The 9th of May 2008 was a ‘milestone’ for me and my best friend John*. We have finally decided to ‘explore’ and get a first hand experience of how it is like to be in a gay club. We have been talking about ‘aj’ clubbing since we have come to know about its existence but did not have the courage to go to such places. As John is currently serving the nation, and with myself going to straight clubs more often, going to such clubs were just a plan which did not materialise until that faithful day. After much persuasion and bartering, I managed to ask my gay coursemate Andrew* to come along since he is the experienced one and my best friend and I did not want to go there alone. And so it was set, 2230h at Tanjong Pagar MRT. Destination: Play.

I have always asked Andrew what to expect about aj clubs and how different is it from straight clubs like Zouk or Ministry of Sound (MOS). He mentioned things like:

1. Expect to see more guys (duh!)
2. Expect to see half naked guys dancing and ‘diva’s gyrating on stage.
3. Expect to see guys kissing and guys grinding. (Something that you definitely won’t see in a straight club! Unless of course the couple/s is/are open about their sexuality)
4. Expect ‘diva’ songs.
5. Expect to see people whom you don’t expect to see.

These are just some of the many points he gave me during his ‘pre-clubbing’ briefing every time I asked him why he likes to go to aj clubs. And these same points were the ones I shared to my best friend John that day. I met John at Orchard first before we took a deep breath and made our way to Tanjong Pagar.

2230h. We reached just in time. John was telling me, ‘Can we turn back and just go home?’. I said, ‘This is it John. We are already here.’ After a few minutes, Andrew arrived. It was the first time John and Andrew met so they had to introduce themselves to each other (although each knew of the other person’s existence before we met that day). We then walked towards Play.

I then realised that I have been to that area before. Yes, I have been to Maxwell Food Centre once but the area where Play is located was very familiar. I then remembered that one of my friends gave me a ‘tour’ of some of the ‘gay’ areas in Tanjong Pagar a few years back. I remembered that my friend brought me to the now defunct ‘Happy’ and MOX bar (but we did not go in). So yeah, I was actually familiar with the place.

2245h. After standing outside the club (breathing because we were so nervous), we summoned enough courage to go in. Andrew asked how much the cover charge was that day and we were very lucky to be the 97th, 98th and 99th person to avail of the free entry for the first 100 people. Hah. Once we went in, Andrew gave us a short ‘tour’ of the place. As he mentioned, Play was indeed a small club and the ‘dance floor’ was really small. Since there were still very few people around, we decided to go over Maxwell FC to grab some drinks, sit down and talk. Gay presence in that food centre was really strong. ‘Well, what do you expect?’ said Andrew.

2345h. We headed back to Play and there were much more people now. We ordered our jugs of Vodka Lime and stood by the bar. The DJ was playing some weird music which did not attract much of the clubbers. Most were just hanging around, waiting for good music just like us, sipping their alcohol and chatting with fellow ’sisters’.

0000h. At around this time, the dance floor was getting more crowded. And once the first few notes of the remix of Mariah Carey’s ‘Touch my Body’ were heard, the club was in heat. The party has begun.

Once we finished our drinks, although music was just so-so, I told my friends, ‘Heck already lah. I came here to dance. So let’s go!’ So we were off to dance the night away. While enjoying the beat of the music, here are some of my observations in relation to what Andrew told me to expect in a gay club:

