GUTTERRSLUT “THE HOUSE OF SLUTS” – SATURDAY 25TH APRIL
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
It isn’t often that that we deviate from the norm and break out from our comfort zone of gAylist/land London’s bigger named clubs, but from time to time we feel both brave and then committed to reporting on events, clubs & ventures that cut new boundaries within this most cosmopolitan of capital cities. So, spurning other offers, we decided to not only deviate, but venture to relatively uncharted territory in the East End.
Gutterslut, since its launch well over a year ago now, has cut a real stride on the scene, attracting a truly eclectic mix of clubbers, who definitely know how to party and with a strong D.J. line up delivering sounds that have come to be quite unique, reflecting the real flavour of this diverse event experience, verging on the whacky & wild, it is not surprising that this monthly outing has not only survived the time it has, but has thrived and continues to grow in popularity.
So, having warmed up our evening with a trip to Rupert Street in Soho, it was a fair old trip across to Images in Hackney Road, but having been accurately and swiftly transported to our destination, arrived at Gutterslut’s doors at just after midnight. There was already a considerable queue developing outside the venue, not surprisingly so, as this “house of slut” party was billed to be a popular gathering and on the back of a successful Easter Sunday event. Being distinguished guests, we thought negotiation through the entrance would be straight forward and whilst initial glances down the list seemed to indicate otherwise, we were, without any real questioning, released through the doors and into Gutterslut.
Once inside, it was clear why there had been a wait outside as the main room space was brimming with party goers, strutting their stuff to the pumping, funking and tech infused house music, beating out from the speakers, but with the space full of elongated mirrors, the D.J. booth was pretty much shrouded and the inclusion of these shiny surfaces in the room served to make the space feel bigger that is actually was. We needed to deposit our belongings into the coatcheck, which, having been directed by a most friendly bar team member, was downstairs, we then turned and spotted non other than Per Q.X. behind the now visible D.J. booth from where we were standing. So, excited about savouring his energetic performance, we skipped below in a trice, ignoring the draw of the second room at the bottom of the stairs and dropped off our bits (our bag, please!!) as quickly as we could.
Back upstairs and clambering over the side of the stage to say hello to Per, we quickly then found a spot in the corner of the dancefloor right next to one of the speakers, not good for our ears we admit, but at least we had a great vantage point of the action across the room and the impending entertainment on stage around the infamous pole. This has become to be the centrepiece of many a performance by the likes of Johnny Woo and on this occasion the Dalston Mafia, renowned for their sexual & extravagant displays, somehow appropriate to the venue which has a reputation as a strip joint (ooh err missus!), but nevertheless sits comfortably with Gutterslut’s masses, who in reality wouldn’t blink an eye at a nude car salesman, if ever there was such a thing!
By now the room was full to brimming and, having sought refreshments at the bar, we eased into our space and began to savour the musical magic that Per Q.X. was laying down, a characteristic blend of funk, chunk, electro, tech-house but mostly dirty techno beats that was raising not just the temperature, the atmosphere, but the dancefloor activity across the main room. This was only going to be heightened by the arrival of those naughty Dalston Mafia lot, but we were also charmed by the arrival of MC Crystal, who cheered the crowd with her appearance, gathering herself and then blending some superb vocals into Per’s track choices, charmingly complimenting the sounds on offer, rather than some MC’s who seem to interrupt the flow.
Well into our stride and succumbing beautifully to the Gutterslut experience, we really didn’t want Per’s set to end, but that it did, although entering the fray was Elliot J Brown, yet another exponent of tough, dirty & diet techno to continue the rhythm of the party which he succeeded superbly in maintaining, not just the rhythm, but the whole vibe & feel of this increasingly energetic outing that was truly capturing our hearts, making us wonder why we had missed out on it so much since our visit last July. We then had to take a moments respite from the activity on the main floor, more than could be said for many who wanted to go on & on and indeed as did the sexy show which was continuing to spiral the stage (literally around the stripper pole!!), but we retired to the bar to refresh our slightly wilting body and congratulate the ever present Per Q.X. on his magnificent set. It is always a pleasure to connect with this hard working yet fun filled D.J. who in our eyes (and we suspect many more!) has developed a real trendsetting niche for himself, being able to transcend from the way out and wacky to the more conformist of clubs.
