"This is our Sunday dinner," said a purple velour-clad raver named Jay, before Finn—sporting chunky black boots and a heavy chain necklace, white top dangling from his belt—added with a cackle, "including all the trimmings!" When I chatted to ravers at fabric last weekend, all partying deep into Sunday morning, Finn and Jay weren’t the only people to crack a joke about a Sunday lunch.

We were there for the first edition of Sylvester, a new weekly afterhours courtesy of fabric and promoters Adonis, whose monthly parties at The Cause have become the stuff of queer legend over the last few years.

"Adonis is like a ritual for me," said another party-goer named Jacob Sztor. "I know I'm going to end up going every time." Sunday’s dancers echoed this commitment to the Adonis community; almost everyone there had been to an Adonis party before, and if they hadn't, they were probably still in the club having arrived a good 12 hours prior for HE.SHE.THEY.

While arriving at fabric mid-morning wreaked havoc on my body clock, any semblance of time was lost downstairs. The newly revamped Room Two was thick with smoke and barely-there lighting, save for moody red spotlights and the occasional strobe. "The sound is so good," said another guest, Dan Davies, of the new sound system. "After two years of listening to music in someone's living room off Spotify, it feels so good to feel it vibrating in my chest. It's crystal clear."

Though the dance floor never felt particularly full, the crowd was up for it regardless; silhouettes vogued up on stage behind the decks and hands were thrown in the air with whistles. Grace Sands delivered buoyant house cuts with big, soulful vocals, while Marie Malarie upped the tempo with blistering acid and ‘90s rave tracks like Pure Tribal's "Feel Alright." It could have been Cormac's closing track of choice or Sands' opening tune, but an 11 AM spin of Angel Moraes' "Welcome To The Factory" garnered a particularly enthusiastic reaction from the crowd.

Sunday's crowd was, as Finn described it, "unapologetically queer." At Adonis parties, he said, you can be who you are and wear what you like. The vibe was welcoming, unpretentious—and quite sweaty.

Of the people I spoke to on Sunday, a few touched on the fact that, in the past, they wouldn't have considered fabric a safe space for the queer community. That’s why Sylvester is an important step for the venue. fabric's Jacob Husley agreed: "fabric is looked upon as the best club in the UK," he said. "But if we want to have that status, then we need to be truly inclusive. We want to do everything we can to make people feel safe."

Sakeema Crook

"It's great that we're here taking up space," artist and trans activist Sakeema Crook said about the community. "We're connecting through that moment of music and dance, feeling that energy of everyone focused together, having fun and feeling good. We need more queer events happening in these spaces, bringing club culture back to where it should be.”

Jacob Sztor and Joshua Gochez

"Adonis was the first rave I ever went to," said Jacob Sztor. "It's opened up that whole part of life for me. Recently, especially coming out of COVID-19, there are more people having their first rave experiences. They're coming into a safe space here where people are going to treat them with care and kindness." For Jacob, fabric doesn't quite have the same debauched energy of Adonis's usual home. "When you go to The Cause, it's unfiltered and raw, there's an energy that unlocks in that venue. Everywhere else seems PG-13 in comparison."

Tyreece Daniels

"Look at me, I am Adonis!" said Tyreece Daniels, who was working on Saturday night dancing at HE.SHE.THEY before letting loose at Sylvester. "The community makes the party special," said Tyreece. "We all get it."

Gabriel & Jordan Awofeso

Jordan and Gabriel were partying at Little Gay Brother before following friends to fabric for Sylvester. Their attendance came with a warning: Don’t judge Adonis by this particular party. For many, nothing beats their events at The Cause. Nonetheless, the pair was bouncing around the smoking area making friends. "It's energetic and it's loud," said Jordan. "I've heard they do parties like this in Berlin too."

Nathan Crew

"I'm here because I wanted to dance," said Nathan Crew. "I've been to Adonis before and it's all about the community. The crowd is open and free, it's all about the music, having fun, and being in the moment."

Joe

"Queer people, being queer, dressing how they want and dancing," said Joe of what makes Adonis parties special. "People give you energy—he [Dan Davies] had really good energy—and that's what I enjoy." For Joe, a Sunday party that runs from 7 AM to 3 PM is perfect; there’s plenty of time to go home and rest before work on Monday.

Dan Davies

Dan Davies, who also ended up at Sylvester after Little Gay Brother, has found refuge in queer partying since clubs have been permitted to reopen. "It’s highlighted that nightclubs are an important space for queer people to come together and find a sense of community," Dan said. "This is a safe space where people can come and express themselves, and meet other similar people. I really like that this [Sylvester] is bringing queer stuff into a straight space."

Ellie Maya Robinson

"I've spent a long, beautiful night with a lot of my friends," said Ellie Maya Robinson, taking a breather in the smoking area. "We've been dancing for a very long time at my warehouse, and we decided to come here to connect and enjoy the space with other people. I usually listen to heavier music, but this is quite nice for the context."

Unknown

Though we didn’t catch their name, this person had the widest grin in the club. "My boyfriend was telling me that he has always felt a bit unwelcome in fabric as a gay man," they said, "so it's really nice to come here and just be gay. The music is amazing and there are gorgeous queer people everywhere. It’s a really good thing for fabric, it's a step in the right direction."

Edit and Laurie

Edit and Laurie fell asleep in their Uber over from Mimi's Hot Pride at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. But once they arrived at Sylvester, they found their second wind. "This was my first time going to a gay party, because in Scotland there's not so much of a scene," said Laurie. "It’s the best. It’s such a mishmash of people, everybody's just having a good time and there's a higher vibe."