HARD ON! CHRISTMAS PARTY – SATURDAY 20TH DECEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
With a truly manic week of celebrating our birthday, we were in some ways spoilt for choice on our actual day and with a full programme of events right across the full 24 hours, where were we going to go out to, once again let our hair down? Well, despite the amount of clubs running, including, Gutterslut, Eagle, Space, Lo-Profile, all celebrating Christmas, the pick was down to two and even Crash, one of our most favourite clubs came a close second, to, well can you believe it, Hard On!
Yes, we can here you say it, Disco Matt at Hard On!, well it has been known you know and in our youth (yes, yes yes, a long time ago) we did used to frequent Fist on a regular weekly basis, accumulating a massive collection of leathers, boots and other fetish wear, just the ticket for Substation South, but strangely fell out of love for all things black (well fetish black anyway) and sank into mainstream clubbing.
However, with our latest other exploits at work, our fetish side seems to have come out again, so with a bunch of friends wanting to go, with the lovely offer of a guest list and the thought of doing something very different on our birthday, how could we resist.
So arriving at the doors of Hidden at just turned midnight, having refreshed ourselves in Barcode Vauxhall, bumping into D.J. lovelies, Paul Heron & Nick Tcherniak, Paul re-collecting our birthday bash on Thursday and remarking on what state we were in (well a girl has to enjoy herself, doesn’t she!), we, along with friends Benoit and Christophe, were waved straight through into the club, no drama’s nothing, such a pleasant change to many another venue we could mention.
Once inside the friendly doorstaff checked us off the guestlist (phew we were on it at last!) and we swung round to the efficient coatcheck, where we pondered whether to strip down to our very revealing chaps and saucy trunks (spank me written on the back!!), but our nerves got better of us and we decided to leave our chunky Schott, industrial style zipped army trousers on (surely we would get away with them!).
So into the club we went and immediately found a cruise bar packed with leather, rubber & other clad folk filling out the space. Mr D.J., Brent Nicholls was behind the decks, which was clearly sending pulses racing as he stripped down to the waist and pumped out a tough latino infused & electro driven mix of tracks, superbly fitting for the much raunchier style of club we found ourselves in. Squeezing past bodies and bumping into many faces, including the whole Gummi crew, our friend Saki (who had played the opening set) familiar customers from our work place and old pals from the days of Fist, we felt immediately back at home, if a little overcome by the extrovertness of some, barely clothed and showing of their “crown jewels” for all to see.
So, having grabbed energy driving refreshments, we skipped back through the pulsating crowd, to a safe retreat in the corner of the Cruise Bar (why were we so nervous) and began to slip into dancing mode as Brent powered out some familiar tunes of late to get us in the mood. By this time, our friends Benoit and Christophe had joined us in the club, although both soon disappeared into the crowd (we didn’t ask what to do) and we began to soak up the atmosphere that was clearly different to our regular mainstream offerings. We guess that we had been bold as brass when younger, but some of the men dancing and parading round the club had us dropping our jaws, partly in awe, partly in excitement, but mainly in adoration for their sheer guts, showing off pieces of flesh extraordinaire.
Had we been as bold, we would have ascended the podium next to us (we did on our last visit a few months ago), but with some stunning dancers taking the limelight, we didn’t want to steal their thunder, so rather danced on our spot, getting hotter and hotter in our multiple layer of clothing’s. With more familiar faces passing by, including our pals Brian, Robert, John, Paul & Chris (sounds like the Walton’s!), we nagged to dress down, so reluctantly stripped off our Schott trousers, revealing the full regalia of our outfit.
