"Konekted - Launch" - Club Review

KONEKTED LAUNCH PARTY – SUNDAY 18TH OCTOBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Now, don’t we just love the launch of something new on a gAylist London scene that can sometimes be dominated by just a few large brands, you know them all, Matinee, SuperMartXe, Salvation & Beyond, often sidelining other events and even stifling new ventures. Add to that, the inevitability that clubbers are being a lot more choosy about where & when to spend their hard earned pink pounds and any new club launch can expect a rocky ride, unless it is one that truly captures the imagination. However looking across the scene, it is evident that Sunday night seems to be a little barren of offerings, especially a hard hitting club, so when news came through of the launch of “Konekted” we were very excited indeed.

So, why the name “Konekted”? And who was the brainchild behind this new club launch? Well, the idea with the name is a twist on the word connected (no surprise there) but the whole ethos is (as it say’s on the box) to connect a wide range of people, through a variety of music styles across three rooms of fun, giving the clubber a genuinely distinct choice. Then, looking at the man behind it all, well it is Wayne Shires of course, someone that has been doing just that for all of his clubbing promotional career with great effect, you only have to look at the huge success of the phenomenon that was Crash, which effectively revolutionised the clubbing landscape, not just in Vauxhall, but across London, spurning what is today, one of the U.K’s best afterhours club, Beyond. Add to that his involvement with outside event Summer Rites, which gelled the entire top clubbing brands into one massive party and you can see why “Konekted” is a natural of his, as has been Guru Guru, which in itself has caused, or at least been part of, the new wave of clubbing out in Shoreditch.

Naturally, being a working gal, going out late on a Sunday into Monday morning tends now to be reserved only for special occasions, or more obviously on Bank Holidays (and we have had some special parties to savour this year for sure), but “Konekted” was on such special occasion we couldn’t miss out on, so made plans well in advance to attend, our friend and clubbing pal Joel also organising his life to make sure he could be there with us. With warm up drinks in Rupert Street over, we, along with Joel & D.J. Alessandro (& posse) made a speedy chase down to London Bridge arriving at Cable’s doors at not long after 11 p.m., our entrance into the club managed very efficiently by the friendly door staff, who directed us through to the reception area where we dropped off our belongings before entering the club itself, through what we discovered is the regular passage way into this amazing venue, albeit a different route to our previous Matinee visits.

Finding ourselves in Room 3 (or was it Room 1? -the room numbers we have to say are quite confusing!) well the one with the V.I.P. area anyway, there were a smattering of people wandering through, although the music was set to kick off here, so we headed into the Bar room, where the unmistakable face & features of Tasty Tim were behind the D.J. decks, already churning out trademark “tasty” sounds to a respectable crowd of hopefuls, scene faces & off duty D.J.’s, who, like us, has come down to see what “Konekted” was all about. Naturally the figure of Wayne Shires caught our eye immediately and with Joel off to powder his nose, Wayne bounded up giving us a gripping hug and then introducing us to “the boys”, Tom Stephan & Antoine 909, both looking just as gorge as we remember them from Crash days of old, feeling equally at home in this new setting at Cable, which we have to say is without doubt THE most spectacular new venue we have seen in a long time, the bar room especially having an amazing atmosphere, feel & presence, mixing socialising & dancing to perfection.

With Joel, back, we charged our glasses, courtesy of complimentary drinks vouchers (we love that) and were then pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Nick Tcherniak & boyf Tom, whom we had not expected to see, but nevertheless were very pleased to do so. Now Mr Nick can sometimes spell disaster for our sensibility, being responsible in the recent past (along with another well known D.J. pal of ours) for leading us well and truly astray (not that we need help, moreover someone to blame!), not only with amazing & top notch music, but then adding to an exuberant evening of partying excess leaving us with a sore head the following day. But in the case of “Konekted” we didn’t need much encouragement as Joel was already concocting some wicked drinks combo’s to add a real kick to the evening as we caught up on news with Nick & Tom, with more & more people beginning to arrive as we did so, some spilling into the main room in anticipation of Pagano’s set, others heading off into Room 3 (we think we have got the number right!!) to savour the underground house & hard hitting hits that Tom Stephan was delivering.

We decided to continue our frivolous antics in the Bar room for a while, enjoying the company of Joel, Nick & Tom, then greeting the likes of Stevie B, then Pagano himself, who was now actually speaking to us after the cold shoulder treatment at Trade’s Birthday party (well she is Sicilian after all!!), we also spotting Big Brother winner Pete, who was hosting the evening in his unique style. With Alessandro popping in to check on our activity, we felt very comfortable in our surroundings, with a whole collection of special people around, still delighting in the musical machinations of Tasty Tim and hopeful of even better music to come. But, we wanted to add some fuel to our party fire and in the hands of Joel we can never be disappointed on that front, so indulged (as you do) lifting our already excitable mood to dizzy heights, spelling a trip into the main room, where Pagano had started his set. With the smoke effects & the lasers doing the talking and Pagano stirring up some sordid sounds from his hard hitting collection of deep tech infused house, shutting our eyes for a moment, we could have been standing in a Matinee party, but it was “Konekted” we were at, not that the production deluded so, although in reality it didn’t really need to, as the music & the people were speaking plenty of volumes alone.

By now the critical mass of scene faces, party lovers & clubbing extroverts were holding their own, although it was fair to say the venue was far from full, but Pagano soldiered on, eventually handing over to the lovely Paul Heron, fresh from his exploits in Oz, who injected his own enthusiasm into the night, but not before coming over and saying his hello’s, embracing us in Industri style tradition (bless him!). But then talking of enthusiasm, with the cocktail of consumptions we had taken with our friend Joel, they began to take their toll and in an unnerving case of de-ja-vous we had to console our clubbing pal out in the Bar room for a good while, although fortunately not ending up as it did for us at Salvation back in May. Mind you it did take an edge off the evening, but then he is our friend and we certainly weren’t going to dessert him in his hour of need and the night was soon back on track as we gathered momentum for one final last piece of “Koneckted” indulgement in the hands of Paul Heron in the main room, finding ourselves gyrating with Wayne Shires, Joel & even Pagano, who had stayed on to show his support.

But, with night turning into morning and Joel craving for some fresh air, it was time to say our farewells, catching a last minute chat with Wayne, before heading off in the London Bridge dawn, contemplating whether to continue our clubbing exploits across in Vauxhall, or head home to rest our now weary legs & reflect on a “Konketed” party that certainly connected, certainly made a statement and was certainly a bundle of fun, although not before navigating our friend Joel in the direction of Orange, who was by now in a boisterous & naughty mood.

So, what did we think of “Konekted”? Did it work for us? And will it survive to fight another day? Well, there was no doubt that it had all the right ingredients to make it one very special club event and with a D.J. line up including Tasty Tim, Tom Stephan, Antoine 909, Paul Heron & Pagano, musically, you couldn’t have asked for more. We were lucky that we had a whole bunch of familiar faces around us, especially Nick & Tom who are always great fun to be with and two people we can call real friends. Then, of course there was Joel, and never a dull day with our clubbing pal, although in reflection we wouldn’t have changed a thing about that part of our night. For those reasons alone, “Konekted” worked for us, but the turnout was quite low, begging the question, is the Sunday clubbing market dead & buried? Well, we think not, but it may take perseverance & effort to ensure that any venture in this now tricky timeslot will work. Whether “Konekted” it one such event, only time will tell, but we had a fab time and that’s all that counts in our books and all we can say is, Wayne, keep up the good work! (DISCO MATT)

Barcode Vauxhall - Review

BARCODE VAUXHALL – SATURDAY 17TH OCTOBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN



It is not very often that we come across a venue that offers its services as a bar as well as a club, many protagonists trying as they do to pull it off and yet failing to deceive. There are some high class establishments across gAylist/land London, some that attract top notch D.J.’s to perform, but as their main business is serving drinks, these venues in putting on extra entertainment, often find it is lost on many, who prefer to socialise & chat rather than dance to the music on offer, the primary consideration for a club. Some decide that a separate floor or specialist space is required to deliver that club vibe, but it is rare for a venue on the level to produce the right feel. However, in the case of one, that is exactly what it does.

