Pretty Ugly celebrating 10 years

Now Pretty Ugly is celebrating its 10th anniversary this weekend - much to the surprise of the two women behind the decks.

“It doesn’t feel like 10 years, in the nicest possible way,” explain Aarti Joshi, who’s been there since the start.

“Because it’s only once a month, it’s the thing you look forward to most in a month, and it’s only when you start talking about stories that you realise how many there’s been.”

Aarti and pal Lynne Johnston are the duo currently at the helm of the night, which takes place at the Admiral Bar on the second Saturday of every month and will enjoy a birthday bonanza tomorrow.

Aarti, who works in music PR, originally started the club nights with friends Lee Beattie and Pam Scobbie a decade ago, almost completely by accident.

“We did an industry event in Edinburgh where we had no experience, and then we got booked for a Model Team (fashion agency) party because someone thought female DJs were this exciting new thing. We still couldn’t play, though…

“There were some awful moments early on, like the time I ejected a CD while it was playing.

"But it’s never, ever stopped being fun - you have to run a club night well and make sure you know what the audience is wanting.”

Lynne was DJing at the Arches famed Death Disco nights around the same time, and after Lee moved to London and Pam had children, she was asked if she wanted to step into the Pretty Ugly fold.

Although there’s been line-up changes, the ethos behind the nights hasn’t changed - it’s all about having fun, which means they’re as likely to play Taylor Swift as the Smiths, while the nights have lured along many top Scottish bands to appear, from Twin Atlantic to Chvrches and the Twilight Sad.

“We once got Aidan Moffat doing a conga behind the decks while we played,” recalls Aarti.

“I think it was to Mysterious Girl by Peter Andre - these are the things you learn while doing this…

“Our door staff once charged We Are Scientists when they were appearing.

"They were scrambling around for loose change while being told they needed £5 entry.

"When Lauren Mayberry came down she was so nice that she insisted she’d pay to get in, even though it was Chvrches own aftershow. Nice people like that make the club.”

The club’s so nice that even the families of Aarti and Lynne have popped in from time to time, while one of the most memorable nights saw a marriage proposal take place.

“My mum ended up dancing to Azealia Banks at 4am one night,” recalls Aarti.

“It was my birthday and she was there for that - she was first on the dance floor, too.

"My sister also once got barred by Lee just for being so cheeky to her…

“We had a marriage proposal the time we booked an 80s wedding band.

"Band of Gold were doing loads of 80s hits live and then someone got down on one knee in the middle of a song and proposed on the spot.

"The woman likes the story now, although I think she was mortified at the time.”

It’s not always so entertaining, though. DJing is still a male dominated world, and both Aarti and Lynne took a lot of flak when they first started out.

They’re hopeful that more women will get encouraged to get involved in the future.

“We’ll always get young girls coming up to us in clubs and going that’s amazing, and we’re like ‘just do it’,” says Lynne.

“Just don’t be afraid. When we started we really were the only two girl DJ groups going, so to speak, and like with so much else in the music industry, it was filled with guys trying to tell you how to do things.

“You need to be strong to do it, but it’s great to see there’s more nights like Milk and TYCI all doing things in Glasgow.”

And even after 10 years, the twosome never know what to expect.

“There was a night where we had Kenickie DJing, who I love,” adds Lynne.

“The same night a group of French men turned up on a stag do, all wearing kilts.

"They ended up on the floor doing some Cossack dancing.

"They had some amazing moves, too…”

Pretty Ugly Turns 10, Saturday, Admiral Bar, £6/£5, 11pm