Hot Lunch's resident DJ David Dancer |
In Boston’s gay club culture, night doesn’t get hotter than HOT LUNCH, the gay-friendly party that takes over the Paradise Rock Club once a month. For one, it had to move from Allston’s Reel Bar because it was just too popular. And resident DJ SIR LOINS (a/k/a Stephen Crowe) blew the pants off other DJs at the Love During Wartime DJ event when he played in his underwear. And when Hot Lunch launched at its new location last month, it had none other than DJ Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite) on the decks and the place was packed. Although Crowe has moved to NYC to start Hot Lunch NYC at the Delancey, Boston holds it down with resident DJ DAVID DANCER.“Stephen’s still working with it, we’re still planning it via e-mail and phone calls,” Dancer says, “and he’ll DJ each month. He didn’t move to San Francisco or LA like all my other friends. He’s just a bus ride away.” The party spins a variety of music but generally is at home with the underground sound. “The years I’ve been going out, the options have been so limited. Everyone’s focused on a scene, whether it’s pop or hip-hop or Top 40. We’re the biggest underground, new-wave, electro, post-punk gay club. We play what we know will get it going, but that changes from month to month, and that’s the biggest difference.”
Not only do Dancer and Crowe spin a variety of music, they also book a variety of guests, from punk acts to DJs like the Juan Maclean. “We try to be a little different each time. We’ve had bands from New York, we’ve had local electro groups, and we’ve had Houston Bernard. This month we have more of the ’80s-inspired electro, but upcoming we have Partyline, with members of Bratmobile, which is like a garage/punk night, and that’s what we’ll be spinning. Each time it’s different.”
This Saturday, NYC model, actor, and DJ XAVIER J. performs at the 18-plus event. “As far as gay nights go, it’s not a gay pop night. It’s a gay-friendly night. That was Stephen’s point: it was for gays and their buddies. It’s for everyone, but it’s primarily gay-friendly. So everyone’s welcome to come out, young, old, gay, straight, whatever.”
Dancer goes on to explain how the night is similar to the old Saturday nights at the recently demolished MANRAY, Cambridge’s legendary dark disco. “I definitely see a lot of familiar faces. Our last night it was our first 18-plus night, and I was expecting a younger crowd, but we attract all age groups. People old enough to be my parents, stuff like that. That was quite a surprise. It was also the first time we could have everyone under one roof. At Reel Bar we could get 60, 65 people in at a time but 150 people would pass through. So we’d have a line of 100 people, and I’d have to turn people away, even friends of mine. Now more people can get in at one time.” The event starts at 9 pm this Saturday and goes till 2 am; admission is $6.
