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Thursday 31 December 2009

"A Rollercoaster Ride" - 2009 In Retrospect - Special Review














“A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE” – 2009 IN RETROSPECT
SPECIAL REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
31ST DECEMBER 2009


Well, 2009 has been an interesting year in many respects, not least in “Disco Matt Land”, but for many club promoters old & new to the game, for D.J’s either making it big or finding it tough and for clubbers who either elected to stay at home or choose wisely how to spend their hard come by cash, as the country endured one the of biggest recessions in nearly 80 years, touching every part of the community, even leaving gAylist/land London reeling with the effects. In the midst of all this economic turmoil, some clubs have really struggled, some not even survived at all, either shelved for better days or put to rest for good, while others have not just survived but prospered, with some returning to incredible accolade. Yes, 2009 has been a truly “rollercoaster ride” for many

So, In what looks like becoming a tradition, with the curtain now closed on 2009 and with much hope & optimism for the New Year & indeed the decade ahead, we look back across the year just gone, re-capturing, re-kindling & re-capping on our memories of clubs fared well & others not quite so, picking out the best bits, the worst moments & much more in between, as well as casting our votes on what we thought came top in our choice of clubs, club nights, bars & other bits. In a journey from January to December, we highlight the outstanding points, touching on issues of the day, but also the changes both good and bad throughout this tumultuous year, also giving a little insight to the goings on of friends at various parties. So, hold on tight as we take you on that “rollercoaster ride” through the last year of the noughities.

January dawned with little optimism but with much happening on New Year’s Day, with our first of four excursions being Matinee at Colosseum in Vauxhall. Arriving at around 6 p.m., we wished we hadn’t as the pandemonium at the door was of monstrous proportions, some blaming the run over of the previous club Megawoof, others the sheer numbers that descended on the venue all at once, then having taken long enough to get in ourselves (and we were one of the lucky ones) & with reports of many turning away & heading for Beyond, Matinee failed to ignite the passion we are used to, a cold third room a too packed main room & much besides missing the mark, leaving us less than impressed. But the furore of the promoter afterwards, when we reported on the event, left scars a plenty, taking much of the month to heal. Then, to add insult to injury, it was all repeated again at Salvation, with massive queues to get into the Hippodrome & even bigger ones to get out, although, at least the bit in between was amazing. Then it was to Industri’s NYD party which was brilliant & made up for the earlier disappointments, as did SuperMartXe, the relatively new clubbing brand brought to gAylist London by Logan Schmitz, which proved to be probably close on its best event of 2009 for the sheer transformation from the first party back in November 2008. The rest of the month was a quietish affair, but once again Industri ranked high on our choice evenings, celebrating not one, not two, but three special occasions in as many weeks, Paul Heron’s birthday kicking it off with a collection of the scenes best D.J’s present to mark the occasion, in what was called “a night of a thousand D.J.’s....well almost”, followed by none other than Hrh Minty’s Birthday and then Industri’s 1st. Then to round off the month of birthdays, Matinee London threw a special party celebrating Spanish mamma’s 11th birthday, the event being a phenomenal success & putting firmly to bed all the gripes, groans, & problems of the NYD outing. Finishing off January was Revolver, which re-launched at the Fridge in Brixton to a lukewarm (at the best) reception, signalling the first of the year’s failings, with the club set to bite the dust not soon after.

February was with us and amidst all the snow & cold weather that besieged London, the controversy continued as SuperMartXe held their “Kaos City” party, regrettably slipping back into all the problems encountered at the launch three months previously, although it has to be said that the stage shows where spectacular, Therese performed brilliantly & Steve Pitron made up for all the disappointments. Then, the following week it was the turn of Matinee to show us how it should be done, as they rolled out their “Masked Ball” event, with probably the best production for a Matinee event this year, the party proving to be a resounding success, the real shining lights being Mark M Forn’s & Nik Ripley’s Fierce International crew of dancers who performed amazingly. Plus with pal Stephen dressed for the occasion, his “hat bowing” antics on the night were to prove endurable for the rest of 2009. The same weekend saw the launch of Lovechild in London, at Pacha in Victoria, the promoter Alex Erfan choosing a Sunday to stage the event at the t-dance slot timing too and whilst the party had measured success it wasn’t the smash hit that the brand has enjoyed abroad, asking questions how the chosen format would work in future. The rest of February was devoted to the Bars of Soho, as Rupert Street continued to pack them in & Faye Lanson a welcome return to the D.J. decks, plus with names like Jamie Head, Pier Morrocco, & Mikey D playing, as well as resident jock Alessandro, there was no shortage of talent playing on a Saturday night. Barcode Soho continued to reign supreme for us however, with Saturday rotation residents Brent Nicholls & Gonzalo delivering the goods, not just making for the best pre-club warm up, but a great club night in its own right. Then right at the end of the month the axe was dropped on Revolver as a regular monthly outing, with a poor turnout the promoter calling it a day, the first real casualty of the ravages of 2009.

March dawned in the best possible way, as Rapido hit town at Koko in Camden, proving that both the venue & the club brand know how to lay on a great party, magnificent music, stunning stage shows & the most jaw droopingly gorgeous collection of clubbers we have seen anywhere, getting our vote as the crowd of the year. The following weekend saw us go all butch as Megawoof held its monthly hunk fest at Colosseum in Vauxhall and whilst the music was patchy, Pagano’s performance really stood out & we had probably the most “tom foolery” time of any on a dancefloor across the year, as pal Stephen entertained us with a non- stop barrage of curtsy’s, bows & dwarf impressions (you had to be there) making Megwaoof the most hilarious club moment of 2009. The following week, the Matinee machine rolled back into town, so it was a return to Colosseum for their exceptional “Erotica” party, the whole package making it knock on the door of our best ever Matinee event, “Erotica” & made so special by pal Deni, who’s dancing enthusiasm was truly fabulous. And we continued the party at the first Beyond Belief of the year, which was a complete sell-out & packed to the rafters, but whilst it was clearly the most popular event of the month, was just too busy for us. The following week saw us do things all Barcode with visits to both Soho & Vauxhall and in the hands of pal & Fierce Intl dance partner Nik Ripley, for the first of just a couple of times during the year, hit the podium, but came crashing down on our butt (oops), although our visit proving that you don’t necessarily need to hit the big clubs to have a smashing clubbing time. Our final outing in March was on the last day of the month, when Lovechild held their second event and whilst the numbers were down on the first & the Hoxton Whores billing & performance failed to hit the mark, the shows were spectacular & the combo of Per Q.X. & Mattias made the night for us.

April, the usual month of Easter, came & with a hectic four days of activity planned & most of the big guns holding events, looked like being a question of winners & losers as the economic downturn was definitely biting in gAylist land. However, we cast all the gloom aside and started the Easter weekend as we meant to go on with first a trip to Guy Williams’ new club Hoof in Farringdon, then returned to the social soiree of the year, Industri, which was indeed the best of its outings in 2009, a packed out Barcode Vauxhall lauding it into the early hours to the super sounds of Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron, all hosted by our scene female of the year, Minty. The weekend was to take a plummet though, as we were hit by a nasty bout of food poisoning, which knocked out our plans for Matinee’s Circuit Festival, SuperMartXe’s Silicon Babies, Salvation’s first outing at its new home The Troxy and Evolved Events new afterhours event, bpm, a casualty for going head to head with Trade’s first collaboration with Orange, but we did make it to the lavish & luxurious La-Leche party, as the Matinee crew pulled out all the stops for this Easter outing at club Koko in Camden and the show was the most brilliant we had seen at any Matinee event , making it the best show of 2009. The rest of the month was a sedate affair, although Gutterslut laid on another great party at Images and then we had a brilliant outing to Beyond with an equally brilliant set from Mikey D being the real highlight, the month ending with the razzmatazz of Rupert Street’s 12th Birthday bash in the great company of friends, G.M Cathy & her team & resident D.J. Alessandro who played a stormer of a set.

May was to be our busiest month of the year, with no less than 12 reviews clocked up and with two Bank Holiday’s squeezed in for good measure. First up was the off-shoot for SuperMartXe, Logan’s Hype, which for us failed to live up to all the “hype”, but got the most ferocious reaction to a review we have ever had. Then on the same weekend, we savoured the fourth new club launch of the year Steve Elliot’s Famous, followed by Matinee’s Bank Holiday spectacular down in Vauxhall, where Paul Heron played a stunning set, for us the best of his of the year, also dropping in on the massive Hustlaball gathering at The Renaissance rooms, the highlight being a heavenly set from Phil Hewson, but the weekend was far from over as we paid a visit to Orange Summer of Love at Area, where we experienced some magnificent music, not least from Hi-Fi Sean who played a remix rendition of “Get Busy” which will probably go down as the best of his for 2009. The relentless pace of May kept going, with a friend Robb’s birthday bash at The Box, followed by Guy Williams’ Reverse, 31 floors up in Paramount. Back down to earth, SuperMartXe presented their “Peep Show” event the following weekend, the second Bank Holiday in May, it proved to be a real winner & the best SuperMartXe of 2009 for us, stunning stage shows, & superb sets from Steve Pitron & Nick Tcherniak, in contrast to Lovechild’s party on the Sunday which was disappointingly quiet but was then made up for by another Orange Summer of Love, where what ended up being the clubbing pal friendship of 2009 was established, as we connected with new found friend Joel. The month ended on high with a extra special trip to The Box, which was set to become a our favourite Friday haunt of the year, but then came crashing down with a traumatic personal experience at Salvation with pal Joel, ending with us both in the medic room.

