where a draught beer will cost members £3 and visitors an extra 50p, he is adamant the venue will not move away from its roots: “We’ve always been a social club and will continue to be one.”

The parties’ success has not gone unnoticed at a regional level and Are You Affiliated was recently awarded nearly £40,000 by the NorthEast mayor to help develop a wider offering.

Kirkwood plans to utilise the funding to revitalise the “dying” grassroots entertainment scene.

Having already hosted the Mercury Prize-nominated art-rockers Django Django and a symphony of music composed by Kirkwood himself, he is now hoping to diversify his offerings “with gusto.”

Describing electronic music as “just one strand” of what is possible, he is looking to stage nights focusing on other genres, from indie and rock to folk and hip-hop.

“Something like 70% of small-to-medium clubs have closed in the last two years,” he says.

“And many bands are missing out on the Northeast on their tours because it’s become a lot more cost-effective for them to play multiple nights at the same venue.

“I want to transform this social club into a venue that is as well-resourced and professional as any other similar-sized venue that bands typically choose.”

But does such a move risk losing the qualities that have helped shape the feel of the King Street parties?

Kirkwood is confident it will not.

“I’ve been involved in conversations with people who say, ‘how do we make this more like Manchester’s Northern Quarter or Brighton?’

“You don’t have to. It’s already North Shields. Why do we need to copy other places if what we do works well?

“I’m proudly Northeastern; this venue is an exemplar of this area. It’s not pretending to be anything it’s not. It doesn’t need to look like anything else.

“It’s a genuine, working-class spot that’s existed in one form or another for decades and this is just the latest way it’s being utilised.

“When venues are under threat because of the search for profit, it’s nice to find somewhere we can share mutual goals that protect the two club cultures.”