MATINEE “THE NEXT CHAPTER” – SATURDAY 7TH NOVEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
Whether we like it or not, there is no doubt that there are a few “big gun” club events that attract a huge amount of attention, drawing in crowds from far & wide, making them must visit nights, although, sadly for other events that clash, meaning that the so called “big guns” steal the lions share away from others, but in the true sense of gAylist events, it is no real surprise. Add into the mix probably one of London’s freshest venue’s with an extra special vibe & feel, top notch sound and superb facilities and it is clear that the recipe only has success written right across it. So what is this recipe? Well Matinee of course at uber new club Cable in London Bridge, a venue that has really breathed new life into this most popular of club brands.
Having missed out on the 3rd birthday celebration, we were definitely not going to forego this latest instalment of Matinee magic and indeed the build up & excitement for us was nothing like we have experienced for a long time. Indeed we soaked up both of the pre-parties in The Box on Friday & then at Rupert Street on the night itself, connecting with Evolved Events supremo Oliver Mohns, all the Matinee boys, including the outrageous Romano, D.J. & pal Alessandro as well as friends Stephen & Stefan, although it seemed that Stephen had other things on his mind & was struggling to get into the party mood, despite our attempts to liven up the situation. Nevertheless, our excitement wasn’t going to be dampened, although our planned early arrival at Matinee wasn’t going to happen, with delays in our carriages to London Bridge dissolving our excitement & consuming us with rage in a childish hissy “Disco” fit!! (laudable at the time, but quite embarrassing in retrospect).
Eventually arriving at Cable’s entrance on Bermondsey Street at the overdue hour of 1 a.m., even though the club had been open since 11 p.m., there were two sizeable queues both for guests & paying customers & it was clear that delectable door hosts Marky B & Minty had their hands full managing people’s expectations, some who looked like losing patience, so hurriedly Minty strapped our VIP pass round our wrist and Marky B urged us into the club with speed, giving us no time to wait for our friends (well they were!) Stephen & Stefan, whom we had offered speedy entrance to (all good plans laid to waste), leaving them in the queue melee & Stephen swearing expletives down our mobile phone (well our ears were full of it when we eventually picked up the message hours later!).
Inside Cable and it was clear that Matinee was the popular choice of the night, as the “Matinee” room was already brimming with a veritable feast of gorgeous Latino’s, muscle queens, scene faces & stylish gAylisters all out to have a raucous time. And they were certainly doing that for sure, in the hands of music maestro Guy Williams, who was pumping out his trademark tough tech house tunes, bodies gyrating to his chunky sounds & the extra lighting imported for this party making a real statement on the far wall of the room. We said a brief hello to Guy, before whizzing around the rest of the club to get our usual bearings, first hitting on the “bpm” room where guest D.J. Steven Redant was cutting an impressive stride behind the decks, delivering euro-style house hits to a crowd that were definitely up for it all. Swinging briefly into the VIP area to collect refreshments & arm ourselves for the night ahead, it was then into the middle “Parlour” room, which was also busy & buzzing, Brent Nicholls in charge of the music, injecting some real punch into proceedings with his funky latin infused & electro tainted house style to energetic effect.
And it was the parlour room where we hung our hat for a good while, as Brent continued his musical theme, elevating the atmosphere notch by notch sending us into dancing deliriousim, especially when he pulled out of the bag, not one, but two of our most favourite tunes of now (guess?!), Zoe Baldwin’s “Release Me” and then Norman Dorat’s “Last Forever” (what a naughty D.J.!!) erupting the space in ecstatic enjoyment & causing impromptu dancing atop of the bar. Mind you, with Stephen giving us the cold shoulder, our spirits were once again dampened and we headed out of his way, back into the main room where Guy’s superb stint was virtually over & Spanish resident J Louis was ascending the decks. This heralded the emergence of Mark M Forn’s Fierce Intl dancers to a superb dance intro recorded & orchestrated by Alessandro, muscle-bound boys & gorgeous girls cramming the elevated stage with the superb lighting backdrop behind them, all moving in perfect motion to the Matinee soundtrack followed by J Louis’s tempting tunes.
