Guest blog post by Jamie McHale
Last Saturday saw the first ever Sneaky Experience, billed as a mysterious and mischievous event held at the art space Temple Works Leeds. The concept of the evening is that the whole event is a bit of a secret, clues being dropped via the Twitter feed and Facebook page as to the theme and the iconic film being shown. Fancy dress is encouraged and prospective revelers are promised a “dazzling eclectic mix of mighty creative force; a true feast for your eyes and ears”.
On arrival spirits were high; most of the attendees had embraced the fancy dress code with more Indiana Jones & Lara Croft wanabees than you could shake a stick at. There were also a couple of aliens and a Viking who I can only assume drastically misinterpreted the clues. The spectacle soon began (and arguably ended) with a couple of Nazis and a woman on horseback galloping through the streets and whipping up the audience with some fun interaction.
Unfortunately, that’s about as far as the spectacle went. The continuation of the theme in the courtyard venue felt largely inchorent; there was a lady incessantly trying to sell cucumbers and a belly-dancer who could make any situation immensely awkward. In one corner there were some dressed but abandoned stalls and the seating area was scattered with a few exotic cushions. A fortune teller at the price of £20 a reading (on top of the £15 entry fee) failed to draw many customers and the unlit sheesha pipes furthered the apparent lack of thought.
For the next hour or so very little happened, the circus acts (a stilt walker and a juggling ninja) failed to entertain despite their valiant attempts. The organisers really can’t be blamed for this but the weather was perhaps a factor in the chilly ambiance with almost everyone being visibly cold.
Then came the film screening, gathered (thankfully) inside one of The Temple Works’ rooms the atmosphere had bounced back with the audience cheering as the opening titles played to the iconic music blasting from the speakers. However the renewed enthusiasm was short-lived with the audio quality being shockingly bad, rendering almost all dialogue unintelligible. Raiders of the Lost Ark is hardly a dialogue-driven piece but the viewing was frankly boring with nothing but moving lips and a deafening soundtrack. After a few tweaks to the equipment the audio was improved but still left a lot to be desired.
Over the 2 hour running time of the film, the crowd began to drastically thin with people deciding to go home and put their whips and toy-guns back in the cupboard for another year. The atmosphere was confused, with the die hard Indiana fans watching the film in silence whilst a rowdy group of attendees laughed and joked at one side. There was no interaction or engagement from the organisers during the film and I don’t think I was the only one expecting some live action from the troupe during the screening. As the credits rolled it was evident the applause was more out of relief than anything else as we knew the acts couldn’t be far away and the need for entertainment was reaching breaking point.
Luckily the acts started quite quickly afterwards and completely transformed the atmosphere thanks to Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer getting the crowd going with his unique and entertaining act. After his set the stage was taken by DJ Scratch whose energetic and bass-y mixes provided perfect occasion to let your hair down. Unfortunately the crowd had thinned so much by this point the dance floor looked a little tragic (despite the best attempts of an Egyptian Mummy) and the buzz failed to last with the event coming to a natural end not long after.
Sneaky Experience is a brilliant idea which failed to live up to its own hype through a combination of poor planning, lacklustre entertainment and a confused and jilted pace. Having said that, it was at the very least a different experience to normal nights out and has the fundamentals of an innovative and enthralling evening. Regrettably, on this occasion the night failed to deliver, but hopefully with refinement the next Sneaky Experience will inject a dose of much needed excitement back into Leeds’ nightlife.
Ha sounds quite similar to a situation I had in London when we went to see Cinema Paradiso in a circus tent in Hampstead Heath. The acrobats were fun but the next hour was spent with the projectionist trying to steady the camera, focus the picture and get the sound to work! We went home before the film even started – I think it lasts about 3 hours anyway. My sister has been to secret cinema a few times and tells me it is very good – http://www.secretcinema.org/ I guess sometimes these things just go tits up if all parts don’t come together like they should.
Thanks for the comment Nicola,
You would really think the organisers would check the equipment before the guests turn up wouldn’t you?
I believe (I could be mistaken here) that Sneaky Experience is actually based on Secret Cinema and yes, I’ve heard nothing but good things about that.
I agree completely – I was also there and although I think it is an excellent premise, the whole event didn’t live up to expectations.
One of the risks of holding an event such as sneaky experience is that people don’t know what they are paying for, so this kind of reaction is not unlikely.
This was the first time, so hopefully we will see an improvement in the next one.
Hello,
Thank you for your your review and messages, your comments are very much appreciated. As I am sure you are aware, this is our first event, and comments like these can only help us grow, improve and provide our guests with a more satisfying experience.
We are very glad that you loved the horseback intro – it was definitely one of our top moments! However we are aware that there were a number of issues which you have pointed out – all valid and justified, which we fully intend on addressing these issues for future events.
Without going into details, we did have a few blips behind the scenes on the night – the film screening being one of them, as we were let down by our projection and sound supplier 48 hours before the event. Although we managed to overcome the issue in time, it obviously had an impact on the preparation that would otherwise go into this area.
It was definitely a shame that we had not been blessed with the amazing weather from the previous day – but hey ho!
Whilst we have obviously suffered some teething points, some of which were beyond our control, the general consensus from the majority of our fans seems to be positive and sounds like they thoroughly enjoyed the night.
Some comments we have received:
Paul Dizz
Thanks guys for organising such a fab night
I’ll try tag you in my photos that I’m about to upload!
Lin Slane
What an absolutely fantastic Saturday night – brilliant film, acts, food, drink and so much more – everything under one roof. A night to remember, bring on the next one!!
Nina Brissenden
A great night, best bits: spending time with my great bunch of girlfriends, the amazingly talented Mr B, Paul in his mummy costume, the guy in the green tweed suit and bowler hat looking very daper, the great tunes DJ Switch played, the lovely friendly bunch of girls behind the bar, the chicken curry to die for, the funny german guards and the amazing fortune teller Heloisa,
We totally take on board that there were a few elements that need to be addressed however, I can assure you that we will be addressing all elements for our next event to make it even better.
Thanks for your feedback, all is noted. Hope to see you again 🙂
Well done on doing something ambitious Julia, and I know having put on events at Temple Works that it’s not without it’s challenges!
We always think twice about the impact of putting firm but fair reviews on the site, especially as we know from our own experience just how much blood, sweat and tears go into making great stuff happen.
I do think there is an appetite for what you are doing, and by being so open to learn with your guests, you stand a good chance of them growing with you!
I look forward to your next event and hope to get a babysitter so I can make it along