Let loose and Hang out
Tickets to The Hang Out / 29th October - Click here
More then ever we have to make the most of things as we work our way through the uncertainties. Necessity is the mother of invention, and the event industry more then anything needs to adapt to current situation. People need community, creativity needs an outlet and culture is more relevant then ever with isolation becoming normalised. More then anything else our primary inspiration at Bolt is to foster communities and since we can’t host events at Bolt we have been working with venues that can accommodate larger numbers safely.
The Hang Out is a curated series of events around the sub-cultures we love bringing together creative content across film, photography, music and art. We partnered up with the Rebel Reel Cine Club along with friends in events industry to advise and navigate a way to do the things whilst implementing all necessary safety measures. From socialising to sipping cocktails the idea is as simple as it sounds, bringing the good people together for a good time.
We held the first event at the Broadlakes Roadhouse, a military style wooden building set against a national park, it looked every inch out of the 50’s. This made an ideal setting for watching the Marlon Brando Classic “The Wild One” and looked like it could have been cited in the same dirt town they menaced. As the evening drew in the rain came down and i started to worry whether it would literally dampen the entire event along with my jeans. Thankfully a break in clouds came just as the film began and lasted for the rest of the evening.
As we head into Autumn we sourced a new venue that both allowed us to expand the event and offered shelter from the uncertainty of the British weather. I love concrete and I love brutalist architecture, not always mind but having worked at the Barbican Arts Centre I learned to appreciate that what could be made from powdered dirt. The Silver Building is full of futuristic idealism and the sweeping DLR line that runs overhead across the lights of the Skyway Cable Car feels like a Neo-Tokyo landscape from the movie Akira. The concrete continues into a minimalist contemporary styled bar serving everything from craft beers , literally made in a brewery opposite, alongside a full cocktail list. The Silver building overlooks the docks and reveals the most incredible panoramic view cross the skyline of Canary Wharf.
We invited Zippo records to bring down a selection of records to accompany the feature film Vanishing Point. Behind the Djs images from Youth Club Archive documenting subcultures in the Uk over the past 100 years played on the 20ft outdoor screen. A short film by “granny takes a trip’ tailor John Pearce titled Jailbird followed. The concrete underpass had filled with American classic cars and a ride in from Bolt brought motorcycles to fill any spaces left. The sound of a 1950’s american pick up pulling a burn out echoed in the underpass as smoke billowed under the street lights. Isolated out on the docklands the building with the back drop of sky scrapers created a cinematic vision of London for the evening.
The Hang Out is every last Thursday of the month and the next will be on the 29th October. We’ll be rounding up the Hot Rods to accompany the main feature “American Graffiti”. We proved that you can have a great night out in a group of six and will continue to develop things over the coming months.
You can purchase your tickets for our next The Hang Out/ 29th October - Click Here
Photography Sam Simpson @samsimpsonphotographer