Area 51 and House 9 Nostalgia

The sad news of the demise of Area 51 and House 9 this week brought about a certain nostalgia in the office, not least for the optimism showed from those behind Area 51 in videos such as this one:

Ah...‘Continental Clubbing’ arriving in Manchester. It was a nice idea but evidently not one that really grasped the Manchester public to full effect. Spending all night dancing and sipping cocktails in an open air club somewhere in the Mediterranean, under the light of the moon and the stars, the scent of jasmine in the warm night air, sun kissed ravers with smiles on their faces waiting for the sun to appear on the horizon, is undoubtedly an appealing prospect, if that’s what ‘continental clubbing’ is about. Spending all night in a hot, damp room opposite Deansgate Locks while it throws it down with rain outside and you know you have to be back at work within 24 hours, doesn’t quite have the same appeal.

House 9 was an ideal a little shorter of life, their ‘we’re on Deansgate Locks but we’re not like the rest of them’ selling point an interesting one to begin with but one that never really took hold. That, some might argue, had something to do with their web presence – or rather lack of – an important tool in today’s digitally social world. A website, for example, is an essential element to such a venue. House 9 offered the following throughout their existence:

And no, your eyes are not deceiving you.