I Was There – Inside the early orbits of Andrew Weatherall’s A Love From Outer Space

Weatherall and Johnston’s legendary night recalled by author Jim Ottewil

Jim Ottewil’s new book ‘Out Of Space’ examines the psychogeography of rave culture, and the way UK cities have shaped it… Here he recalls the revolutionary early days of Weatherall’s A Love From Outer Space parties…

The cosmos surrounding our little planet has only been frequented by a few of us – although I’m likely not alone in having endured my fair share of contemplating the state of my own inner space, usually on a Tuesday after a long weekend. 

That felt like it changed once the late, great Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston started throwing their A Love From Outer Space parties at what was then known as the Drop in Stoke Newington around 2010. Located under a gastro-boozer on the corner of Church Street in the trendy environs of north London, this unassuming basement hosted their ace Thursday night sessions. Billed as offering an “oasis of slowness in a world of ever increasing velocity”, the pair laid down a suitably heavenly soundtrack, taking in everything from new beat to dark Balearic drug chug with guitars never too far away.

Taking its name from the AR Kane track of the same name, the night’s musical policy rebounds between cosmic disco, dub and driving tech inflected beats. In those early outings, it was tracks such as Craig Bratley’s ‘Birdshell’ and Apiento’s ‘The Orange Place’ that captured the spirit. It added another thrilling chapter to Weatherall’s musical story, spawning numerous club nights, festivals, and inspired music from him and producers such as Timothy J Fairplay and Daniel Avery. 

In 2012, I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew and his accomplice Sean for Juno Daily. I was lucky enough to be invited to their Scrutton Street lair in Shoreditch, an area that was rapidly changing around Andrew and has continued to evolve since his untimely passing in February 2020. 

As Andrew said in our interview: “No amount of All Saints shops can eradicate the stain of 400 years of skullduggery. I’m hoping that the screams and blood of the Ripper victims will stay ingrained in the walls a lot longer than the latest shops…”

Looking back more than 10 years later, it seems their activities were driven in some ways by the themes of space, which would plant the seeds for what would become my book ‘Out Of Space’. The Drop was chosen for its intimacy although you’d usually expect DJs of this calibre to be playing in far grander locations. But many of our best clubs are dingy basements with killer sound systems and an up for it crowd. It’s often the community around a night that makes it rather than the bricks and mortar – which has been demonstrated by the way the pair’s club morphed through different environments. The crowd around A Love From Outer Space is tight-knit and willing to travel to get their musical fix. At the time, while both Andrew and Sean lived in London, they launched a monthly residency in Glasgow, a typically arch and defiant move. 

In the interview, both talked about the gentrification going on outside their bunker – and how London was changing so quickly. I was a regular at their first A Love From Outer Space parties in that small basement venue but myself and mates had been following Weatherall’s movements around for the previous 10-15 years. It’s meant we’ve seen him and heard the panel beaters from Prague he’s known for in plenty of weird and wonderful locations. From Berghain to the Warp 20 party at Sheffield’s Magna Centre to a boozer in Sheffield where muscled topless blokes were doing gak off the toilet taps to Bestival’s Bollywood tent and Carcassonne at his own dedicated weekender. 

Everytime it’s been a unique, adventurous musical experience with each seeping into the themes I’ve ended up attempting to unravel in my book. When he began his festival in a castle in Carcassonne, we had a blast and will be heading back there later this year. This count’s castle is probably the most unusual place I’ve ever been to get a wonk on. But it just goes to show how far ‘club culture’ can go when it comes to transforming spaces and making them dance to its own ends. 

For more details on ‘Out Of Space’ and the book’s official launch at Rubadub in Glasgow, click here