1. There were definitely more guys in that club. Hah. There were a few fag hags there as well. I am not sure if I saw straight couples that night (I think there were a few) but I was not there to look out for them anyway. As Andrew mentioned, there were fewer people on Friday nights and that there is more space to dance. It is a good thing. I hate it when the dance floor is so packed that you cannot dance properly. I was at Zouk Phuture once and dancing with your butt touching another person’s is no fun at all.
2. I only saw 1 guy take off his clothes while dancing. Not that he has a very good body or something. (This part was rather disappointing. Heh) As for divas, there were quite a few. It was a good thing I did not see many as I think I would be scared. Of course, the clubber in me took control as after a while, I dragged my friends to the stage and we danced on stage pretty much the whole time. Not like we are divas or anything though. Luckily no one threw ice cubes at us. (Andrew was telling us that some people throw ice cubes at guys on stage who cannot dance. He said he saw someone get thrown an ice cube at when we were dancing. But not us of course. Heh. Is that true?)
3. There were guys kissing and hugging (although I did not really see a lot because I was too caught up with my dancing) on the dance floor. However, just like what I find irritating in straight clubs, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CROWD and do nothing but hug? These people are just wasting dancing space. I know that it is sweet and lovey-dovey and all but hugging and not doing anything should just be left at the sides. Making out? Go get a room. Hah. As for grinding, I am still not used to seeing guys grinding other guys. I had a fair share of one when I was dancing with some stranger on stage. The technique I used in order to keep a safe distance was face him while dancing. It allowed me to move back a bit if he tries to get closer. Another one was this random guy I was dancing with, I think he was waiting for me to grind him. But sorry dude, not into it yet. At most, I was ‘grinding’ with John and Andrew.
4. This was something I was already expecting. Diva songs. I already expected to hear Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Beyonce. Their songs are fine as I do enjoy listening to some of them. Play me ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’ and I would not stop dancing. However, I was rather disappointed as all (if I remember correctly) songs played that night were from female singers. Everyone else were singing songs I never heard before. Even ballads like ‘Listen’ or ‘Tattoo’ were remixed and played. Well, not that I don’t like these songs but for clubbing? Nah ah. I asked the DJ if he will be playing Elevator by Flo Rida and Timbaland but he said no. Andrew said the songs were already quite good that night but I was very disappointed. Hah. I was waiting for at least some Timbaland, Justin Timberlake or some other good Hip Hop and RnB songs but to no avail. I did have fun but that was because I was dancing with my friends. Songs wise, I still prefer that of straight clubs. (Why is it that they expect all gay guys to like such diva songs? )
5. Although John and I were quite worried, we did see a common friend there. I also saw 2 other guys from the same university. One, I know personally, the other, I know because of his blog. Heh. Just today, an online acquaintance (I am quite sure most of us would have a lot of these on our MSN list) told me he saw me dancing on stage. I was surprised he recognised me. Another funny incident that happened was that someone tugged my arms when I was dancing on stage. I think he mistook me for someone he knew. =X So yeah, I did see people whom I know.

0300h. The DJ played his last song, the lights were switched on and it was time to leave. We were dancing until the club closed. Haha. Or was it just me? John and Andrew said they were really tired. I still had the energy actually. After resting for a while. we all made our way home.

While waiting for the Night Rider home, Andrew asked me how was my first hand experience. Overall, I would rate the fun factor an 8.5/10. That was because I was more carefree and was enjoying it with my close friends. It would have been a 10/10 if I liked the music. However, I only rate the music 6/10. I would have had a blast with the songs at The Butterfactory. I was also telling him that the ‘level of tiredness’ I had that night was the least tired I have been after I went clubbing. Andrew said I am a ‘Hardcore Clubber’ so go figure. I think the club closed a bit too early. My clubbing/dancing record so far is dancing from 9.30pm until 4am when the club closed and that was at a straight club. Now, you think I’m crazy.

Andrew also asked me to compare how I dance in a straight and aj club. Definitely, it is more carefree in the aj club. However, the way I dance and how I enjoy it depends a lot on the music. He also asked me to choose which one I would rather go for, straight or aj clubs? I chose straight clubs – mainly because of the song choices. But when he asked me if I were to go clubbing alone, which one I would go for? I chose an aj club. At least if I go alone, I know I would ‘belong’ into the crowd and I would not find it hard to find someone to dance with. At least, I would not feel weird dancing with an unknown aj guy in an aj club than dancing with an unknown girl in a straight one. However, I would definitely not go clubbing alone. I’d rather stay at home. Haha.

I am not closing doors towards aj clubbing. John and I are actually looking forward to our next clubbing experience. I hope I would not be very disappointed with regards to the songs next time. But I guess it would take some getting used to as well. What matters most is enjoying and having fun with friends anyway.

Next Stop: Fabulous Sundays at St. James?

*not their real names