Matinee August Bank Holiday Spectacular - Club Review

MATINEE AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR - SATURDAY 29TH AHUGUST
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


With the previous Bank Holiday breaks proving to be unpredictable to say the least, not just in lower turnouts to events that a year before would have been packed to the rafters, but with times being tough, the big names showed the desire to make the most of an extra long weekend, often pitching themselves against eachother, which definately meant their were winners & losers as people voted with their feet. Matinee was no exception to this and with numbers dwindling at their then home, Colosseum & their party at Koko not attracting as many as expected. So, the thinking caps were on and with London Pride also not hitting the mark, the scene seemed to be in slumberland, signalling time to ring the changes. And change was exactly what Matinee did, moving across town to new home Cable in London Bridge, which received a warm reception at the launch party back in July. So how would it fair on this last bank Holiday before Christmas?

Well, arriving at Cable's doors with friend Stephen, we were agast as the main queue was massive & even the guestlist line was lengthy enough, keeping door hosts Minty & Marky B very busy indeed. There was certainly a real buzz in the air, much more than last time and with co-promoter Robb arriving outside & then giving us the royal treatment, wisking us out of the queue and into the club, our party was off to a great start. The main room was our first stop, where Guy Williams was in full swing, delivering his characteristic tough tech infused house to a packed space, really pumping up the atmosphere with his superb choice of tunes, the podiums already full with revellers, the lighting complimenting the music wonderfully and the large screen showing Matinee visuals to heighten the mood. With pal Stephen off to pop is belongings into the coatcheck, agreeing to meet him in the V.I.P. area and having said our hello's to Guy & boyfriend Rob, we went wandering through room two where Stevie B was holding a considerable crowd, playing out lighter, funkier house, but it wasn't until we hit room three, where Jonny M was serving up a truly uplifting elctro tainted house to yet another packed space, that well realised this Matinee party was just so busy. So with all three rooms brimming it was no surprise that the outside queues were considerable, but with the arriving clubbers already waiting a while at the door & then having to face a huge wait at the coatcheck, it made for a frustrating start for them and begged the question, why can't venues get coatchecks right?!?!

Meeting Stephen in the exclusive V.I.P. space, we needed to find a home for his coat, so exercising some influence, we headed to room three's D.J. booth to find, not only Jonny M, but D.J./Producer friend Danny Verde, whom we had not seen for a few months, but during that time has been building a real name for himself across europe and it was no surprise that an already packed room ended up rammed for the whole of his set. Tearing ourselves away for a moment, more to seek out Industri pals Chris & Terry with Stephen, we headed back to the main room, just in time to see out the remainder of Guy's superb set and then as G-Martin took over the reigns, the music pace changed, the lighting increased and out walked Mark M Forns Fierce International dancers, looking resplendant in glittering & sexy mix of costumes, strutting their stuff in front of the massive screen, the display a little more understated than we have seen before, yet captivating enough to make a good impression.

With the show over and G-Martin into his stride, we found the draw of Danny Verde in room three too much to resist, so squeezing through the middle room, where Fat Tony was now holiding court, spinning funky house tinged with disco classics remixed, which was clearly going down well, we made it into the third space which was most definately the busiest space of the time. And no wonder, as Danny was laying down some serious sounds, deep euro house with uplifting edges, which had us & the crowd mesemerised. It was clear he was enjoying his first time at Matinee, throwing himself into the action, entertaining the crowd as the laser lighting created the perfect harmong with the music which had us dancing on our spot, only briefly heading to the V.I.P. area, a comfy retreat with luxurious seating & even scented table candles (a very nice touch) where the likes of Wayne Shires, Tim McLone, Stevie B and even Evolved Events supremo Oliver Mohns were savouring the brilliant atmosphere. Then, to add to the gathering, D.J. pal Alessandro arrived, ahead of his set in the main room, lingering a while before heading off for duty.

We really wanted Danny's set to continue on & on, but all great things tend to come to an end all too soon, this being no exception, so having congratulated him on his performance, we pointed ourselves bak in the direction of the main room, where Alessandro was now in control, bumping into a number of familar faces on our way, including the lovely Guilleme from The Box, Rob from Clone Zone, Mark M Forns with Nik Ripley, Ian "Pieers" Lewis, and fellow clubber Cliff Jackson, who was very flattering with his remarks on our work. Indeed it was very touching to be recognised by so many other people, giving it a really friendly feel with a real sense of family. With a superb atmosphere still in evident as Alessandro pumped our some fabulous Lationo & Electro sounds, it was clear that Matinee's music was really hitting the spot. And it continued, as Brent Nicholls arrived, taking over the middle room, spinning some magical mixes, a delightful combination of funky, electro, uplifting house, intermixed with disco hits rehashed and up-to-date floor fillers, to round off a senstational musical experience, as the middle room was packed way past dawn, party goers literally dancing on the bar and us frantically grooving right until the 8 a.m. finish.

So, what did we think of the latest Matinee outing, it's second at Cable? Well, one of our phrases really sums it up for us, "music is the answer" and it certainly was as every D.J. across all three rooms performed magnificiently. With such a strong D.J. line up, even missing the likes of Pier Morrocco, Pagano & Paul Heron, it would be unfair to single out any one person this time round as Guy Willams' set in the main room was superb, Jonny M got the third room well and truly rocking, the combo of Stevie B & Fat Tony remains the most inspired choice Matinee has made for a long time, Alessandro's first full set in the main room went down really well, even Spanish resident G-Martin put up a credible performance. But it has to be said, the two real stars of the party were Danny Verde and Brent Nicholls, each in their own way truly captivating their audiences with incredible music selections & lively sets.

As for Cable, well it clearly offers something fresh compared with Colosseum, much more grown up clubbing, which was reflective of the crowd it attracted this time round, still the classic mix of gorgeous Latino lovelives, muscle queens as well as plenty of scene faces and party boys & girls out for a good time, but with nearly double attending than on the last outing, at one stage being one-in one-out, who could deny that both the venue and Matinee was a very popular choice. Yes the production was a litlle sedate, some saying they missed the extravagant shows, the coatcheck issues were dissapointing with yet another example of something quite simple detracting from the experience, but everyone we spoke to loved the venue and had an amazing time. With the promoters promissing a major ramp up on production for the next party, the third birthday no less and with then venue looking closely at its coatcheck operation, the only way is up and we truly believe that Matinee in London will go from strength to strength. We will certainly be there on 26th September and recommend you are aswell. (DISCO MATT)