We wanted to investigate the downstairs space, so descended below to find just as much activity in a trimmer & tighter space, still full of mirrors to deceive the eye, but with slightly more mainstream music, we only lasted momentarily before returning to techno tantrums & hard house hedonism of the main floor. We were then spotted by our invitee, Nic Fischer, who appeared through the crowd and thanked us for our attendance before disappearing back into the masses to party like the best of them. However, by now it seemed our party legs were again calling for a break (it must be our age!) and resting at the bar once more, we spotted a couple of familiar scene faces who did their level best to tempt us back onto the dancefloor and then to the incumbent afterparty, but failed to attract us to either as we were happy just savouring Gutterslut at Images and not much more, before our considerable jaunt back across town towards home, not long before the closing time of 5 a.m. And jaunt we eventually did, leaving behind the wild & the whacky to party the night out in East End extremity.
So, what did we think of our second excursion to Gutterslut land? Well there is no doubt that this club is a break in tradition for us, but what a break it turned out to be. With a delectable choice and blend of tunes that had us dancing for hours, with a crowd, yes dressed differently and some verging on the weird, (you know the kind of mix you get on a day out to Camden market, but that’s just fine as we love Camden) but a truly friendly mix of people that had not an ounce of pretension in their bones, it was such a refreshing change to the norm. Yes the Images venue is a little on the bijou size and with more mirrors on the walls than mirrorballs on the ceiling, not to mention strip joint intentions, it actually works for this eclectic style of clubbing. Add to that the distinct East End feel (the venues guv'nor looks like a relic from the Kray Twin days) and you would have said we were far from home, well in distance yes but in enjoyability, actually not. So, for these and more reasons, if it is something different for the weekend you are in search of, we say, look no further than Gutterslut, it might be wild & whacky it there is no doubt it works. Well done Per, Elliot, Nic & the whole crew, keep up the great work. (DISCO MATT)
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
It isn’t often that that we deviate from the norm and break out from our comfort zone of gAylist/land London’s bigger named clubs, but from time to time we feel both brave and then committed to reporting on events, clubs & ventures that cut new boundaries within this most cosmopolitan of capital cities. So, spurning other offers, we decided to not only deviate, but venture to relatively uncharted territory in the East End.
Gutterslut, since its launch well over a year ago now, has cut a real stride on the scene, attracting a truly eclectic mix of clubbers, who definitely know how to party and with a strong D.J. line up delivering sounds that have come to be quite unique, reflecting the real flavour of this diverse event experience, verging on the whacky & wild, it is not surprising that this monthly outing has not only survived the time it has, but has thrived and continues to grow in popularity.
So, having warmed up our evening with a trip to Rupert Street in Soho, it was a fair old trip across to Images in Hackney Road, but having been accurately and swiftly transported to our destination, arrived at Gutterslut’s doors at just after midnight. There was already a considerable queue developing outside the venue, not surprisingly so, as this “house of slut” party was billed to be a popular gathering and on the back of a successful Easter Sunday event. Being distinguished guests, we thought negotiation through the entrance would be straight forward and whilst initial glances down the list seemed to indicate otherwise, we were, without any real questioning, released through the doors and into Gutterslut.
Once inside, it was clear why there had been a wait outside as the main room space was brimming with party goers, strutting their stuff to the pumping, funking and tech infused house music, beating out from the speakers, but with the space full of elongated mirrors, the D.J. booth was pretty much shrouded and the inclusion of these shiny surfaces in the room served to make the space feel bigger that is actually was. We needed to deposit our belongings into the coatcheck, which, having been directed by a most friendly bar team member, was downstairs, we then turned and spotted non other than Per Q.X. behind the now visible D.J. booth from where we were standing. So, excited about savouring his energetic performance, we skipped below in a trice, ignoring the draw of the second room at the bottom of the stairs and dropped off our bits (our bag, please!!) as quickly as we could.
