Club Wars in Coalville The weekend arrives and a small town in the middle of Leicestershire hangs up its coat and sits back to watch the sun set beyond an eerie clock tower. By day, Coalville is a bleak, murky place, awash with tracksuits and interesting townsfolk. Who could believe that by nightfall Coalville’s one and only tourist attraction will pull in 2,500 hedonists from all around the country. Every weekend, the middle of nowhere becomes the centre of everywhere, as those Dedicated Followers of PaSSion and Stomping Storm Troopers grace one of the most exciting, enthusiastic venues in the country. Kept secret to the masses, but known to true clubbers all over, The Emporium has taken shape to become a new kind of super club. A place where the people come first and egos are left at the door. Dance-floor politics is nowhere to be seen as the air fills with joy and delight. One Friday of every month sees Storm put on a colossal exhibition of the harder side of house music. The likes of Lashes and Lab 4 dictate the atmosphere for hordes of shirtless partygoers and serious thrill seekers. Sweat drips from the ceiling as mentalists stomp their way down to middle earth. Every Saturday, a different type of clubber comes out to play, for it is PaSSion’s turn to put on the show. Well documented troubles at the major super clubs dotted around the country have only emphasised just how good PaSSion is. Distancing itself from any kind of clubbing cliché, PaSSion is unique in that it is not in the slightest bit pretentious. Storm and Passion are two ends of a musical spectrum, linked together by a love for music and real clubbing, and so every month the two go head to head to do battle, as PaSSion regulars welcome Storm invaders from afar. The monthly PaSSion Vs. Storm events have been a phenomenal success as the two clubs intermingle with one another, sampling the best of what each has to offer. Whilst each tries to outshine the other, it is clear that this is a healthy type of club rivalry. Tonight is the 2nd of August, 2003. Not only are PaSSion and Storm about to show each other how it’s done, but PaSSion’s Frisky friends and Storm’s Hotdog buddies have also been invited along. Tonight is to be an exhibition on how a trance and a hard house night should go. Let the club wars commence. The Arena The arena for tonight’s showdown is, as always, The Emporium. With a capacity of 2,400, more than the likes of Code and The Republic, the venue is more than suitable. Clean, air conditioned, and inoffensive, it’s impossible not to feel at home after stepping through the doors. Though looking a little curious from the outside, inside is a warm, inviting haven spread over two large floors. The spacious blue room is PaSSion’s tonight, whilst Storm take on the depths of the slightly smaller red room. The red room feels much like a basement, all dark and grimey, and so suiting the Storm sound well. The green and white rooms make for cool, refreshing chill out zones, where sublime seats await to take the load off of tired legs. All is set, the bulls lock horns, and the night is underway. Round one – The Clubbers It’s not difficult to see that the type of crowd Storm (and Hotdog) have pulled in is vastly different from the type of crowd that have flocked to see PaSSion (and Frisky). Whilst there is no animosity between the two, there are obvious differences in attitudes and style. The blue room is bustling with smiles and hands raised to the roof, whilst the red room heaves with glistening torsos and clenched fists. D.F.O.P.s gaze vacantly around the room, losing themselves in melody after melody, but it is the not so light-hearted, more aggressive attitudes of the Storm Troopers that seem to be a little less concerned with image, and more concerned with the beats. PaSSionate smiles meet Stormy grimaces as the two flocks pass from time to time. Interestingly enough, there appears to be an equal number of cyber kids in the Storm room as in the PaSSion room, but PaSSion’s cybers tend to be a little more extravegant and playful. Storm’s cybers are colourful and look all round a little more polished. Whilst the PaSSion folk may appear a little more juvenile, the Storm posse are perhaps a touch over the top and mindless, so tonight’s first blow goes to PaSSion, because it’s nice to be a bit juvenile every now and then. Smiling blankly towards one another, PaSSion’s dedicated few are friendly and charming. PaSSion – 1 Storm – 0 Round two – The Music PaSSion and Frisky are relentlessly dishing out typical contemporary trance. The breakdowns are long and powerful, and the riffs are gushing towards unsuspecting clubbers across the floor. This is what PaSSion does arguably better than any other night: simple, uplifting, powerful tunes merged together to create a seamless onslaught of melody. Storm and Hotdog are quite different, delivering the hardest in bounce and bosh. The BPMs step up as you venture into the basement. The energy is raw and electric, with breakdowns that crash down and build up with immense power and fury before erupting into familiar 4/4s and quirky hooks. Bordering on happy hardcore, the sounds from the red room are draining and manic, but you cannot help but admire the willingness to dance that this music injects into your veins. It almost makes the trance feel a little lacking in that je ne sais quoi, so round two goes to Storm, just because of their scrupulous will to unite and party. The music sums up both the scene and the people, and leaves no question marks. Simple yet effective. Even though the familiar riffs of Carte Blanche and As The Rush Comes echo across the walls of the blue room, Storm’s whole vibe is a little more edgy and a little less predictable. PaSSion – 1 Storm – 1 Round three – The dances D.F.O.P.s are graceful in their movements, taking care to perform intricate hand swirls and bodily twists with as much elegance as possible. The