08.08.23. 7–11pm. Free. Book via Eventbrite

Fred Deakin fell in love with clubbing as a teenager and spent years running strange and wonderful club nights in London and Edinburgh, including several in the building that now makes up half of the Fruitmarket. These formative adventures in clubland shaped his subsequent career as artist, professor and half of electronica duo Lemon Jelly. Deakin is in Edinburgh for the festival while his Club Life show runs at Summerhall, but tonight he’s at Fruitmarket in conversation with writer and critic, Neil Cooper about Edinburgh’s club culture in the 80s and 90s. And of course, after the conversation the bar stays open and Deakin will have the tunes spinning to get you on the dance floor.

A limited edition publication Club Life: Return to Devil Mountain featuring poster and flyer artwork plus text from Neil Cooper and interview with Fred Deakin will be on sale on the night or if you can’t come along you, buy a copy here

Fred Deakin’s clubs always seemed to be the place to be during my early days in Edinburgh. This was the case from the black polo-necked nouveau Beat stylings of nu-jazz night, Blue, all the way through to the retro-cool dressed-up vintage hedonism of Easy Listening institution, Going Places. In between came the epic spectacles of Thunderball and Devil Mountain, and my favourite, Misery.
Neil Cooper

Club Life at Summerhall
From 2–27 August Deakin hosts Club Life at Summerhall, an immersive joyride through his crazy clubland adventures during the 80s and 90s. This innovative show invites the audience to participate directly in these clubbing experiences, together recreating classic nights and bringing the fashion tribes of the late twentieth century back to life. Book tickets here