June kind of stumbled along for us, with Matinee throwing an Ibiza party and evoking the “rollercoaster” theme of the year, with some heavenly highs yet lack lustre lows, which we followed up with bpm’s second but final outing, this time at Barcode Vauxhall, then polishing off the next weekend of the month with a trip to Beyond where Steve Pitron ended up being the star in one of many great D.J. sets of his for the year. However, it was clear the scene was now really stumbling with the effects of economic downturn, many seemingly searching for either something fresh, or nothing more than pure value for money. This was probably true of Hook’d, the hard house specialist club we visited the following weekend and whilst we had a superb time in the hands of D.J’s Ian M & Ross Homson, it seemed that even niche clubbing was feeling the pinch. But we did finish off the month in real party style, with first, Clapham’s yearly Street shindig, followed by an impromptu appearance at Logan’s garden party, then rounding it all off with some audacious action at Barcode Vauxhall’s 3rd birthday, the photographic evidence being proof of our naughty antics.

July started with London’s Pride event, which consumed the whole of the West End for the day and with lots on offer afterwards to tempt us out, we first chose a trip into Soho and to The Edge just off the square, where Brent Nicholls had the party kicking, then we popped across to The End for a collaboration event called Club Together, before hitting our main event happening for the night, SuperMartXe’s special pride party Commando, a great event that was overshadowed by a nasty pervading smell around the club. But then we always had Trade, who decided to throw their first solo event of the year at Ministry of Sound, which didn’t prove as popular as expected although the music was absolutely amazing with each & every D.J. playing their part. As the month moved on, our excitement of Matinee’s move to new state of the art venue Cable in London Bridge grew, although there was plenty of other activity as we attended the VIP launch of Profile’s new bar on Wardour Street, a glittering event, with our clubbing pal Joel really entering into the spirit. July also saw the launch of new club Onyx, the brainchild of Steven Gellar which transformed the Friday clubbing landscape & proved the most popular newcomer of 2009. But it was Matinee that took the month’s plaudits, with their move to Cable proving a huge success & their Evolution Revolution party setting the trend for others to follow.

August, in complete contrast to May, was the quietest month in Disco Matt land, with our trip to Brighton Pride shelved and our first European event review, The Circuit Festival in Barcelona, cancelled. Mind you the sun didn’t shine on Brighton as it was their wettest Pride event for years, although the second Circuit Festival was a huge success. With Pride events a plenty across good old blighty as well as the Milk Festival in Vauxhall, our August eventually came back on track, with a mesmeric Matinee at Cable, storming D.J. performances from Brent Nicholls & Danny Verde, the inclusion of this now massive DJ/Producer being an inspired step and we are so proud of the progress he has made since cementing his friendship a year ago. The month was to be polished off with one of the best club events we had been to in 2009 & what proved to be a collaborative match made in heaven, Trade/Orange, not just for the marriage of these two mega brands, but with stupendous b2b D.J. performances, first by Nick Tcherniak & Steve Thomas, then Mikey D & Jamie Head, as well as sterling sets from Pagano, Lady Bianca & Pete Wardman and was to prove to be yet another outrageous outing with clubbing pal Joel.

September started off with another club deciding on a change in venue, this time it was the turn of Megawoof, who moved across Vauxhall to Hidden, although the change in not just the D.J. line up but the format was clearly going to take a bit of bedding in. Then we simply couldn’t resist the temptation of Beyond Belief and were glad of it as the club that was destined to take top spot in our choices of the year was simply going from strength to strength with more brilliant D.J. sets coming from Steve Pitron, Mikey D & Jamie Head, as well as now Beyond regulars D’Johnny & Hi-Fi Sean, making it a close second to the best Beyond of 2009. The month saw more new club offerings, first Tabloid at Fire and then Paparazzi down in Wandsworth, as well as Scandal at the Shadow Lounge, all wrapping around the outdoor event Soho Live (the replacement for Soho Pride), but the whole weekend failed to take off anywhere near as much as people expected, once again raising questions over the impact of the recession on the gAylist scene. So we, like many, slipped out of clubbing mode for much of the rest of the month, first going all thespian to view & review the superb gay play “A Foreign Affair” & also checked out Profile again, which secured our best bar vote of 2009, ending September with a trip to our fetish side at Suzie Kruger’s Hard On!, the club celebrating its 6th birthday, but in what was a difficult choice, as Matinee was holding their 3rd birthday on the same night (we hate dilemma’s), still to this day not being sure that we made the right choice, although having said all that, we had a great time at Hidden.

October heralded another club’s anniversary which we definitely weren’t going to miss, but not before making it to SuperMartXe’s “Under The Sea” party where we sampled the best D.J. set from a whole host of Spanish imports both here & at Matinee, Hugo Sanchez playing out a brilliant extended precision performance. But then it was the big one, as Trade celebrated 19 years of hedonistic happenings at Ministry of Sound, this time ticking every box we could have wished for, each D.J. performing brilliantly and the venue working so much better, not least the outside area where we saw out an amazing 10 hours in the hands of this club brand legend, pal Joel with us all the way. The rest of the month palled into relative insignificance in comparison, although we savoured another Saturday night a Barcode Vauxhall, made it to the launch of new legendary promoter Wayne Shires’ Sunday night club Konekted at Cable, with pal Joel featuring large for good reasons as well as bad, with our final Friday run around Soho’s Bars seeing out the end of October, Brent Nicholls’ musical entertainment in Profile the stand out of the evening.

With Halloween hardly over, our first excursion was to Beyond’s celebration of all things ghostly & ghoulish with their “The Grave” party and for a change we decided to get up & go, meaning we lasted for the whole 7 hours of yet another classic afterhours, confirming Beyond as the best club of 2009 for us. However, the best club night was still to come as Matinee threw their “Next Chapter” event and having missed out on the birthday bash, this was a must visit and oh how glad we were there as literally every single thing was phenomenal about the party, the D.J.’s the dancers, the production, the people and it will remain our favourite Matinee event at Cable, thus getting top club night spot in our review of the year. But it was a close run thing as the following week we were treated to a brilliant party, as DTPM’s “The Bitch Is Back” held sway at Paramount and not only was it socially splendid, but the music was great as well, so much so that we left but returned to capture Steve Thomas play (how could we miss that), but the party also gave us the best D.J. set of the year, courtesy of Guy Williams, who was absolutely awesome. The month was rounded off by SuperMartXe’s 1st anniversary party which attracted massive numbers, so much so that we could hardly move round the club for a fair amount of the time, but Steve Pitron’s performance was the best we have seen at the Coronet.

So, we made it to December, our birth month & with prospects for it to be a busy one indeed, it failed to disappoint, with Rupert Street’s new look launch kicking it all off and Beyond playing a major part in our partying, with their fabulous Christmas party “Ice” blowing us away as well as covering us in snow, with another superb set from Steve Pitron. This was following a great Matinee “La Nocha Roja” party, that nevertheless had something missing and wasn’t a patch on the previous event. With a major eye on our birthday, we gave way the following weekend to Lovechild’s return to Fire, which we had missed in November and were surprised just how much better it was in its new home, each of the three rooms working really well and still being in the party mood we hit Beyond straight after with pal Joel tagging along in decadent mood. Having promised so much for our birthday weekend, it all kicked off to plan as we started celebrations at Industri, followed by Gravity, although our trip to Onyx failed to materialise, but things were back on track for Profile & then Lo-Profile, friend Stephen in attendance & cracking open the champagne, as well as D.J. pals, Paul Heron, Brent Nicholls, & Alessandro playing out some fab music. But with a quiet end to the evening & a self indulgent following day sacrificed for a trip to Barcode Vauxhall, where Nick Tcherniak delivered a stupendous set, it was back to Beyond for the fourth week in a row, although what better way to celebrate a birthday than in the hands of, firstly, Steve Pitron who’s early set was an absolute stormer & then Mikey D, Alan K & Jamie Head. Our birthday soiree at Rupert Street, then a visit back to Profile Bar later in the week saw us to Christmas, and then our best & sauciest trip to Hard On! followed on Boxing Day, giving us plenty to reflect on as the new decade dawned & final plans of the end to the noughties fulfilled, seeing out 2009 & 2010 in at Rupert Street, with all the gang & Brent Nicholls spinning the tunes, a perfect end to our year.

So, that was our 2009 and what was our conclusion on the year?, what were the highs & what were the lows?, who triumphed & who floundered?, and who took our choice picks of the year? Well, to say 2009 was a rollercoaster year, was very much an understatement, there was no doubt that the recession had a big effect of the gAylist scene with club launches failing to take off, others simply failing to ignite anywhere near the interest they had in previous years. But there were clubs that really captured the imagination, the real highs for us being, the success of SuperMartXe, the brilliance of Beyond and the re-kindling of our relationship with Fire, but we were saddened to see the demise of Revolver, the disappearance of Soho Pride, its replacement nowhere near as good, Salvation seemingly taking a backseat and the movement of club brands Matinee & Megawoof not taking off to the extent they had wished. But we can reflect on some amazing clubs, bars, & parties, and to recap, our best of each goes first to Beyond, which proved time after time in 2009 that it reigns supreme in the afterhours market, grabbing our club of the year. Then to Profile Bar, who’s move to Wardour Street and the whole feel & vibe of the new venue got a massive thumbs up from us, thus grabbing our best bar vote. And finally we look to Matinee for their “The Next Chapter” party, which was a stunning array of great production & scintillating performances from each & every D.J., not just being the strongest line up we have seen all year, but the best music offering in one night & the most exciting time we have had since the days of Crash, so well done Matinee.

