Alarm bells went off on my Facebook page at 12.48pm on Saturday 3 September as I was making my way to The Hope & Ruin for Day One of ‘RuinFest’ (review HERE) when local record store Resident music announced that a mere 135 minutes later, at 3.03pm (a nod to his 1995 ‘Everybody Needs A 303’ single), tickets would be going on sale for a very special one-hour DJ set and signing on Tuesday 20 September by the one and only Fatboy Slim in support of his forthcoming album. By the time 3.05pm had arrived, all of the tickets were gone!
The History Lesson …
On Saturday 13 July 2002, UK music history was made when 250,000 ravers flocked to Brighton Beach for a party unlike any before or since, in what was described as the “Biggest event the UK has ever seen”. The party goers literally doubled Brighton’s population that day.
Widely regarded as the UK’s answer to Woodstock, the legendary event brought the whole city to a standstill, turning the entire beach into a writhing mass of happy smiling faces. Dancers clung on to anything they could just to get a better view of the global music star (and Brighton and Hove Albion fan) Fatboy Slim (aka Norman Cook) and Midfield General as they served up the now-seminal soundtrack. The official mix compilation still remains a cult favourite two decades later and the mythology around the event has only grown in the years since. It’s impossible to understate the immense legacy left by Big Beach Boutique.
The Good News: Right Here, Right Now …
Fatboy Slim and Anglo Management have collaborated with BMG to produce a 20th Anniversary celebratory product for those who were there, those who missed out and those that weren’t even born yet. This exciting new release is titled ‘Right Here Right Then’ and you can order signed copies from Resident music (even if you missed out on tickets for his Resident instore performance on Tuesday 20 September) and they will ship them out shortly after that date. Grab yours HERE.
As an artist, Fatboy Slim’s contributions to dance music over years are second to none. From underground hits to mainstream chart toppers, he has sold millions of records around the world, holding the Guinness World Record for most Top 40 hits and winning nine MTV Video Music Awards and two Brit Awards. Just as famous for his explosive and super-sized live shows as he is for his music production, be it headlining Glastonbury, closing the London Olympics or even playing at the House of Commons, Fatboy’s household-name status doesn’t just come from the radio, but from the memories inspired in generations of hedonistic party goers. Simply put, there is no one quite like Fatboy Slim!