Barcode Vauxhall, since opening just over three years ago, has somewhat transformed the scene in this, sometimes called, second gay village in London, adding an exciting place to both socialise drink & dance, right next to the bigger clubbing venues of Area & Fire, providing a chic & trendy space to move & grove. Since its inception, the popularity of the venue across the week has waxed & waned, but you can pretty much guarantee that a Saturday will draw a sizeable crowd, whether they be pre-clubbers, socialites or destination dudes and with a top notch rotational band on D.J.’s on tap, the music is as good as you will find at its bigger neighbours. Add to that two distinct spaces and Barcode Vauxhall ticks loads of boxes for a great night out.

So, it was no surprise that, with a weekend filled with ironing out personal issues, we didn’t want to do the whole big clubbing thing on Saturday, but rather enjoy a relaxing drink with friends & listen to some magical music in the hands of some of the scene’s big D.J. names. With Hugh Stevenson, Mattias & Steven Artis delighting in the “club” bar and Brent Nicholls warming up the evening in the “front” bar, the choice was clear, as we headed down to Vauxhall, gracing the doors of Barcode at just gone 10 p.m. finding a front room already brimming with an eclectic mix of regulars, scene faces hunks, chunks, cute boys & gathering gals who were creating a real buzz. Squeezing our way to the bar to grab refreshments, served to us by the scrumptious yet butch looking Mark M Forns, sporting a new trimmed beard, pals Stephen & Stefan swished by, heading outside for some light relief, although rather than joining them, we picked up our drink and wandered down into the club space to gather ourselves before heading back into the front bar to start our evening in earnest.

So with our over-garments kindly stored behind the D.J. booth we said our hello’s to Brent, catching up on matters since Industri, just two days previously, before a small wave of people were waiting to show their faces in similar fashion. Heading back up the bar we were intent on finding our friends who were braving the cold outside, so it wasn’t long before we were back in the front bar, finding a suitable space to relax and unwind after a hectic day of activity, talking some issues through with Stephen for re-assurance and then concentrating on the events of the night. And with Brent playing out some truly uplifting electro tainted house, it wasn’t long before we gravitated to the side of the D.J. booth where we engaged in conversation with him & our friends who, by now, had joined us, lamenting on various clubbing events just gone, especially the wig party which we had sadly missed out on, then discussing the forthcoming new club launch Konekted.

By now the atmosphere in the front bar was superb, only to be heightened even more when Mr D.J. pulled out from his collection our favourite record of now, Zoe Baldwin’s “Release Me”, which was met with our usual enthusiastic response, the tune also going down well with the crowd in front of the decks, who were bopping away merrily. Hinting at a lengthier stay beyond his midnight finish, Brent mentioned that there was to be an all revealing show in the club bar later, apparently some “butt naked” dancers to delight, leaving us momentarily aghast, although with confirmation courtesy of two signs on the front entrance, we also decided to extend what was originally only going to be quick a couple of drinks before the witching hour.

But we certainly weren’t going to miss out on a bit of bare flesh & saucy action, so with this tempting offer we headed for the club bar with our pals Stephen & Stefan to soak up the feel of this special space in the hands of D.J. Hugh Stevenson, who was dishing out some deep & dirty sordid sounds to a packed out dance floor, all gyrating under a sea or mirror balls & lasers creating a superb effect for the eyes to marvel. As we refreshed our glasses, Brent joined us, camera in hand, ready to click all the action and also catch some cuties in pose. Mind you, the crowd wasn’t the sort that would be seen on the cover of a magazine, more your average mix of party goers simply out for a good time, so it wasn’t long before the lens cover was on & Mr Nicholls retired, deciding against waiting for the de-clothed dancers to appear.

Then, we turned to greet Hugh Stevenson, who had handed over the D.J. reigns to a Barcode favourite & a superb talent to boot, the ever smiling Mattias, with whom we managed to sneak a quick chat before is disappeared behind the decks, setting about serving up a scintillating string of sounds, funky, chunky & definite dance worthy, as his clever choice of house hits had the dancefloor swelling to capacity, many in anticipation for the saucy show to come. With our pal Stefan deciding to head off in search of a full on club experience, we headed deep into the club bar’s area to gain the best vantage point for the butt naked dancers and with Stephen by our side, we were in pole position to view the audacious action to come. And as the two dancers appeared behind the glass frontage above the D.J. booth, towels in hands to cover their indiscretions, but little more, you could feel the crowd below drawing their breath as bare flesh flashed, buttocks wobbled & muscles flexed before our eyes, adding an extra element of spice to an already spruced up atmosphere.

With the dancing over, we re-assumed our spot by the bar and continued to enjoy ourselves mingling with the masses, although when Minty arrived with boyfriend Thiagio, soon followed by the cheeky Steven Artis, who was due to play out the last set in the club bar, we knew this would spell trouble, after all it doesn’t take a lot to lead us astray, but in the hands of Minty & Miss Artis, well.....So, with plenty on our plates the following day, we gracefully made our exit, meandering back through the front space, waving bye to Mark behind the bar, then heading out into a Vauxhall early autumn morning, to wend our way home, reflecting on an ecstatic experience at the brilliant Barcode.

So, what did we think of our scaled down night in the hands of Barcode Vauxhall? And would we recommend it as a Saturday night destination? Well, to say our night was scaled down is a simple reflection on the fact that we would normally be lauding it at the likes of Matinee, SuperMartXe, Hard On! & Beyond, but in truth, with a superb D.J. line up, the addition of entertainment in the form of those butt naked dancers, not to mention fabulous company, scaled down or not, the night proved to be thoroughly entertaining and in some ways just as much fun as the full on clubbing, with the added advantage of reasonably priced drinks & entrance, compared to the sometimes over-inflated charges we come across in clubs. And we would definitely recommend Barcode Vauxhall as a destination, just as much as a pre-club visit, not just for the top notch scene favourite D.J.’s on offer, but for the feel of the club bar, which is as good as you will get in any venue. So, you could do far worse than pay this firmly established & popular club on the scene on a Saturday, in fact any day of the week. (DISCO MATT)

Trade 19th Birthday - Club Review

TRADE 19TH BIRTHDAY - “A FESTIVAL OF COLOURS”
SUNDAY 4TH OCTOBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


These days in gAylist London we are very lucky to have so many choices of clubs, with so much diversity, catering for all sorts of tastes and yet for all the fabulous clubbing experiences we enjoy now & have savoured in the past, there are only a few for which we can use the words, legendary, iconic, & classic, using as we do, these words very sparingly, thus reflecting the mere handful that deserve this right. Sadly, most of the clubs we refer to in this way are no more, having either been laid to rest, been superseded by other more popular brands or have run the course of their time. However, there is one club brand that will simply not be allowed to throw in the towel, give up the ghost or be consigned to the history books (well not yet anyway) and whenever the now occasional events arise, it attracts amazing attention & frenzied furore, especially when it comes to their birthday celebration.

So who are we talking about? Well Trade of course, the club that has formed a major part of our lives, the club that brought afterhours & decadent Sunday morning clubbing to the fore, the club that has recently been copied but never equalled and one that has made the biggest impact of any club we know. Even since the heady days of Turnmills, Trade continues to attract incredible interest whenever it plans an event and its more recent outings have proven just as much a success as in the past, whether it be at The Arches, where it celebrated 18 glorious years on the planet, at Fire collaborating with Orange and even over at The Egg, which has hosted some cracking Christmas day events. But the biggest news of late has been the joining of forces with another clubbing icon, Ministry Of Sound, which The Trade Collective are keen to make their permanent home, although its first outing was only modestly supported raising questions about the reputation of the venue. So, with its 19th birthday planned to go ahead at Ministry of Sound (what a mouthfull!?!), how would it far this time round? And would it live up to previous parties, especially the last birthday bash?

Well, leaving what simply became as a prelude the THE party of the year so far, we took the small few steps from the Coronet to find ourselves at the revised entrance for Trade at Ministry of Sound (we will hence refer to it as MOS, it’s much easier!) and what a better entrance it was, as with three separate queues to get in, we were handled not only efficiently but friendly by the staff who were clearly well versed in this sort of thing. So much so, we were in the club in a trice, which was already buzzing and brimming with a bucket load of serious clubbers, Trade babies of old and others that knew this was the place to be as Stevie T, got proceedings off to a rapturous start with some hard hitting, uplifting yet down & dirty house mixes that had the “Bar” room well & truly pumping right from the word go. The usual Trade visuals across three massive screens helped to encourage to vibe and we already knew we were in for another classic Trade birthday celebration.

