11:00am Sunday 13th December 2009
By David Connop Price
LOVE them or hate them, they are the stars of The X Factor 2009 – and now John and Edward are coming to town as a major Basingstoke nightclub relaunches after a £500,000 refurbishment.
Irish twins John and Edward Grimes – better known as Jedward – have provided the biggest talking points of ITV’s hit television show this year with their high-energy low-talent performances.
The dynamic, or dreadful, duo – depending on your point of view – are scheduled to appear at Liquid on December 22.
And John and Edward are not the only X Factor finalists heading to the new-look Liquid in Churchill Way.
Lucie Jones is set to perform on December 21, and the following Monday, her Welsh compatriot and fellow contestant Lloyd Daniels is due to take a bow in front of teenagers at the venue.
The appearances are part of a series of events to mark the 1,200-capacity club’s new look following a major refurbishment.
Club manager Paul Mulliner said: “It’s a complete overhaul of the club. We want to re-establish the club scene in Basingstoke and allow everyone to have a top-of-the-range club.”
He explained that more emphasis is being put on visual effects, with 12 projectors showing music videos on the white ceiling walls of the club’s central dance circle, while a special laser is being installed which could provide multi-coloured light shows.
The bars are in the same place, but they have been stripped of central pillars to create more service space, and the seven-year-old club will add 10 new staff to its 40-strong roster.
Music will be directed towards the dance floor so people can hear each other more clearly in the bar areas, said Mr Mulliner.
A room upstairs has been rebranded and will be limited to people aged 23 and over on Friday and Saturday nights.
Mr Mulliner said that Liquid brought in a new security team 18 months ago and the club, which had a battery of CCTV cameras, has worked with the street pastors and the police to “make sure people get home safely”.
The trio of X Factor acts will be performing only to youngsters aged 13-17 at the club’s alcohol-free under-18 nights, but the club has lined up a series of celebrity appearances for its older clientele to mark its relaunch.
Matt Littler and Darren Jefferies, better known as Max and OB from TV soap Hollyoaks, will be at the club’s preview party on December 16.
The following day Radio 1Xtra DJs Ace and Vis take part in an urban session, and on Friday, December 18, Baby D – who had a number one hit with Let Me Be Your Fantasy, in 1994 – will perform as the club goes back to the old school dance scene.
Finally, EastEnders star Scott Maslen, who plays Walford nightclub owner Jack Branning, will be Liquid’s ‘club manager’ for the official relaunch night on December 19, working in different areas and meeting revellers.
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