Rollerworld Derby all-nighter March 10th 2007
Well ladies and gents, the first all-nighter of 2007 has now come and gone. And wasn't it good!?
The Rollergroovers had been eagerly awaiting this event since it was first anounced (right here on Rollergroove!) and we were not disappointed!
We took a nice leisurely drive to Derby from Rollergroove Towers and arrived just before ten. I did my impression of a pack-horse and got loaded up with skates and records while Sal carried the cameras. We were struck by the recent renovation to the skate shop and foyer. They have done a stirling job with the new layout. It's a very bright and clear layout and really does make the place feel more up-to-date. Well done lads!
After unloading the equipment and getting our skates on we were met by none other than Her Royal Highness the Hot Steppin' Granny.
It wasn't long before skaters from all over the UK starting appearing. There were crews from Leeds, Stoke, Manchester, Nottingham, London, MK, Brighton (courtesy of Jody), Hemel, Aylesbury, Wellingborough and probably numerous others as well as a sizeable local crowd.
We were over-the-moon to see Cheesecake again. It's been far too long. Amidst his protestations of not being able to skate anymore, it was clear to all that he is still the quality skater he always was and we are sure it won't be long until he's back on form.
We were surprised to see that many of the younger locals have started to practise their dancing skills. There has been a distinct lack of roller-dancers from Derby for a while as they have been concentrating on their other roller activities (barrel jumping, etc.) They're getting good, too.
Swifty was there as usual representing Derby big time with some crazy new moves. 3man Crew were back in force and wowed everyone with some SERIOUS ol' skool poppin' and lockin' in the middle. Biggest props of the night goes to Joniquai and the Leeds massive. JK has done a phenomenal job promoting skating in Leeds and I'm sure there are many more great things to happen there. Carlos has come on leaps and bounds and looks incredibly cool doing it. Big up the hat!!
I took to the decks at midnight and for the first time in recent trips, both decks were working on arrival. And it made a HUGE difference. Freed from the confines of those shiny silver discs, I laid down a slab of serious skate tunes. From raregroove, to hip-hop, to swing beat and even classic ol' skool house (Kariya). It was much appreciated by the dancers as they got busy getting their groove on. I had planned to squeeze in some more funk for the RD crew, but events conspired to keep that contingent to HSG and the G-Unit so I played more for the other visiting crews. It was a shame more of the London skaters couldn't make it and the Norwich crew were missed too.
We had planned to take loads of pictures, but by the time we had caught up with everyone, the night was nearly over! All in all it was a fantastic night and we look forward to the next one in July. The Rollergroovers left around 4.30am for the long drive home but the session lasted until 6. Massive respect to those that made it until the end.