By now, we were well into party mood and wandering back through the club, continually bumped into familiar faces, including Jeremy & boyf Andy, Industri pals Chris & Terry, off duty D.J.’s Jon Dennis, Hugh Stephenson, Mikey D & Steven Artis, The Box’s owner Frank, club promoter extraordinaire Wayne Shires, Rupert Street boys Jon & Ollie, Marky B & Minty who had finished up with their door duties, Clington Forbes, Clone Zone pal Rob with a hunky friend in tow (yum yum!), old work colleagues Renato & Roy, Greek god Dimitrios, pal JC Christopher (who was actually there! - a long story!!) and plenty more besides, making us feel at ease, even if one person that really mattered wasn’t speaking to us! Mind you, we did manage to catch up with Steven Redant, who had finished his set in the “bpm” room and had excitement written all over in his face in adoration of what was turning out to be a very special Matinee indeed.
And it was in the “bpm” room where we found ourselves, Paul Heron now in charge of the D.J. decks & dishing out some deep & dirty hedonistic house beats, sending the packed gathering wild, many ascending podiums to delight in the truly incredible atmosphere he was building, Paul’s enthusiastic energy adding an extra dimension to a room erupted with laser lighting and effects. So good was his music and the whole vibe, we were very close to jumping up on a podium ourselves, but instead glued ourselves to a spot by the D.J. booth dancing away in awe of this man’s performance. Not that the music quality was lacking elsewhere, as Brent Nicholls had now handed over to Trade legend Fat Tony in the “parlour” room, who, since being included as a Matinee resident, has brought even more depth to an already brilliant D.J. line up (probably the best of any club we know) adding an extra element of musical mastery to proceedings. Even J Louis was doing the business in the “Matinee” room and we are never normally fans of the Spanish all star imports.
But the icing on what was already a scrumptious cake was about to unfold, as into the main room swept Italian stallion Pagano, stealing our attention in an instant stating that we wanted “50 words” in our review (well would 50 be enough?) and then assumed the decks to start what was a completely mesmeric set of musical madness, progressive tech house heaven & tasty tracks, renewing our energy levels which, after all the delirious dancing to Brent & Paul’s sets was beginning to wane a little. With podiums full of revellers & the lighting technician matching Pagano’s music with flashing exhibitionism, we were now in our element, cutting our own stride aside the D.J. booth, track after track choice from the pitch perfect Pagano delighting an ever increasing crowd in front of him. Having witnessed some truly amazing sets of his at past Matinee parties, this one certainly rivalled any and proved that he is most definitely a worthy inclusion in any event. So good was his performance that even fellow Italian Alessandro’s sounds couldn’t drag us away from the “Matinee” room for long, although he was definitely waving his magical music wand in the “parlour” room, keeping it lively right through to the end.
With night turning to day outside & 7 a.m. coming & then going with incredible speed, we decided our time was up, so did a quick run around saying our farewells, first to Paul Heron, then to Alessandro, to Guy Williams, to Pagano and not forgetting the man himself, Oliver M, who was clearly thrilled about how this latest instalment of Matinee had gone. Having had such a good time at Cable we really didn’t want it to end, or for any other club to taint our view, even ignoring the advancing encouragement calls by many to head to Beyond, including those of Fierce Intl dancer pal Nik Ripley, rather deciding to wander home happy & content enough, the magnificent music still buzzing in our head.
So, what did we think of Matinee “The Next Chapter”? and did it prove to be a new chapter in the success of this bold brand? or just a continuance of what has been a glorious 3 years of clubbing excellence in London by this Spanish import? Well, without question this was the best Matinee party we have been to in a long while, so good, we can even say with conviction that it matched the excellence of Viva, our most favourite Matinee party to date. Cable has definitely given Evolved Events’ monthly outing an injection of class & glamour that Colosseum couldn’t and people are now used to & comfortable with travelling to London Bridge. Yes you could say it was a new chapter in some ways but also a reflection that Matinee is well & truly back where it belongs, at the top of its game.
With the quality of the venue, with all the added ingredients, the Fierce Intl dancers, the new lighting, the production and the revised D.J timings, “The Next Chapter” worked like a dream. But the music & the D.J.’s performances really spoke volumes, each & every one of them playing their part to perfection, Steven was superb, Alessandro amazing, Guy was glorious, J Louis jubilant and Fat Tony terrific. Then there was Paul who was pulsatingly pumping, Brent who was breathtakingly brilliant & Pagano who was pure perfection personified (see, three words are enough Francesco!). With music definately being the food of love (we adore that phrase!) our affair with Matinee in the hands of all of these D.J. talents is assured and we can’t wait for the next party. (DISCO MATT)
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
Whether we like it or not, there is no doubt that there are a few “big gun” club events that attract a huge amount of attention, drawing in crowds from far & wide, making them must visit nights, although, sadly for other events that clash, meaning that the so called “big guns” steal the lions share away from others, but in the true sense of gAylist events, it is no real surprise. Add into the mix probably one of London’s freshest venue’s with an extra special vibe & feel, top notch sound and superb facilities and it is clear that the recipe only has success written right across it. So what is this recipe? Well Matinee of course at uber new club Cable in London Bridge, a venue that has really breathed new life into this most popular of club brands.
