Grumpy Man DJs

What was the inspiration for the Grumpy Man club night?
We wanted to go out, but there was nowhere to go. We didnt want to listen to music in the way it was being fed to us, we wanted to listen to it in the way we would at home Pixies followed by Neil Diamond followed by Leonard Cohen, music not related by some arbitrary classification but by mood. A bad mood. So in one way Grumpy Man is about breaking out of the genre-ghetto, and in another it is something for people that enjoy sad and miserable music. If you have ever smiled at a really depressing lyric, Grumpy Man is for you.
How long has it been going and who are the main people involved?
We have been going for 5 years now. Apart from myself there is Rhona, Tom, Dave, Ben, Rich and Rob. We are slowly spreading out across the country; we have regular nights in Bristol and Birmingham, and hope to have a presence in Edinburgh soon. London? Yeah, if the money is right.
What kind of audiences did it initially attract? Has that changed?
To start with it was just our friends. We had no idea about promotion, so we would hire out a venue and just pile in. We had a few loyal fans, but Bristol is pretty bad for a regular venue. These days in Bris, there are a few strange regulars who turn up in black T-shirts and sit in the corner staring at us, waiting for the latest in miserablism. Those are the hardcore, mingling with the thirtysomething alcos who can only realise salvation through booze and grumpy tunes. And more and more students seem to be turning up in Bris, must be the top up fees getting them down. The next grumpy generation. Yet it is definitely not your average student night. It's a gonzo approach to the art of music dissemination, with requests, drunkenness and glumness all combining to create an atmosphere of love and despair, washed down with copious amounts of alcohol and onion rings. Maybe we are a freak show, I dont know. Birmingham awaits this rabble; pity the baggies, blues, yam yams, and anyone with any self control.
What kind of feedback have you got from people?
The people who come and speak to us fall into two camps. One is the Oh my God I cant believe someone wise owns this record I thought I was the only one! group and other is the If you dont play some Madonna my boyfriend in gonna f**k you up group.
Is there a particularly memorable night that stands out?
We played at the Royal College of Art and nearly got beaten up. That was fun. And playing at the usual-rave mecca Biristol club Lakota, and that was a great night, if only for our misbehaviour; we finally felt like proper DJs. Actually the last gig was one of the weirdest of all. Some girls 21st birthday party came in by mistake and just couldnt understand what was going on. They were all dressed as showgirls and clowns, trying to dance to Johnny Cash - it was beautiful. We were going to play its My Party and Ill Cry if I Want to but we couldnt find it before she stormed out in tears. And then some Canadian ROCK band who were playing nearby came in after their gig and their groupies were stripping and demanding we play Guns n Roses.
Is the music policy just a reflection of the DJs personal tastes or is there a particular kind of ethos/mood your trying to create?
We definitely stick to the theme of negative emotion. The rule is you can play anything at all as long as either the lyrics or the music is miserable or angry. I have been known to play happy music at home (ok, not often) but I would never play that at Grumpy Man.