A PUB in Porth is making a name for itself as being one of the best underground dance music venues in Cornwall.

Nookie & Friends club nights at the Mermaid Inn have attracted some of the biggest names in the dance music scene.

Fabio & Grooverider, widely recognised as the godfather of drum & bass, Ray Keith, a pioneer of the early jungle movement, and legendary DJ Ellis D are just some of the top acts that have graced the intimate beachside stage.

The iconic club nights have come about following pioneering underground dance music producer and DJ Nookie moving to Newquay. He has wasted no time in bringing authentic old-school rave culture back to Cornwall, which has been enthusiastically received by electronic music fans.

Nookie has an array of top artists to call on to perform alongside him at his regular residency club nights having worked with various dance music legends over the years during his hugely influential music career.

Nookie said: “I’m bringing good artists down to the Mermaid and Cornwall. People have been starved of good music for too long. Our crowd is not the electronic scooter generation. Our clientele is the older generation who like their music. Our nights are all about the music.

“I’ve worked with many artists over the past 30 years and I can get to come down and bring that old skool vibe. They don’t need persuading as they also love Cornwall.”

Nookie had set his sights on moving to Newquay from London for a number of years to create a better life for himself and family members. He said: “I moved down here in June. I have always loved Newquay and Cornwall. The beaches and the countryside are beautiful, and people are really nice and friendly.

“People said I won’t like the harsh winters in Cornwall, but it will provide the opportunity to concentrate on making music in my studio.”

Nookie has a new album out called Passengers on his own record label called Opus One Records, which covers various genres of dance music including drum & bass, techno and downtempo.

He also plans to bring a further array of dance music legends to the Mermaid stage for his Nookie & Friends club nights, which include Utah Saints this Saturday, October 3, Slipmatt on October 24 and K-Klass on November 28.

Nookie is organising a free event as a Christmas present titled Nookie No Friends, which will see him DJ a four hour set on December 5. Fabio & Grooverider will be returning on December 19 as part of their Up Close and Personal tour.

A special Moving Shadow Records takeover night will be staged on New Year’s Eve, which will see performances from 2 Bad Mice, Deep Blue, Foul Play, DJ Trax as well Nookie and MC Five A Live, his “partner in crime.”

There are also plans in the pipeline to stage three or four outdoor gigs in the car park of the Mermaid next summer. The beach and the sea will be a perfect backdrop,” he said.