Propaganda

Here are 27 years of flyers, from our earliest hand-drawn efforts, made with glue and scissors and photocopies, to the more posh ones of recent years. All represent Duckie nights out/club nights, interactive theatre and performance events.

Nightbird (2000)

The Wifes can't remember anything about this.

Explosion!!! The Rock n Roll Ghosts of Soho (2000)

This was great. A walking tour around the rock ‘n’ roll landmarks of Soho whereupon you’d encounter pop music ghosts from the past played by Ursula Martinez, Chris Green, Marissa Carnesky. It covered everything: Skiffle, the New Romantics, Punk, Ziggy Stardust, Hippies…

Duckie Saturdays Summer (May - September 2000)

We were always running out of ideas for fliers. The Wifes did this very quickly on Photoshop basically copying the Warhol screenprint idea and thinking, “This’ll do”. It ended up being one of our most enduring visuals. Love Simon’s phrasemaking: “lowbrow homo hurdy-gurdy”. We should have done t-shirts.

4th Birthday Party (1999)

Boarding pass for our 4th, which was on the HMS President on The Thames. Boat kept rocking about which was hilarious on the dancefloor. HRH Regina Fong (R.I.P.) headlined – she was just the best.

Drinking, Dancing, Shagging and the Arts Flipbook (1999)

Oh this was adorable. Maybe our greatest ever flier. You flicked through the book and Amy and the Wifes did a little dance for you. Robin Whitmore again. Genius.

'London's Worst Club' Duckie Saturdays & Wig 'N' Casino Flyer (January - March 1999)

That’s a great picture – was it a Robin Whitmore? The reactionaries at Gay Times (I think) kept voting us Worst Gay Club in their end-of-year polls and we embraced it. As if we cared – by this time we were packed out every week and a definite alternative to the Muscle Mary palaces.

The Girl Looked at Julie (1999)

We sometimes did these one-offs at The ICA. Julie was a bit of a working class hero and Duckie icon at the time (although not any more, sadly). This wasn’t very well-attended I seem to remember, but there was a shooting range set up inside.

The Youth Club & Wig 'N' Casino

We didn’t do these nights because they were on school nights and we had to work.

Art Skool Club Nights (September - November 1998)

Duckie Dancehall (October - December 1998)

Because it was the West End we got loads of famous people in at Duckie Dancehall: Caroline Aherne, Tim Burgess, the cast of This Life, a couple of All Saints…
The space was a chi-chi café / restaurant by day: our decks were positioned on a trolley rattling with teacups and saucers.

Duckie Dancehall at Fierce in Birmingham (1998)

Can't recall a thing about this one...

Duckie Dancehall (January - March 1998)

Our first foray at the West End was in, of all places, the Masonic Lodge in Covent Garden. Our punters shared the toilets with all these powerful men in dinner jackets, their wives in ballgowns and jewellery. It was a real culture clash.

Duckie Saturdays (November - December 1998) & Wig 'N' Casino Flyer

Gay Shame Matchbox (1998)

Some of our punters have complete collections of these matchboxes. They were very effective fliers from the days you could still smoke everywhere and everyone pretty much did. Other designs included Donna Summer, Courtney Love and Josie & The Pussycats…

Queer Up North Opening Party (1998)

Chelsea Kelsey can't remember this one... were you there?

Club Bent for Queer Up North (1998)

The Wifes can't remember anything about this either.

St Valentine's Day Pleasure Promenade (1998)

Can't remember anything about this one.

2nd Birthday Party (1997)

Our second birthday was down at The Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park. The flyer was made on some rudimentary knock-off software, depicting all our cultural heroes - ripping off Saint Etienne shamelessly.

Duckie Saturdays (April - June 1997)

By this point in the 1990s it was a dead-cert that Labour were going to form the new government. There was something in the air, a sense of optimism. Kate Hoey was the MP for Vauxhall and she came and delivered a rousing speech. Shame she turned out to be a pretty awful Brexity person in the end.

The World’s First Lesbian Beauty Contest (1997)

The Café De Paris - we were going up in the world! Amy’s dream was to host a lesbian beauty contest and Simon made it happen. Somebody (Channel 4?) had a film crew there. To be honest, I can’t remember who won but I do remember Karen, the artist who went on to be the incredible Barbara Brownskirt, was one of the contestants.