Now, we look forward to a new year & a new decade with hope, although it seems that the clubbing landscape is set to look very different in 2010, with news hitting our desks that Matinee London is changing hands & may disappear from the capital for good, but with exciting plans for the expansion of Fire, new club Pervert being brought to London, Salvation returning better, stronger & back in Central London where it belongs, the possible re-emergence of Soho Pride and club collaborations set to be the theme of this new year, there is much to look forward to. As for us, well 2010 looks like being a busy & expansive one, with plans already in place to spread our wings beyond the capital, trips to other gay city mecca’s in the U.K. happening as early as January and European tours very much on the cards, as well as a fully fledged website in the pipeline. So, with the reflection of the past year over, it’s time to look forward to bigger & better things in 2010 and we wish each & everyone of you the best for what will hopefully prove to be a much smoother yet exciting ride. (DISCO MATT)

Rupert Street - "A Month With A New Look" - Bar Review


RUPERT STREET – FROM NEW LAUNCH TO NEW YEAR
SPECIAL REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
31ST DECEMBER 2009


Well, having been around on the gAylist scene across London for many a year now, we have certainly seen loads of changes, plenty of clubs come & go, have been part of some truly iconic, nay, legendary ones, have seen many of faces appear & disappear too, not to mention a whole host of bars close down & even more open. But through it all there has been one bar for us, one venue, that has not just withheld the ravages of the constant movement in a fickle scene, the pressures of revisions in legislation, including the devastation caused by changes to the smoking laws and not least the recent economic downturn, resulting on one of the biggest recessions in over 80 years, but has rather thrived, moving with the times unabated, introducing new aspects to its offer & even revamping to keep things fresh, setting it aside from any other bar we know.

We are, of course, talking about Rupert Street, the bar that never fails to grab our attention and has certainly done that during December, as not only has it gone through a complete refurbishment, but it has played host to our very own birthday soiree as well as steering us out of 2009, seeing in the New Year in some style. So, we only thought it fair to devote a special review, not just in accolade of these three events, but to a bar & venue that has meant more to us than any other. We have seen so many changes, not just to the team, to the management, but to the venue itself over the years, this last month being extra special for us in many ways. So, sit back as we take you on a Rupert Street ride, recollecting, in its hands, a December to savour.

Well, it all kicked off on 3rd, when, after having been closed for the biggest refurbishment & change in its history, was swinging back open its doors for a special VIP launch party, before letting the general public take a peek at the new look. With a scheduled start of 5 p.m., we made best plans to finish work early, but you know what they say about those and it was gone 6 p.m. before we left home for the dash into Soho to fulfil our invitation. Arriving in a flustered state, it was clear that many had made it before us, as the place was brimming with a truly gAylist crowd, including club promoter of the year, Logan Schmitz & boyfriend Michael, operator extra-ordinaire Jimmy Smith, the top brass of Mitchells & Butlers’ gay division, Matinee London & Evolved Events supremo Oliver Mohns, Q.X. magazine’s bar section queen Jules Ivins and loads of long standing Rupert Street regulars, all savouring the new look.

We made a bee-line for resident D.J. Alessandro, who was standing at the top of the bar and enforced a guided tour of the changes, first looking over the revamped elevated seating section, all pink & gorgeous, then the completely new mobile D.J. booth, a smart addition indeed, as was the massive glamorous antique style sofa dominating the far wall. But the changes continued, with sophisticated glass light shades all around, mixed in with more modernistic lighting across the huge window expanse, although the biggest changes was to the bar area, both front & back, as no expense had been spared in transforming the area. Gone were the myriad of shelves which covered the back-bar, to be superseded with stylish & minimal pieces of glass replacements, the previous clutter being sacrificed for clean & smart lines. The bar top was a complete transformation, with the green marble effect gone, clever neon lighting filling the expanse, changing through the whole spectrum of bright prime colours in glittering display, as did those minimal back bar shelves, not to mention down the extent of the front of the bar, which we found covered in a slinky silver texture. Even the imposing screens, which used to hang above the bar, in a G.A.Y. sort of way, had been neatly tucked against the walls adding to the much classier & more sophisticated feel of the bar, the new atmospheric flashing & swinging multi coloured spots adding a new dimension to the whole space.

Savouring the extent of the changes, we took advantage of the free flowing drinks and mingled with the crowd a bit, before the first call of nature dropped us down the stairs to the toilets, being more than underwhelmed by the complete lack of change to what, perhaps of any part of the old Rupert Street, needed the most attention. Back up in the bar, we caught up with Assistant Manager Chris, who looked pleased as punch with the bar’s transformation, although the debate over the conveniences below continued, before we headed out to the door to catch up with G.M. Cathy for the first time since arriving, getting her full view on the superb changes, then returning back to the bar & seeing out the rest of the VIP launch, before heading off to our regular Thursday outing at Industri.

But the full on mother of all launches was still to come, as Friday was set to be the big day for Rupert Street, although, yet again, work commitments meant we were chasing our tail, making it to the bar just after 9 p.m., but finding the place absolutely jammed packed to the rafters, hardly being able to see all the glorious changes we had the previous day. But none of it, as we headed straight for the new D.J. booth, where Alessandro was spinning some superb tunes in advance of the special P.A. performance ahead. There we found another D.J. pal, Hugh Stevenson, soaking up the amazing atmosphere, as well as plenty of regulars, including Phil Gahan & Chrissy Rees, all throwing themselves into the festivities of the night, sharing champagne with us to get us into the party mood too.

And the night was set to take on an octane fuelled pace as the supreme diva, house vocalist Katherine Ellis arrived, advanced by her entourage, who prepared both the impromptu stage & the sound for her performance, the excitement was at fever pitch. Then, with an introduction to a string of songs making an immediate impact, it seemed the crowd were not only stunned by her presence, but amazed that a venue such as Rupert Street had landed such a star. In true diva style, Katherine mixed with the crowd, injecting real energy to proceedings and by the time she came to singing her massive hit “Salty” the bar was absolutely rocking, although we had to make a premature leave as work issues dragged us away. However, the news coming our way, post the launch, was that the night was a resounding success.

With our Rupert Street month rolling on with more than one weekly visit & our birthday now on the horizon, we simply couldn’t choose a better place to toast our anniversary with a super champagne soiree, inviting some special friends to a Sunday gathering on the 20th, the actual day of our birthday. However, with plans to self indulge & take it easy during the day laid to waste by an audacious visit to Beyond (our favourite club of now), we arrived at the bar feeling delicate to say the least. However, in true to form style, we held our own as a select yet beautiful list of invited guests arrived, first D.J. Alessandro pitching up a little later than planned but in time for the 6 p.m. start, declaring the need for “champaaaayne”, then Oliver Mohns & Robb Williams not far behind, signalling the popping of many corks throughout the night. Other super guests included fierce partner in crime Lexi, Industri pal Chris, sexy clubbing pal Sean Day & boyf, as well as the magnificent Minty, who had torn herself away from work especially for the occasion, not to mention D.J. legend Gonzalo who graciously wished us a happy birthday.

Mind you, we were missing a few special people, but having caught up with most across our busy birthday weekend, our soiree at Rupert Street ended up being just perfect, if a little drunken, our count of champagne bottles consumed going off the scale. And it was all made even better by Alessandro, who played out an absolutely incredible set, his perfect choice of music not only hitting our spot, but receiving rapturous commendation from the two other D.J.’s in our midst, Oliver & Gonzalo. Having seen him in action so many times, not just at Rupert Street, but at Matinee & many other clubs, this special performance ranked as the best we have heard from this talent who has come so far in the last few months, ranking him up with the best on the gAylist London scene.

So, was the month & visits to Rupert Street over? absolutely not, as having the first New Year’s Eve free of work commitments & Brent Nicholls being the D.J. for the night, we simply had to see in 2010 at the bar that has meant so much to us over the years. Tearing ourselves away from the computer & giving up on finishing our review of 2009 in time for the turn of the decade, we headed to Soho, arriving in the need of desperate convenience relief (too many beers already!), but then made our way to the D.J. booth, greeting a smiling Brent & then grabbing drinks to kick off our slide into The New Year. And slide we did, in the company of Brad & co who were in definite party mood at the end of the bar, cavorting around & adding to the excitement & anticipation of the dawn of a new decade.

Brent was also making a big contribution to the party mood, playing out some terrific tunes, not least our fave of the year, Soul Avengerz’s “Drop The Bomb”, taking us right up till midnight, when the screens signalled the countdown the 2010. We hurriedly compared watch times with Cathy & crew as to when the moment would hit and then, as it did, rapturous cheers erupted around the bar and not for the first time this month, champagne corks popped, the golden liquor flowing, with our glasses being filled on more than one occasion. With the whole Rupert team gathered around, with Cathy present, but moreover Brent Nicholls right there to toast the arrival of a New Year, we couldn’t have seen in 2010 in better company & style, we suspect more sedate than some, but superb nevertheless, rounding off a magnificent month in the hands of this brilliant bar.

