20/06/08: MANUMISSION OPENING PARTY

Manumission has long been considered a bit of a travelling sideshow - though they’ve never really strayed far from the fair shores of our island - so this year’s theme of Coney Island Review seems rather apt, considering team Manumission is made up of a cast of the weird and wonderful. Not my words by the way, that’s how they describe themselves.

It was also the first party Miss W ever attended when she arrived in Ibiza many years ago, so she has a bit of a soft spot for the antics of Mike and Claire - not to mention a not-so-secret desire to become a Manumission girl (a goal that is very unlikely to be fulfilled in this lifetime)! Which meant there was no way she was going to miss a minute of the 2008 debut.

Having made the permanent and official move to Amnesia and with the terrace being reconstructed over the winter in order to accommodate the spectacular shows, all eyes were on the stripey circus style posters that kept popping up all over town to try and decipher just what tricks Mike and Claire would pull out of the bag this year.

Of course, we weren’t disappointed with four acts telling a tale of Coney Island and it’s fabulous freaks and misfits set in the ‘20s with a modern Manumission twist. As per usual, Mike and Claire were kidnapped - this time with the intent to be cloned by the evil Fraudster and the Dandy Doctor, while they were trapped in a dangerous drag room full of transvestites.

Sound confusing? Miss W has to admit that she was glad she’d read the press release before watching the shows, as the relevance of some characters may have been lost on her otherwise. While the sets, costumes, styling, make-up and dancing were - as always - amazing, Miss W couldn’t help but wonder if the audience missed the point.

But does it really matter? By all accounts, everyone in the venue had a fabulous time, particularly those being entertained by the Jezebel clad hostesses in the VIP area, and even moreso, those lucky enough to still be on the terrace towards the very tail end of the night when Mylo dropped his Ibiza classic anthem, Drop The Pressure.

The fact that Manumission is and always will be one of my favourite parties means I’ll be going back week after week - stay tuned for further reports of the Coney Island ‘Freak Of The Week’ a band of guests including Lucky, the World’s Most Tattooed Man, Baby with her Extraordinary Acrobatic Vagina (yes, you read correctly), The Amazing Sculpted Bodies of the Dynamite Boys and many many more.

See you at the front of the stage next Friday!

THE GOOD: It was goodbye Pacha and hello Amnesia for Jade Jagger and her Jezebel brand, who played host on the exclusive VIP area on the terrace, giving Manumission an extra burst of Ibiza cool factor.
THE BAD: While the new home of Amnesia is more than adequate for the Manumission girls (and boys!) it’s sad to see the end of the infamous Coco Loco room and legendary back room sets from the much-loved resident Colin Peters.
THE GOSSIP: Sir Richard Branson’s name was at the very top of the guest list, but it remained questionable as to whether he actually came to the club - Amnesia is notorious for it’s secret VIP entrances and mirrored private VIP rooms, and not even Miss W could find out the answer to this one!