Back upstairs and clambering over the side of the stage to say hello to Per, we quickly then found a spot in the corner of the dancefloor right next to one of the speakers, not good for our ears we admit, but at least we had a great vantage point of the action across the room and the impending entertainment on stage around the infamous pole. This has become to be the centrepiece of many a performance by the likes of Johnny Woo and on this occasion the Dalston Mafia, renowned for their sexual & extravagant displays, somehow appropriate to the venue which has a reputation as a strip joint (ooh err missus!), but nevertheless sits comfortably with Gutterslut’s masses, who in reality wouldn’t blink an eye at a nude car salesman, if ever there was such a thing!
By now the room was full to brimming and, having sought refreshments at the bar, we eased into our space and began to savour the musical magic that Per Q.X. was laying down, a characteristic blend of funk, chunk, electro, tech-house but mostly dirty techno beats that was raising not just the temperature, the atmosphere, but the dancefloor activity across the main room. This was only going to be heightened by the arrival of those naughty Dalston Mafia lot, but we were also charmed by the arrival of MC Crystal, who cheered the crowd with her appearance, gathering herself and then blending some superb vocals into Per’s track choices, charmingly complimenting the sounds on offer, rather than some MC’s who seem to interrupt the flow.
Well into our stride and succumbing beautifully to the Gutterslut experience, we really didn’t want Per’s set to end, but that it did, although entering the fray was Elliot J Brown, yet another exponent of tough, dirty & diet techno to continue the rhythm of the party which he succeeded superbly in maintaining, not just the rhythm, but the whole vibe & feel of this increasingly energetic outing that was truly capturing our hearts, making us wonder why we had missed out on it so much since our visit last July. We then had to take a moments respite from the activity on the main floor, more than could be said for many who wanted to go on & on and indeed as did the sexy show which was continuing to spiral the stage (literally around the stripper pole!!), but we retired to the bar to refresh our slightly wilting body and congratulate the ever present Per Q.X. on his magnificent set. It is always a pleasure to connect with this hard working yet fun filled D.J. who in our eyes (and we suspect many more!) has developed a real trendsetting niche for himself, being able to transcend from the way out and wacky to the more conformist of clubs.
We wanted to investigate the downstairs space, so descended below to find just as much activity in a trimmer & tighter space, still full of mirrors to deceive the eye, but with slightly more mainstream music, we only lasted momentarily before returning to techno tantrums & hard house hedonism of the main floor. We were then spotted by our invitee, Nic Fischer, who appeared through the crowd and thanked us for our attendance before disappearing back into the masses to party like the best of them. However, by now it seemed our party legs were again calling for a break (it must be our age!) and resting at the bar once more, we spotted a couple of familiar scene faces who did their level best to tempt us back onto the dancefloor and then to the incumbent afterparty, but failed to attract us to either as we were happy just savouring Gutterslut at Images and not much more, before our considerable jaunt back across town towards home, not long before the closing time of 5 a.m. And jaunt we eventually did, leaving behind the wild & the whacky to party the night out in East End extremity.
So, what did we think of our second excursion to Gutterslut land? Well there is no doubt that this club is a break in tradition for us, but what a break it turned out to be. With a delectable choice and blend of tunes that had us dancing for hours, with a crowd, yes dressed differently and some verging on the weird, (you know the kind of mix you get on a day out to Camden market, but that’s just fine as we love Camden) but a truly friendly mix of people that had not an ounce of pretension in their bones, it was such a refreshing change to the norm. Yes the Images venue is a little on the bijou size and with more mirrors on the walls than mirrorballs on the ceiling, not to mention strip joint intentions, it actually works for this eclectic style of clubbing. Add to that the distinct East End feel (the venues guv'nor looks like a relic from the Kray Twin days) and you would have said we were far from home, well in distance yes but in enjoyability, actually not. So, for these and more reasons, if it is something different for the weekend you are in search of, we say, look no further than Gutterslut, it might be wild & whacky it there is no doubt it works. Well done Per, Elliot, Nic & the whole crew, keep up the great work. (DISCO MATT)
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