Having missed out on the 3rd birthday celebration, we were definitely not going to forego this latest instalment of Matinee magic and indeed the build up & excitement for us was nothing like we have experienced for a long time. Indeed we soaked up both of the pre-parties in The Box on Friday & then at Rupert Street on the night itself, connecting with Evolved Events supremo Oliver Mohns, all the Matinee boys, including the outrageous Romano, D.J. & pal Alessandro as well as friends Stephen & Stefan, although it seemed that Stephen had other things on his mind & was struggling to get into the party mood, despite our attempts to liven up the situation. Nevertheless, our excitement wasn’t going to be dampened, although our planned early arrival at Matinee wasn’t going to happen, with delays in our carriages to London Bridge dissolving our excitement & consuming us with rage in a childish hissy “Disco” fit!! (laudable at the time, but quite embarrassing in retrospect).
Eventually arriving at Cable’s entrance on Bermondsey Street at the overdue hour of 1 a.m., even though the club had been open since 11 p.m., there were two sizeable queues both for guests & paying customers & it was clear that delectable door hosts Marky B & Minty had their hands full managing people’s expectations, some who looked like losing patience, so hurriedly Minty strapped our VIP pass round our wrist and Marky B urged us into the club with speed, giving us no time to wait for our friends (well they were!) Stephen & Stefan, whom we had offered speedy entrance to (all good plans laid to waste), leaving them in the queue melee & Stephen swearing expletives down our mobile phone (well our ears were full of it when we eventually picked up the message hours later!).
Inside Cable and it was clear that Matinee was the popular choice of the night, as the “Matinee” room was already brimming with a veritable feast of gorgeous Latino’s, muscle queens, scene faces & stylish gAylisters all out to have a raucous time. And they were certainly doing that for sure, in the hands of music maestro Guy Williams, who was pumping out his trademark tough tech house tunes, bodies gyrating to his chunky sounds & the extra lighting imported for this party making a real statement on the far wall of the room. We said a brief hello to Guy, before whizzing around the rest of the club to get our usual bearings, first hitting on the “bpm” room where guest D.J. Steven Redant was cutting an impressive stride behind the decks, delivering euro-style house hits to a crowd that were definitely up for it all. Swinging briefly into the VIP area to collect refreshments & arm ourselves for the night ahead, it was then into the middle “Parlour” room, which was also busy & buzzing, Brent Nicholls in charge of the music, injecting some real punch into proceedings with his funky latin infused & electro tainted house style to energetic effect.
And it was the parlour room where we hung our hat for a good while, as Brent continued his musical theme, elevating the atmosphere notch by notch sending us into dancing deliriousim, especially when he pulled out of the bag, not one, but two of our most favourite tunes of now (guess?!), Zoe Baldwin’s “Release Me” and then Norman Dorat’s “Last Forever” (what a naughty D.J.!!) erupting the space in ecstatic enjoyment & causing impromptu dancing atop of the bar. Mind you, with Stephen giving us the cold shoulder, our spirits were once again dampened and we headed out of his way, back into the main room where Guy’s superb stint was virtually over & Spanish resident J Louis was ascending the decks. This heralded the emergence of Mark M Forn’s Fierce Intl dancers to a superb dance intro recorded & orchestrated by Alessandro, muscle-bound boys & gorgeous girls cramming the elevated stage with the superb lighting backdrop behind them, all moving in perfect motion to the Matinee soundtrack followed by J Louis’s tempting tunes.