Arming ourselves with refreshments, we sought to find the whereabouts of our friend & clubbing partner (no nothing else, dare you ask!) Joel, who had hinted on a 7 a.m. arrival, but with no sign of him and Miss Romano working us with her comments about SuperMartXe, we let our inhibitions go and really got into the feel of MOS, so much more than our last visit back in July, safe in the knowledge that the D.J. line up was stellar to say the least and the resultant sounds would be the best we had heard for ages. And they were, as Stevie B handed over to D.J. Jonny M, who took the sexy house filled sounds to extended heights, especially when he digged out some real classics which had us in mesmeric mood in an instant. Not that wan't plenty of action happening across the other four rooms (yes four and no, a fifth with the terrace now in full swing), so in tune Disco Matt fashion, we spread ourselves around (no Hard On innuendo’s please!), sampling a bit of Harry Lloyd in the Trade test lounge (great!), the massive combo of Nick Tcherniak & Steve (Janet to his friends) Thomas in the Box Room (brilliant!) and the gorge Gabriele Cutrano, who was seriously mashing it up out on the terrace (awesome!). What more of an amazing choicecould you ask for? and our allegiances were well and truly torn, as you can imagine.

Then, after many texts & phone calls, our pal Joel arrived, signalling a new step in our Trade birthday extravaganza and just in time for the legendary Sharp Boys, who grabbed the Bar Room by the balls, shook them & delivered what can only be described as the set of the night (well morning by now), track after track sending us wild, resulting in us playing with our braces (our new look) and showing off our dancing skills (we have been told we cut a stride on the dancefloor) for a virtually uninterrupted two hours (well apart from a sniff here, a blow there & a suck..don’t start!). It was so good that we missed out on our mega fave D.J. star Pagano, who was ripping up the Box room with some serious sounds, and was he upset that we missed out or what?!? giving us a earful when he finished, but we will be there next time bello!!

Now Trade at MOS was into full swing and so comfortable with it, maybe not quite the decadent feel of Turnmills, not the raunchy & sweaty mass of The Arches, but this was turning out to be a brilliant party to remember and never to forget, as we traded moves on the floor with Joel, who hardly strayed from our side (apart from the usual excuses) and when Fat Tony took to the decks, we knew we would stay the distance, even if we had been out for nearly 24 hours (yes we know, dirty stop out you say!?) but we were feeling great and with energy in our legs that would prove to last a whole lot longer. By now the atmosphere was incredible and akin to the heady days of Turnmills, so there was only two things that would elevate it more, dancers & Laurence, so did it happen? Well what do you think?

Of course it did, as in a rapturous welcome a whole parade of stunning, gorgeous, extrovert and splendid bodies of boys & girls took to the bar, yes the bar in the bar room, some covered in florescent paint in perfect symmetry, others outrageously dressed, but all of them befitting the theme of a “Festival Of Colours”, giving a new dimension to Trade parties we have not seen before and all courtesy of Mark M Forns Fierce International crew who looked the best we have ever seen them, not the Matinee pretty boy style, but hard hitting & so appropriate to the Trade ethos (that man is so clever & good at what he does), whispers coming through that the Box Room was also full of equally amazing dancers (how does he do it?). That signalled the gay paparazzi to come out & click, especially that naughty boy Chris Jepson, who was clearly revelling in it all (where was my pic mister?!?) being just another magical ingredient to that massive hash cake of an experience.

But it didn’t stop there, as Pete Wardman then decided to play out a historic set, evoking Trade Turmills days off old, sticking us to a spot (well as massive space) in the Box Room, sinking into the supersonic tempo which many were struggling to keep up with, especially our friend Joel, who eventually dragged us off into the Bar Room, then the Terrace & back again, while we contemplated whether we would make it until the 4 p.m. (yes you heard us right) finish. But we made it, we are proud to say, with the superb vocals of Tonnic ending our escapades as the curtain was drawn on yet another classic Trade party, Joel dragging us to Vauxhall for further clubbing excitement.

So, if you are, for some reason, in any doubt about what we thought about or experience of Trade’s 19th birthday celebration, let us make it very clear!!, this was, for us, the party top end all parties. Firstly, there is something truly magical about anything connected to Trade for us, they have looked after us & formed so much of our life as we have said & the whole set up is head & shoulders above any other club. Then you look at the D.J. line up and performances meaning there is no other club where you can be sooo spoilt for choice as you were tonight (this morning) at MOS. Every D.J. performed superbly, played their part and made this a memorable event that still lives in our minds as we sahare our experience with you. Plus, no problems with G heads, gutter trash, hideous reprobates and everything that haunts other afterhour’s ventures, it was quality clubbing excellence at its best crowd and an event that we have enjoyed over any for such a long time.

Trade, with all its history has gone boldly where many clubs have feared to tread, but in doing so remains cutting edge, evolutionary, all encompassing and in step with what its customers, admirers, enthusiasts & devotees. Moving to MOS was always going to be a difficult one, the London Pride party proved that, but the 19th birthday celebration has cemented the venue as a place where true Trade babies feel comfortable and we are sure that with everyone talking about this event, that the take up next time will be mega. When the next time is remains debatable, but given this amazing, fantastic, incredible, magnificent, superb & wicked outing, we will not be missing out, moreover being in the very front of the ticket queue for the next one and so should you. (DISCO MATT)

SuperMartXe "Under The Sea" - Club Review

SUPERMARTXE "UNDER THE SEA" - SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Despite the doom & gloom which seems to fill our lives from time to time this year, there are a handful of clubs which continue to buck the trend and truly captivate, drawing a near capacity crowd to their events, reflecting that there are alot of us that either want to escape the realities of the world for a while or still have the passion & enthusiasm for a great night out, whether it be under a mirrorball over at Vauxhall, under the spotlight over in Soho or in the case of the latest outing, over at Elephant & Castle but "Under The Sea", with the team behind the ever popular super Spanish smash-hit club brand laying on another spectacular themed event in mega theatrical style. And with a reputation for putting on some truly thrilling parties, attracting the lion’s share of the gAylist glitterati as well as the most handsome hunks & quintessential queens to its events, how would the latest chapter in the SuperMartXe story unfold? And would "Under The Sea" stand up to its billing proving to be a heavyweight rather than a flyweight event?

Well, with things as they stood at the start of the weekend, we were still debating whether to make it a double whammy or simply concentrate on the afterhours mother Trade, but as events unfolded, Friday into Saturday, we decided to throw caution to the wind and take on a mammoth potential 18 hours worth of clubbing in Elephant and Castle, grabbing one of the last available treasured advance tickets, while out in Soho, to ensure a smooth entry to SuperMartXe at the Coronet. And smooth it certainly turned out to be, as we arrived at the doors of this age old theatre at a slightly later than planned 12.30 a.m., having diverted to Vauxhall for an important rendezvous before scrubbing up and preparing for what would prove to be one of the best back-to-back party nights of the year so far. Despite the sizable queue outside, we were soon past the efficient security checks and having handed over our ticket were waved through and to the outside coatcheck, again with a lengthy queue, but unlike previous visits to the Coronet, hardly had to wait before we were released to enjoy ourselves.

Entering the main room, it was clear that many had made the trip early as it was absolutely brimming full of a glamorous mix of gorgeous gals, beautiful boys, luscious Latino’s, sparkling scene faces & many more in between, all revelling in the already incredible atmosphere. We had to head for the bar, but having had our fill in Soho, sought for energetic refreshments instead, to get us on our way, then moving down towards the front of the room, squeezing past pulsating bodies and finding a precious vacant spot just shy of the D.J. booth as relatively new to SuperMartXe, D.J. Tony English was handing over to Spanish resident Hugo Sanchez. There was definitely an air of expectation, as the massive stage was shrouded by huge curtains which would soon peel back to show of Logan Schmitz's latest dazzling display of production perfection. Moving across the packed dancefloor towards the V.I.P. area, in search of Industri pal Jeremy who had texted us to advise of his whereabouts, unfortunately as we looked intently we didn't find, rather bumping into raver Romano who greeted us in his usual fashion, sashaying in front of us in an indulgent way and bringing a massive smile to our face, adding even more to the superb party vibe in this cosmopolitan corner & beyond.

