Once Upon A TIme At CLUB RELOADED

Below is a real life experience I once had at a club situated in Lagos:

If you’re a regular caller at Reloaded, a popular club in Victoria Island, Lagos and you’re not deaf yet, then I can guarantee you that before the end of this year, you’re definitely going to go to bed one night and wake up feeling funny.
The only way you can assure me that you might escape this fate is if you can convince me that what I witnessed on September 1, 2007 isn’t what normally obtains at the club.

Situated at Awolowo Road in Victoria Island, Reloaded has an unflinching reputation of class and style and its location makes it very accessible to many.
I had planned to spend the rest of the morning grooving to the endless stream of music but the moment I stepped into the heart of the club, I knew something was wrong.

There was music to dance to but the volume of the music promised me nothing short of auditory annihilation.
The longer I remained within the four walls of the club, the more the music blaring from the speakers continued to stab deeply into the core of my eardrums.

When the tell tale sign of a headache began to form, I waved it aside but when I began to sense the presence of two or more drops of water in my ears, I knew it was time to throw in the towel.

The moment I stepped out of the club and looked straight into the sky above, I felt the change. The taxi hoots, human voices, car engines and other sounds around me sounded as if I was listening to all this from a deep slumber; vague and faint.

However, within a few seconds, things began to settle to normal and I heaved a sigh of relief.
If I was alone, I’d have wondered if my eardrums were expired or due for replacement but members of my entourage all shared the experience.

For Reloaded, let’s sum it up this way – Good music selection, classy atmosphere, eagle-eyed security personnel, mezmerising lightening gimmicks, tasty setting but deafening music volume; way ‘too loud.’
Common guys, are you aspiring to fire up the population of deaf Nigerians? I sincerely hope something will be done in this regard. On the other hand, if the guys at Reloaded feel men like me aren’t the kind of crowd they want, then I’d seriously advise them to embark on an aggressive re-branding campaign titled: Reloaded – For the DEAF. Keep your fingers crossed.

By Samod Biobaku
[From the ARCHIVES]

Image: wine bottle