By now, we were well into party mood and wandering back through the club, continually bumped into familiar faces, including Jeremy & boyf Andy, Industri pals Chris & Terry, off duty D.J.’s Jon Dennis, Hugh Stephenson, Mikey D & Steven Artis, The Box’s owner Frank, club promoter extraordinaire Wayne Shires, Rupert Street boys Jon & Ollie, Marky B & Minty who had finished up with their door duties, Clington Forbes, Clone Zone pal Rob with a hunky friend in tow (yum yum!), old work colleagues Renato & Roy, Greek god Dimitrios, pal JC Christopher (who was actually there! - a long story!!) and plenty more besides, making us feel at ease, even if one person that really mattered wasn’t speaking to us! Mind you, we did manage to catch up with Steven Redant, who had finished his set in the “bpm” room and had excitement written all over in his face in adoration of what was turning out to be a very special Matinee indeed.
And it was in the “bpm” room where we found ourselves, Paul Heron now in charge of the D.J. decks & dishing out some deep & dirty hedonistic house beats, sending the packed gathering wild, many ascending podiums to delight in the truly incredible atmosphere he was building, Paul’s enthusiastic energy adding an extra dimension to a room erupted with laser lighting and effects. So good was his music and the whole vibe, we were very close to jumping up on a podium ourselves, but instead glued ourselves to a spot by the D.J. booth dancing away in awe of this man’s performance. Not that the music quality was lacking elsewhere, as Brent Nicholls had now handed over to Trade legend Fat Tony in the “parlour” room, who, since being included as a Matinee resident, has brought even more depth to an already brilliant D.J. line up (probably the best of any club we know) adding an extra element of musical mastery to proceedings. Even J Louis was doing the business in the “Matinee” room and we are never normally fans of the Spanish all star imports.
But the icing on what was already a scrumptious cake was about to unfold, as into the main room swept Italian stallion Pagano, stealing our attention in an instant stating that we wanted “50 words” in our review (well would 50 be enough?) and then assumed the decks to start what was a completely mesmeric set of musical madness, progressive tech house heaven & tasty tracks, renewing our energy levels which, after all the delirious dancing to Brent & Paul’s sets was beginning to wane a little. With podiums full of revellers & the lighting technician matching Pagano’s music with flashing exhibitionism, we were now in our element, cutting our own stride aside the D.J. booth, track after track choice from the pitch perfect Pagano delighting an ever increasing crowd in front of him. Having witnessed some truly amazing sets of his at past Matinee parties, this one certainly rivalled any and proved that he is most definitely a worthy inclusion in any event. So good was his performance that even fellow Italian Alessandro’s sounds couldn’t drag us away from the “Matinee” room for long, although he was definitely waving his magical music wand in the “parlour” room, keeping it lively right through to the end.
With night turning to day outside & 7 a.m. coming & then going with incredible speed, we decided our time was up, so did a quick run around saying our farewells, first to Paul Heron, then to Alessandro, to Guy Williams, to Pagano and not forgetting the man himself, Oliver M, who was clearly thrilled about how this latest instalment of Matinee had gone. Having had such a good time at Cable we really didn’t want it to end, or for any other club to taint our view, even ignoring the advancing encouragement calls by many to head to Beyond, including those of Fierce Intl dancer pal Nik Ripley, rather deciding to wander home happy & content enough, the magnificent music still buzzing in our head.
So, what did we think of Matinee “The Next Chapter”? and did it prove to be a new chapter in the success of this bold brand? or just a continuance of what has been a glorious 3 years of clubbing excellence in London by this Spanish import? Well, without question this was the best Matinee party we have been to in a long while, so good, we can even say with conviction that it matched the excellence of Viva, our most favourite Matinee party to date. Cable has definitely given Evolved Events’ monthly outing an injection of class & glamour that Colosseum couldn’t and people are now used to & comfortable with travelling to London Bridge. Yes you could say it was a new chapter in some ways but also a reflection that Matinee is well & truly back where it belongs, at the top of its game.
With the quality of the venue, with all the added ingredients, the Fierce Intl dancers, the new lighting, the production and the revised D.J timings, “The Next Chapter” worked like a dream. But the music & the D.J.’s performances really spoke volumes, each & every one of them playing their part to perfection, Steven was superb, Alessandro amazing, Guy was glorious, J Louis jubilant and Fat Tony terrific. Then there was Paul who was pulsatingly pumping, Brent who was breathtakingly brilliant & Pagano who was pure perfection personified (see, three words are enough Francesco!). With music definately being the food of love (we adore that phrase!) our affair with Matinee in the hands of all of these D.J. talents is assured and we can’t wait for the next party. (DISCO MATT)
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