last friday night i was able to tick something awesome off my 'london must-do' list; 'ultimate power'. you guys know how much of a fan i am of musical bingo and their alternate club nights, well ultimate power is a similar concept, but instead of quiz rounds of themed hits, this is just a night full of power ballads and hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s. it's pure incredible. it's dead ultimate. it sounded epic, and ever since i heard about their club night back in the summer, i've wanted to go.
timing has always been an issue, but finally we found a day that suited, nabbed ourselves some early bird tickets, and headed over to camden's electric ballroom last friday night to get the party started... literally; it opened at nine and we were there just on ten, so it was still pretty low numbers when we arrived. within the hour though, the main room had filled up to maximum capacity with revelers dressed to the nines as their favourite singers from the past - madonna, kiss and meatloaf were all in attendance, and we were singing along to hit after hit after hit.
with blow up instruments and team ultimate power on stage encouraging the crowd's participation at every turn, we were never going to have anything but a good time. at one point nicola was rocking our particularly hard to journey's 'don't stop believing' when she somehow managed to give herself a nose bleed - cue a curly haired and bespectacled nursing student in the crowd to rush around to all her friends, locate a tampon, and shove it right up in there to stop the flow. ah, the kindness of strangers.
we were having such a good time that we hardly noticed the hours ticking past. except for when we remembered how old we are, and how much we love sleep and comfy shoes. we kicked out at about 2am, and headed back to our warm beds (or me, rebekah's sofa), determined to head back in the next time the event was on... (segue) which we discovered it is at new years!
and the best part? the new year's event in london is hosted by ultimate power, with special guests none other than... musical bingo! two of my favourite club nights in one place is a little more than i can handle, so i am in preparation mode now so as to not burn out before the big night. it's going to be the cheesiest night ever, and i couldn't be more excited! nye is usually that night where a lot of planning (and money!) goes into making sure an awesome time is had by all (check out this great comparison infographic by hotel direct on the average amount spent on nye, by city in the uk), but ultimately ends up in sore feet, maybe a snog, and always a huge wait for a cab. not this year! this year will be different!
if you're around london (or bristol or even manchester!) this new years, and you haven't yet planned your big night, then i honestly could not recommend this event enough. i say it every time, and i will definitely be saying it again; these alternate club nights are rare gems in a city of pop-up bars and expensive member's only clubs, and everyone who goes has nothing but the best time. sure, it's all a bit gimmicky, but it's a damn lol a minute.