You know when you feel that everyone is looking at you! well that’s exactly what we felt like. Quite why we couldn’t relax we don’t know, but with the thought of friends, let alone strangers spotting our bare flesh, it sent us running back for our trousers after only a short & brave stint in just our chaps. So, with our trousers back on, we relaxed back into our dancing and the fantastic music choices Brent Nicholls was playing. We certainly like his current musical direction and with the odd camp track (we are sure there was a freemasons record thrown in somewhere) mixed up with some amazingly tough & awesome beats for tomorrow, we savoured his whole set, hardly moving from our spot in the corner of the Cruise Bar, except momentary wanders to see what else was happening around the club (but not the darkroom boys & girls, not for us!!).
With Brent’s set done and the hunky “Hi-Fi” Sean Dickson taking over the reigns, we were certainly guaranteed a further and fabulously raunchy time at this so sexy and overt of clubs, but it was fair to say that the crowd was thinning (were they off being naughty, we suspect so!) and after nearly three hours of dancing, in boots we were not used to wearing, our feet gave up the ghost and we decided to call it a day. Leaving the club and saying goodbye to who we could see, we limped past the temptations of Barcode and the Crash reunion party, then home to reflect on a clubbing experience with a true difference.
So, did we enjoy Hard On! and was it an experience we would repeat? There is no doubt the club is certainly not for the faint hearted and the crowd that adorn it’s doors know how to party, how to look sexy in leather, rubber & you know what (and there were some VERY sexy men in there that’s for sure). So, for this reason, yes we would venture out to Hard On! Again and perhaps next time through some inhibitions away and let our hair down. To experience something so different to the norm on our birthday will remain truly memorable and we suspect that it won’t be that long before we get tempted down to Hidden again.
With comments from regulars that it wasn’t that busy, that it lacked atmosphere and that there wasn’t that much that was Christmassy about the club, combined with reports that the main room closed early due to lack of numbers, we suspect that many, with how the festive period had fallen, decided to make other plans, so would have contributed to the below par remarks. But for us, we thought the Cruise Bar was well & truly rocking, the music was brilliant, the many collection of friends & familiar faces a pleasant surprise and, our inhibitions aside, we had a thoroughly great time. Thanks to the Hard On! team & to Suzi Kruger (even if she was off sunning herself!) for making our birthday special. (DISCO MATT)
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
With a truly manic week of celebrating our birthday, we were in some ways spoilt for choice on our actual day and with a full programme of events right across the full 24 hours, where were we going to go out to, once again let our hair down? Well, despite the amount of clubs running, including, Gutterslut, Eagle, Space, Lo-Profile, all celebrating Christmas, the pick was down to two and even Crash, one of our most favourite clubs came a close second, to, well can you believe it, Hard On!
Yes, we can here you say it, Disco Matt at Hard On!, well it has been known you know and in our youth (yes, yes yes, a long time ago) we did used to frequent Fist on a regular weekly basis, accumulating a massive collection of leathers, boots and other fetish wear, just the ticket for Substation South, but strangely fell out of love for all things black (well fetish black anyway) and sank into mainstream clubbing.
However, with our latest other exploits at work, our fetish side seems to have come out again, so with a bunch of friends wanting to go, with the lovely offer of a guest list and the thought of doing something very different on our birthday, how could we resist.
So arriving at the doors of Hidden at just turned midnight, having refreshed ourselves in Barcode Vauxhall, bumping into D.J. lovelies, Paul Heron & Nick Tcherniak, Paul re-collecting our birthday bash on Thursday and remarking on what state we were in (well a girl has to enjoy herself, doesn’t she!), we, along with friends Benoit and Christophe, were waved straight through into the club, no drama’s nothing, such a pleasant change to many another venue we could mention.
Once inside the friendly doorstaff checked us off the guestlist (phew we were on it at last!) and we swung round to the efficient coatcheck, where we pondered whether to strip down to our very revealing chaps and saucy trunks (spank me written on the back!!), but our nerves got better of us and we decided to leave our chunky Schott, industrial style zipped army trousers on (surely we would get away with them!).
