Aberdeen clubbers were left “astonished” on Saturday night when “merry” Tory minister Michael Gove showed up at a popular venue for a solo night of raving.
Punters couldn’t believe their eyes and felt like they “were dreaming” when they saw the senior Conservative MP walk into the city’s O’Neill pub in the early hours of Sunday.
How Mr Gove came to be in the Granite City is not yet known, but he definitely made sure it was a “night to remember” by dozens of “shocked” clubbers.
After enjoying a few drinks at the pub, the 54-year-old decided to take the rest of the night to club Bohemia where he is said to have “put some seasoned clubbers to shame” showing off “creative” dance moves until 3am.
Left in “disbelief” of this “surreal” encounter with the MP, clubbers were quick to take the chance for a picture with him and offer him a beverage on the dancefloor.
One was singer Emma Lamnet, who had performed an acoustic set in O’Neill’s pub below the club that night.
She said: “I don’t know why Michael Gove was there – it was mental.
“O’Neill’s was just shutting when he came to the pub at around 1am and some people were joking that it would be great to get him upstairs – not thinking that he would actually.
“I was literally astonished. I was laughing in disbelief that Michael Gove was in the club rave dancing to this pretty heavy music and seemed to really enjoy it. It was pretty surreal.
“He seemed to be on his own as well, which I thought was quite strange. I would assume that somebody as famous as Michael Gove would probably have somebody with him when he is out in public.
“It think it was quite bold for a Tory MP to go clubbing in Scotland, but I think he had a good night – people were dancing with him and just enjoying the music and he was as well.
“He definitely had some questionable dance moves, but the spirit of dancing is to express yourself and he was certainly doing that.
“Think more government officials should get themselves down to a nightclub to let off some steam.”
‘Most surprising guest ever’
Clips shared on social media show the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster arm waving, hip jolting and head banging with fellow ravers as the club night Pipe was lifting the roof with some hard techno tunes.
The “incredible” set, which was presented by DJ and co-manager of the club night Nina Stanger, kept Mr Gove dancing until the very last minute without stopping even for a second.
For Pipe’s co-manager Adam Taylor, the minister’s unexpected appearance on the Aberdeen dancefloor was the most unusual occurrence throughout his 15 years of working in the industry.
He said: “I’ve been promoting and DJ-ing in Aberdeen for about 15 years and this was probably the most out-of-place or surprising guest I’ve ever seen – it was definitely out of the ordinary.
“He was down at the door in O’Neill’s when he first appeared on his own – he was drinking and was very merry.
“I asked him if he liked dancing and if he wanted to go upstairs.
Michael Gove ‘raving’ in Aberdeen 🤡 https://t.co/GfvVWTUyKV
— Aamer Anwar✊🏾🏳️🌈#BlackLivesMatter (@AamerAnwar) August 29, 2021
“Told him it was £5 entry and the best thing was when he replied to that with ‘even for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’ – we just had a chuckle and let him in.
“We thought he would just be at the bar having a drink, but for the next hour and half he didn’t stop dancing at all – he was loving it and going mental on some hard techno music.
“His dance moves were creative and exactly how you would imagine the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to dance.
“He didn’t tire and he kept going – he was putting a lot of more seasoned clubbers to shame with his persistence and stamina.”
Minister treated like ‘celebrity’ by Aberdeen clubbers
Although the cabinet minister showed up at the club on his own, Mr Taylor said he was “definitely looked after” by fellow ravers, who kept buying him drinks all night.
While his appearance in Scotland might have been “a bit bold”, Mr Gove was said to have been treated “like a celebrity” with dozens of people approaching him for a photo, a dance and a chat.
Mr Taylor added: “He was definitely recognisable – you can’t mistake Michael Gove for anyone else – and he was definitely looked after by people in the club. I don’t think he had to pay for even one drink while he was there.
“Everybody in the club was giving him all the attention like there was an actual celebrity there.
“It was fun to see a cabinet minister just dancing away with people who maybe wanted to engage with him with more serious discussions.
“By that point of the night, that was a non-starter, but he certainly managed to batter away some spirited arguments about whether Aberdeen has benefited from the wealth generated from the oil industry.
“He definitely had the demeanour of someone who was really enjoying themselves.
“He was one of the last people we got out of the doors when closing.”
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