Bearea Club Review - April 2008

BEAREA – SATURDAY 26TH APRIL 2008

REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Having been absent from Area sometime before it’s extensive refurb, we decided to take a look and with a now rare Saturday night off we headed down to Vauxhall and the new night Bearea.

Arriving at our customary fashionably late time of 1a.m. there was no queue to negotiate and once past the over zealous door supervisor and through the entrance to (it has to be said) an unwelcoming guy who took our entrance fee, we were hoping that this was not going to set a trend for the night.

To our huge relief it was not, as we swept through the doors past the coatcheck and into the main room, which was packed with a mix of bears, cubs, chunks and hunks of all shapes & sizes. Quite what category we fitted into we were not sure, but it didn’t matter as the pulsating sounds and energetic lighting drew us onto the dancefloor and towards our familiar spot by the DJ booth.

The refit has given the main room an altogether different feel, with the DJ booth occupying the space where the backbar used to be. A conveniently positioned podium right in front of the booth had our names on it and there were plenty of other elevated dancing areas to the side on front of the dancefloor for those, like us, who adore strutting their stuff, competing with resident gogo’s. The Matrix integrated laser and L.E.D. lighting system certainly makes a bold statement and with the magic of Andrew Harris on the controls we were entertained to a simply dazzling display. The packed dancefloor showed their appreciation as San Diego held sway pumping out a popular mix of commercial uplifting house.

Avoiding the temptations of the podium, if only for a short while, we were keen to explore the rest of the club to see what further changes had been made and moving back up the main room and through an unchanged sequence of doors, we entered the new bar area. Clearly the team had taken pains to make this part of the club much more glamorous and the result is a bar enviable of many a gay venue, with the added bonus of the space leading straight out onto an outside terrace. Pausing for a drink we spotted Wayne Shires who welcomed us in his usual friendly fashion and with plenty of familiar faces around, we felt as though we had well and truly arrived.

Moving down towards room two, we entered through the usual doors into a completely different space. With the stage gone and a revised layout for the DJ booth it was truly like entering a capsule and a totally unique feel compared with the main room. The old space had seemingly been split into two, with no dazzling lights, infact barely any light at all, harping back to the days when all dancefloors were like this, with perhaps the odd aid of a laser or disco light. Ben Jamin was holding court and infusing his usual mix of funky electro and disco beats, never failing to amaze us with his energy and enthusiasm.


Slipping out of room two and past yet another bar, much unchanged from the old arrangements albeit a little smaller, we managed the find the chillout area but were unable to locate either room three or the cruise den, not that we searched that hard, as the sounds from the main room drew us back in and then onto the inevitable spot on the podium next to the DJ booth.

By now Andrew had the lighting system at full speed and with gogo’s adorning the podiums on the opposite end of dancefloor the atmosphere was electric, made more so by the magnificent glittering lighted sign of Area. We made our presence on the podium felt and succumbed to the whole “bearea” experience, this choice of club far removed from our usual haunts such as Matinee & DTPM.

With an early start at work not to mention a disgruntled bouncer who waved us down off the podium we made out exit into the Vauxhall dawn.

So, what was the verdict on the new look Area. To be honest, to us, it felt very much like a smaller version of Fire. Yes we recognise that it is now under the same ownership and so naturally will draw comparisons. But, as magnificent that the lighting system is, you cannot help but think it is competing with the Lightbox. Yes they have done a great job with the new bar area and we cannot deny that Area is a premier clubbing venue, but if, like us, you are not a huge fan of Fire, then the new look and feel will be likely to disappoint. And with the unfriendly staff we encountered, that alone may put some off.

Area is clearly into a new era, but we remained nostalgic of the old style that the previous owner encapsulated, along with all those familiar faces. This may make us think twice about a re-visit, but with the club looking set be remain an important part of the gay clubbing scene, we suspect that we will be ”shaking our booty” within it’s walls some time soon. (DISCO MATT)