It has been 20-odd years since the likes of Oakenfold, Rampling, Holloway & co dropped some disco biscuits, listened to a bloke called Alfredo and went all Balearic on the sunshine isle that is Ibiza. 20-very odd years indeed.

From free-spirited Ibizan dance floors, not entirely free M25 raves, to the definitely far from free corporate superclub boom and bust. The original Summer of Love has become less a philosophy and more a shrink-wrapped, bar-coded, tagline, emblazoned across more ‘me too’ compilations than you could blow an amyl-soaked whistle at.

Nothing is free and easy anymore. Everything is controlled and contrived. Or is it?

Take one seafront club, a bright idea plus a big bag of balls and you have yourself what could be the South Coast clubbing phenomenon of the summer.

Every Saturday, during the summer, Audio is throwing open its pearly gates of clubland for free. That’s not free before 10pm or free with a flyer. Just free. Turn up, drink, dance, get debauched and party till the very small hours. The only difference is you now have an extra tenner for a comfy cab home. Stick that up your credit crunch.

Where’s the catch? Certainly not on the musical front with the likes Black Rabbit, Cagedbaby, Schtumm! and Positive Sounds all featuring highly on the artist roster.

What about the punters? We were expecting West Street flotsam & jetsam and we got a room full of clued-up locals that didn’t stop dancing till the club closed.

Audio is asking the question: ‘Why pay to play?’ And winning the battle for most popular regular clubnight in the process. Let’s just hope it’s an Indian summer – because after enjoying something for nothing, it’ll be hard to face a winter of discontent.

Summer of Love

Audio

Every Saturday