House music event series Funktifino has been running parties on the UK’s south coast since 1995. It has survived – nay, thrived – through multiple eras of UK club culture, and has done so through consistency: soulful, classic dance music values told through the story of disco and vocal house.

Its core residency identity of the Funktifino Allstars has guaranteed partygoers their night’s sound, and the events overtime became a key, regular social hub for south coast clubbers. Funktifino’s strength comes through community, consistency, and credibility (as opposed to hype) – and those principles have ensured Funktifino’s impressive longevity. Over the course of 30+ years, Funktifino has become UK club culture heritage, not just any night out.

Last Saturday, April 4th 2026, I attended Funktifino’s easter special at The Gaiety on Southsea Pier. For this event, Funktifino flew in a two-part headliner – industry veterans and legends of the soulful house genre, Lenny Fontana and DJ Spen. These are two names that need no introduction to the readers of this article, but there’s a reason why I think this booking was a perfect match for the brand.

Fontana, known for combining soulful grooms with big room energy, has been producing since the late 1980s. His many decades of influence in the disco, funk, and NYC club culture make him a heritage name in our scene. Spen, a cornerstone of the soulful house movement and label boss at Quantize Recordings, has put just as many years into the scene. His Baltimore roots and rich musicality shine through his uplifting sound.

Both are historical names in the soulful house & disco sphere across the pond, which is a perfect parallel to Funktifino’s perennial influence in the UK. On the night, Fontana’s breathable mixing style was the perfect precursor to Spen’s heavy live-mixing elements and powerful disco sound.

The venue itself, The Gaiety, is in an awesome location. Upholstered above Southsea beach, it’s possible to see the waves crashing into the stones beneath you as you walk in. And, entering around the time the sun begins to set across the water, it’s a pretty cool start to the night before you even get past security. The event space felt more like a ‘wide room’ than a ‘long room’, which in turn meant the front row (where I spent most of my night) was never too crowded and everybody had reasonably ample room to dance properly.

Still in regards to the venue’s layout, there were a couple spots where traffic was forced into a bottleneck – the tightest of which was getting in and out of the toilets. If you’re looking towards the stage, the back right corner of the room is where there is a small double door to a corridor that reaches the toilets. Unfortunately, the bar is also on that side so even after squeezing past the people in bar queues, there was also a bottleneck to get to that double door. At the front left of the room, there was another corridor that at times got clogged with people moving to and from the smoking area – where, by the way, there was another bar which was very handy.

In any case, a few corners of the venue busy with bodies is only to be expected at a sold out event. Overall, the sound system was pumping; the lighting crew did an amazing job; and the performances were nothing short of top drawer – in short, everything crucial was absolutely ace.

Funktifino’s next party is on May 2nd at the Southsea Beach Cafe, featuring Art of Tones as the headliner. Tickets for that show are just £20 and are available to purchase Here.