In conclusion, all that is left to say is, Rupert Street has formed a special part of our life and in over twelve years of existence has undoubtedly been the one single venue across gAylist London that has been responsible for some of the happiest times, some of the saddest moments, some of the angriest reactions, yet resulting in some of the strongest friendships we have ever developed. Yes, all the emotions have been there, but it remains one of our favourite haunts, with the friendliest staff we know anywhere and looking so great on an incredible twelve years of operation. We are sure that it will continue to be a part of our life for many more years to come, its irresistible charm dragging us in relentlessly, but then we aren’t complaining about that at all. (DISCO MATT)

Hard On! "XXXmas Boxing Day Party" - Club Review


HARD ON! “ XXXmas BOXING DAY PARTY” – SATURDAY 26TH DECEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN



Now in days of old, in the days of uber sex club Fist, we were most accustomed to getting out some leathers, throwing them on and heading off for our monthly fetish fix, in fact we had our purple patch phase when nothing else would do, continually adding to our collection of collars, cuffs, harnesses, boots et all, so much so that we treated the gear like our second uniform (the first being our business suits....we were all banking professional in those days you know). Life even included regular trips across to Amsterdam, where we would indulge in our devilish fetish fancies at places like The Cockring, The Spiders Web & The Arvo, even planning for special events like Leatherfest so as to satisfy our urges & desires. Yes they were fun times indeed.

But becoming a disco bunny & especially when labelled with the mantle “Disco Matt”, we were most definitely set on a totally different course and slowly but surely, our leather collection was pushed to the back of the closet, most ending up being banished completely. With Fist a distant memory, but the regenerative Hard On! always being overlooked, it was a long time before we were to slip back into it all, but slip we did, spending our last birthday at Suzie Kruger’s horny happening down at Hidden, although our indoctrination back into this side of the scene was set to be trodden very gingerly. That was until one Boxing Day evening, this one in fact, when all our previous inhibitions & disco intentions were thrust aside and we not only re-kindled those days of Fist & Amsterdam, but went all out XXX rated for Hard On’s! XXXmas party.

So, with chaps & boots on, we headed down to Vauxhall for warm up drinks at Barcode, interestingly for our first time to Hard On! without fellow leather enthusiast (well we are not quite back there yet) Benoit, but with none of the pre-party nerves that have accompanied previous visits requiring the helpful & support hand of our liege. Therefore, warm up drinks were less dutch courage more fuelling for the frolicking that lay ahead, timing our arrival at Hidden to just after 11.30, perhaps a little later than we should have been, but with no queue to negotiate our entry was swift & efficient. We were greeted on the door by the endearing Ian “Pieers” Lewis who seemed quite surprised yet pleased to see us and then once through and into the club foyer, Hard On’s! Big cheese Suzie Kruger spotted us and waved us right through, with none of the fuss or bother that accompanied our last visit, superb!!

Being Boxing Day, we were not sure how busy it was going to be, Hard On’s! Team having planned to open just the Cruise Bar and (naturally) the play area, this having been confirmed to us by Hi-Fi Sean at Barcode earlier, although as we stepped into the first bar space, it was clear they would need to set up the main (Red) room. This they had already done, swapping resident jock Brent Nicholls across to provide the musical mastery and allowing most of the eye candy entertainment to show their wares in the main space too. So, grabbing some liquid refreshments, we also did just that, arriving in the room which was filling out nicely, positioning ourselves next to the D.J. booth where Brent spotted us, looking us up & down to check that we were in appropriate gear, a cheeky grin on his face while doing so, then resulting in us catching up on some quick Christmas news with him, all in between changing tracks, our eyes also gazing on the myriad of bubble butt exposed arses around, as well as some sex on legs men who were definitely up for a bit more than just hot action.

It seemed that inhibitions had definitely been thrown aside and everyone was up for a bit of some Boxing Day bonking, as the atmosphere in the main room was truly pumped up, sexed up & raring to go, not least when the hunky muscled up chrimbo go-go’s hit the two podiums, dressed scantly in tight red shorts & accompanying accessories, chests and manly parts all pointing in the right direction. Then, adding to the raunchy mood, a veritable feast of horny men appeared, dressed in a whole assortment of clothes or in most cases not many clothes at all, making the red room a truly pumped up place indeed. Mind you, the extravert production in this main space was also adding to the sexy vibe, with graphic artist impressions of men fisting & cocks dripping, spread across the walls and for once, we were revelling in our relative ambiguity, with no fear of being caught with our pants down.

But, that very thing was to literally about to happen, as our first of many forays into the plentiful playroom was met with a tall skinhead type thrusting us into a dark(ish) corner & taking full advantage of the situation, ripping open our chaps, peeling off our undergarments & going for it big time and ooh was it big!! It was clear that the agenda was definitely to work off all those Christmas inhibitions, as the space the throbbing with action, men in slings, men on their knees, or pinned, like us, against the walls, going for it and we mean really going for it!! all this happening while porn was being shown on a massive screen, although the "live" porn was where it was at for sure. With our fist, sorry first encounter over & licking our lips with delight, we headed back into the main room to cool down a bit, but the heat was well & truly turned up as yet more sexy go go’s entered the fray & Mr Nicholls’ musical soundtrack was making it even more raunchy.

With nowhere to hide from this overtly audacious activity, we held station by the bar, only to be advanced upon by this gorgeous guy dressed in tight leather like shorts and massive wader style boots, not quite grabbing us, but making the sort of moves & advances that said “I want you”. So it was inevitable that yet a further trip into the play area was required, in fact one of four more across what can only be described as the sexiest experience of a night we have had in a long long time. In all our days of running an out there sex club, having seen it all happen in front of our eyes day by day, we thought we had become blasé to it all. Then, perhaps that was the problem with our last visits to Hard On! maybe we had seen it all, but certainly not on this occasion, as we indulged in it all, loving every minute of it.

Emerging from the play area, having spent the lion’s share of our time in there, T-shirt still intact (a miracle!), we headed back to the main room for one final time and with our D.J. pal remarking on our sluttiness (well we were definitely that), his stint behind the decks came to a somewhat premature end, most of us, not least him, looking surprised at the sudden stop. So, we headed into the Cruise Bar in an attempt to calm things down a little, where Hugos’land was handing over the decks to Dmac, who set about laying down some truly hard hitting & pumping sounds that had us dancing away for a while, our eyes still firmly fixed on the man in waders who had heightened our sexual hormones to alarming levels. But then there were still plenty of other horny men around, leather clad, harness trussed & rubber bound, providing more than just eye candy.

Even though we had released much of our sexual tensions in the playroom, it just wasn’t dissipating, no doubt helped along by the amazingly sexy atmosphere, the raunchy music and, dare we say it again, that guy in the waders which we just couldn’t get out of our head & glance, so with feelings still running at fever pitch, the only option left was to get out into the fresh air to cool off. Considering our options, we decided on a departure, collecting our bits & bobs from the coatcheck, then embarking on a trip back across to Barcode , which we concluded was the safer of options, but still mindful that we could have seen the rest of the night away with the horniest, sexiest fella we had seen in ages. Passing back through the foyer, both Suzie & Brent were in attendance, we thanking them both for what was a superb Hard On! party for us, remarking that we needed space to allow ourselves to de-sex, with our arrival back at Barcode, signalling a compulsory removal of our leathers to try & do just that.

So, what did we think of Hard On! this time round? And how did it rate against our usual clubbing exploits? Well, it would be fair to say, that unquestionably for us, it was our best excursion into our fetish side at Hidden yet. Indeed, we cannot remember ever having been so tempted into and then so busy in the playroom. Normally dancing plays the biggest part in our clubbing experiences, but in the case of this XXXmas party, it was simply XXX rated action. Despite reports coming in, post the event, that it was a quietish one for Suzie & her team, the people who turned up were definitely up for it in a big way and never have we seen some many bare butts, so many gorgeously sexy men revealing all, definitely throwing all inhibitions aside. If our next trip to this monthly raunchy fetish feast is anything like this one, we are surely in for another fabulously sleazy time. (DISCO MATT)

Tuesday 29 December 2009

Beyond - "Just Another Birthday?" - Club Review


BEYOND – “JUST ANOTHER BIRTHDAY?” – SUNDAY 20TH DECEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


To reveal or not to reveal? That was the question that we were faced with as just another birthday was looming, although it wasn’t a particularly special date, a landmark anniversary, you know, the sort that would justify shouting it from the rooftops and then spilling the beans on our actual age, after all, our eternal youthful looks (don’t laugh!...well you can a bit) could certainly belie our years. But then we have always been upfront & honest about our age, so thought, what the hell, lets reveal all and then plan a sequence of celebratory events across the whole weekend. However, in doing so, we really wanted to devote the day itself, the 20th, to self indulgent pampering, shopping & then champagne, so had no intention of clubbing, well that was the plan anyway.

