Open Access: Postal, and Edinburgh Festivals clubbing

As Edinburgh collectively anticipates the return of the Festival, night owls across the city await 5am licensing amidst new faces on the dancefloor. Ready to show visitors what a Cowgate night is all about are John Irvine aka ji_2000 and Peter Smith aka Smiff, the duo behind Postal – Sneaky Pete’s Sunday club night.

This August marks three years since the pair put down roots in Edinburgh’s music scene, marked by Scotland’s clubs reopening post-pandemic. "My first gig was the second day clubs opened, for Midnight Bass," Irvine recalls, "by the time COVID was over, [I] had loads of tunes [and] had nothing but time to practise." Smiff’s experience was similar, banking a gig with Headset a few weeks later. "I’m so glad I had that period… I got into the niche that I was interested in," he says, "when they reopened the novelty was crazy."

Postal’s founder, McKinley Breau-Taylor, staged the night’s earliest incarnations during these uncharted times. "It was different," Irvine remembers attending an early Postal, "people [were] sitting down, drinking margaritas and eating pizza." A natural harmony was found between the pair behind the decks, "[Breau-Taylor] was always booking us to do b2bs, so we were DJing together all the time," says Irvine. "John plays a lot of grime and old school stuff," Smiff adds, "I play percussive, Latin drumming stuff and it brings this interesting Venn diagram that people seem to like."

The two were respectively boosted to residents, before taking the helm as Postal’s organisers just over a year ago. Smiff describes their music policy as "play whatever... It’s no frills," he explains, "we’re in an age where everything is about getting the hype crowds [or] getting the big social media moments… whereas people don’t care on a Sunday, you just come in to have fun."

That being said, Postal have had their fair share of heavy hitters and sell-out nights. The likes of Yung Singh, Ross from Friends and Neffa-T have graced the booth. Irvine experienced a full circle moment when Postal booked jungle superstar Sherelle last February. "My first time seeing Sherelle was in SWG3," Irvine recalls the artist’s high energy Boiler Room set at the end of 2019. "[She] was one of my favourite DJs when I first started going out."

While bagging the big acts is great for Postal’s reputation (and brings in some new faces to their sessions), their priorities remain firmly local. As Irvine puts it, "We can give local DJs a chance to support a big [artist]… It validates those playing local sets all the time." This ethos extends to up-and-comers in Edinburgh’s close-knit scene. "We give people their first sets," Irvine says, "it's good for DJs coming through to play at Sneaky’s, it’s got amazing sound and set up." Smiff agrees, "The walk-ins are a reluctant crowd sometimes… the way of developing yourself is through playing to those people and working out what makes them want to go and buy a beer."

So, with the Festival set to turn the city on its axis once again, how does Postal feel about the upcoming Fringe? "It’s great!" Smiff remarks. "The city transforms." Irvine shares this sentiment: "Not every city has something like that, stop moaning about it!" Their attitude is refreshing amongst a sea of dissent from locals, already irked by packed pavements and cruise liner tourists. For Irvine, it’s simple, "people make clubs fun… and people coming from all around the world makes everything more interesting!"

The relaxing of nightclub hours is an added benefit, with licences extended to 5am for the month. It offers Postal the chance to experiment with programming their night. "You can let people play longer sets or stack up a lineup," explains Smiff, "[extended sets are] a completely different way of playing…. it’s less pressure, you can accept the fact that crowds peak and trough." Irvine comments: "People all go out for a smoke at the same time, then twice as many of them come back!"

The increased August footfall provides an opportunity for Postal to make their mark on visitors. "People up from London start talking about Sneaky’s when they go back," Smiff says. The pair had a surprise after Irvine came across a tourist’s TikTok last year. The video creator’s clubbing recommendation? "Sundays during August at Sneaks!", Irvine exclaims, "I was like ‘that’s me!’"

For as much as the pair love to share Postal nights with all who descend on Edinburgh for the summer, their objective remains the same year-round. "[Give] people chances to play and support local," Irvine concludes. And as for the punters? "It’s for hospitality, it’s for young people," says Smiff, "[it’s] the regulars plus a bunch of pissed people in kilts."

In that case, you can count us there.