Andy Banner and Jenna Teasons at Republica

We're at Lava & Ignite in Park End Street, Oxford on Saturday from 11pm. Don't miss our report in The Guide next week Nights like this unfortunately come few and far between in Oxford, so when they do you've got to grab the proverbial bull by the horns (the horns in this case taking the form of a pair of glow sticks) and get yourself ready for a gritty and unrelenting night of poser-free debauchery!

With World-famous DJs and a four o'clock curfew this was shaping up to be a hectic night to remember that would make your Friday night at Ocean & Collins look and feel like a Women's Institute coffee morning.

I started the night as I meant to go on by going to the official Republica pre-party at the recently reopened Baby Simple bar on Cowley Road.

In the name of investigative journalism I lubricated myself with a few tasty Mojitos and speculated with friends about the night ahead.

I watched a girl adorned in clubber's gear wildly waving fluorescent poi about her head with reckless abandon, while her friend tried to weave in and out of her flailing limbs in what appeared to be a psychotic hybrid of rave and Brazilian Capoeira.

That sounds a lot cooler than it actually looked; she nearly took my eye out!

Fearing for other delicate body parts, we made a move for the door, grabbing a throat-tickling shot of passion fruit rum on the way past the bar.

A quick trot down on to Cowley Road and we were walking into the Carling Academy for the night's main event.

If you're new to hard dance nights then there are a few things you'll notice when you walk inside.

There is a sour and pungent stench of man-sweat on the dance floor and most importantly of all no one is paying any attention to what you look like or how your dancing skills compare to the rest of the room's.

Tonight was no exception to these rules as Republica regulars James Condon and Miguel del Bosque kicked off the night from eleven until one o'clock working the crowd up into a frenzy.

So much so that when Adam Lab4 hit the decks at two all he had to do was slightly raise a hand into the air for the crowd to start howling and cheering like lunatics.

A highlight of the night was the hard-dance remix of Faithless' Insomnia; all the recognisable parts of the song absolutely - but beautifully - torn apart by sections of the filthiest pulsating bass and very little melody to speak of.

It was totally satisfying, and it swept me away along with any inhibitions that were left.

Sadly, the biggest name of the night Lisa Lashes was announced to be ill at the last minute, and she was replaced by DJs BK & Cally Gage.

The crowd grew sparse during their set and I heard a number of clubbers expressing their disappointment at Lisa Lashes' absence.

For around £15 for a ticket I certainly sympathised!

Andy Whitby brought the night to a scintillating close and was certainly the saviour of the dwindling dance floor, repopulating numbers within seconds. At one point, I had a glow stick in one hand and an outrageously expensive Morgan's Spiced rum and coke in the other, both arms were up in the air and my drink was flying everywhere except the desired destination of my mouth but I just didn't care!

The music was breathtaking, the company superb and the atmosphere electric.

Republica was a night to remember; roll on the next one please.

10:41am Friday 8th February 2008

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