Clambering down Hifi’s dark stairs and entering through a thick, red velvet curtain, party-goers emerge in the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks.

For those unfamiliar with the cult 1990’s TV show directed by David Lynch, Twin Peaks is a mystery drama revolving around the murder of Laura Palmer. It’s renowned for its freaky use of suspense and intrigue, and one of the locations featured is the extradimensional ‘Black Lodge’, within which is a red room.

Before Brudenell Groove’s stint at Hifi I was somewhat baffled as to how a club night could possibly be themed to such a wacky show that was never exactly famous for its soundtrack. Nonetheless I was left impressed, with many refined nods to the show. Lighting was of course kept entirely red other than dashes of green. Alongside the aforementioned red entry curtain, Hifi had been decked out in fifty pine trees- freshly imported just for Brudenell Groove’s night of Twin Peaks fun. Not only did this give a nice Christmas-y aroma, but it more importantly reminded the audience of Ghostwood Forest, a prominent setting in the show. The psychedelic black-and-white zig zag pattern of the Black Lodge’s floor had been splattered across the DJ decks, with glitched clips from the show projected onto the stage wall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7juXHbHpgFk

The basic setup of Hifi alone suits the theme well, with its brickwork and wooden panelling reminiscent of Washington suburbia in the 90’s. As the home of Leeds’ hipsters, Hifi is a natural progression of venues from the events’ early days on Brudenell Grove in Hyde Park, but it’s comforting to find that the sense of community and intimacy hasn’t been lost to their climb up the rungs of Leeds’ clubbing industry. Ever the purveyors of ethical clubbing, proceeds were given to a worthy cause- this time donating £500 to Fragile X Society UK.

Chuggy was on top form on the decks, with support from Marcus and Ranyue. Brudenell Groove has never been the type of night you go to for belting your heart out to endless classics. Instead, the DJ’s played an infectious selection of funky instrumentals and 80’s remixes, plus elements of techno and RnB towards the end of the night.

If you want to witness some of the best homegrown DJ talent in Leeds in an intimate setting where you can just dance and have fun, then get yourself down to Brudenell Groove. Keep up to date with their shindigs via their Facebook group.

Clare Redman