To all whirly virgins or Whirlyfied people! Do you love meeting new people making new friends and love raving and being unique? Whirly is the place 2 be!
Not Only My First – Lucy
As the music played I felt that I was being enveloped, and my attention had to be directed to it. I became quite tearful, yet totally happy. The hairs on my body bristled. A new dawn, the first steps into a new life, a new me. The music is so beautiful, about all the joy … Read more
Loz Tonkyn
I’m studying the anti-psychiatry movement n learned a bit bout humanist psychology – I realised that whirly is run by people who are trained at making the experience of the night as special as possible – making u feel good through light n sound, a real healing process… that’s why its so perfectly good- these … Read more
My First Whirly – ISObell
I went to my first Whirly on my own. I have to say I was a little bit nervous. As I walked in through the double doors I was surprised to find myself in a warm dark almost womblike atmosphere! Instantly cosy and welcoming, with low ceilings and none of the loud music I was expecting.
Almost straight away people came over and said hello – some even hugged me! I was freaked out by this at first, but I soon got to like it. Its a close knit family of regulars at Whirl-y-Gig but they are all so welcoming to new people. There is a Café and there is also a bar at Whirly, but you don’t get those annoying drunk pests that you get at most nightspots.
Whirl-y-Virgins Dionne, Chez and Debbie – Oct 2012
We are three good friends who came to whirly, spanning 3 decades of ages. We are in our 30s 40s and 50s. The night was stumbled across byaccident and being the ages that we were, we thought our clubbing days were over! On entering the venue we were totally mesmerised by the instant fairy-tale Whirl-y-World that enveloped us! WOW! We weretotally confounded as to how in all our accumulated clubbing history that we had not had whirly in our lives before!!! Arriving as whirly virgins we were embraced into a family of whirlying people, amazing decor and Whirl-y-music and were made to feel instantly at home!
Rhian Helina Jones
They say it’s probably the most visionary club in the world… I say, without a doubt. Wonder and excitement fill your senses as the swirling incense entices you through the door and into a world that oozes with psychedelia and begs to be explored; much like discovering Aladdin’s cave.
Walking in a Whirly Wonderland
Aha! Whirl-Y-Gig! I may have gushed about this place before but I really do feel it’s worth the accolade. Whirly is a once monthly dance event held at Jacks nightclub in London Bridge. It’s been going for as long as I’ve been on this planet, and it’s the loveliest club in London.
The evening begins with a walk down a narrow corridor, lit with ambient psychedelic colours. It opens into the chill out room, which continues the psychedelic theme. There are brightly coloured materials strewn from the walls, ambient lights everywhere, and psychedelic oil lights making kaleidoscopic patterns on the walls. Here and there an image is projected, a faerie, a flower. Around the room are low comfy seats and tables, a stall selling glow sticks, CD’s, and fair trade goods, and a little café bar that provides tea, fruit, and cakes throughout the night. The ambiance of the place was the first thing that struck me, it manages to feel both comforting and exciting at the same time.
The Guardian’s Review of the 21st Birthday
Silks and incense still uplift clubbers’ senses as Whirl-y-gig celebrates its 21st anniversary As giant balloons fill the air, a parachute falls gently over the heads of several hundred hot, happy dancers, who sink to the ground beneath its huge canopy. And so ends another successful Whirl-Y-Gig. One of the longest-running club nights in the … Read more
WOMAD 2001 – Monkey Pilot Radio 3 Interview
Pete Fruin checks out the WOMAD festival and talks to DJ Monkey Pilot, the man behind the Whirl-Y-Gig…
Compared to Glastonbury, Reading and newcomer the Phoenix Festival, WOMAD has always been pretty small (which is very much part of the appeal for its regular audience). The three-day event at Reading Rivermead has consistently attracted crowds of around 9,000 in recent times, up until last year, when it was a 12,000 sell-out. This year (the festival runs from July 21-23) looks like being the same, in fact there may not be any tickets available on the door: at the time of writing, the weekend before the festival, Saturday had already sold out.
ABBG
ABBG meets co-promoters of Whirl-Y-Gig Mary and Richard who live in a quiet rural-looking corner of Harrow in a small house, which, despite the occasional tripped-out wall painting, has decoration reminiscent of a country farmhouse. Outside is a small church window embedded in their garden wall, which overlooks a large field. This is the base from which they run Whirl-Y-Gig, one of London’s longest-running regular parties, and a pioneering club for showcasing world dance music in London. They also run a record label called Whirl-Y-Music.