Industri Club Review - September 2008

INDUSTRI – THURSDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


For those un-initiated to this now regular Thursday weekly soiree, it all takes place at the ever popular and swish Barcode Vauxhall, which in the two years since it was established has attracted a mix of locals and party goers from much further afield, all wishing to get a slice of the slightly more stylish side of this “mini gay village” action.

Industri sits neatly at the head of Barcode’s busy weekend activities and rather than being a hedonistic madhouse, is very much more of a friendly gathering of likeminded folk who crave great music, enthralling company and the kind of warm up to your weekend that puts you in pole position rather than leaving you drained & worn out. Hosted by the goddess of the clubbing scene, Minty and with probably one of the best D.J. combo’s around there is little more you could ask of a night, now having earned a firm place in our “must do” calendar.

So, it was yet another Thursday at just turned 10 p.m. that we found ourselves south of the river and in the clutches of Industri. Before we could even draw breath on entering, Minty appeared, running up and grabbing us in a huge embrace, immediately showering us in welcoming & supportive gestures, wiping away the stresses & strains of our emotional last week in an instant. This gal certainly knows how to party & was clearly already in the mood as we indulged in our now customary shots of Sambuca, to get our night under way, although Minty seemed well fuelled already!

A crowd full of a mix of regular Industri socialites, intertwined with clubland faces, off-duty D.J.’s and scene workers, had already gathered, many of whom we have grown to become friendly with over the months & all of them greeting us with open arms, soon sharing their weekly news & catch-up, very much setting this evening aside from many others we know. It is also fair to say that Industri attracts the friendliest crowd thus adding to the most relaxed & comfortable atmosphere you will find and certainly the best we have experienced in our long history out on the gay scene in London. This all with the backdrop of brilliantly selected house music tunes, played out by the popular duo Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron, who, along with Minty, are the faces of Industri personified.

Catching Brent’s attention, we disappeared behind the decks to exchange news of events since we had last seen each other, but were cut off in our prime by Minty, who had ascended one of the podium’s in front of the D.J. booth, then entertaining us and the crowd to an eye popping dancing display like no other, receiving a rip roaring reaction from the amassed Industri faithful's, aghast with her antics. We said this gal can party & so she can, as her actions soon caused an impromptu rush to the vacant podium, all hopefuls wanting to emulate Minty’s display if not in such an audacious fashion.

And so this social soiree scene was well and truly set as we assumed our place in amongst our friends, engaging in great conversation interspersed with regular dancing stints , which with the quality of music this “back-to-back” duo were delivering, was simply irresistible. As if all of this wasn’t enough, one of our favourite club promoters, and man of the moment, Wayne Shires appeared and we quickly rushed to the bar for more refreshments with him, rekindling memories of days of old as well as new, toasting his return to the helm of the venue which started it all in Vauxhall, Crash (now called Union).

With the evening seemingly flying by as an ever increasing amount of familiar faces wafted in and out and the atmosphere continued to gain on the momentum already built before our arrival, we saw out the rest of our stay, rubbing shoulders with Minty, Paul, Brent Wayne and other scene faces including D.J.’s Tim Mclone & Steven Geller, before retiring in the Vauxhall early morning at just before the 2 a.m. finish.

Industri, since it’s launch back in February has very much stamped it’s mark on the Thursday gay scene and amidst all of the stiff competition, particularly from the Embankment bar next door to Barcode in Vauxhall, not to mention the plethora of offerings in Soho, many of whom have followed the trend set by Industri in making Thursday the “new” Friday, this unique and most social of party nights continues to not only survive, but thrive in what can only be described as an extremely tough trading environment for gay venues across London.

So, if you haven’t yet savoured the experience of a trip to Industri, where superb music, fabulously friendly company & a truly memorable experience are the order of the day, get yourselves down to Barcode Vauxhall. And with the imminent return of our favourite go-go dancer, Dilmar, this social soiree can only get better. We salute Minty, Brent & Paul, for serving up a slice of partying magic, long may it continue. (DISCO MATT)