Fantastic Man on their Speyside Fantastic Party

You’ve been running your Fantastic Man parties in Glasgow and beyond since 2010 – what was the original premise?
We just started as a way to play silly songs to our pals. Bloc asked us to do a night, and I think the main thing was to not take things too seriously. The name, the posters, the songs we played – it was all about just having maximum fun and not trying to be cool. It was very much an ‘anything goes’ policy – why not play N-Trance followed by Papa Roach followed by Hudson Mohawke? We managed to attract a pretty magical group of regulars – folk who just wanted to dance and be a bit silly. It’s always been a very open, welcoming and accepting atmosphere.

How do you feel your parties evolved since the start?
Well, we learned to DJ for one! When we started, we just had our laptops and Spotify, mashing tunes into one another. There was a definite charm to it, but over more than a decade we’ve thankfully learned how to mix. Our musical tastes have also evolved – while we’ve never been part of any ‘scene’, we’ve managed to pick up on the interesting things happening in dance music; from that first TNGHT EP, to discovering SOPHIE and PC Music, it’s always been fun incorporating whatever makes us excited into our sets. And of course, about six years ago, Iain’s [Stewart] mum created us both some amazing disco cloaks. So now people know – when the cloaks go on, it’s time to dance.

As well as running regular nights in Glasgow, you’ve played a number of festivals and events outwith the city over the years. What is it that inspires you to take Fantastic Man further afield?
It’s just always a joy to be asked to go anywhere. Some of our favourite sets have been at festivals – people are definitely in the mind-set to cut loose and totally go for it. I guess we try and curate a little bit of a festival atmosphere wherever we are.

I last caught you hosting on Eigg as part of last year’s Howlin’ Fling and it was an absolute riot. This July, you’re hosting The Speyside Fantastic Party in Aviemore. How did this come about? And why Aviemore?
Johnny Lynch has been an amazing supporter of us and we’ve been regulars on Eigg for a few years now. It feels like a spiritual home for us – what an absolutely idyllic and ridiculous place. So when we heard there wasn’t going to be a Howlin’ Fling this year, we basically decided we needed a big Highland party to get us through the summer. The Old Bridge Inn is a legendary venue and I’ve done things with them previously with Detour Scotland – I got in touch asking if they might be up for hosting a big outdoor party and they were totally on board. Everything has worked out brilliantly – there’s a bunkhouse there and it’s already sold out with our regulars who are coming up for it.

The Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore. Image: courtesy of The Old Bridge Inn.

What’s the plan for the day? Give us the hard sell!
Oh, it is going to be a powerful day! The Old Bridge Inn is in an amazing spot, right next to the River Spey. They have a big beautiful space out front, with a wee outdoor stage. So from 4pm til 10pm, we’ve curated a free party with live music from Free Love and Pictish Trail, while Junglehussi and ourselves will be DJing. It’s free entry, all ages, so we’re hoping for a big community turn-out, along with a good few folk travelling from further afield. There will be food trucks and plenty of beer, and maybe even some swimming in the river, weather permitting. Then, for the harder partyers, we’ve got an afterparty in Aviemore’s legendary nightclub The Vault, where we’ll all be DJing until 3am. Hopefully something for everyone! 

Over the 14 or so years you’ve been hosting these parties, what are some of your highlights?
The first night back in Bloc after lockdown was pretty special – there was just such a sense of joy and relief to be back in a room with all your pals, getting sweaty together. Beyond that, our times on Eigg standout – DJing til 7am after a Jon Hopkins set as the sun comes up is hard to beat.

We do get asked to do some random things, which I love. Just last year we were the support act for both Melvins and UNKLE, and a few years ago opened for Mix Master Mike. So it’s a nice outcome of being hard to categorise! Oh yeah – and that time our pal Lindsey surprised us by revealing she’d got a tattoo of us DJing on her arm! Absolutely mad.

Will this year’s Speyside Party be a one-off, or would you hope to do more in future?
I’d love to do more wee wild Highland parties. There are so many brilliant village halls in rural areas in Scotland – folk love a wee escape from the city, and if you can tie it up with some amazing live music and DJs, then absolutely ideal. We might try and do a wee tour in 2025.

Back in Glasgow, I see you also have Fantastic Susan happening at the start of July in Glasgow, and a Charli XCX after-party planned for later in the year. What else does 2024 have in store for Fantastic Man?
We were super chuffed that Susan Bear asked us to host her album launch party. She’s amazing. We’ve got our regular night in Nice N Sleazy (Hot Fat), and we’ll also be doing more shows in The Rum Shack, which we love. We’ll hopefully be hosting a few more after-parties for festivals (core. and The Great Western to name a couple) – and then anything else, we’re just up for doing anything weird and fun and a little bit wonky.

Tell us a joke.
Did you hear about the magic tractor? He was driving down the road, then turned into a field. 

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The Speyside Fantastic Party, The Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore, 20 Jul, 4-10pm, free entry; afterparty at The Vault, Aviemore, until 3am; Vroom Vroom, Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, 2 Dec
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