AS ONE – FRIDAY 1ST JANUARY
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
Looking back over our years of clubbing, there have been some amazing collaborations in gAylist/land London, not just at the spectacular outside events that used to take place, Pride gatherings at Brockwell Park, Clapham Common & Finsbury Park being notable, Summer Rites & Purple In the Park filling our memory banks, but the superb Famous Five parties over at Bagley’s warehouse will definitely go down in history, not only for their popularity, but for the linking of massive brands like Love Muscle, G.A.Y., Fruit Machine, Sherbet & Fist (we are showing our age!). More recent joint parties Giant & Universe which combined clubs, Crash, Salvation, Atelier, Coco Late & Heaven & even Ultimate, at the time named “the biggest alliance since Star Wars”, when Crash, DTPM & Trade partied under one roof, were all successes in their own right, continuing the trend for this all encompassing type of clubbing.
So, when we heard of a new venture and at the dawn of a new decade too, nothing was going to stop us from at least taking a look, even if it meant missing out on other parties that were going head-to-head, not least as the collaboration of club brands Beyond, Lovechild, Megawoof, Lo-Profile & Trannyshack seemed just too good to miss. And what was this mega collision of clubs called, well aptly, “As One” and all held in the cavernous expanse of Fire in Vauxhall, although there was much scepticism cast on its fortunes from the minute it was conceived, especially with popular parties SuperMartXe & DTPM looking to steal the show on New Year’s Day. So, how did it actually fare? Was it the success the organisers hoped for? And how did the joining of these diverse clubbing brands work?
Well, having twisted our ankle badly, thus missing out on both Matinee’s & SuperMartXe’s massive NYD party offerings, our start to 2010 wasn’t going as planned, but with lots of tender loving care & then much cajoling of our trainer onto the offending ankle, we limped our way down to Vauxhall & the Fire, the host venue for “As One”, arriving in the snow & chill of the first day of the new year at just before midnight. A lengthy queue had developed on both sides of the rear entry, although were moving quite swiftly and as we turned the corner, found the back of the guestlist queue being beckoned forward by the fabulous Roni (co-promoter of the event), who greeted us in friendly fashion, waving us through in trice. Mind you, with it being so cold we were anxious to get inside, but had to negotiate the coatcheck first, yet another slow moving affair halting our entry into the warm.
However, once inside and into the corridor leading to the mirror arch, we immediately started feeling the heat & also hearing the beat of the music, indicating that the club was already pumping. And we weren’t to be disappointed, as entering the Lovechild mirror arch, the crowd was building nicely, with D.J. Mattias playing out some chunky & funky tunes to get proceedings underway. However, we were keen to investigate further, advancing through a near wall of people into the main room which was packed out, a sea of bodies gyrating away to the upbeat sounds, courtesy of Mikey D, being the first D.J. to hit the decks in this Beyond dedicated space, also serving as the official afterhours room for SuperMartXe’s “Alice In Wonderland” party which was still going at The O2 Academy in Brixton. Moving further through the club, we made it into the Lo-Profile lounge, which was also brimming with people, Phil Hewson in charge of the D.J. decks, treating the crowd to an uplifting collection of house hits from the year just gone.
We grabbed some refreshments with the drinks vouchers kindly supplied to us by Roni and also by Jay Sharp Vokins, who we came across in this sumptuous & stylish lounge space, still conscious of our now throbbing ankle, so sought to numb the pain as best we could (whatever with?!?!), heading back across the club which was getting busier & busier, aiming to find a bit of space in a favourite Fire spot, just shy of the D.J. booth in the mirror arch. Settling on this space was not only a wise move for our ankle, but gave us a prime view of the continual bevy of beautiful dancers, hunky muscular men taking it turns in twosomes on the podiums in front of us, their saucy, sexy & steamy performances setting our pulses racing. The music wasn’t bad either, Mattias doing a sterling job, then handing over to the Italian stallion Pagano, who lavished the most scintillating set on us, we had heard from him in a long time, knowing in an instant of him starting that we had really missed his superb selection of sounds over the weeks nay months, the dancers complimenting his tracks, the lighting electric & the exploding ticker tape pyrotechnics timed perfectly with his music.
It was then a case of a who’s who parade, as a host of familiar faces came up & wandered by, including Rob Ferguson who immediately asked about our ankle, D.J. pals Hugh Stevenson & D’Johnny, both giving us a big hug & exchanging new year’s wishes, then Chris Geary, who lifted us high in the air with a loving embrace, not to mention Lovechild, Kinky Trade, Hustlaball (you name it) club promoter Alex Erfan spotted us & said hello, although it was clear he was busy organising matters in what had become a jam packed & incredibly popular As One clubbing event. So much so, that it took us ages to squeeze our way back through into the Beyond room to continue our check on proceedings, resigning on a further shuffle through the mass of people into the Lo-Profile lounge, where we caught up with yet another D.J. pal Alessandro, who was due to play in this space later on, also spotting Stewart Who? preparing to take over from Phil Hewson.
