CLAPHAM STREET PARTY – SATURDAY 27TH JUNE
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
In years gone by the scene in gAyland London has been renowned for putting on amazing events, not just for commemorating the equality rights movements through annual Pride events, but in true celebration of music & dance. These saw some incredible post march parties as well as destination gatherings, Brockwell & Finsbury parks proving to be real highlights among many others, including Clapham Common, all of which hold amazing memories for us. However, in more recent times the massive park undertakings have been replaced by smaller scale events, where celebrating in the streets was much more the name of the game, Soho really spearheading this change direction.
But with South London being a traditional host for events, it was no surprise that the Clapham Street party was born and immediately made an impression on the scene, quickly becoming a must visit event and signalling the start of outdoor celebrations across the capital throughout the summer. Much more a social gathering of like minded people, but with the classic ingredient of camp cabaret, in its five years of running it has always attracted a considerable crowd, packing out Edgerley Road next to Kazbar on Clapham High Street, so would this year be any different? And what was in store at this super sized soiree?
Well, with an eye on the weather, which when Wimbledon is in full swing is always doubtful, we were pleased to see the sun shining as we took a short stroll across to Kazbar through the byways of Clapham and as we approached our destination just after 3 p.m., there was no mistaking the hum of music & voices swirling around the streets but clearly emanating from Edgerley Road. Arriving at the entrance & gratifyingly giving a donation to The Albert Kennedy Trust, an amazing charitable organisation, established 20 years ago with the aim of supporting, mentoring, providing advice & information as well as offering safe lodgings for homeless LGBT young people, we headed inside to arm ourselves with refreshments.
Kazbar resident D.J. Julius was spinning a collection of commercial tunes to inject a real party atmosphere and with the revamped & revitalised interior creating a brighter airier feel, not least helped by the new expanse of glass across the side of the venue, the inside felt more like out, but is was outside where we were heading, in time to meet up with our posse of pals, including Chris, & Stephen, both who were on their respective ways. So waiting not too far from the entrance, so as not to lose them in the crowd, which looked a little thinner than last years party, it was inevitable that we would bump into a plethora of familiar faces & friends and it certainly didn’t take long before being spotted by Rupert Street pals Vlad & Enrico with their men & other friends gathered, Vlad’s other half, Brad, affectionately grabbing our attention by shouting out our other nickname, Jessica (a long story!!), which always creates ripples of laughter.
With messages a plenty coming through on our mobile phone indicating imminent arrivals and appearances by friends, with the crowd beginning to swell, we were joined first by Chris, then by Stephen who grabbed some summery refreshments, heading with us to the cabaret stage, where fellow Industri pal Jeremy had stationed himself, with a perfect view of the shows. Slowly winding our way up, we continued to bump into scene & familiar faces a plenty, including Hook’d promoter Paul Beauchamp who had laid on a hedonistic happening just a week ago, we eventually reached the stage area with our posse had gathered, Chris, Paul, Terry, even Andre who had clubbed hard with us the previous weekend, soaking up the sunshine and the unique atmosphere of this social street soiree. With drag star Mrs Moore entertaining, we joined Jeremy’s side to see out her rendition of a Shirley Bassey classic, sporting the longest feather bowa we have seen, then with hostess cabaret scene superstar Sandra, taking over momentarily, cracking jokes & befriending members of the audience as only she knows best, Lola Lasagne took to the stage, delivering her dry humour to efficient effect.
We needed to take a moments respite to relieve then refresh ourselves, so patiently paraded back through the throng, but before we could get back inside, not only did we bump into the Italian Stallion D.J. Pagano, spotting us and coming over catching up on news & exchanging details of exploits out to The Circuit Festival, we then got called back to Vlad’s bunch as great friend Alessandro had arrived to join in the festivities. Then, to add to ever increasing sea of familiarity, we were again halted in our tracks as Salvation supremo Steve Elliot appeared, only to be followed by the SuperMartXe dream team machine, as Logan & his sexy troupe of go-go dancers arrived, all appropriately dressed in camouflage vests, hot pants & sun visors (very cute!) promoting the forthcoming party, with the huge SuperMartXe beach ball hung right above the main outside bar, making a real statement.