So into the club we went and immediately found a cruise bar packed with leather, rubber & other clad folk filling out the space. Mr D.J., Brent Nicholls was behind the decks, which was clearly sending pulses racing as he stripped down to the waist and pumped out a tough latino infused & electro driven mix of tracks, superbly fitting for the much raunchier style of club we found ourselves in. Squeezing past bodies and bumping into many faces, including the whole Gummi crew, our friend Saki (who had played the opening set) familiar customers from our work place and old pals from the days of Fist, we felt immediately back at home, if a little overcome by the extrovertness of some, barely clothed and showing of their “crown jewels” for all to see.
So, having grabbed energy driving refreshments, we skipped back through the pulsating crowd, to a safe retreat in the corner of the Cruise Bar (why were we so nervous) and began to slip into dancing mode as Brent powered out some familiar tunes of late to get us in the mood. By this time, our friends Benoit and Christophe had joined us in the club, although both soon disappeared into the crowd (we didn’t ask what to do) and we began to soak up the atmosphere that was clearly different to our regular mainstream offerings. We guess that we had been bold as brass when younger, but some of the men dancing and parading round the club had us dropping our jaws, partly in awe, partly in excitement, but mainly in adoration for their sheer guts, showing off pieces of flesh extraordinaire.
Had we been as bold, we would have ascended the podium next to us (we did on our last visit a few months ago), but with some stunning dancers taking the limelight, we didn’t want to steal their thunder, so rather danced on our spot, getting hotter and hotter in our multiple layer of clothing’s. With more familiar faces passing by, including our pals Brian, Robert, John, Paul & Chris (sounds like the Walton’s!), we nagged to dress down, so reluctantly stripped off our Schott trousers, revealing the full regalia of our outfit.
You know when you feel that everyone is looking at you! well that’s exactly what we felt like. Quite why we couldn’t relax we don’t know, but with the thought of friends, let alone strangers spotting our bare flesh, it sent us running back for our trousers after only a short & brave stint in just our chaps. So, with our trousers back on, we relaxed back into our dancing and the fantastic music choices Brent Nicholls was playing. We certainly like his current musical direction and with the odd camp track (we are sure there was a freemasons record thrown in somewhere) mixed up with some amazingly tough & awesome beats for tomorrow, we savoured his whole set, hardly moving from our spot in the corner of the Cruise Bar, except momentary wanders to see what else was happening around the club (but not the darkroom boys & girls, not for us!!).
With Brent’s set done and the hunky “Hi-Fi” Sean Dickson taking over the reigns, we were certainly guaranteed a further and fabulously raunchy time at this so sexy and overt of clubs, but it was fair to say that the crowd was thinning (were they off being naughty, we suspect so!) and after nearly three hours of dancing, in boots we were not used to wearing, our feet gave up the ghost and we decided to call it a day. Leaving the club and saying goodbye to who we could see, we limped past the temptations of Barcode and the Crash reunion party, then home to reflect on a clubbing experience with a true difference.
So, did we enjoy Hard On! and was it an experience we would repeat? There is no doubt the club is certainly not for the faint hearted and the crowd that adorn it’s doors know how to party, how to look sexy in leather, rubber & you know what (and there were some VERY sexy men in there that’s for sure). So, for this reason, yes we would venture out to Hard On! Again and perhaps next time through some inhibitions away and let our hair down. To experience something so different to the norm on our birthday will remain truly memorable and we suspect that it won’t be that long before we get tempted down to Hidden again.
With comments from regulars that it wasn’t that busy, that it lacked atmosphere and that there wasn’t that much that was Christmassy about the club, combined with reports that the main room closed early due to lack of numbers, we suspect that many, with how the festive period had fallen, decided to make other plans, so would have contributed to the below par remarks. But for us, we thought the Cruise Bar was well & truly rocking, the music was brilliant, the many collection of friends & familiar faces a pleasant surprise and, our inhibitions aside, we had a thoroughly great time. Thanks to the Hard On! team & to Suzi Kruger (even if she was off sunning herself!) for making our birthday special. (DISCO MATT)
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