One Night in Soho's Club Bars - Rupert St & Barcode - Review

ONE NIGHT IN SOHO’S CLUB BARS - RUPERT ST. & BARCODE
SATURDAY 21ST FEBRUARY
REVIEW FOR SEEQUEEN


On a day that we normally herald as “Super Saturday”, we were feeling far from it, with thoughts in our minds stretching 1000’s of miles away which left us wanting of comforting and friendly company, rather than the unfamiliarity of house party offerings & clubbing escapades out in Greenwich, so it was with simple resignation that we opted for the easy choice, a trip into Soho to enjoy an ordinary night out.

But tonight was to prove no ordinary one, as we arrived at the doors of Barcode on Archer St, just before 10 p.m., and being waved through by the friendly security staff, we zoomed up to deposit our bits & bobs in the first floor coatcheck, soon returning back down to a packed ground floor bar, where we were joined by friend & companion Benoit, who had much news to fill us in on, after our respective outings to Matinee, Beyond & Love Child the previous weekend. We were also joined by Industri pal Stephen, who had a fun night out at XXL lined up and was using Barcode as a warm up, and no better way we could imagine, well nearly.

With the club space opening slightly later than usual, we three exchanged chit chat before descending the stairs and through a rapidly filling space, to the side of the D.J. booth, finding Brent Nicholls behind the decks, seemingly in “disco” mood, sending out some major hands in the air stuff which was clearly going down well. Turning and greeting us in his customary warm & welcoming manner, remarking upon noticing Stephen & Benoit, that it was good to see us out “with our pose”, we immediately slipped into characteristic Barcode mood, arming ourselves with refreshments and then soaking up the music, which was stepping up pace, track by track, turning tougher, funkier but never not danceable and engaging.

In the company of our friends we were having an absolute ball, trading comments, laughable moments & memories of the weekend gone before and with the crowd swelling more and more, we soon forgot the thoughts & homesick pangs we had been so consumed with all day. Barcode Soho, since is revamp last May, has gone from strength to strength and with the very recent installation of a new sound system, the club space is superb, with the acoustics amazing, the lighting effects quite brilliant and the perfect blend between bar & club executed wonderfully. Testament to this, is it’s popularity, whether destination or pre-club visiting, and tonight was no exception as the space was soon full and pulsating as well as hot, hot, hot.

With Stephen taking his leave and Benoit off flirting on the ground floor, we decided on a quick romp around the competition, so made our excuses and headed off round the corner to Rupert St., more a bar than a club, but attracting a similar crowd to Barcode and with the draw of a weekly line up of D.J.’s remains one of the most popular retreats for those that want to be seen on the scene. Squeezing our way through the pulsating crowd, we headed for the bar to the troupe of staff, so familiar & friendly towards us, that sets this bar apart from any other. With drinks in hand, we advanced further round to the makeshift D.J. booth to find Faye Lanson in control of proceedings, for us the female equivalent of Per QX, so much so is her enthusiasm and energy and with her cutting edge choice of house filled tunes, it was so good to she her back where she belongs, behind the decks and giving pleasure to the masses Having, in her D.J. career history, held residencies at Barcode and played many a club event, gaining respect from her peers, Faye has been sorely missed in recent weeks, although it was clear she was enjoying the Rupert Street experience, a more relaxed affair it was true, but just the ticket after an voluntary sabbatical.

With a rotating list of Saturday stars which has included Lee Yeomans, Mikey Galliano, Luke Hope and the man who masterminded it all, Alessandro, the choice to hand over the music on Saturday’s to D.J.’s has proven really successful and with Alessandro attracted names like Pier Morrocco, Jamie Head & Mikey D, there is no shortage of big name scene faces to attract an audience. With each individual bringing their unique and varied sound to the fray, each weekend has a different feel, keeping the format fresh and appealing and coupled to this, with one of the most engaging & fun-filled bar team, a Saturday visit soon becomes a real treat.

As midnight struck, it was time for us to wave goodbye to Faye and the Rupert St. team, including Manager Cathy who had just celebrated her birthday, but with the inevitable draw of Barcode and Brent Nicholls, we found ourselves back in situ within moments. With our friend Benoit wondering where we had disappeared to, we got back into the much faster more clubbier pace of our favourite Saturday bar-club spot, next to the D.J. booth watching over proceedings and also dancing away, as Brent picked on one familiar tune after the next to get us gyrating on our spot and succumbing to one of the best atmospheres we know. To further delight our evening, Manager Jeremy bounded up to say hello, taking a well earned moments respite from his hectic evening, and filling us in on his recent cruise trip, before returning to his duties.

By now our evening fulfilled as we savoured scintillating sounds and superb company with Barcode’s club space continuing to rock, full with a glorious mix of good lookers, scene faces, west end lovers and folk just up for a good old dance. Arming ourselves & our friend with final refreshments for the night, we saw out the rest of our evening at in the hands of Brent Nicholls, Jeremy & his team, right the way through to the 1 a.m. finish, waving our goodbyes as the lights turned up, then shunning the temptations of other bar club venues like Escape, Shadow Lounge & Lo-Profile and even Barcode’s sister venue in Vauxhall, to retire home to bed and dream over yet another enjoyable outing to Soho.

So, would we recommend both Barcode Soho & Rupert Street as Saturday destinations? Undoubtedly so. Both sport fabulous surroundings, both offer a superb blend of bar and club and both have brilliant music on offer. Rupert Street has a more laid back feel but remains a very popular venue, but is restricted to a midnight closure. Barcode has the benefit of two floors and a much more clubbier feel that makes it both a true destination choice as well as a perfect pre-club option and with first class D.J.’s Brent Nicholls & Gonzalo, superb sounds are pretty much guaranteed. Did we have a good time, well not so much a good time but a great time and just what we had needed. It was great to take time out from the frenzy of headline clubbing and for this reason, among many others, we are sure to be savouring the delights of a Saturday trip to Barcode Soho and Rupert St. again very soon. (DISCO MATT)