Hoof - Club Review

“HOOF” AT GHOST – EASTER THURSDAY 9TH APRIL
REVIEW FOR DISCO MATT & HOOF WEBSITES



With every new month turning, sometimes every new week reaching, there seems to come new clubbing ventures, some that make a real impact and last the distance, others that just end up being a storm in a tea-cup, but you know what they say about everything being the same, so it would be boring if all clubs fortunes were predictable wouldn’t it? Nevertheless, it is always pleasing to see new clubs come along, this one being no exception and with a lengthy anticipation filled build up, we had great expectations of a party with a difference.

Hoof (what a fabulous name!), the brainchild of two major tore de forces in their respective circles, Guy Williams for the boys & Kath Harding for the girls, both accomplished exponents of deep, nu & tech infused house music, both spearheading the modern era of clubbing, the modern way of thinking and realising that metrosexuality in the modern world works. But not only that, with Guy pioneering a new style of music, “Future Disco” and Kath renowned for her Tech & Warm Techno, they seem like a match made in heaven, so their fusion through this new venture was therefore a natural choice.

So, with music being the signature tune of this new club and our life revolving around music, we simply couldn’t miss the launch of Hoof, even with our fave Thursday outing, Industri, pulling on the heart strings, not to mention a virtually irresistible invite to Lo-Profile in Soho. However, Farringdon was set firmly in our sights as we found our way the club Ghost, the host venue for this newbie on the scene, arriving just before 11 p.m., not too long after the club had opened and uncharacteristically virtually on time, unlike recent escapades. With a steady stream of clubbers joining us at the entrance, we were greeted by friendly, if but ultra efficient & confident door staff, who made particular remarks about our casual footwear (apparently they have standards – must remember that for next time), but overlooked our error as we were distinguished & invited guests (think they had been warned we were doing a review).

In through the entrance, we were pointed towards the coatcheck to drop off our unwanted extra’s on board, then entering the main room and being immediately taken aback by the stunning setting & décor to match, the seductive lighting shrouding expansive seating areas around the sides of the space, a well chiselled dance floor with defined borders and an impressively stocked & manned bar area at the end of one of the most sumptuous venues we have seen in a long time. Arming ourselves with refreshments, we rested at the bar momentarily, soaking up the venue space & finding our bearings, as the crowd, a true mixture of Guy’s boys & Kath’s girls were assembling, for what already looked like a successful launch night ahead for Hoof.

Spotting the familiar figure of Guy Williams, we moved across to the D.J. booth where he was lining up to take over from Kath Harding, who was pumping out a superb collection of nu and tech house tunes to get the party warmed up in style. Being a fellow South African (well with major ties & where we call home) and not having met before, we were keen to say hello and catch up with her, but still concentrating on her set, we let her get on, deciding rather to chat with Guy, remarking firstly on the venue, which we both agreed was awesome and indeed would make the ideal setting for many a gAylist outing. It was clear from the look on his face, that Guy was well & truly thrilled to be at the centre of this new clubbing night and to see an appreciative metrosexual mix of ardent music lovers, eclectically dressed party hedonists & familiar scene faces assembling to savour the delights on offer.

Returning back to the bar, we bumped into pal Ramon, whom we had not seen since Trade at Christmas, so it was good to see him, together with a pose of his friends whom we had met at his birthday bash back in November. Then more people arrived including Tamsin Roberts who had so kindly given us directions to Ghost earlier in the day, we also getting an opportunity to have a proper chat with co-promoter of Hoof, Kath Harding, who having handed over the D.J. reigns to Guy, was now free to chat. In the meantime, Mr Williams was setting about to lay down his trade mark tough tech house combo of tracks to tempt people onto the dancefloor, although it seemed that, like us, many were still catching up with friends and discussing the prospect of a busy weekend ahead, before concentrating on the goal, moving and grooving to top draw deep, tech, nu & future house in the hands of a superb D.J. line up, which included Lottie & Tom Neville.

Regrettably, with an already hectic evening still on our plates and more to fit in, our time at Hoof was up much quicker than we would have liked. We really wanted to stay the distance & see both Tom & Lottie in action, but sadly with no resting for the wicked, we had to say a fond farewell to what was most definitely a musically inspired club launch of a night we had been to all year, heading instead for exploits both in Soho and back at our regular Thursday social in Vauxhall, leaving behind a pumping & pulsating party which ran well into the early hours of Friday.

So, what was our verdict on Hoof? Well, firstly, the choice of venue was well & truly inspired and it certainly lived up to all the hype that had been built up. Ghost, new or not, is an absolutely amazing venue, the most brilliant setting to host the kind of musically driven yet sociable club that is clearly Hoof, definitely pandering to those clubbers that like to mingle & chat, with plenty of areas to sit back and relax, yet having the space to accommodate the dancing that is at the core of this event. Then to the music, which was a fabulous mix of the tougher side of house, very modernistic in its approach and very much evoking the aims of the co-promoters Guy & Kath, far removed from the average and mundane musically machinations on offer around the scene. And as for the crowd, well not the true gAylist lot we normally rub shoulders with, but that said, a refreshingly different bunch who know what they were looking for & definitely found it in Hoof.

In these difficult economic times, it is a very brave decision to create a new venture, but Hoof, given all of its qualities, certainly deserves to succeed. In the experienced hands of Guy Williams and Kath Harding we are sure it has longevity as their plans moving forward are very measured & calculative, the aim being to go
bi-monthly from 12th June and to really bring back the fun to clubbing, which some of the big boys in the scene should take note of, rather than focussing on competition & success. So, we salute this magical musical mash up and in the inimitable words of the promoters, if Hoof be the music food of love, then trot on!! We will certainly be trotting back to Ghost for the next instalment. (DISCO MATT)