The Sunday Club – One Year Later

XIANEASE

What is the Sunday Club?
Essentially, it’s a WeChat group that promotes social events and aims to present Xi’an as an inclusive and friendly city. The group is for like-minded international and local people who want to go out, make friends at events and pursue their interests. We showcase a wide variety of events, from DJ and music parties, to board game evenings, comedy nights, creative writing meetings, art exhibitions, cinema screenings and anything else that brings people together.

Why did you decide to start the Sunday Club?
Honestly, we didn’t start with any great intentions. The group began as four friends arranging an evening to watch football! From there, we all kept adding more friends and new friends when we met them. When the group had surprisingly grown to over one hundred and fifty people, the idea came to try and do something with it – to get everybody together in one place and have some fun! So, in late April 2020 we did our first DJ party for the group and went from there.

What kind of music do you play?
We play lots of music styles. The local and international DJ’s we work with cater for a wide variety of music tastes. This is important because it gives us the freedom to plan different types of events and themes. We are very fortunate in our DJ friends and very thankful that everybody is happy to give us their time and support each other when possible. So, the music we play depends on the type of event we want to create. We always try to offer something different from the usual music fare in the city though.

Which band or artist was most influential in developing your taste in music?
The first band I discovered and fell in love with as a young teenager in the late 80’s was Nirvana. I also discovered Hip Hop around the same time. So, rock music, old school Hip Hop, funk, breaks and soul are my sounds. I’ve also grown very fond of House music over the last decade and I enjoy DJ’ing it a lot. I’m fairly eclectic when it comes to music. If it moves you and speaks to you then it’s good.

What is the greatest challenge in putting on events in Xi’an?
Due to my own lack of local language, probably communication! We do have brighter people than me helping us but sometimes things can get lost in translation. We try and be as clear as we can but there has been the odd issue and life / work does occasionally get in the way. You just have to roll with the punches, accept your mistakes, try to be responsible, apologize when necessary and build relationships. You do eventually find venues that are easy and fun to work with though. It’s all a learning curve.

What do we have to look forward to in the coming year from the Sunday Club?
For the WeChat group? Hopefully more members, more great events from organizers, and hopefully new organizers who want to have a try. I’d also like to build a website for the group and try to break into local social media. All content creators feel free to contact me!
For our own events? Nothing is set right now. We are usually spontaneous in that regard but do move very quickly when we have an idea. Personally, I would love to do something really fun in the summer, a Summer Ball perhaps, and collaborate with our organizer friends to deliver something special. Who knows though. The best thing to do is just keep an eye on the group. There’s always something going on!