With all our hello’s out of the way, we ventured back inside a packed to the rafters Kazbar and instantly realised why as Yonika had taken over the decks and was spinning a string of Michael Jackson classics in an inspired tribute to the King of Pop, which was clearly going down superbly with the revellers around, ramping up the already electric atmosphere and the seventies style multicoloured tiled lightened dancefloor making it all the more a real poptastic party feel. But with scarcely little room to move and the queue at the bar six deep, we retreated back outside and to the draw of the amazing duo on the stage, Miss Jason & Maisie Trollette (known as Two’s Company) who performed, for us, the show of the day, having us in hysterics with their antics, banter and superb songs.
However, when momentarily glancing up into the sky, the look was very ominous, with massive black clouds forming. So, with the prospect of the heavens opening, we headed back down through the crowd, expecting a veritable stampede should the rain arrive, but with no space inside Kazbar, we joined Steve Elliot who had found a semi covered spot just outside, providing us with a surprisingly spacious & comfortable spot. And here we saw out the rest of our stay at this street party spectacular before retiring with pal Alessandro around the corner to a truly gAylist & gorgeous garden party, which proved a real highlight of our day, mixing with likeminded folk, listening to heavenly house tunes & rounding off our day in sumptuous style (a special thanks to the hosts for making us so welcome!).
So, was this year’s Clapham Street party any different to previous outings? Well, it was fair to say that the crowd didn’t seem quite as large as our last visit and that in itself is a reflection of the tough times we find ourselves in. However, in terms of a social gathering it certainly ticked all the boxes for us, with a long list of friends & familiar faces around and for those of you into cabaret, there was no shortage of top notch entertainment. However, for us the music within Kazbar was a little too much pop, not enough house, so for our close knit scene pals, that aspect failed to hit the mark, so when combining it with over inflated dinks prices (warm beer etc), & nothing much else happening, especially if drag shows were not your thang, the draw of the garden gathering in preference was no real surprise We are sure that the street party was again a success & will be back with a bang next year. Will we be there? we suspect so, if only to fulfil our socialising desires. (DISCO MATT)
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
In years gone by the scene in gAyland London has been renowned for putting on amazing events, not just for commemorating the equality rights movements through annual Pride events, but in true celebration of music & dance. These saw some incredible post march parties as well as destination gatherings, Brockwell & Finsbury parks proving to be real highlights among many others, including Clapham Common, all of which hold amazing memories for us. However, in more recent times the massive park undertakings have been replaced by smaller scale events, where celebrating in the streets was much more the name of the game, Soho really spearheading this change direction.
But with South London being a traditional host for events, it was no surprise that the Clapham Street party was born and immediately made an impression on the scene, quickly becoming a must visit event and signalling the start of outdoor celebrations across the capital throughout the summer. Much more a social gathering of like minded people, but with the classic ingredient of camp cabaret, in its five years of running it has always attracted a considerable crowd, packing out Edgerley Road next to Kazbar on Clapham High Street, so would this year be any different? And what was in store at this super sized soiree?
Well, with an eye on the weather, which when Wimbledon is in full swing is always doubtful, we were pleased to see the sun shining as we took a short stroll across to Kazbar through the byways of Clapham and as we approached our destination just after 3 p.m., there was no mistaking the hum of music & voices swirling around the streets but clearly emanating from Edgerley Road. Arriving at the entrance & gratifyingly giving a donation to The Albert Kennedy Trust, an amazing charitable organisation, established 20 years ago with the aim of supporting, mentoring, providing advice & information as well as offering safe lodgings for homeless LGBT young people, we headed inside to arm ourselves with refreshments.
Kazbar resident D.J. Julius was spinning a collection of commercial tunes to inject a real party atmosphere and with the revamped & revitalised interior creating a brighter airier feel, not least helped by the new expanse of glass across the side of the venue, the inside felt more like out, but is was outside where we were heading, in time to meet up with our posse of pals, including Chris, & Stephen, both who were on their respective ways. So waiting not too far from the entrance, so as not to lose them in the crowd, which looked a little thinner than last years party, it was inevitable that we would bump into a plethora of familiar faces & friends and it certainly didn’t take long before being spotted by Rupert Street pals Vlad & Enrico with their men & other friends gathered, Vlad’s other half, Brad, affectionately grabbing our attention by shouting out our other nickname, Jessica (a long story!!), which always creates ripples of laughter.