But it was showtime and as the curtains began to draw, we sped back through the crowd and up to our usual position up the right hand aisle to gain a full view of the splendour of the stage setting, which was a stunning sea (no pun intended) of aquatic additions, magnificent mermaids, and oceanic oddities in the form of a gorgeously sexy go-go dancer filled stage of frenzied activity. With a continual splurge of waves of bubbles, intermixed with incredible lighting, the team were definitely capturing the "Under The Sea" theme, and bursting out from this sea of underwater air was P.A. Jasmine, with radiant red hair locks to contrast her green outfit, looking just the ticket to befit her Mermaid Idol 2009 title and taking centre stage, performed the aptly named Disney classic tune "Under The Sea" to a rip roaring and whistling crowd in front of her. But with the performance over all too soon, the dancers then began to steal the limelight with a dazzling display of nautical naughtiness, keeping their prescience felt as Hugo Sanchez resumed the D.J. decks and delivered a delectable dish full of hot euro-style house that had the Coronet well & truly rocking and us dancing deliriously on our elevated aisle anchor.

Only brief respites outside to restore our breath, coupled with a dash or two to the bar to grab more energetic refreshments stopped us dancing from dusk till dawn, this mixed with the occasional liaison with familiar faces, including John, Oli and others from Rupert Street as well as work & fellow courier pal Lloyd, who came bounding over, spotting us from afar and filling us in on his activity of late. But it was the music and the aquatic audacities below that we ended up concentrating on, as a massive blue sheet was pulled out right across the whole dancefloor, covering the sea of bodies beneath giving the feel that they were all, well, "under the sea", followed by further plumes of bubbles not to mention the trademark tickertape explosions, although we failed to spot the infamous SuperMartXe beach ball, but then it wasn't a beach scene was it really?!?! With Hugo Sanchez continuing to send out some scorching sounds, a glance at our timepiece was doing just that, calling time on our escapades at this event, as we searched for our second wind, disappearing into an Elephant & Castle early morning for the next party on offer.

So, what of this latest chapter in the SuperMartXe story? Well, we thought it had all the ingredients and more to make it one of our best experiences yet. Some may say the stage setting lacked the punch of previous parties, but we felt the dancers simply dazzled and the brilliant bubble effects were fantastic. By keeping the eye candy and the interest going right through the event, Logan's Schmitzel's worked really hard and we think it well & truly paid off. Hugo Sanchez, we thought, was at his best (a stunning looker too!!), although perhaps his mammoth set went on a tad too long. There is absolutely no doubt that in its theatre style setting SuperMartXe has to be at capacity (or at least near) to make it work and for the turnout alone, it certainly worked as the dancefloor remained packed from start till finish. Moreover, the prolific production, the glamorous gathering and the stupendous stage show definitely had the SuperMartXe stamp that many have come to love and adore and with Logan & his team celebrating their first anniversary at their next outing scheduled for the end of November, we are sure the incredible popularity of this clubbing night & brand is set to continue. As for our remaining question, there is no doubt that "Under The Sea" was a heavyweight for us and a compelling addition to our wonderful weekend of clubbing. (DISCO MATT)

Hard On! 6th Birthday - Club Review

HARD ON! 6TH BIRTHDAY - SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


You know the saying!?, "You wait for a bus for over ten minutes and then three come all at once!", well that can be said of this weekend in a way, as we have waited nearly ten months for a good old clubbing birthday knees up and then what happens, two mega parties present themselves at exactly the same time and as much as we love a good old birthday celebration, it was sadly inevitable that with two great options, we had to make a difficult choice. But then life is always about making choices, which then presents itself with difficult decisions, so what was our dilemma? Well, would we go with the usual flow and pay homage to gAylisting legendary espaniol club giant's London sister at super new club Cable, reaching its third birthday, or would we step into our sleazy shoes and celebrate in true saucy style, the sixth birthday of the most well known fetish clubs on the gay scene? Yes, the choice was definitely a tough one, so what did we decide?

Well, with Matinee ruling our lives in more ways than one and Hard On! hardly getting a look in, we decided to head down to Hidden in Vauxhall, getting down and dirty for Suzi Kruger's uber sexy club's birthday bash, with the promise of some really raunchy shows, sordid sounds from Hard On's! resident D.J.'s and a truly up for it crowd in the most diverse choice of dress of any club outing we have been to. So, donning our leather chaps, boots & black braces (and a top of course, we are not that brave!), we made liaison with our friend Benoit for pre-club drinks at Barcode Vauxhall, before making the short trip across to Hard On's! entrance at just before midnight, being, as with previous visits, handled swiftly & efficiently by the friendly security staff, then taking our place in the sizeable queue out on the terrace, waiting to get into the club proper. Looking down the row of people, it was definitely not a Matinee crowd here, more an incredible mix of fetish enthusiasts, leather & rubber garbed hunks & chunks, larger than life extroverts and down to earth regulars that love the chance to escape normality, that being the magic about Hard On! as a club night and setting it apart from many others, something which we love.

So, we were in, or were we? as a technical hitch with the guestlist sidelined us and a couple others, requiring the attention of Suzie Kruger herself, in a way making us feel privileged, but with the words "oh no not again" running through our thoughts, it wasn't long before we were beckoned across by Suzie who then waved us through the entrance and catching up with us demanded a thank you for the guestlist entry, which ofcourse we were most grateful for. Technical hitches over, we checked our belongings into the coatcheck and were in the thick of it all in a trice, meandering through the Cruise bar that have a definite cruisy feel to it, an eclectic mix of people socialising & warming into the action as D.J. Halo-Is was pumping out some hard edged tunes, befitting the Hard On! style and evoking memories of Fist days of old. Bumping into familiar faces at the bar including old work pal Cliniot & the two Elliot's, we caught back up with Benoit, grabbing some refreshments and then heading round & up the back stairs (not the back passage naughty!!) then winding down into the main, Red room, where Hi-fi Sean was in command of the decks, delivering a hard & horny filled string of sounds to a packed space, including daringly dressed dancers on the podiums.

Unlike our last visit on our birthday back in December, for this, Hard On's! birthday, we were so much more relaxed & in tune with the crowd and with our spirits already high, being helped along by liquid refreshments as well as other goodies, we fell into our stride with ease, bopping away in our leather chaps and, thankfully comfortable boots, like many, stripping off our t-shirt, just leaving our saucy braces on top to play with. There was a real sense that the crowd were up for some well & truly raunchy & ravenous action and weren't to be disappointed, as the podiums were cleared of the impromptu dancers and the first of two extrovert exhibitions commenced, courtesy of Dark Alleys Media's very own Matt Fistenberg (is that his real surname?!?!), who flew in from Germany especially for this mega celebration, performing an erotic show with the well hung star Davide, which certainly got our attention. Now, it has to be said, that in our regular club visits our minds are well & truly focussed on the music, admittedly always keeping an eye out for the shows, but here at Hard On! we were simply transfixed as both Matt & Davide got down & dirty, looking as though they were enjoying the experience as much as we were.

With the show over and our erogenous zones buzzing with excitement, we had to take a wander around the club, although not before saying our hello's to Brent Nicholls, who had arrived to take up the D.J'ing reigns from Hi-Fi Sean, both of whom had made a superb effort in dressing in leather clad style for Hard On's special day. So, wandering back round and through the Cruise bar, still packed with fetish fancies chatting & mingling, we made a brave move into the play area (usually a no go thing for us at Hard On!) and it was immediately clear that many had also taken this opportunity to fulfil a little bit of erotic fantasy & audacious action and when we were pushed against the wall in virtual darkness, we let down our guard (and our chaps!) and succumbed to a little pleasure, braces dangling by our side, but will let your imaginations wander as to exactly what the pleasures were (are we beyond the watershed?!?). Being the shy and retiring person we are (who are we kidding?!), it wasn't long before we were, some would say prematurely, back in the Red Room with our minds focussed back on the music, lapping up the luscious & tantalising tunes that Brent Nicholls was serving up, much tougher than we are used to from this most versatile (in music terms) D.J. talent.