stomping is laid back, and the vibe is warm, friendly and relaxed. Storms dances, on the other hand, are nothing short of frantic. Movements are fast and exaggerated, as arms flail about in all directions. The stomping is hard and vicious, and there is no time for rest as the troopers go all out. Storm followers move glow sticks around faster than the speed of light, often looking as if they might take off and fly out of the door. PaSSion’s glow stick clan are a little more charming, as they move in unison. Though PaSSion’s dances are generally a little more sexy, you have to admire Storm’s don’t give a fuck attitude. This, coupled with two rather fine young women bouncing and twirling away on the red room podiums, mean that our third point goes to Storm. PaSSion - 1 Storm - 2 Round four - The DJs PaSSion and Storm are both renowned for having a string of class DJs on the roster. JFK and Andy Bagguley once again lead the PaSSion brigade tonight, whilst Storm heroes Nick Lunn and Gary Hardy are on the offensive. JFK took over the PaSSion threshold in the late nineties and transformed the club into what it is today. All his efforts have gone into securing PaSSion’s place in clubbing history. Hard work and a knack of pleasing the crowd have meant that every week, PaSSion is the place to be, even over places like Godskitchen and Gatecrasher. JFK has always sought to bring in the big names and crowd pleasers, whilst never jeopardising the quality. Responsible for the seminal hit Good God, you can’t fail but admire JFK’s charisma and passion (for want of a better word) for the scene he has devoted his life to. 18 months ago, Andy Bagguley was playing the PaSSion warm-up bar, using the PaSSion internet forums to plead for a gig. With a healthy following in Coalville, Andy has risen through the ranks thanks to hard work and a killer tune selection. Always a crowd pleaser, Andy is a pleasure to watch. Nick Lunn, Storm resident and promoter, rose to fame after jacking in a dubious career in a Metallica cover band. Being one of the few DJs capable of playing both PaSSion and Storm, Nick has his head firmly on his shoulders. It was none other than Fergie who entrusted Nick to run Storm after being offered the night from PaSSion. Determination and grit have made Storm a household name amongst hardened clubbers. Gary Hardy is one of many inspiring DJs working the hard house DJ circuit, travelling all over the country. Along with the likes of Daley, Gary adds another string to Storm’s impressive bow. The residents tonight went all out. Andy Bagguley followed the mighty Thrillseekers to deliver his usual blend of heart warming trance. Conducting the crowd like a true maestro, he amply paved the way for PaSSion hero JFK. JFK worked everyone into a frenzy and got the dancefloor buzzing with excitement. Frisky’s Dean P stole the show a little, with a surprisingly good, bubbling set, but it was left to Andy Bagguley to bring the night to a close, finishing off with Iio’s timeless Rapture. Whilst all this was going on, the Storm DJs were kneading the crowd and injecting a little bounce into the occasion. Nick Lunn warmed everyone up nicely, setting the mood and creating a fresh atmosphere. Gary Hardy put in a good late night set. The mixing was tight, and red faces all around were loving what they heard. A few ugly sxratches and backspins managed to emanate from the Storm speakers, but generally the DJs did a fine job. Though both sides are hardworking, music loving, inspirational characters, this round has to go to PaSSion, if only because of the status that JFK has managed to give PaSSion. Of course, the head start on Storm has helped, but it is clear that PaSSion is all about a deep love for the music scene. Without wanting to take anything away from Storm, PaSSion are the kings of The Emporium. PaSSion - 2 Storm - 2 Round 5 - The atmosphere PaSSion and Storm are both renowned for having vibrant, glowing atmospheres that make other clubs around the country incredibly jealous. The atmosphere in the Storm room is one of no nonsense, chemically enhanced fun. The vibe is hot and the character of the whole room feels excessive and forceful. PaSSion’s atmosphere is different though, as it is possibly the best anywhere in the UK. Body builders, cyber kids and the odd townie all join together for one night a week. The blue room also appears a little busier than its red counterpart tonight, which no doubt added to general feeling across both. The urban feel of the Storm crowd is less about image and more about energy. The hard house scene isn’t quite as friendly as the trance scene, and hence the blue room is slightly more welcoming than the red. That isn’t to say that the Storm Troopers aren’t friendly, but you can’t beat the sight of hands in the air, and ice white smile sparkling amidst a backdrop of luminous colours. Magic. PaSSion - 3 Storm - 2 As the night draws to a close, those tough enough to have made it to 6 a.m. look around, pleased with themselves that they’ve witnessed the battle of the clubs in its entirety. Whoever said cyber is dead was certainly proved wrong tonight, as enough cybers roamed the floors to ensure it is only slightly demised. A hard fought battle has seen PaSSion edge home slightly in front of Storm. Friends from Frisky and Hotdog all agree, though, that at the end of the night, both PaSSion and Storm will continue to grow and affirm their status in UK clubland. The love for the scene, which is so lacking at so many of today’s top clubs, is rife in the Emporium each and every week. The fuss made over the apparent death of the super club was surely nothing more than media hype, and with the likes of Gatecrasher and Gods reopening in late September, the future of clubland is bright. Only nights with any worth and value will get the recognition they deserve from the people that matter. Storm and PaSSion are two such nights. Home > Clubland > ^top