With messages a plenty coming through on our mobile phone indicating imminent arrivals and appearances by friends, with the crowd beginning to swell, we were joined first by Chris, then by Stephen who grabbed some summery refreshments, heading with us to the cabaret stage, where fellow Industri pal Jeremy had stationed himself, with a perfect view of the shows. Slowly winding our way up, we continued to bump into scene & familiar faces a plenty, including Hook’d promoter Paul Beauchamp who had laid on a hedonistic happening just a week ago, we eventually reached the stage area with our posse had gathered, Chris, Paul, Terry, even Andre who had clubbed hard with us the previous weekend, soaking up the sunshine and the unique atmosphere of this social street soiree. With drag star Mrs Moore entertaining, we joined Jeremy’s side to see out her rendition of a Shirley Bassey classic, sporting the longest feather bowa we have seen, then with hostess cabaret scene superstar Sandra, taking over momentarily, cracking jokes & befriending members of the audience as only she knows best, Lola Lasagne took to the stage, delivering her dry humour to efficient effect.
We needed to take a moments respite to relieve then refresh ourselves, so patiently paraded back through the throng, but before we could get back inside, not only did we bump into the Italian Stallion D.J. Pagano, spotting us and coming over catching up on news & exchanging details of exploits out to The Circuit Festival, we then got called back to Vlad’s bunch as great friend Alessandro had arrived to join in the festivities. Then, to add to ever increasing sea of familiarity, we were again halted in our tracks as Salvation supremo Steve Elliot appeared, only to be followed by the SuperMartXe dream team machine, as Logan & his sexy troupe of go-go dancers arrived, all appropriately dressed in camouflage vests, hot pants & sun visors (very cute!) promoting the forthcoming party, with the huge SuperMartXe beach ball hung right above the main outside bar, making a real statement.
With all our hello’s out of the way, we ventured back inside a packed to the rafters Kazbar and instantly realised why as Yonika had taken over the decks and was spinning a string of Michael Jackson classics in an inspired tribute to the King of Pop, which was clearly going down superbly with the revellers around, ramping up the already electric atmosphere and the seventies style multicoloured tiled lightened dancefloor making it all the more a real poptastic party feel. But with scarcely little room to move and the queue at the bar six deep, we retreated back outside and to the draw of the amazing duo on the stage, Miss Jason & Maisie Trollette (known as Two’s Company) who performed, for us, the show of the day, having us in hysterics with their antics, banter and superb songs.
However, when momentarily glancing up into the sky, the look was very ominous, with massive black clouds forming. So, with the prospect of the heavens opening, we headed back down through the crowd, expecting a veritable stampede should the rain arrive, but with no space inside Kazbar, we joined Steve Elliot who had found a semi covered spot just outside, providing us with a surprisingly spacious & comfortable spot. And here we saw out the rest of our stay at this street party spectacular before retiring with pal Alessandro around the corner to a truly gAylist & gorgeous garden party, which proved a real highlight of our day, mixing with likeminded folk, listening to heavenly house tunes & rounding off our day in sumptuous style (a special thanks to the hosts for making us so welcome!).
So, was this year’s Clapham Street party any different to previous outings? Well, it was fair to say that the crowd didn’t seem quite as large as our last visit and that in itself is a reflection of the tough times we find ourselves in. However, in terms of a social gathering it certainly ticked all the boxes for us, with a long list of friends & familiar faces around and for those of you into cabaret, there was no shortage of top notch entertainment. However, for us the music within Kazbar was a little too much pop, not enough house, so for our close knit scene pals, that aspect failed to hit the mark, so when combining it with over inflated dinks prices (warm beer etc), & nothing much else happening, especially if drag shows were not your thang, the draw of the garden gathering in preference was no real surprise We are sure that the street party was again a success & will be back with a bang next year. Will we be there? we suspect so, if only to fulfil our socialising desires. (DISCO MATT)
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