Actor and music producer Idris Elba was running on a full tank of energy at Gotha nightclub in Dubai on Wednesday night. Dressed in a casual all-black outfit paired with squeaky white kicks, Elba was in top form as his disc-spinning alter ego Big Driis.
The Golden Globe winner, currently on cinema screens around the world as the amber-eyed Heimdl in Avengers: Infinity War, arrived at the club shortly after 1am, surveying the crowd that had amassed for him.
Before taking his place behind an elevated DJ booth at Gotha, he stepped up to the exposed stage area upfront. He indulged in some dance moves and interacted with the crowd from behind his sunglasses. (And if anyone can get away with wearing sunglasses indoors, it’s Idris Elba.)
“This is my second time, third time in Dubai. I made a movie, and I DJ’d at a beach. I loved it,” said Elba.
In 2015, the actor filmed Star Trek Beyond in Dubai with Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine and Karl Urban. He also DJ’d at the DXBeach festival.
Elba continued: “Where’s my UK crowd? Anyone in the building from the UK? I definitely got to play some [expletive] for you guys later on, you know what I mean?”
The Londoner has been releasing music for upwards of a decade. In 2006, he launched the EP Big Man with Hevlar records. He went on to produce the intro to Jay-Z’s 2007 album American Gangster, which was inspired by the eponymous Ridley Scott film that Elba starred in.
Slipping straight into his set of electronic mixes, Elba proclaimed: “Listen, I ain’t here to talk, I ain’t got no jokes: I just got big tunes.”
Gotha Club in Radisson Blu Dubai Waterfront is a new hotspot in town. The French export — it also has a venue in Cannes — opened its doors at the end of March. Sticking to a minimalist palette of black, white and beige tones, it’s embellished with golden wild cat heads on the walls. A spacious entrance area leads down into the dancefloor, partitioned tables and a raised stage.
The club is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11pm. As many women discovered while waiting in line for Elba’s event, Gotha does not allow women in without heels or closed flats, due to security concerns, such as broken glass.
Steve Aoki is the next big performer booked, set to take the stage on May 10. Entry to the event will be free until midnight, and Dh150 for men thereafter.
