Crooked Tongues 10th Anniversary BBQ at Shoreditch Studios

Held a month later than last year to coincide with London Fashion Week the ticket any self respecting Sneakerista wanted was to the Crooked Tongues 10th Anniversary BBQ.

The dedication of the Sneaker Addict is beginning to seep into popular consciousness, the subject was the theme of three out of four tof Kate Prince’s choreographic contribution to Sadler’s Wells spectacular Shoes and is the concept behind the recent Footlocker ads.

The queue that started an hour before the doors opened and was still in existence at 11pm gives tells us that the sneaker way of life is no longer a secret.  All eyes in the interminable queue are firmly locked on the floor for checking of incoming footwear. It’s not just the free bar and Nando’s that attract this all ages crowd, this is one place where trainers are positively encouraged and some nice Nike Tiffs and GL1600’s are spotted amongst the Dunks.

The GL1600’s are an appropriate choice as this year Reebok are sponsors and your intrepid reporter’s goodie bag includes a squeezy Reebok burger (see image, right). Not too sure about the message of that , but this is fashion, not the Olympics. Although the flinging into the crowd of Nando’s didn’t uplift the scale of the event either it must be noted. Seriously, when planning an event, no matter what your audience, it may be wise ask yourselves: “What would the Royal Opera House do?” when wondering how to feed your guests.

The bars run better, although the queues dominate the rooms meaning that the dance floor is somewhat neglected until later on in the night when the Reebok glow sticks are dished out and drunken waving and raving ensues as legendary Roots and Reggae DJ Rodigan takes to the decks.  The dancefloor itself was problematic.  As a venue, the last thing you should even consider doing before a party for sneaker heads is painting the floor. Those lovely Tiffs, my sexy Supra are now covered in white paint with no hope of salvation. The level of pain this causes is far worse than any of the hangover being nursed the next morning.

So, was it worth it? – As parties go, it wasn’t bad.  Free booze and music are always appreciated, but the food, floor and poor planning let Crooked Tongues down. In spite of there being a wall decorated with select pairs of Reebok, there wasn’t a great deal of sneaker related art, danced, fashion or film and it really felt like just a party rather than an event. Which may have been the point, but really undersold the significance of one of streetwear’s most respected brands.

Crooked Tongues has always been about the rare, the coveted, the beloved and 10 years of sourcing and supplying discerning sneaker fiends is certainly worth celebrating, just in a little more style.