But you know what they say about plans? and what was supposed to be a leisurely Saturday night at Profile Bar & then Lo-Profile, hailing the start of our birthday proper in relative calm, ended up being quite a raucous affair with the champagne flowing much earlier than expected and then, rather than sauntering home from Soho, we found ourselves slung into the cut & thrust of an early Sunday morning in Vauxhall. As if Brent Nicholls’ magnificent music at Lo-Profile wasn’t enough, Nick Tcherniak whipped up a veritable storm of a set in BCV (that’s Barcode Vauxhall) to, once again, lead us astray, so before we knew it, 6 a.m. arrived & we found ourselves in the clutches of Beyond, not the plan for our birthday at all, but then were we complaining? no of course not!!

So, joining the queue, the guestlist queue mind, to get into Area, we were first joined by pals Jeremy Precelton & Tim Banham, who had done the sensible thing and come from home, not that they had been to bed, oh no, an all night party, turning into clubbing escapade to keep it all going. Then, we were surprised, not for the first time in 12 hours, to see Paul Heron arrive, with friends in tow , although with his elevated status was immediately whisked to the front of the queue (how rude!), although it wasn’t long before the fabulous Tom Fuller & the charming Naomi Cruz once again treated us like royalty, seeing us into the club right behind Mr D.J. Paul, passed the ever cautious security (they should be used to us now) and in through the entrance. With Tim & Jeremy right behind us, we headed for the coatcheck to deposit our bits & bobs and whilst the queue was already quite long, our wait was short lived and we were released to start yet another Sunday morning (the 4th in a row) at Area in the hands of Beyond.

With Jeremy kindly offering to buy us a birthday drink, we graciously accepted, although quite why we chose to fulfil our thirsty temptations with a “wings” based drink we are not sure, as after the indulgences in Lo-Profile & Barcode we were absolutely flying!! Anyway, it went down extremely well and set us on our way to explore the club proper, leaving Jeremy, Tim & co to their own devices. Wandering into the Terrace Bar, whilst there were a number of people milling around, it already had the feel of being one of those quieter Beyond’s, but in some ways we prefer it when there is plenty of room to dance & move around. Down in the Black Box room, Paul Christian was tempting the faithful with his deep & dirty beats and with the other rooms still gathering themselves for the morning ahead, he had the lion’s share of the crowd, many of whom already looked well into the groove.

Before we could draw further breath, the whole of the Rupert Street gang arrived, Oli, John, Remy, Sylvester, Brad & birthday boy Vlad, who had seemingly been following us around, not just at Lo-Profile, but the Barcode Vauxhall & now Beyond, but it was naturally more coincidence than anything else and anyway, what could be better than two birthday boys together, celebrating their special day’s. It was clear everyone in the group was feeling the strain of hours of partying, but were still up for more, both us & Vlad raising our glasses in toast of our anniversary’s, while Remy & Sylvester were off onto the dancefloor and Oli & John headed in the direction of the outside space to hook up with fellow Beyond buddies.

But the inevitable opening of the main room caused a surge of bodies into the space and, no surprise, as when we headed passed the D.J. booth, none other than Beyond god Steve Pitron was behind the decks, admittedly at an earlier slot than we are used to, but what a way to kick start the party and indeed re-charge our birthday celebrations. What happened over the next couple of hours was nothing short of stupendous as Steve set about playing some of our favourite uplifting yet hard hitting house tracks, which saw the dancefloor, literally swell with body’s right before our eyes. We cannot begin to describe our elated feelings and being right in the thick of our favourite club of now (possibly of all time) as looking around everything was wonderful and just as it should be with an afterhours club, the music magnificent, the lasers & lighting luxuriously luminescent, the production precision perfect & the atmosphere amazing. And we may have said this before, but it is clear Steve Pitron is in his element at Beyond, always seeming to play at his absolute best, this time round being no exception, in fact we may go as far to say his best of the year!

With Paul Heron in close attention to our dancing diva spot by the D.J. booth on the main floor, we were now going nowhere and all plans for a self indulgent birthday shopping & pampering were long gone from our minds, as prodigy Pitron gave way to the delectable Dower, as D.J. Mikey D took to the decks (all those D’s!!) and like his protégé before him, delivered a peach of a set, a little more harder edged, but nevertheless hitting our musical sweet spot with each & every track, leaving us dancing deliriously on our spot. As if he wasn’t doing enough, when he pulled out & played our track of the moment, Erik Morillo’s “Get Lifted”, we were more than lifted but sent into heavenly hedonism, working the dance space around us and competing moves with the gorgeous go-go’s that had ascended the podiums in front of us. Now, nothing was going to wedge us off & move us away from our position in the main room and when the amazing Alan K arrived, popping over the D.J. booth to say hello, we knew that our special day of celebrations wasn’t going to be just another birthday, but something to treasure & remember for a long time.

Taking a brief respite away from the action, we headed to the middle bar for some refreshments and bumped into Naomi Cruz, who kindly offered to oblige, seemingly eager for a review of the night, but that was already a given, not least for the kind hospitality we have received in recent visits, virtually unparalled with any club & making our visits all the more special for it. As good as the antics in the main room were, we had to take a little further respite, so swinging into the Terrace Bar, we caught The Sharp Boys who were toughing it out with an instinctively harder edged set, akin to many we have heard when they are at their best at Trade, but as much as we wanted to dance, our legs were beginning to fail us, so we headed back to our favourite space on the main dancefloor, to level out a little, bumping into plenty of familiar faces as we did, including High Stevenson, who wished us happy birthday & the remnants of the Rupert Street gang, just Oli & John still standing, the rest of the bunch having called it a day a while before. Then, as we found our spot, the one man that has led us into our Beyond bandwagon of weeks, nay moths, Jamie Head appeared, greeting us in usual friendly fashion and trading notes on a mere 7 days of activity since we had last seen him. We cannot begin to tell you how much it means to us to have this superb D.J. as a pal & every time we catch up with him, it makes our day, re-kindling so many memories of great times we have had with him in charge of the D.J. decks, not just here at Beyond but especially at Crash, when we first got to know the fella, fab!!

However, as great it was to catch up with Jamie, indeed with everyone we had at Beyond, with an eye on the time & with our champagne soiree later at Rupert Street in the back of our minds, the one sensible strand in our head tugged us away from, first the sounds of Mikey D (what another superb set he had played) and then the awesome Alan K who was yet again making our exit from this beautiful Beyond birthday bash of ours defyingly difficult. Indeed, we attempted to grab our coat four times, on each trip changing our minds at the last minute, heading back into the main space to dance more. However, with a foot firmly down (well as firm as we could manage), we took our leave of Area, heading home to recuperate& take stock before our next audacious outing of the day.

Well, it goes without saying that this was yet another bountifully brilliant Beyond, yes a quieter affair than our visits in the last three weeks, but better for it. Our recent favoured spot in The Terrace Bar hardly got a look in this time, but that was no surprise as the performances of Steve Pitron & Mikey D were outstanding to say the least. Looking back & reflecting as we often do, these two have given us hours of pleasurable enjoyment, have treated us to some magnificent music, some scintillating sets and once again they proved to be the stars of the show, for us cementing Beyond in its position as our favourite club of 2009 (oops, the secret is out!). And with these two darling D.J’s going back to back for Beyond’s New Years Day party, there will be much dilemma in “Disco Matt land” as to where we will be, helicopter anyone? (DISCO MATT)

Monday 28 December 2009

Profile & Lo-Profile "Form Birthday to Christmas" - Special Review







PROFILE & LO-PROFILE – “FROM BIRTHDAY TO CHRISTMAS”
19TH, 20TH & 23RD DECEMBER 2009
SPECIAL REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


December is an extra special month for us, as not only does it signal the biggest festival of the year, Christmas, but it is the month of our birth, therefore potentially rolling a whole week into one big party. Mind you, with most focussing on Christmas, we tend to have to go with the flow and fit in our birthday celebrations when we can, although the last couple of years have seen our plans become a little more extravagant, more extensive, encompassing a whole host of venues, clubs & outings to satisfy not only our desires, but in an effort ensure that as many of our friends can make our birthday celebrations during the close run up to Christmas.

But the question remained this year was, where were we going to spend our actual birthday? Falling on a Sunday, there were a few choices, but then we like celebrating right from the start, from midnight onwards, so decided that it should all kick off on 19th (well we did actually start on 17th at Industri & then Gravity, but that’s another story!!). So, looking at the options & deciding who would be where, we eventually plumped for the venue that is due to be awarded first spot in our end of year “best bar” vote (oops we let that slip!), which would be neatly followed by a trip just downstairs. Was it Barcode Soho? No. Was it Ku-Bar & Ku-Klub? No. So where was it? Well, Profile Bar & Lo-Profile of course.

Since its launch back in July, Profile bar’s new venue & location has steadily grown on us. In the days of its life over on Frith Street, we seldom visited, as not only was it a bit off the beaten track (well ours anyway), but the space failed to ignite any enthusiasm, but was nevertheless a popular haunt for many a gAylister. But, moving Profile across Soho to join its younger sister, was definitely the right choice for the brand, giving Profile as a bar a new lease of life, giving it a sumptuous new look, giving it to expand its offer & all with the hope of increasing its clientele. And, in the short months it has been on Wardour Street, Profile has become a favoured destination for those wishing to relax, socialise & chat without the hussle & bustle that accompanies some other bars, with the added bonus of great food served by a bunch of sexy waiters & great music from some of the scene’s top notch D.J’s.