Now, with all the action we had savoured so far, as if our erotic desires were not at a height of deliriourism, it was about to gain yet more, climaxing with a truly jaw-droopingly overt second performance by Mr Fistenburg and his stage partner, the man's surname truly evoking the outrageously raunchy act unfolding in front of our eyes made even more brilliant by Brent who pitched the music to match Matt's movements, sending us into sensory heaven, truly transfixed by the top to bottom bravado before our eyes and one of the most sexual public performances we had seen in a long time. With the show over, we slid back into music mode and danced away to Brent's chunky choices well into the early hours, having completely lost our friend Benoit, who was up to no good naughtiness for sure (and why not?!), but eventually deciding it was time to (literally) hang up our boots, changing back into our regular clubbing gear for further escapades elsewhere, well into Sunday morning.

So what did we think of this Hard On! birthday bash? Did up live up to expectations? And did it succeed in re-kindling our interest in our fetish side? Well, not being regulars to Hard On!, we perhaps are not the best to ask as to whether the turnout was more than the average event, but it certainly had a great vibe, buzz & excitement about it. Having been used to the "old" format, we thought that with Hi-Fi Sean & Brent in the main room worked really well, but being the socialite that we are, there is something special about the feel in the Cruise bar, but with the music there more akin to Fist days, a little too heavy for us. The raunchy shows in the Red Room along with the accompanying tunes played out, were real highlights and popping into the playroom was an extra bonus. Not visiting often, we were not sure of our expectations, but having had such a good time, we walked away from Hidden with a smile as wide as a Cheshire cat's (did the cat get the cream?!) and we really enjoyed the whole experience of dressing in our chaps, our boots, our braces & all.

Choosing between Hard On! & Matinee was always going to be a controversial one, and with news fast reaching our ears that The Evolved Events team had really pulled out all the stops, not least with some mesmerising stage shows from Mark M Forns Fierce crew as well as great D.J. performances from Alessandro, Fat Tony and especially Paul Heron, not to mention as special appearance by Jean Phillpe, playing out his latest collaborative smash with Oliver M, we may well have missed out, matters being made worse by so many people remarking on our absence. But without the aid of the Disco Matt helicopter, we can't be in two places in one night and therefore give each the justice they deserve, so we don't regret the choice we made and Hard On! certainly deserved our reviewing attention. We have to thank a whole host of people for making our trip to Hidden a great one, in part, down memory lane, but moreover serving up a unique & an altogether alternative experience. An extra special thanks to Suzi, Hi-Fi Sean, Brent, & The Dark Alley boys for a big contribution to our night and we are sure it will not be long before we dip into our fetish side once again.(DISCO MATT)

Profile Bar - Review

PROFILE BAR - FRIDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


There is no escaping the fact that since its launch back in 2007, Profile bar has certainly made waves across gAylist/land London, in the main for all good reasons, being an opulent alternative to the likes of Soho's Shadow Lounge, Escape, Barcode & Rupert Street, who seemed to have developed a stranglehold over gay bar culture in the West End. Spread across three (or was it four?!) floors at its original location in Frith Street, with its clubbing sister Lo-Profile hitting the headlines and attracting considerable attention as a sleek clubbing experience in the heart of London's biggest gay village, the joining of the two venues was inevitable. We were there to see the official launch of Profile at its new home in Wardour Street, atop its sister venue and were impressed by the polished, smart and quality feel of the diner themed/styled bar, returning just days after the party to see the venue in its true light and pick up on much more of the detail, even if our plans to sample some of the food offers were not fulfilled.

So, it was just a matter of time before we made another re-visit, this time choosing a Friday night, which has recently proven a very popular night for us to end our week within the clutches of Soho, whether it be our regular haunt, Rupert Street, or our newly found favourite bar, The Box, our connections with the staff & management of both venues proving a real draw after a hard few days on London's roads. But having spotted in dispatches that Brent Nicholls was D.J.'ing at Profile bar, as a preclude to the duo of Steve Pitron & Mikey D, who were to perform downstairs in Lo-Profile, we threw all our woes aside for one night and in anticipation of some magnificent music, headed around to Wardour Street, not before making a visit to pick up some bags of sweets (or should we say candy!) that having become a bit of a tradition when spending an evening of musical entertainment with Mr Nicholls (quite how it started we don't remember).

Arriving at Profile's doors at just turned 8.30 p.m. there was already a reasonable crowd gathering, some taking up the seating booths and indulging in the enticing food on offer, others taking to the large stools surrounding the centre console bar & surrounding waist height seating areas. Being just our third visit, we still remained impressed by the shiny decor of black & yellow tiled walls, Profile glass motifs & modernistic brick work, all combining to provide a most welcoming & sumptuous feel, if but a little stark & bright, but nevertheless a refreshing alternative to other bars around. Grabbing refreshments, we turned and spotted Brent behind the makeshift D.J. booth, somewhat tucked up in the corner and out of sight of most of his audience, although he was already consumed with is music choices when we bounded up to say hello, immediately digging out our sweets, sorry candy, to share with him.

Looking round, there was definitely a hive of activity to and from the kitchen and whilst we have still not been privy to the menu, the food being produced and then delivered looked very appetising indeed. Further round towards the back of the bar, people were gathering in numbers, the enclave proving an ideal spot for what turned out to be a special birthday celebration. Catching up with Brent on all sorts of news, not least the successes and failures of Soho Live & associated parties the Sunday just gone, but also our other exploits across the weekend, including our fetching outfit we wore behind the bar when on duty at Rupert Street, we really began to feel right at home in Profile's surroundings and as we talked more, the candy was going down rather too well, but it probably wasn't the best idea mixing liquorice allsorts with our lager, but just can't resist a good chew on the black root.

With Brent turning out a superb sequence of scintillating house hits to really warm up the atmosphere, the beer soon evaporated from our glass (well that was our excuse), so arming ourselves with a healthy refill, efficiently served by the very friendly bar staff who were dealing with an ever increasing crowd really in a speedy and polite manner, we took a wander around the bar and soon bumped into a host of familiar faces, including Industri pal and fellow South African adorer, Sofie, who was looking very glamorous in a sparkling blue number and soaking up the party atmosphere developing in the corner, introducing us to the birthday boy himself and to a collection of her other friends. Not realising Brent was D.J'ing, I tore her away for a moment so she could say her hello's, before leaving her & her mates to their devices and returning to the fast disappearing bags of candy.

By now the night was in full swing and the music was gathering pace, as was the building crowd, beginning to pack out the available spaces, many in anticipation of Lo-Profile's opening, but others simply wishing to soak up the atmosphere in this most unique of spaces. Then as if we weren't enjoying ourselves enough, first the arrival of pal Nik Ripley with a gaggle of friends heightened our mood, then Brent pulled out and played our favourite record, Zoe Baldwin's "Release Me", which sent us wild with excitement, dancing merrily on our spot and then showering thanks on him for choosing this most fabulous of tunes. But our night was not yet over as the enjoyment, merriment & magnificent music continued right until the 11 p.m. calling and we had to then hold ourselves back from the temptations of Mikey D & Steve Pitron in Lo-Profile below, rather choosing to depart with Brent and then head off to the comfort of our own bed to reflect on another fantastic Friday, not in the hands of Rupert Street or The Box, but courtesy of a puissant Profile Bar.

So, what was our verdict on our third outing to this Wardour Street wonderland? Well, it is fair to say that with a few hiccups on the launch party, particularly with the slow service and then on a second visit, the issues with lack of food service, we were reluctant to return, especially as our last encounter with the General Manager was far from cordial. However, we have to say that on this occasion, there was none of that. Not only did we spot changes to the compliment of staff who came across far more friendly than before, but it was clear the team of waiting staff were handling the pace of food service well. The added inclusion of a D.J. really heightened the mood and Brent Nicholls performed superbly, adding to what was an all-round amazing atmosphere in smart surroundings that proved a perfect alternative to the norm. In its new guise and home Profile bar has all the ingredients attract an ever increasing, quality & discerning crowd, so on the basis of our visit and having had such a good time, Profile bar certainly gets a big thumbs up from us and we are sure we will be paying the venue a visit very soon. (DISCO MATT)

"A Foreign Affair" - Theatrical Review

"A FOREIGN AFFAIR" - THURSDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER
THEATRICAL REVIEW DISCO MATT WEBSITE


In a real departure from our regular reviews, when the invite came through to attend a play down at fringe theatre The White Bear, our immediate thoughts were that it would just be an entertaining evening out with great pal Joel and seeing for ourselves, the fruits of labours of another friend, Andre, who had written, produced and directed this very gay themed piece of thespian drama. Indeed any thoughts of reviewing what turned out to be a most entertaining play were far from our minds when we made original plans way back in August and was still not a consideration as the day drew closer and eventually arrived. However, with a hectic day at work finishing later than planned, but with constant communication with Joel about plans of where & when to meet, we dashed home to scrub up and then headed down to Kennington to make our pre theatre liaison with our friend at not long after 7.30 p.m..

