Sunday 1 April 2012

‘Ayefe Notse’ by King David featuring Samini brings back memories of Glen’s ..London’s former hottest Ghanaian nightclub…





Wow this tune brings back some serious memories (laughter) ….I’m sure some of you remember that fabulously notorious Ghanaian nightclub that was located just a stones throw from Tottenham Police station [????] -on the corner, sort of opposite Tottenham town hall, just down the road from present day Seven Sisters’ Tesco -called Glen‘s?

I remember this being the only place to be on Friday and Saturday night, and when DJ FiiFii Plat dropped said tune -the place would erupt, sending the numerous undercover policemen (the only white people in the club -oh…apart from the lovely blonde lady on the door. She was newly divorced from an Ashanti man -thus, knew all about the errmm ….. what can I call it… the nightclub loving Ghanaian crowd -she was fabulous) -scattering….

Glen’s nightclub in Tottenham was beyond tacky but hot, like some of those hot nightclubs in the meatpacking district -of NYC -say!!! …. Honestly there’s nothing quite like it now -what a shame!!!!

The great, the good, the bad and the ugly of the Ghanaian community and beyond -could be found there.....

Bijlmer’s wannabe footballers (Amsterdam) would fly in every Friday morning to party hard on those two-must-be-at-Glen’s-nights and fly back out via Croydon on Sunday morning.

One or two errrrrm musicians would also fly in from Germany, Belgium, Wales, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Luton ..-but mostly, it was packed full of London’s hot, some not so hot, hip, some not so hip, some working three jobs after a night stacking shelves at Tesco‘s, some working only one job during the day at JP Morgan’s, some serious fashionistas (moi and co. of course. I was sporting short blonde natural tresses with blonde eyebrows then -don’t ask??), some errrrm men without jobs who drove the hottest cars around town -and own houses in both Crystal Palace and Accra -all of them called K.B [I wonder why???], sisters who sold Brazilian hair, sisters who did weave-ons on the cheap, brothers who owned ‘cocaine houses’ in Sunyani, the odd Ghanaian film star, the odd Ghanaian errrm high commission staff (the type who could sort out your ‘Ghanaian’ passport or VISA for the likes of London born me, -without you having to queue with everyone else -wink, wink-give me money to buy my mistress a Gucci handbag oOo), those sporting real Louis Vuitton ‘it bags’ and those who bought their’s from China, one or two ’special’ pastors, plenty of north London’s mixed Ghanaian/Jamaican population, a few Nigerians who had travelled to Mecca and were now in the oil business (wink, wink -I can afford oOOo ), some of London’s ‘very, very special’ Akan Ivorians (we come via Paris in our Jean Paul Gaultier bondage pants /Probito’s D&G uber stretchy dresses oOOo. Gosh can you remember when we all used to shop in Probito’s in London’s west end?) -including one of my then BFF’s …special ‘dancing coupe decale Yamoussoukro gal’ -sweet red, red, red, red -Desiree (nobody was redder than Desiree including Desiree herself -mercy).

Glen’s was also a hub for some of Sierra Leone's finest newly arrived-from-Free Town ladies, a handful of handsome Zimbabwean men -who had all lived in Ghana in the late 90‘s, a handful of former presidents-of-Ghana-sikalicious-uber wastrel grandchildren -who bought and drunk champagne like it was going out of fashion; a lady who sold Kenkey, and another who sold Shito (the best in town) and then there were those of us who had finally discovered our Ghanaian selves/culture/roots and were embracing …errmmm some of what it had to offer (minus the errm grasscutter/bush meat element) …. Fabulous.. Viva La Glen’s oOOoo…

Yes La Glen’s nightclub was hot but bad, bad, bad -and was finally shutdown ….HARDCORE stylee by the authorities in the end…

Too many crazy Ghanaians from all over the place, some ascending, some descending, too many fights (surly not in the ever peaceful Ghanaian community???), a few gun shots, some men coming into Glen’s already tanked up to the rafters on Akpeteshie, a few bottles flying -too much of the wrong kind of spirits, too many sons of never heard-of chiefs looking for sika that other never heard-of sons of kings -owed them…asem!!

So this once hottest destination for errrrm partying Ghanaians in north London -is now relegated to ‘back-in-the-day’ memories, -and what a shame because it was fun!!! Those were the days…

**Also ....I’m sooo bored of Azonto -aren’t you …… and can’t believe this sweet-mango-pawpaw-delicious tune by the ever fabulous King David featuring Ghana Rising eye-candy du jour, Samini has also been relegated to ‘back-in-the-day’ -whatever, I still love it.. Enjoy xoxo

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM1UmrbEz88&feature=related

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