For most people the fact that it is the weekend is plenty enough reason to celebrate, but when you factor into account the advent of this year's new clubbing season after the summer break, and the coming of age of one of Leeds' best kept secrets, it becomes easy to see why the weekend of the 23rd September 2005 was going to be such a special one...
7 years running and as popular as ever, the leafy green behemoth that is Cabbage prides itself in having one of the friendliest, most welcoming crowds around, despite the incredible popularity among its followers, and the growing universalness of it's appeal.

With resident DJs so passionate about their chosen sound and guest acts carefully hand picked from among the scene's most respected and most well-loved artists, it's not hard to see how the enthusiasm that floods the crowd is equalled as much by the party makers as the party goers - a sure recipe for a good time. The irresistible sonic stimulation so lovingly provided certainly never fails to set your feet stomping...
Of course, headlining psychedelic music veterans Eat Static played a startling live set, boldly incorporating diverse and often unexpected aural elements into their ever-popular sound, and bulldozing the borders between musical genres to create a no-holds-barred party sound that keeps your head spinning and your body moving. I don't think i've ever seen any electronic artist rock out to their music quite so enthusiastically as Merv Eat Static, who I seem to recall spent a lot of their set headbanging quite vigorously whilst tweaking filter knobs and twisting the sounds up 'good and proper...

Alongside the brilliant crowd and astounding musical palette, one other thing that sets Cabbage so far apart from many neighbouring club nights is the beautiful handcrafted UV decor, which is especially noticable in the chill out room, a wondefully otherworldly place where both the mood and the music is decidedly more mellow. Chill room headliners Luna Loop proved once again that when it comes to doing their thing, no one does it better than they do - engaging and energetic performers that they are, they created before our very eyes an inspiring all-live set of uplifting melodies, funky beats and intriguing sounds that was perfect for whether you were bouncing with the crowd, having a bit of a sit down and taking a break from the intensity of the main room madness, or just listening in whilst sipping a cup of herbal tea courtesy of the PositiviTea girls and their donation-run tea stall. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt spoilt for choice and ended up running between rooms like a kid in a sweet shop, trying so desperately to take in as much as I could of what was on offer!

After the guest acts had done their bit, the task of providing musical accompaniment to everyones night was finally left to the resident DJs, who would wrap up the night in time honoured fashion, sending all us partygoers to a fever pitch with the choicest of twisted pounding beats to take us all right through til morning time.
It is only then that thoughts return of the other world that we all discarded and left behind at the door, and our temporary collective fantasy slowly fades into the realms of memory. That is, until next time... And there is always a 'next time' - once you have experienced how refreshingly different Cabbage is, there is no turning back!
It's safe to say that Cabbage never fails to hit the spot with me, and this time was no exception; any event where this much thought and effort has gone into fascillitating the best party possible can't possibly fail to come up trumps. If there was ever a night out to set any benchmark by, Cabbage would be it.

See you all in October for a Halloween party to be remembered...

r_m

Ooh - ta very much.

We aims to please.

And please you do =D

Aww, has no one taken a pic of you yet for your user icon Chris? I'll try and make sure I corner you at some point this coming Cabbage and get a good one for ya if u like... ;)