Now, Kennington is not quite the glamorous destination we are used to, but then considering some of the club locations we grace, it wasn't that bad, although a hurried phone call from Joel seemed to indicate that the pub come theatre host venue, was a little unsavoury (should we say rough) and was seeking alternatives when we arrived. However, summoning courage we entered The White Bear pub, which was akin to a bit of a "spit & sawdust/community" vibe, huge screens showing football to a testosterone filled bar. So, having grabbed some refreshments in advance of the play's timed 8.15 start, we decided to sit & wait out front of the pub, catching up with Joel on all the week’s events thus far and then spotting familiar & friendly faces also arriving for this evening of entertainment. After sinking yet more refreshments, it was time to head in and towards the theatre which was at the rear of the pub and down quite a cosy entrance way.

With our tickets checked off and with the inside of the theatre's capacity of just 50 filling rapidly, we had originally aimed to sit near the exit (don't ask!!) but our choice was limited to the far end seating on the back row of a half rectangular of three and settling into our spot it was clear the word "fringe" was very appropriate with little more than a performing area rather than a stage set up as a simple lounge space, a table & chairs and a sofa dominating the space and enticing a little imagination, both to what tale was about to unfold in front of our eyes and to the style linked to theme of the play. We had been given a hint about the storyline, a personal account of Andre's exploits on arriving in London from Brazil, but as the play unfolded it was clear that, knowing him as we did, it was a much more intense account of his experiences than we ever expected and for that reason, more than any, really engaged our attention.

So, what was the play about? Well, let’s cut to the chase shall we. It was an account of a young Brazilian boy (Marcus) finding mutual lust followed by temporarily enduring love with a much older Caucasian man (Gareth) who lived in sumptuous style in his house in Putney, shared by an old university pal & a rather homophobic one at that (Darren), together with a third housemate (Becky) who, it soon transpired, had attracted a lesbian adoration from a buxom cum butch female (Pam) on a boozy night out. Following us so far? With the first two scenes clearly rolling out the plot, with a glorious mix of serious issues intermixed with amusing moments, especially from Pam who was playing the part superbly, the twists and turns of the tale kept us fully enthralled as the love between Marcus & Gareth developing to the point that they were considering living together, but were continually thwarted by the homophobic come jealous intentions of Darren.

With the play's plot progressing rapidly and with the whole audience locked into the action, including both Joel & us, despite needing to relieve ourselves of our earlier refreshments, we continued to get sucked into the trials and tribulations of Marcus & Gareth as their planned enduring love and fairytale ending of living together bliss, build beautifully and then slowly fall apart, courtesy of the influential Darren who eventually persuaded Gareth that Marcus was simply looking for an easy ticket into the U.K. With our minds stepping away from the intensity of the play, we reflected on the reality of the issues that the storyline was bringing up, which were proving not only to be an accurate account of many people’s experiences in real life, but were tugging on our heart strings as we watched our friend Andre playing out what were possibly some really distressing times in his life.

Back with the play and the lesbian intentions of Pam being put straight in a very diplomatic, if but very amusing way by Becky, we were left with the ever deteriorating relationship between Gareth & Marcus, but with the obvious knowledge than underneath it all, their love should be destined to keep them together, had it not been for the intervention of Darren. We were, by now, desperate to see a happy ending to the play, the painful split between Gareth & Marcus, for us, being extended a little too long, despite the intermixing scenes between Darren & Becky, Darren & Gareth and even Becky & Pam which were clearly intended to deflect from the inevitability of the plot. However, what it did was to end up attracting our attention to the awful conclusion that the main message of the play, in our interpretation, was that foreign affairs, so called, are based on manipulation for personal gain. And so the play ended, with Gareth alone listening to his favourite Brazilian music and us reflecting on some stunning performances by the whole cast, Andre Bacelar as Marcus, Neil Kelly as Gareth, Jason Carter as Darren, Rachael Hilton as Becky & Antonia Oliver as Pam.

So, what did we think of the play "A Foreign Affair"? Well, it was certainly a provocative take on many issues that more than likely affect foreign immigrants arriving in the U.K. than we think, people arriving, falling in love and then being subjected to discrimination through misunderstanding. Parts of the play were very stark, especially the homophobic flecks which drew our breath, but the interspersment of humour as well as reality within the confines of the story, made the play most entertaining and for us worthy of a viewing to a much larger audience and theatre. It is clear that Andre has a talent for writing and the whole cast can be congratulated for delivering a truly captivating play which had us glued from start to finish. It is rare that we make time to re-discover our thespian routes, but this play certainly did that and we are sure it won't be long before we head down to the theatre again. (DISCO MATT)

Scandal - Club Review

SCANDAL - SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Now you can never keep a good club promoter down, especially when they constantly try to evolve, look for new ideas, try out new venues and do their very best to bring something fresh to a gAylist scene, that in 2009, seems to be constantly needed an injection of something extra special to tempt people out. So, it came as no surprise that one of London's most longstanding & prolific promoters was right at the heart of a wave of activity around the Soho Live 09 weekend. So, who are we talking about, well Steve Elliot of course, the man behind the mighty Salvation, which in its various incarnations at Cafe De Paris, then the Hippodrome and more latterly at the Troxy, is one of those club legends that will remain in our minds and hearts for as long as we will remember. More recently, Steve has been involved with revitalising another club legend, Love Muscle and also launched Famous, earlier in the year, so there is no doubt about this man's pedigree.

So, what of Scandal? Well, it it's design it was never planned to be a Soho Live afterparty, moreover an infrequent Sunday soiree at the posh & glamorous Shadow lounge, attracting a likeminded crowd who crave sophistication in sumptuous surroundings with superb music to match. It just so happened that in the myriad of planning the dates ended up clashing, although in terms of both location & style Scandal was always going to prove a better option than the official afterparty, Paparazzi, which was way out in Wandsworth. We surprised that the Soho Live team didn't choose a central location for their afterparty, but then with the Astoria bulldozed by Crossrail, Cafe De Paris no more & even the Hippodrome demolished, the choice of large venues were next to nothing. Mind you, with the size of the Shadow Lounge, numbers were always going to be limited and as the saying goes "one man's meat is another man's poison", so would Shadow Lounge prove a popular choice?

Well, with our Soho Live day being seen out mainly in Rupert Street, after all those proceedings wound up, our choice was stark, travel down to Paparazzi at Wandsworth, to savour all the delights of a superb venue, dazzling D.J. line up and delectable dancers amidst stage shows (sounds like a no brainer, doesn't it!), but in the knowledge that there would be a lacklustre turnout, or take a small hop, skip & jump around the corner to Scandal at Shadow Lounge, which given our nine hours of duty behind the bar at Rupert Street, ended up being probably the easy option, even though our heart strings were shouting Paparazzi, Paparazzi, Paparazzi!! We had always promised Steve that we would at least pop into Scandal, but finishing as late as we did, our choice ended up being a simple one of location against overt style and seduction, so found ourselves taking that short step rather than a long journey.

Arriving at Shadow Lounge's doors just shy of midnight, having compared notes on our decision with clubbing & close friend Joel, whom we had originally made plans to hit Paparazzi together, we were still unsure as to our choice, but were nevertheless greeted by a friendly door team who waved us towards Steve Elliot who was managing proceedings in his typical hands on style. It was clear from the queue of hopefuls, that this was proving to be just the popular choice for many we had questioned and having shared pleasantries as well as views on Soho Live with Steve, we headed down into the venue, not before leaving our bits & bobs in the coatcheck. Now, it is fair to say that Shadow Lounge is far from our favourite of venues, but on entering the main space, the atmosphere was amazing, with the sunken dancefloor full of a glamorous mixture of scene faces, party goers & ex Soho Live 09'ers who didn't want their night to end and the rest of the venue pumping.