So, deciding on Profile to kick of our birthday celebrations (well, you know what we mean!) was a given & arriving at its doors just before 10 p.m. (yes we were late again) we were greeted by pal Stephen, who had forgone other plans to join us for our special outing. To add further spice to the evening, as we wandered around the bar, past filled out booths where a whole host of gorgeous gAylisters were succumbing to Profile’s tempting & tasty food, we fell upon none other than D.J. pal Paul Heron, who was providing the musical entertainment, a lovely surprise indeed, although it was difficult to tell who looked more astonished at their presence. This immediately signalled a trip to the bar to seek refreshments, although in the knowledge that this one achilles heel of Profile bar meant that we pre-planned to stock up on drinks, but on this occasion it was deemed unnecessary as the service was so much quicker than we had experienced in past visits.

Back over by the D.J. booth, we caught up on news both with pal Stephen, whom we had missed company at Industri just two days before & bought him up to speed with the trials & tribulations of the night that had nearly put our whole birthday in jeopardy. Then, turning to Mr Heron, it was a pleasure to see him again, having savoured to smashing sounds of his at our favourite social soiree a mere 36 hours ago and we were set fair to enjoy yet another superb set of his tonight, yes very much more commercial & uplifting, yet a true testament to this man’s talents. As a measure of his affection, Paul dug deep into his music collection to find our favourite record and playing it out to a, by now packed Profile bar, struck a chord not only with us but with many around, including one of the waitresses who remarked on its brilliance with us. By now the party mood was building, with Paul playing out some terrific tracks to delight and with the drinks well & truly flowing, eyes were beginning to turn to the club downstairs, where proceedings were being kicked off by fellow Industri resident D.J. Brent Nicholls.

So, as the stroke of 11 o’clock arrived, Paul’s set came to an all too short end (our fault as we were late) and we, together with Stephen, made our way round and down into Lo-Profile to continue the party and see in our birthday 24 hours in style. Arriving in this cavernous space and falling upon the D.J. booth almost immediately, Brent turned to greet us, although Stephan had already wandered straight towards the bar, but soon returned to deposit his belongings, along with ours, behind the D.J. booth, avoiding the surmountable queue that had developed across the dancefloor. Looking around, nothing much had changed since our last visit to Lo-Profile and it has to be said that we are not big fans of the bright & extrovert decor, with most of the club being given over to seating areas and much of the rest to bar space. Whilst this proves great for socialising in groups, we have never found it to be a thrilling & scintillating dance venue.

Mind you, Brent was doing his level best to change all of that, playing some magnificent music which saw the petite yet plentiful dancefloor fill to virtual capacity, soaking up the superb sounds. With glasses replenished & eyes on the time, we boogied & bopped away blissfully oblivious to the surroundings, but with more than one eye on the stylish & gorgeous looking crowd who were filling Lo-Profile’s spaces, a particularly hunky guy taking our fancy, until his boyfriend walked up (damn) and we were forced to avert our attentions elsewhere. But to our rescue came midnight & with Stephen arriving, Champagne in hand, it was our birthday proper and we raised our glasses in toast & triumph that we had reached another milestone. And so the night took an altogether hedonistic turn, with Brent ramping up the magical music even more, playing what can only be described as the tune of moment “Get Lifted” which had us dancing deliriously, nearly jumping onto an impromptu podium like we used to do all those years ago during his sets at Crash.

With the night going from strength to strength, Brent gave way to Alessandro on the D.J. decks, who had finished his stint at Rupert Street, bringing fellow birthday boy Vlad & his team of merry men with him to heighten the atmosphere. We then knew that two celebrations would collide with dramatic yet delightful consequences, first seeing out the early hours of our birthday at Lo-Profile in the hands of the amazing Alessandro, but then with a venture south of the river to Barcode Vauxhall, where when Nick Tcherniak once again led us astray with a stonking set, we knew that our special day indulging ourselves with shopping & lunch was set to be ruined, but in the best possible way as the clubbing & partying wasn’t going to stop at 6 a.m. at Barcode, as we hit Beyond, sending us deep into the second half of December 20th, most magnificently.

But the story doesn’t end there, as Profile bar was to draw us back & then slide us headlong into Christmas, a mere 3 days later & with yet further fun, when we ventured into Soho for our last outing and get together before the big day. It seemed we were greeted at the door by our fierce partner in crime, Lexi, the evervescent & sparkling new host of the bar, although our mind was elsewhere as our eagerness to deliver candy (long story) meant we completely missed him (how rude), rather making an immediate b-line for the D.J. booth where Brent Nicholls was playing an enchanting collection of smooth house tunes to ease the select crowd into the evening. And, what better a way to slide into the Christmas mood than indulge in wonderful conversation, in sumptuous surroundings & in fabulous company, which was exactly what we did, all courtesy of Brent Nicholls, Lexi, indeed everyone else around, succumbing to the temptations of our favourite liquorice sweets, then supping our favourite tipple and all with the magnanimous music Mr D.J. was selecting, running through our veins. Now, who could ask for anything more?! But with all good things having to come to an end (boo hoo), we eventually gave in to work commitments the following day, waving bye to Profile, our temporary home for the last few days, melting into the cold December night to head home & reflect on a new found friend of a Soho spot that made our start to both our birthday & Christmas extra special.

Well, were we surprised by just how good both Profile & Lo-Profile turned out to be for our special occasion? And would we recommend swinging by these Soho specialities sometime soon? Well, the answer to both questions is a resounding and massive YES. Not only does Profile Bar deliver a superbly sophisticated & splendid night out all on its own, but with the marrying with younger sister Lo-Profile into one venue, has made for a combination virtually unbeatable. Yes, the decor in Lo-Profile really needs some attention, but the space itself more than makes up for that and we had a fabulous time down there, in fact the best to date. However, the real gem is Profile upstairs, as whilst admitting that we love our Rupert Street visits and The Box is great on a Friday too, there is something quite enchanting & endearing about Profile, a hangout we hanker more & more. So, ensure you give the place a visit soon & if Soho is your destination make a whole night of it on Wardour Street, at Profile & lo-Profile. (DISCO MATT)

Thursday 24 December 2009

Lovechild - Club Review


LOVECHILD – SATURDAY 12TH DECEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


You know the phrase, if it first you don’t succeed then try, try again, although with 2009 proving to be a really tough time for new club ventures, many decided that to try again would prove disastrous & even if they did persevere, the desire for something fresh & different just didn’t seem to be there, especially on the Sunday clubbing landscape, which for so many years previously was one of the hippest & happening nights on the scene. So, what was the answer for promoters who truly wanted their idea, their brand, and their baby to survive? Well, it seemed that devolution was maybe the answer, looking outside the box a bit and in some ways turning the concept a bit on its head.

And in the case of Lovechild, that’s exactly what happened. Promoter Alex Erfan, who had brought the brand to London in a massive fanfair & on the back of highly successful parties across Europe, initially thought Sunday needed something new & exciting, but in a launch at Pacha back in February, that went well, the follow up parties in March & then May failed to ignite nearly enough enthusiasm, resulting in Alex & his team effectively needing to go back to the drawing board. So, with a change from a Sunday to Saturday, a change of venue & the added enticement of a bit of raunch to proceedings the new look Lovechild was back with a bang, its new home Fire in Vauxhall sporting the first of the re-styled brand, which, like its launch attracted plenty of hype, even if it was going head-to- head with Matinee.

But, for December the team had pushed it back for a week, making it THE place to be & we definitely wanted to get a piece of the Lovechild machine, having missed out on the last one. So, with last minute plans between us & clubbing pal Joel confirmed, we both hit Vauxhall for some pre-clubbing drinkies at Barcode, before arriving at Fire’s entrance at just about midnight, which seemed to be a popular arrival time, as a surmountable queue was developing at the door & also at the coatcheck just inside, but then we have got used to waiting in the last month or so, as most of the venues seem to be struggling to get into gear, what should be a simple & straight forward affair.

In reality, however, it wasn’t long before we were released into the club, the main space & dancefloor already filling nicely, but the mirror arch room & the third space was still to get into gear. With pal Joel grabbing us refreshments, we decided a bit of dancing would be a good idea, with the fab Phil Hewson in control of the sounds, playing a delightful mix of uplifting yet hard hitting house tunes to really inject to energy into the space. All the Fire main floor paraphernalia was being exercised to add to the atmosphere, superb Lovechild visuals flashing up on the multiple screens, laser lighting creating a illuminating impact on the dancefloor & with plenty of smoke plumes, & pyro’s firing off, it was clear that Lovechild’s new home was already serving it well.

With the mainfloor swelling with numbers, familiar faces began to appear, not least our incredible & fierce partner in crime, Lexi, who bounded up to say hello, then ace D.J. Gabriele Cutrano swung by, getting prepared & ready for his set in the mirror arch, closely followed by Lovechild’s promoter Alex Erfan, introducing his fab business partner to us & getting our initial view of the party, which we were loving already. With Joel also connecting with friends of his, it was certainly developing into an altogether much better experience than our last outing at Pacha and we really got into our stride in the main room, as Phil Hewson continued to deliver some sumptuous sounds to well & truly delight. This D.J. talent certainly knows how to pump energy into the events that he plays at, getting people really enthralled with his musical choices & having been in the thick of it for his amazing set at Hustlaball, it seemed he was doing it again, brilliant!

