Music > Live Reviews
Rattle Baby Disco
OPEN
22/11/16
I've wanted to take my little one to a Rattle Baby Disco for a while now, but due to overwhelming demand they usually sell out very quickly. So when I heard that the next one was TV and movie themed, as Outline's resident DVD reviewer and a fervent cinephile I jumped at the chance.
As you can expect for a sold out event at Open the queue to get in was long, stretching most of the way down London Street. It drew many quizzical looks from passerbys as they tried to figure out what all these tiny movie characters were up to. A couple of the staff zipped along scanning e-tickets and ushering us inside with such speed and efficiency that the whole queue was inside and ready to dance in a matter of minutes. No mean feat as parents with unwieldy buggies, cumbersome bags and excitable little ones aren't always the easiest creatures to herd.
Friendly, relaxed and approachable staff were present throughout the event and it was immediately obvious that this had been organised with love by parents who wanted to provide a good time for little kids and big kids alike. Face painting, nail painting, free snacks, the biggest sensory messy play area I've ever seen, a licensed bar upstairs for the adults (a welcome rarity at a kids event) and a woman hula-hooping onstage who my son was particularly enamoured with were all present and contributed to a lovely atmosphere.
The dancefloor was lively but never so crowded that it felt uncomfortable or dangerous for the little ravers to let loose. The DJ (in a Team Zissou outfit that matched my own, good choice sir!) did a good job of keeping the energy up and the crowd moving with some choice recent hits and classic movie themes. After a brief interlude halfway through for a spirited rendition of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious by some volunteers from Norwich Puppet Theatre, the DJ returned and dished out 20 minutes or so of some old skool TV themed rave classics, from Urban Hype's A Trip To Trumpton to Smart E's Sesame's Treet via Charly by The Prodigy and Rainbow Vibes by Sonz Of Bungle, this section was the highlight of the afternoon for me and just served to show that this event aimed to cater to everyone that attended. Hilariously when the next track came on (the Postman Pat Theme) I found myself waiting for the hardcore breakbeat to kick in; alas it didn't, and the flashback to my raving youth was over. I handed my son his glowsticks back, put my shirt back on and normal service was resumed.
All in all it was a wonderfully enjoyable afternoon, faultlessly organised and extremely welcoming. My only gripe is that more parents didn't dress up - I could count the number of adults in fancy dress on one hand, and two of them were us. Come on parents of Norwich, you can do better than this. Embrace your inner child next time Rattle rolls around.
