When DJ group The Misshapes – originally comprised of Leigh Lezark, Geordon Nicol, and Greg Krelenstein – began putting on their eponymous New York parties in 2004, they epitomised a highly memorable scene. With their jet-black coifs, angular features and mostly black-on-black style, both the Misshapes and the patrons who frequented their hedonistic nights became the poster people of hipsterdom.

The Misshapes’ website, featuring photos of partiers against a wall at legendary Soho club Don Hill’s, predated the likes of party photographers such as the Cobrasnake and garnered them a devoted, global following – the site even spawned a famous book. And sure, the four-year-long weekly party drew the ire of the likes of Gawker (RIP) and others for whom hipster culture was easily mockable. But more importantly, the parties were fun, something that Manhattan has had in short supply in the years since.

So when the news broke that the group was returning with a summer party at Studio 54 mogul Ian Shrager’s new Lower East Side hotel, Public, the excitement was palpable. The party, called Linda, is centred around Public’s rooftop space. As Nicol emphasized to me, all they wanted was to be outside, in hot weather, dancing to disco and house with friends. And so appropriately, last week’s Linda kickoff featured a set from the iconic Crystal Waters (“she is homeless”) and each subsequent party will feature an immersive performance (there isn't a stage because, as Nicol put it, “You’re not going to a concert”).

Linda is purposefully, positively LGBT inclusive – trans model Avie Acosta does the door, and the hosts include models, performers, and nightlife creatures like Gia Garrison, Jordan Stawecki, and Sebastian Tribbie of satirical meme account You’ve Got No Male. This week’s party, held at the start of New York’s Pride weekend, will also donate $1 from every drink to the Anti-Violence Project, an organisation that works to end violence towards LGBT and HIV-positive communities. 

The Misshapes have never really gone away; they’ve been consistent media fixtures since the early 00s. Lezark and Nicol have consistently DJ’d and done sound design for fashion shows, and they even scored a film. But they haven’t held a weekly party since 2007. A lot has changed in the intervening time, and New York’s nightlife scene has been upended. But make no mistake: the Misshapes are back.

Could you talk about the references and vibe for the party? I loved the promotional clip that Bardia Zeinali made.

Geordon Nicol: There’s no other concept than just having fun. And a lot of the images— 

Leigh Lezark: Are just images that we really like.

Geordon Nicol: The music of the party is more of a disco and house vibe. It’s just what we want for summer. It’ll sound really great when it’s hot out, and aside from just having fun and dancing – that’s why we started Misshapes. It wasn’t for money or for glory or for anything else. We just wanted a place to go out and have fun with our friends. 

I think there’s been a lot of amazing things happening in New York recently. There are the amazing parties that Ladyfag throws – I think she’s probably queen of New York at this moment. There’s some good stuff happening at China Chalet. But aside from that, there’s nothing that’s made us really dying to go out. But with this space, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to do something just for the summer. We couldn’t think of anything we’d want more than to be on a roof with our friends in 90-degree weather, just dancing.

How do you think New York nightlife now compares to how it was when you were throwing the original Misshapes party?

Leigh Lezark: I feel like most things moved to a hotel, because there are so many rules and laws and sound violations that it’s hard to have (a party) in a club that’s like what Misshapes was. It was a really special time because we could get away with it. But we did have our fair share of cops that showed up. (laughs)

Geordon Nicol: (Manhattan) doesn’t lend itself to those kinds of parties anymore. That’s why you find that a lot of parties that are like our Misshapes party happening in Brooklyn. The city doesn’t really lend itself to making those parties easy to throw, especially when the cabaret license stuff came into play, the cracking down on smoking, rents going up. Small bars and clubs where we used to throw these parties can’t sustain themselves any more. They open and then the police come and fine them every time there’s something going on, which makes it really, really difficult. So a lot of parties have moved to hotels, and in some cases, like ours, it’s a great thing. The Standard had a really great run, and they did great stuff, too. But then there’s the downside of that, where you don’t necessarily have this raw energy that’s happening at spaces in Brooklyn. I think there are things happening, but it operates on a different level. With social media, we have different ways of promoting things and communicating with each other – it’s a different place, a different time.

You brought up social media, and I think it’s an easy to argue that the Misshapes website spawned an entire genre of nightlife photography, which is now of course everywhere because of Instagram. How do you feel about how incessant photo-taking is in clubs?

Geordon Nicol: I think there was something about when we did it that felt very innocent, authentic and genuine. That’s how it felt to me at the time. And I still feel that way, but I do agree with you that nightlife photography is so prevalent and in your face sometimes, and I can see how it gets annoying. We’re actually not going to be doing nightlife photography at this party. It’s more about dancing and having fun, and less about the outfits…

Leigh Lezark: Or a wall.

Geordon Nicol: It’s interesting how that all shakes out, because it was pre-Cobrasnake. And before the Cobrasnake there was Polaroid Scene, and we were pre-Polaroid Scene as well. But it existed before us too, like we got the idea from Japanese street style, like FRUiTS. When we did our first Misshapes party, we were just taking photos of our friends having a great time. We really liked the lighting in the club, and from then on we just thought, let’s take more and more and more, where it’s like street style but in the club. And it really took off from there. And then the book came out! People reference it constantly with us. There’s always somebody asking about the book or telling us they had the book.

Leigh Lezark: Or telling us that their photo is in the book.

Geordon Nicol: It’s fun though, because everywhere we go there’s someone telling us about having a memory of a special night there.

“(The word ‘hipster’) brings back really good memories of just having so much fun, and an innocence. We didn’t have any objective to (our party). We were just in it to make some friends. And control the music” – Leigh Lezark

Do you ever have those nights where you just want Law & Order: SVU and the couch?

Leigh Lezark: For sure.

Geordon Nicol: I think for me it’s more Walking Dead. But maybe we got too much of that and decided we wanted to go out again. (laughs)

How do you feel when you hear the word ‘hipster’?

(both laugh)

Is it triggering?

Geordon Nicol: It doesn’t trigger anything bad for me. I just have good memories of that time, it’s very funny. And it’s great for a lot of bands and DJs and artists from around that time, we’re still all friends and we still talk, and it’s nice to see how everybody’s evolved out of that. Does hipster as a subculture even exist anymore?

Leigh Lezark: Like Geordon said, it brings back really good memories of just having so much fun, and an innocence. We didn’t have any objective to it. We were just in it to make some friends. And control the music.

Geordon Nicol: Who coined that phrase, I wonder?

Leigh Lezark: Every subculture has a name like that.

Geordon Nicol: I think it was Vice. But I don’t remember.

Last question: did you ever DJ a Teletubbies party?

Leigh Lezark: We sure did! They’re really good photos.

Geordon Nicol: It was just an event that we got booked to do. (laughs) I want to say there was some fashion magazine attached to it somehow, but I don’t remember. We did all kinds of crazy things before Teletubbies!