But, we had an eye on the second space and when the doors were swung open, we had to just go and investigate, but not before our pal Joel hinted on some energetic assistance & a quick nicotine injection out in the smoking space. Stepping outside for a moment, it was definitely winter as we immediately felt the cold, running for the covered area as quick as we could, huddling around the welcome heater and catching up with yet more familiar faces, including D.J.’s Alessandro & Hugh Stevenson, both who had finished duties at Barcode & Rupert Street & were in the mood to let their hair down (and why not!?!). By now, Phil Hewson had also finished his superb set & came over to say hello & briefly catch up on news before we headed back into the warmth of the club to continue the party.

And continue we did, as we hit the mirror arch, where Gabriele Cutrano was getting the room up & swinging with his much tougher edged tech infused house tunes, a distinct difference to the main room, but right up our street & Joel’s for that matter. This was definitely the space to be, as a whole host of sexed up & scantily dressed go-go’s ascended the podiums in front of us, revealing more than bear chests & abs, really adding some extra spice to an already sex charged space and when we discovered the infamous “contact room” at the back, it was clear that the vanilla feel of Lovechild in the main room, was a distant memory. As more & more people realised what was occurring, the space filled out nicely & the gorgeous sexy dancers kept coming (no pun intended) to heat up the room with some hot dancing displays. Gabriele’s sounds really complimented the extravert shows brilliantly & only short excursions for refreshments & other indulgencies kept us away from the magic of the mirror arch.

But our night was going to get even better as the magnificent Mattias took to the decks, taking over from Mr C, leading us on a fun filled journey of fabulous funky, hunky & chunky tracks, so appropriate for this second space & trademark Mattias. It goes without saying that we were totally encapsulated by his performance that had us dancing away deliriously, joined by many others who clearly preferred this octane fuelled pace to the more uplifting offerings back in the main room. But, with the night moving along at a pace & Mattias’ set over far too quickly for our liking, we returned, with pal Joel, to room one, where push FM’s Tony English had handed over to new Lovechild resident Lee Harris, who was rounding off the luscious Lovechild party in style, packing out the main floor with the lion’s share of revellers who didn’t want their night to end. And to make the end our stay at Fire really special, we were joined by the man himself, as Mr Mattias joined us on the dancefloor to see out the rest of the Lovechild experience, before we considered our options for continuing our night, well morning, across Vauxhall at Beyond.

So what was our verdict on this latest Lovechild adventure and did all the changes employed have the desired effect? Well, firstly we have to say that despite not being our favourite venue, especially on a Saturday night, Fire definitely knows how to host a party & create the feel & vibe of a great club night out, with superb lighting, visuals & sound added to the very different feel that each room/arch provides, it has certainly made a good choice for Lovechild & far improved on Pacha. As for the rest of our experience, well in ringing the changes that they have, Alex Erfan & his team have definitely created a different feel for Lovechild, adding the new dimensions of rauch, sex & seductiveness to the style that was evocative of the brand when it was launched, thus making it a real success story (and don’t we just love those).

In a world of clubbing when events & parties have the danger of looking & being the same, the same D.J’s playing, the same style of music, the same stereo-typical clubber attending, it is refreshing to see something a little different hitting our scene & Lovechild is absolutely that. Yes, we have to admit that we don’t like Fire as a venue, but you know, for Lovechild it actually worked brilliantly & sooo much better than Pacha. It seems that the marriage between Alex Erfan & the Orange group has been this clubbing brands saviour and we are sure Lovechild will become a permanent feature on the gAylist calendar. Roll on the next party. (DISCO MATT)

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Beyond "Ice" - Club Review


BEYOND “ICE” CHRISTMAS SPECIAL –
SATURDAY/SUNDAY 5TH/6TH DECEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Christmas seems to be getting earlier every year, with the adverts hitting our televisions as early as October, the supermarkets filling their shelves with mince pies, quality street tins, selection boxes et all, and the streets being festooned with decorations a plenty way earlier than we remembered from our childhood (and that was a long time ago!), so it came as no surprise that the gAylist scene in London would follow suit, with two of its biggest clubs rolling out their Christmas parties in the first week of December. Why?, well one had a relatively good excuse as it is a once a month affair, the other, well some would say it was trying to steal the limelight, but perhaps in reality, with other commitments in the run up to the big day, its promoters decided this first weekend of December was the best time to stage it (oh how hopeful we are that it was the latter of the two scenarios).

Whatever the reasons (blah blah blah!!), the club which has dominated the Sunday morning afterhours scene throughout 2009, decided to extend its offering, swinging open its doors at midnight and running a billed 12 hours (which turned out to be closer to thirteen) and in joining forces with Logan Schmitz & Steven Gellar, married the off-springs from Fire with, yes you guessed it, Beyond, which threw a Christmas spectacular which was bound to be yet another success before it even started. With a truly massive D.J. line up across three floors, the promise of some beautiful production/transformation of Area, making it into a “winter wonderland with some stunning stage shows”, how could we say no? even if we had been at Beyond just a week before. Well we couldn’t, so there!

Having partied hard at Matinee, we arrived at Area’s doors at well gone 7 a.m. and were greeted at the queue entrance by Tom Fuller, who immediately ushered in past the security checks (they did search us) and then into Area, just behind Paul Heron (had he followed us from Matinee?), Tom leaving us to our devices, having made sure that we were checked off his list (as was Mr H), releasing us into the club, which was well & truly pumping and immediately had the feel of a classic Beyond outing (even if it had been open 7 hours already!). We soon deposited our bag away safely in the coatcheck (no long wait like the previous week) and then set about finding our bearings, well more like checking out the three spaces, to see what, when, who why & where was the room to be in & at.

First we hit the Terrace bar, where Gonzalo was treating a pulsating space to another set of Trade lite lounge style tunes, which was clearly going down well with many who were cramming the space, dancing away to his magical music machinations, although having witnessed an incredible set of his in this very room just seven days ago, we wanted to investigate further. So, heading off in the direction of the “Black” room, we bumped to some familiar faces, Lee Yeomans & boyf , Clinton Goldsmith, looking gorge as ever & then we paused to speak with Simon Patrick (well we didn’t actually remember that bit, a reminder after the event jogging our memory, having apparently spoken to him at Matinee too!). Then, we found ourselves in the second space and seeing David Jiminez in control of the D.J. decks, we realised that we had missed out on Hi-Fi Sean’s set (damn!), with the promised “personal mirroball” offering he had pledged fallen by the wayside (blast!), so quickly made our advances into the main room.

There we were met by a veritable wall of muscular bodies moving in motion to the sexy sounds emanating from the massive speakers and looking up & around, there was no shortage of the usual sparkling Beyond production & signage, incredible laser & lighting effects, as well as sheet white walls intended to create the “ice” effect of the party theme. Squeezing ourselves round the packed room, we headed for the D.J. booth, where superstar Steve Pitron (well who else could it be, should it have been!) was mixing up some magnificent music, concentrating on the job in hand, hardly raising his head to say hello, but catching us out of the corner of his eye. Right in front of the booth was an extraordinary contraption, which turned out to be a massive snow bursting cannon, the effects of which could be see all around the floor and on the sweaty bodies of some recipients of its sporadic splurges, creating a Christmassy feel to great effect. Finding a little space next to this one-off addition to squeeze into, we almost missed our pals Benoit & Clinoit, with whom we had shared similar squashed spaces at Matinee, although how we could have missed them standing in front of us as they were, we don’t know (something must have been affecting our eyesight!), but soon found our stride dancing away next to them & to the delights this true Beyond legend of a D.J. was delivering.

And there we stayed for virtually the whole of Steve’s set, succumbing to the amazing atmosphere and spotting festively dressed hunk, one after the other, ascend the stage at the far end of the main room, Logan’s schmitzels dazzling the crowd with their displays of dirty dancing, so with yet more plumes of snow bursting out across the room, the scene was set for the winter wonderland party that had been promised. Mind you, with so much activity going on and hardly room to swing a festive cat, we had to relent for a while, making our way back to the Terrace bar, where Gonzalo had handed over to Swedish sweetheart D’Johnny, who took up where Mr Rivas had left off, with a classy collection of chunky & tech infused tunes that grabbed our attention & many around us, a light relief from the madness of the main room, but fabulous nevertheless.

But the night (well the morning) was far from over, with The Sharp Boys taking charge in the main room, clearly having a hard act to follow in the footsteps of the stupendous Steve Pitron, but they rose to the challenge brilliantly, serving up a selection of scintillating upbeat, then down & dirty as well as funky house sounds to keep the audience well & truly glued to the main room. Even D.J.’s who had finished their stints, Terry Bryan & Mickey D (both whom we had missed out on) were indulging in the fun, not far from our favourite spot shy of the D.J. booth and from here we had a perfect view of proceedings as well as faces wandering past, spotting first JC Christopher swinging by, then our second Swede of the night, Sofie, who was just as pleased to see us as we were her. And with time literally flying, we knew we were heading for the final D.J. helping when Alan K arrived, running round to us from booth to say his hello’s.

A quick rest & reprieve was suddenly required, so we headed for a breath of oxygen in the Terrace bar and bumped into the lovely Jamie Head who was relaxing before his set following on from D’Johnny, so we spent a few moments catching up on news, then having rested sufficiently, headed back into the main room for what turned out to be our final fling for this “Ice” spectacular, assuming our favoured spot by the D.J. booth and being showered with handfuls of snow (the fake stuff of course), the culprit being Mr JC who was lobbing it over the booth covering our hair & torso, some even resting on our braces. All this while Alan K was dishing out some delectable dance tunes, injecting the perfect energy to see the crowd through till the end of the party, although our legs were running out of steam and whilst our body still wanted to dance, the lallies were saying no!

