Revisit queer clubnight False Idols at London super-venue DRUMSHEDS – in 7 epic images

Row upon row of overhead LED text scrollers scatter propulsive visual energy across a dance floor at False Idols, the queer clubbing haven whose blowout last autumn at Tottenham’s 15,000-capacity superclub DRUMSHEDS was a masterclass in atmosphere.

The warehouse that once served as IKEA’s flagship store now resembles a fabulously dark and dingy spaceship straight out of the Alien franchise. Messages like “Raise your hand if you’re looking for a third” are repeated over and over, and you watch, hypnotised, waiting to see if and when they’ll say something else.

The effect is one of forward motion, of never-ending movement, that’s conducive to the ultimate goal on a night out: of dancing like nobody’s watching. Did we mention it’s only 4 o’clock in the afternoon?

We had showed up early — at 1pm, when the doors opened — to beat the eyewatering, airport- like entry queues. We’re already fully into it, thanks to the sheer amount of bar spaces and food carts in the club’s outside space, The Yard, which mean we’re never not fed and watered (read: drunk). And with three rooms, there’s always something new to explore.

This writer is no techno fan, but even I can’t help but sway along with an army of handsome, sweaty, queer east Londoners to the demanding electronica of a roster of achingly cool DJs — my ears nevertheless primed for the slightest hint of a tune.

There’s melody and more later that evening as the vibe shifts seismically to pop — a little too much, perhaps — as we meet the night’s headline performers.

Top billing goes to Jessie Ware, whose disco-diva energy and boomingly soulful voice are as on point as always.

Before her is another name slightly overfamiliar to the LGBTQ+ club scene: former Attitude Award- winner Melanie C, who nevertheless puts paid to any eyebrow-rolling with a short but sweet set that all but blows the roof off the incomprehensibly huge main room. She opens with Orbital’s ‘Spicy’, as performed at Glastonbury 2024.

This Frankenstein’s monster-esque dance remix of ‘Wannabe’, built around the flighty, teasing line that introduced Sporty to the world: “If you want my future, forget my past…” is a gift from the electronic duo that adds clout and coolness to the Spice Girls’ bubblegum legacy. Then comes Melanie’s deadly serious dance number and UK number-one single ‘I Turn to You’, performed with a troupe of dancers huge enough to eclipse any Spice Girls gig, and a gobsmacking dance routine that is both elegant and edgy.

The manpower that goes into staging such an event is beyond comprehension, but as False Idols’ founder Clayton Wright told Attitude in an interview last year, the bottom line is inclusivity: “We only work with people that champion diversity and queer safety, which we make a contractual obligation.” Many of the DJs and dancers here belong to Wright’s LGBTQ+-centred A Lawless Agency, which looks after talent across the worlds of music, dance, events, fashion, experiential and nightlife.

Details of the next False Idols are yet to be revealed, but its spiritual sister event, the Wright co- founded Body Movements, another daytime fixture, returns to London’s Southwark Park on Sunday 24 August 2025. (Wright also runs Feel It, Studland and Little Gay Brother.)

“Lawless is on a journey to take queer culture and these artists out of the underground and into the mainstream,” he adds. “Because queer music and culture deserve to be celebrated and recognised everywhere. We’re not waiting for these artists to reach a certain level of fame; we’re meeting them where they are now because we believe in their talent. It’s easy when you love someone and see their potential for stardom.”

Starting and finishing early, it seems, is the way forwards. After 10 hours of dancing, the event officially ends at 11pm, which sounds odd on paper — could a Fire-like weekend residency be in the event’s future? — but we’re not complaining.

We gladly drag ourselves home from the slightly far-flung location, passing a couple of regular queer club nights in Zone 2 in the process, all with no entry queues — presumably because their usual frequenters are still in north London.

I get to bed at a reasonable time, already almost sober, and wake up the next day without a hangover. Just one of the many perks of daytime clubbing.

Check out alawlessagency.com for news of the next False Idols event.