We headed to the bar to seek refreshments, passing by the D.J. booth and spotting the familiar face of Paul Coles behind the decks, who was delivering a delicious delectation of devilish dance tunes which definitely had the party in full swing. Looking around the space, people were definitely making the most of the seating booths, the elevated aisles and the club was pretty full compared with previous visits of ours and the ambiance was surprisingly relaxing and miles away from the pompous reputation that the Shadow Lounge seems to have. Moreover the mix of smart lookers with more mainstream folk was a refreshing sight, making for an altogether more pleasant experience. We slowly wandered around the elevated aisles, eventually settling on a spot, soon bumping into familiar faces, including birthday boy Ian "Pieers" Lewis, who swung by in clear party mood and then D.J. Mis-White who was really looking forward to her set following that of fellow resident Paul Coles.

And follow she did, with a whole string of uplifting house tunes which were pure delight, our tired legs from our days work now a distant memory, especially when she pulled out our favourite record of now, "Release Me" by Zoe Baldwin, which had us dancing on our spot non-stop and when Steve Elliot tore himself away from his door duties, tempting us down onto the dancefloor, we knew that our night was in full swing, Mis-White continuing with the uplifting house tune theme to keep Shadow Lounge's atmosphere & Scandal’s party going well into the early hours of Monday morning. However, our relative short stay was coming to an end, not least that we had communication with our pal Joel on our minds, but also in anticipation of a hefty week of work ahead, we had to wave our goodbye’s to Shadow Lounge & to Scandal, disappearing home to reflect on hefty hive of weekend activity.

So, what was our view of Scandal? And do we think it will be a club that will survive the test of time? Well, as we have said, with Shadow Lounge not proving our favourite venue of choice, our view of Scandal may be somewhat clouded, but you know, the crowd it attracted on this night was far more appealing than we had expected. The music was a real highlight & in the hands of Paul Coles and then Mis-White it really hit the spot and for all of Shadow Lounge's misgivings in our eyes, it was certainly a superb venue host for Scandal. We can definitely see that this club concept will work and in the hands of one of the scenes most experienced promoters we are sure it will. As of going to print, we have no news of any planned up-coming parties, but Scandal certainly showed on this outing that it was a refreshing change and one that deserves support (DISCO MATT).

Soho Live - Special Review

SOHO LIVE 09 - SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER SPECIAL EVENT REVIEW

Ever since its inclusion in the social calendar back in 2002, the street parties of Soho, in Pride format, have been a resounding success, attracting a healthy, handsome & hedonistic crowd who were definitely in party mood and one that has always been a popular choice for us, whether in the original "Saturday" Pride format or the more recent "Sunday" slot which proved to be just as, if not more successful for many reasons. With last year’s party in August being one the best events, not only of the year, but in Soho Pride's history, we were very disappointed when news of its demise came through, the lack of financial support being the main reason, although the underlying current of causes extended to excuses such as Crossrail, Mayoral support withdrawal and many things in-between, we began to resign ourselves to the fact that our most favoured outdoor event was not going happen this year.
However, when news hit that the team behind The Edge Bar, together with the might of the Gaydar organisation were coming to the rescue and planning a Pride style event across Soho's streets, our enthusiasm was renewed as was our anticipation of what the combo team had in mind for the day and indeed when the date for this all encompassing party would be. Then as news began to spill out from various sources, it was clear that the now usual August timing would definitely slip, the preferred date being a Sunday in September, but with the promise of the inclusion of all the ingredients that have made previous events great, but with a new name tag as well as the aim to make it much more of a community event in line with the wishes & necessary support of Westminster Council, everything seemed set fair for another spectacular Sunday in Soho. So, how did the reformed event go down? Was it the success that the team expected? And what was our take on Soho Live 09?
Well, having made a commitment to our favourite bar, Rupert Street, to help the team out, in what in previous years has proven their busiest of days, we knew from the start that our experience of Soho Live 09 was going to be different to say the least, although we were defiantly going to savour everything the event had to offer, even if it was going to be in small bites across the afternoon. Mind you, we were definitely in poll position to view the goings on around the Q.X. stage in Rupert Street, just shy of the bar, which has always proven to be a very popular area of activity. And with plans to decorate the bar in a XXX rated style, we threw ourselves into the affair, joining the Rupert St bar crew on the Saturday afternoon, to commence preparations for the big day itself and like in no Soho Pride parties before, we were going to be very much a working part of the event itself, well and truly in the thick of it at one of the most popular destination bars on this very special day. With the weather forecast looking set fair just days before and with the Saturday having a real "indian summer" feel, expectations were high for a repeat the following day, although we rose from our bed to a very gloomy looking London and dressing ourselves in our special saucy outfit to match the Rupert Street theme, we headed into Soho, arriving just before midday to start our duties. Walking into the area, there seemed to be an uneasy calm around the streets of Soho, although much of the preparation for the afternoon's activities having been completed, St Anne's Garden looked very colourful with a huge bouncy castle on one side, stalls spread around the other, all sandwiching a stage area ready for a string of shows including a huge homage to musicals by the talented "A Stage Kindly" theatre group. We had also spotted the revised positioning of the girls stage in Romilly Street on our approaches to Soho, which had the promise of some spectacular performances by girl bar G Spot's very own D.J. Caz Sandra D, resident at Ruby Tuesdays & Miss Bailey, not to forget the added spice of vocalist extraordinaire Tonnic. Even the Q.X. stage was ready and waiting and we were very much looking forward to appearances by Matinee, Hard On!, Industri & Lo Profile resident Brent Nicholls, fab D.J/Producer & Gutterslut resident Per Q.X. and the duo that played a superb b2b set at the recent Trade/Orange party and are regulars at Beyond & Juicy, Jamie Head & Mickey D, all who had the promise of making this stage area extra special yet again.
Aiming for Rupert Street, we didn't catch the build up in Soho Square itself, the focus of much of the afternoon, as duty called behind the bar, but we had plans to savour the atmosphere on planned breaks across the afternoon. Now in years gone by, the party would get going reasonably early with the 1 p.m. start across Soho drawing in an early crowd, which would quickly swell to capacity by mid afternoon, but as 1 p.m. came and went it was clear this year was going to be very different. But for what reason? Was it the weather? (well it was a bit chilly & grey!), Was it the lack of advertising? (well there was plenty, although some customers coming into Rupert Street seemed unaware of what was going on). Or was it down to the current lacklustre financial climate where people seem to not want to party like last year? (a definite possibility).
With only a handful of people in the bar, we spotted Brent Nicholls arriving for opening duties on the Q.X. stage, although with no-one to perform to, his 1 p.m. start was stalled and we managed to grab his attention for a brief chat, catching up on news, showing off our saucy outfit and attempting a prediction on how the afternoon would pan out. And, it is fair to say that our predictions were not far off the mark, with the crowd struggling to build for much of Brent's set and the bar being relatively quiet for much of the early afternoon. We were also getting news that Soho Square was taking its time to liven up but with the weather clearly not helping it was evident, looking through Rupert Street's windows, that the streets were far from full even as 3 p.m. approached, when all expectations were that it would be much busier. Further news from around Soho was not promising, Barcode reporting things were really quiet and even Compton Street not the usual bottleneck of people we have become used to in previous years. So, it was time to get out onto the streets and see what was going on for ourselves and in a short hop down to the Q.X. stage, where Brent Nicholls had handed over proceedings to Mikey D, there was a reasonable crowd gathering, although nowhere near the packed out place this popular part of Soho's street parties usually is. We were hoping to catch up with Brent to get his perspective, but with news he had gone in from the cold, we turned tail and headed up to St Anne's Garden and then into Compton Street which seemed to lack the buzz we would normally expect, although there were plenty of familiar faces stopping us in our tracks, commenting on our Paparazzi T-Shirt and leather chaps outfit and also asking about the afterparty itself, a glamorous T-dance styled affair with a star studded cast at super new club venue the Wandsworth Palais. The mood of many we spoke to seemed a little downbeat, although things were spiced up the procession of bronzed beauties promoting the forthcoming Wig party, definitely lifting the atmosphere, as well as the sexy dancers, courtesy of Mark Forn's Fierce Intl organisation, outside newbie gAylist shop DV8, all carrying out impromptu performances to delight.
Heading up to Soho Square via Greek street, there were plenty of stalls to tempt, although not many were taking the bite and then entering Soho Square, the format was very much different to 12 months ago, when the main stage was within the confines of the square itself, the real focal point of activity. This year, the Soho Live team had decided to make the square a place for fun and frivolity, with carousel style slides & rides, as well as laying on some special catwalk shows sponsored by "Paparazzi". But the music was where the real action was, with the stage in the far left hand corner outside the square, drawing the largest crowd of the day we had seen yet. Oliver M was performing a very uplifting set ahead of the biggest billing of the afternoon, The Freemasons, who would be followed first by Steve Pitron and then by Paul Heron, so there was certainly alot on offer to attract. And with a good looking crowd smattered with familiar & scene faces as well as jaw droppingly gorgeous go-go dancers in amongst the throng & on the stage in front of Oliver, even the overcast skies couldn't dampen the spirits here.
But, we had to head back to our duties behind the bar and sidling down Dean Street, where there were a handful of people enjoying the fairground style of stalls but the street like the ones we had wandered down before just seemed to lack the atmosphere we had been used to. Even the girl’s stage, which we dropped in on, had just a handful of people entering the entertaining fun. It was only when we were back behind the bar at Rupert Street and when day turned to night that the buzz began to really build for us, with the surrounding streets now full with revellers who then decided to spill inside to soak up the scintillating sounds being delivered by Alessandro, Rupert Street's resident D.J. and we really began to enjoy our Soho Live experience, being released from duties at 9.30 p.m. when we mingled with friendly faces and customers alike to see out the rest of our evening before deciding which afterparty to head to.
So, that was Soho Live for us, but to answer our earlier questions, firstly, how did the reformed event go down? then, was it the success the team expected? and finally, what was our take on Soho Live 09? Well, with the lacklustre start which was most likely influenced by the inclement weather, the event really struggled to ignite in anywhere near the numbers that the previous year's Soho Pride event did and certainly our experience going around the streets when we did, was that Soho Live seemed to lack the dynamism of previous events, probably trying to be too much to be all encompassing, rather than focussing on its usual target market. There was no doubt that the team were expecting big things, but we suspect they were disappointed by both the turnout and some of the feedback. The grand plans for the official afterparty, Paparazzi, seemed all good, but the response was minimal, most choosing to stay in Soho for parties at Lo Profile & Shadow Lounge or heading to nearby Vauxhall. Being confined to Rupert Street for most of the day may have distorted our opinion of the event, but with constant feedback from friends passing through, we think not.
So what of the future for Soho Live? Well, there is no doubt that hosting the event in September was probably a factor on its success this year, although with the weather having been so bad in August, maybe the outcome would have been the same. Then there is the inevitable reason, if but a now boring one, that the so called recession took away peoples enthusiasm to get out and party, so to be fair to the organisers were always going to face an uphill battle. A more controversial view is that through its recent publicity campaigns, the Gaydar organisation has alienated the very people it wanted to attract to Soho Live and that the lateness of advertising together with the change of branding was also to blame. We suspect that there was an element of all of these reasons to point the blame, which then raises doubts about future events, should they take the current course. In our view is that there is mileage in Soho Pride (not Live!) and by bringing it back towards the summer, we believe the successes of 2008 can be repeated. We wait in anticipation of news for next year’s celebration. (DISCO MATT)

