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)
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)
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