With one last attempt to “get it together Rita” (an old phrase of ours), we soaked up a little slice of Jamie’s set, before finally relenting, gathering our belongings, saying farewells to whoever we could find, then leaving Area behind us and heading off into a sunny Vauxhall midday to amble the short distance south to the seclusion of our home, both to chill out & reflect on yet another wild yet wonderful Saturday night & Sunday morning’s worth of chaotic clubbing, the memories of the “Ice” party just departed still strong in our minds and the fake snow still covering our brow.

Well, it kind of goes without saying that this was yet another brilliant Beyond party. There is something quite magical about Sunday morning clubbing for us and regardless of how many times we venture out to Area, it rarely fails to delight. Yes, the previous week’s visit was a little below par for us (why, we are still not sure), but even having savoured only about half of this extended Christmas bonanza of a bash, Beyond delivered in almost every respect. It may be true that the decoration didn’t quite make the club the “winter wonderland” we had expected, but the snow plumes, the magnificent music, the delectable dancers and the amazing atmosphere made up for it all. Did opening for twelve hours bear the fruit the promoters wished for? well maybe a little bit, but Beyond is all about “afterhours” clubbing, when it is at its best & where, for us, it needs to stay. (DISCO MATT)

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Matinee "La Nocha Roja" - Club Review


MATINEE “LA NOCHA ROJA” (THE RED PARTY) –
SATURDAY 5TH DECEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN



Now, let’s be honest, when it comes to a club brand that has made on indelible mark on the gAylist scene in the capital, from the early days of its life at Area, followed by institutionalisation’s at first Fabric and then Colosseum, but latterly having really found its feet at uber new club space Cable, the anticipation for each & every event laid on by the London wing of this Espaniol giant, never wanes & having been well & truly chastised for missing out on their 3rd Birthday party, the last outing “The Next Chapter” was a compulsory affair, as was this latest instalment “La Nocha Roja” (in literal translation meaning the party red”...thanks Joel!) a double whammy celebration of Christmas coming & World AIDS day just gone, everybody being urged to wear something red and dig deep into their pockets for a worthy cause.

So it was, that we made our way, a little later than planned, to Matinee’s party at Cable in London Bridge, negotiating what was a more complicated journey than expected & arriving just in time for the closure of the guestlist (yes we were that late!) at 1 a.m., but making a speedy entrance to the club and heading straight for the main room. This, after being efficiently handled through the door by the evervescent Marky B, although having been virtually over looked by Oliver Mohns & Robb Williams, whilst standing patentiently in the queue. However, with our bag safely stored, courtesy of mega D.J. star Guy Williams, who we have to say, was ripping up the main floor with a glorious collection of hard hitting, tech infused house tunes, that had the atmosphere already at fever pitch levels, it was clear the party was getting off to a great start.

Having virtually immediately bumped into Industri pals Chris & Terry, we made our excuses to carry out our now obligatory “find bearings” trip around Cable, first bumping into Pier Morrocco’s Russian boyfriend, then our bestest French friend Benoit, with fellow compatriot Cliniot present, then as we squeezed our way through the “Bar” (or is it called “Parlour”) room, yet more friendly faces presented themselves, including Stephan & Stephen, Oli from Rupert Street, Jeremy & boyf Andy, as well as a host of familiar Matinee faces (including Heidi Liscious with a hair do to end all!!), all grooving to the superb sounds being delivered by the marvellous Jonny M, who had this middle space well & truly pulsating with his pristine play choices.

But we were bound for the third space (the “bpm” room), where Pier Morrocco was playing out to a select crowd who were definitely into his upbeat yet tough sounding house and looking around, the Evolved Events team had gone to extra effort to glam up the room, with huge red drapes across the ceiling as well as turning the usual VIP area into a fabulous ruby boudoir, certainly contributing to an enhanced atmosphere, albeit that the numbers on the dancefloor were pitching & yawing. It was great to see Pier behind the Matinee decks again and we spent a moment catching up on news with him before heading back across the club to check out the impending stage show in the main room.

And we were just in time, as a sudden change in the music heralded the arrival of the Fierce International dancers, over a dozen of them on the stage, right in front of the massive & imposing neon lit Matinee sign, finding their individual spots and posing completely stationary, definitely averting the audiences eyes & attention towards the stage. As the music tempo began to speed up, the bevy of handsome hunks, dressed revealing in red tight lycra & accompanying accessories & the gaggle of girls glammed up from top to toe in amazing haute couture, sprung into life, gyrating to the music pace that maestro Mr Williams was playing. And what a collection a smashing sounds he had strung together across his extended set, which we didn’t want to end, but we were preparing for the inevitable switch over to the Spanish resident, this time to be Lydia Sanz, although glancing over to the D.J. booth, she was nowhere to be seen, rather Oliver M taking charge of the decks and firing up some hard hitting dancefloor fillers to keep the party atmosphere going.

Having congratulated Guy on his set and waved him a farewell, we decided to head off into the “bpm” room, where international megastar D.J. Paul Heron was taking over from Pier Morrocco, taking the music in an altogether tougher more tech infused direction, but seemingly just the ticket as his choices were drawing in an increasing amount of numbers, boosted by the arrival of two of the Fierce Crew, who ascended the podium in front of the D.J. booth and gave a pulsating performance below strips of red neon lighting that cleverly complimented their costumes. Paul’s incredible enthusiasm behind the decks never ceases to amaze us and this was definitely rubbing off on the crowd, who were entering into the action with gusto, frolicking in the fun that was being concocted in this third room.

By now, our curiosity was getting the better of us, as we were still puzzled as to the whereabouts of Lydia Sanz, so weaving our way back through the “bar” room to investigate, we were suddenly stopped in our tracks, as we spotted that scene favourite Brent Nicholls had assumed the D.J. decks, taking the main slot for the evening in this most popular of Cable spaces and on the back of his spectacular performance at the last Matinee party, we were definitely not going to miss this one for anything. So, quickly dashing into the main room to satisfy our curiosity and seeing Lydia in place, we charged our glasses, refreshed our energies and headed back into the “bar” room, to revel in the delight of another scintillating showing by Mr Nicholls, as he delivered some characteristic funky tunes as well as assured crowd pleasers, the hard hitting remix of Robin S’s “Show Me Love”, Serge Devant’s “Addicted” and a rendition of one of our fave “signature” tunes “Music Is The Answer”, getting rapturous roars of approval from the ever changing yet captive audience.

With Paul still playing out in the “bpm” room, Spanish resident Lydia Sanz really injecting some punch into the audacious atmosphere in the main room and Brent offering up some terrific tunes in the “bar” room, it seemed that many were well & truly spoilt for choice and the comings & goings between the three spaces carried on unabated for much of the rest of the evening. We, however, we were intent to continue to fun in the middle space, with friends Stephen, Jeremy, Andy, Stefan & Benoit also doing the same for a while, the latter scoring the D.J. a tip top 10 out of 10 for his performance (and coming from him that is praise indeed), so we didn’t stray further than our favoured spot in the “bar” room, seeing out the rest of our stay.

But with Brent’s set coming to an end, handing over the decks to Saki to carry on the party mood as he knows best and the amazing Alessandro who was more than holding his own in the main room, bombarding the crowd with magnificent music, our eyes were pointing to our next call of duty and with our D.J. pal out next to our side, comparing notes on how this latest Matinee party had gone, we eventually called a curtain on “La Nocha Roja”, saying our farewells to remaining friends and heading out into a wet & windy London morning, in the direction of Vauxhall to continue our wonderful weekend in the hands of Beyond’s Christmas shindig.

So, what did we think of this latest Matinee instalment? And did it live up to the billing it received? Well, it would be fair to say, that “The Next Chapter” party was always going to be a hard act to follow, we having said at the time that it compared with our favourite party “Viva”, which proved to be the best outing at Coloseeum for us, subsequent parties being superb but not quite reaching the dizzy heights of this trendsetter. And it seemed with “La Nocha Roja”, it was another case in point as, whilst it was a great party, for us it lacked something. The team had gone to extra lengths to decorate the venue and we do absolutely love the massive Matinee signage in the main room, but given the hints we had been given beforehand, we were expecting more. It looked like the crowd were having a great time however and we really enjoyed it, but it didn’t have the electric atmosphere of the last party.

With a star studded D.J. line up, we were never short of huge chunks of incredible music and maybe with such a strong combination playing out together (Guy vs. Pier...Paul vs. Brent vs. Lydia..etc), people felt too spoilt for choice, the traffic between the three rooms being evident of that. Add to that our view that the party seemed to be (as we described at the time) “stuck in 4th gear”, there was something lacking and lots of familiar faces missing (Minty more than anyone!). But why was that? Well, maybe the previous week had taken the impetuous out of the event, reports coming in that Soho was really quiet too. Maybe it was an extended Beyond opening that affected “La Nocha Roja”, but not so, as Area didn’t get really going until about 4 a.m. Quite what it was we still can’t say for sure, although what we can say with real conviction is that the NYD party is set to be a complete smash, so we will definitely be back for that. (DISCO MATT)