Tabloild - Club Review

TABLOID - SATURDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN

Now, we love it when news hits our desks about new club events, especially in a world where when switching on the news or pickig up a newspaper (broadsheet especially) we seem to be consumed with doom & gloom, so the prospect of something excitingly new is hard to resist, even if, in this case, the venue isn't one of our more popular haunts. However, in the inimitable words of a D.J. friend of ours "it's all just one big disco" (have we used that before!?!?),how could we resist, especially if their was the prospect of dancing under a mirrorball (Camp or what!?). So, what was this new event? and were we easily drawn in or pushed to make an appearance?

Well, with a truly press related theme vein running right through the weekend of club events, for instance, there was "Paparazzi", (and we know what they are like!!), the official Soho Live afterparty, then there was "Scandal" (the newspapers are full of that these days), both which were showing their wears on the Sunday, the team over at Fire were also thinking the same thoughts, albeit on the Saturday, launching "Tabloid", which was showcassing some truly headlining D.J.'s (was that a pun?!) with the aim to make a real impact, possibly hit the covers of a magazine (there's a song about that!), but more likely to try and inject some fresh fun into Saturday nights at this Vauxhall institution that keeps pulling in the punters. So, did Tabloid steal the headlines?, Did it prove that it was worthy of front page exposure? And who was making the breaking news cum exclusive?

Having spent most of the day helping in preparations for Soho Live, our evening wasn't going quite to plan, eventually tearing ourselves away from Rupert Street's Paparazzi pre-party and decided it was time to make an appearnace at this new Saturday night event down in Vauxhall town. Yes, Tabloid was ceratinly a draw and having re-frequented oursleves with Fire not more than a week previously, we were quite relaxed about attending and in the spirit of tthoise words of our D.J. pal, we were actually quite excited about the propsect. Arriving at Fire's main entrance at just turned 10.30 p.m., timnely enough to take adavntage of the V.I.P. gathering we had been kindly invited to by Steven Sharp, we found our way into the Lightbox, the host area for this exclusive gathering, pre-club, where we found a select handful of guests sipping complimentary champagne and special cocktails, very much in the Tequilla style (what was the name of that drink?!), served by some truly scruptous bar staff, aprrporaitely dressed down (if you know what we mean!!).

Wandering around the bar, we found ourselves drawn to the table occupied by Fire owner Criag Elder, with friends and immediately made ouselves comfortable, with the champagne following nearly as plentfully as the conversation as we discussed the ways of the world, saking up the atmosphere and crowd which was very much scene related, D.J's, peformers, club figureheads and familar faces from around gAylist London that were, like us, taking advantage of this special gathering to give Tabloild the launch it well and truly deserved. Yes, Hi-Fi Sean Dickson was there and we were gratified in meeting his man, who was responsible for the impressive floral decotration around the Lightbox. Then, there was Mark McKenzie (aka Edna), who was proving very entertaining at our sudo head table and not long after our arrival a whole plethora of pals & familar faces appeared, including scene D.J. legend Steve Pitron, The Oli, Lee Yeomans, JC Christopher & even David Jiminez. But the fun was about to get all the better as we bumped into pal & D.J. extraordinarre Nick Tcherniak and boyf Tom, who were definately in partying mood like us and were also most amused with our cheeky showing of our Paparazzi t-shirt.

With the crowd beginning to swell, Steven Sharp walked up and kindly offered us a full tour of the venue (not that we hadn't seen it before) as he was keen for us to see all the new addtions to the main room, which looked superb and really made a statement, very much in the "Tabloid" style, new visuals, stunning lighting and production which gave the space a whole new feel. Winding our way back to the lightbox more faces were appearing and we settled back into our gathering of pals, which now included Nigel davenport, camera in hand clicking us in pose for prosterity. The excitment of the inclusion of D.J.'s Tall Paul & Jon Byrne was clearly on everybody's lips, definately pointing the music policy at Fire in a new direction, although with the stablemate of regulars the guarantee of great music was very much in the air. Certainly yhe atmosphere in the lightbox was electric, although with our expolits in Soho and then the free flowing champagne & other drinks at this very special VIP launch taking their toll, we were resigned to make an early departure, in the knowledge that we needed to be a fresh as possible for our duties at Soho Pride the following day.

Feeback from firends after the event, were that the main room in the hands of both Tall Paul & Jon Byrne rocked and they were very much the breaking news headliners of the evening. Tabloid as a concept could certainly work, although it is clear that clubbers still remain cautious about when & where to spend their hard earned cash. With the quality of the D.J. line up, together with the extra special production & efoort put in by the team at Fire, we are sure, with perserverence the club will become a resounding sucess, surely hitting the headlines of a magazine just as it should. (DISCO MATT)