Interview: Who’s That Girl?

Who’s That Girl? launched aboard the good ship Thekla in March 2017 and has gone from strength to strength since. The premise of the night is simple – celebrating women in pop, hip-hop, RnB and electro-pop and creating a safe, accepting environment for everyone to party and dance ‘til they drop.

We spoke to the night’s creator and main DJ Emily Scott (pictured), about WTG?, the imminent deck party and who her dream guests would be.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m originally from Nottingham, and I started putting on gigs and events when I was 17. I haven’t stopped since. I moved to Bristol three years ago for University, which I enviably dropped out from. My first shows in Bristol were hosting bands in the living room of my flat on Stokes Croft, then starting my first club night, PARADISCO, in Nottingham which is now also running in Bristol. Like all the events I’m involved with, Who’s That Girl? is a group of best friends all interested in the different areas of producing events, working together to have equally a good time and making sure everyone else attending is doing the same.

What sparked the idea for Who’s That Girl?
Who’s That Girl? came from finding my old iPod, which is full of pop stars and RnB albums. Another factor was attending club nights and even gigs and finding myself in crowds that can get rowdy (which is real fun in the right setting) but I and others would end up either injured when we weren’t wanting to be involved, or the night was ruined by being pushed to the side or back of the room.

I wanted to create a safe supportive space for girls and the LGBT+ community to come with a group of friends and enjoy their nights out knowing that a venue or promoter will take any of their worries and discomforts seriously.

What can someone going for the first time expect?
Glitter, cheesy pop, old school RnB bangers, Beyoncé, more glitter and probably even more Beyoncé.

Why did you choose the Thekla as a venue?
We wanted to bring a more niche genre to a club night like electro-pop, including tracks from Grimes, MØ, Charli XCX, and Thekla offers us two rooms to work with as well as being a suitable size. The venue has been very supportive on it being an LGBT+ and female-friendly event, and having the support from Thekla has made the event exactly what I’ve wanted to achieve.

Do you have any guest DJs lined up?
Plans for the September onwards are underway, we’re planning on bringing other promoters and club nights of a similar calibre to get more involved and, of course, include a few more surprises too.

What other DJs and nights do you enjoy?
Some of my favourite DJs are The Black Madonna, Jeremy Underground and Madam X, as for club nights and gig promoters, Bitch, Please! and Just Jack at Motion, Wednesday’s at OMG because who doesn’t? I’d love to attend an event by Sink The Pink in London but I’m yet to make it to one.

Who would be your dream special guest or guests?
The ULTIMATE dream is a Spice Girls reunion, but for a more realistic response, I’d love Haim, Grimes and MØ as special guests, maybe some of Ru Paul’s Drag Race stars too. Shea Couleé and Sasha Velour would be perfect.

How did the fundraiser for Bristol Pride go?
It went really well, we raised over £400 thanks to people coming along to celebrate with us. After just three events we’ve nearly raised £2000 for Bristol-based charities and organisations, such as Refugee Women of Bristol and LGBT Bristol. I’m looking forward to keeping this sort of fundraising up – my aim is to have raised a collective £5000 by the end of the year.

What sort of crowd does WTG attract?
People who sing along to Say My Name by Destiny’s Child… which covers an array of ages and social groups. Everyone seems to be covered in glitter, forward-thinking and don’t care about the dance moves they’re throwing. We’ve even heard of people bringing their Mum for a night out.

Do you DJ anywhere else?
Women’s Hour at The Mother’s Ruin, which is super fun. A short run of events at Roll For The Soul called Wax Works and I now do a weekly slot at Thekla‘s Pop Confessional doing disco, funk & 80s hits. I’ve not being DJ’ing for too long but I can’t wait to get more involved with different things in the city.

Tell us about the Deck Party.
The deck party is super exciting, I can’t wait for it to come around. We’re gonna be playing from the top on the boat’s balcony to everyone on the outdoor deck for an all singin’, all dancin’, all day outdoor party, fingers crossed for sunshine.

Are you involved with any other events?
My other main project is PARADISCO, which runs monthly at The Crofter’s Rights. It’s a disco, funk and hip-hop event with a mix of DJs, live saxophone and decorations to put Christmas to shame. Also In The Picture gig events in London and and more relaxed approach of promoting shows, Cruise Or Lose, where we put on the occasional punk show in different venues around Bristol.

Who’s That Girl Summer Deck Party is on the Thekla on Saturday, August 19 starting at 2pm. Tickets are limited and everyone gets a free cocktail. For more information check out www.thekla.club/#event_id=nppkn0rp

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