To mark the tenth anniversary of the club’s closure, Whittles, now located in the club’s former premises, will be hosting the big “Tokes Reunion” night on February 7, with all proceeds donated to the suicide prevention charity Papyrus UK.
The event is also being run in memory of Inspiral Carpets drummer Craig Gill and in cooperation with Zoe Travis, in memory of her brother Dominic.
The line-up for the event will include all the original DJs, playing the wide variety of genres that the club was famous for.
Tokyo Project indie room, circa 2015(Image: Tokyo Project/Dave Sweetmore)
As Dave Sweetmore, DJ, presenter and Tokyo Project veteran, puts it, they’re “getting the band back together”.
He told The Oldham Times: “It’s going to be a great night for everyone to get out and get back together.
“Everyone’s going to see loads of people who they haven’t seen for a long time – I’m getting goosebumps as I’m saying this. It’s going to be brilliant, a massive reunion.”
Attempts for a Tokyo Project reunion have been made in the past, but the pandemic put a stop to the last one.
Dave puts on charity events for Papyrus every year and with the club’s ten-year anniversary coming up, he decided to combine the two projects and approach the DJs who “made a name for themselves” at the club during its heyday.
Joining the indie rock DJ will be Zak Thompson, who will be spinning 80’s and 90’s classics, Solid C, who will be playing hip hop and RnB, David Hodgkins, playing dance and house, along with funk and soul from James Teehan and ‘Tokyo anthems’ from Aaron Mellor.
Tokyo’s was “pioneering” back in the day, Dave explains, as it played all these genres under one roof. Although, unlike in the past, the reunion celebration will feature all DJs in one room, rather than separately.
He said: “You could go in different rooms and hear different music. You’d have groups of girls or groups or lads that split up, but all end up back together.
“It was one of those clubs where everybody knew each other, but if you didn’t know anybody, you were made to feel welcome and, by the time you left, you had a load of new best mates.
“It was just a great club, and it had a really, really good atmosphere. I mean, I’ve worked in a lot of nightclubs over the years, but there was something about Tokyo old and that really was like no other.”
Tickets for the ‘Tokes Reunion’ are on sale now via Eventbrite for £8. They are selling fast, with half the tickets already gone.
The event will take place on February 7, 2026, from 7pm to 2am.
More information about the night can be found on the Whittles Facebook page.
AloJapan.com