By now, our ankle numbing concoction was working nicely and we were in dancing mood, so heading back into the Beyond room, we made our way up the aisle to find a small space to jig away to the tougher yet melodic sounds being played out by The Sharp Boys, although it turned out to be just a “Sharp Boy”, George present, but Stephen 1000’s of feet in the air on his way to South Africa (the lucky beggar!). There we came across yet more familiar faces, French pals Benoit & Franck, both lapping up the amazing atmosphere and moving further round, we weaved our way through the sea of cavorting clubbers, finding a spot in the corner to dance away & marvel at the “Alice” performers who had made it to their afterparty to entertain the throng. The costumes they were in looked stunning, just a hint how good the show must have been at SuperMartXe, the screens behind them full of “Alice” images & the space filled with seasonal prolific production, giving this beyond room an extra special feel.
But with so much going on across this collaborative masterpiece, we wanted to check out the other rooms, as both Megawoof & Trannyshack were swinging into action, although negotiating our way through to the Lightbox was going to be no mean feat, eventually arriving in the space, to find it brimming with a mega mix of hunky, chunky Megawoofers, dancing away merrily to the melodic music supplied by this testosterone filled club brands D.J. resident & promoter Daz Saund. Whilst the room was fuller than we had seen it in years and the men were hot, the space was even hotter, so we retreated back to our favoured Lovechild spot, where Paul Heron had arrived to take over where the phenomenal Pagano had left off. Having savoured the bulk of the Italian’s set, in between our trips around the rest of “As One”, with the dancing action still keeping up the raunchy pace, we were content to stay put for a while, lapping up everything on offer from Lovechild in the hands of Mr Heron.
With the arrival of D.J. Gabriele Cutrano, Alex Erfan appeared & offered to show us into the Trannyshack room & then further into the depths of Fire, going over the plans ahead for this massive club, we being amazed by the sheer size of the place. But then, after leading us back to where we started, Alex left us to our devices, heading off to grab a spot of fresh air, while we spent the rest of the darting between the Lovechild space, Paul Heron & Gabriele Cutrano keeping up the raunchy filled pace, the Lo-Profile lounge, where Alessandro kept the heat up with a trail of terrific tunes and the Beyond room where we eventually settled. It was here where the pinnacle of our prancing occurred, as Alan K strung together the most superb of sounds, including our track of the night, Celeda’s “Underground, but much much more, packing the space out till well past 8 a.m., leaving tunes a plenty ringing through our ears, long after the party was over, our ankle pain a distant memory, but the absolutely brilliant time we had savoured at “As One” firmly entrenched in our mind.
Well, there is little left to say about our first party of 2010, apart from these words which neatly describe our experience of “As One”, amazing, delightful, fantastic, magnificent, spectacular, & wonderful. The collaboration of the clubs worked perfectly, giving Fire an extra special feel, weaving together all the different strands of Beyond, Lovechild, Megawoof, Lo-Profile & Trannyshack, better than we could have imagined. Never since a trip to Later five NYD’s ago, have we seen the venue so busy, so buzzing, so pumping and we were simply spoilt for choice between the rooms, each bringing their own charm, their own stunning D.J. performances yet all being as one. Special mentions have to go to Alan K in the Beyond room, who (in his own words) “was in the zone”, playing the best set we have heard & Pagano who simply engulfed us with a phenomenal performance in the Lovechild space. We conclude that “As One” was definitely the year’s first real success in so many ways, showing the way for other events to follow and we really hope it will be back with us soon. You can bet that we will be there for sure. (DISCO MATT)
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
Looking back over our years of clubbing, there have been some amazing collaborations in gAylist/land London, not just at the spectacular outside events that used to take place, Pride gatherings at Brockwell Park, Clapham Common & Finsbury Park being notable, Summer Rites & Purple In the Park filling our memory banks, but the superb Famous Five parties over at Bagley’s warehouse will definitely go down in history, not only for their popularity, but for the linking of massive brands like Love Muscle, G.A.Y., Fruit Machine, Sherbet & Fist (we are showing our age!). More recent joint parties Giant & Universe which combined clubs, Crash, Salvation, Atelier, Coco Late & Heaven & even Ultimate, at the time named “the biggest alliance since Star Wars”, when Crash, DTPM & Trade partied under one roof, were all successes in their own right, continuing the trend for this all encompassing type of clubbing.
So, when we heard of a new venture and at the dawn of a new decade too, nothing was going to stop us from at least taking a look, even if it meant missing out on other parties that were going head-to-head, not least as the collaboration of club brands Beyond, Lovechild, Megawoof, Lo-Profile & Trannyshack seemed just too good to miss. And what was this mega collision of clubs called, well aptly, “As One” and all held in the cavernous expanse of Fire in Vauxhall, although there was much scepticism cast on its fortunes from the minute it was conceived, especially with popular parties SuperMartXe & DTPM looking to steal the show on New Year’s Day. So, how did it actually fare? Was it the success the organisers hoped for? And how did the joining of these diverse clubbing brands work?
Well, having twisted our ankle badly, thus missing out on both Matinee’s & SuperMartXe’s massive NYD party offerings, our start to 2010 wasn’t going as planned, but with lots of tender loving care & then much cajoling of our trainer onto the offending ankle, we limped our way down to Vauxhall & the Fire, the host venue for “As One”, arriving in the snow & chill of the first day of the new year at just before midnight. A lengthy queue had developed on both sides of the rear entry, although were moving quite swiftly and as we turned the corner, found the back of the guestlist queue being beckoned forward by the fabulous Roni (co-promoter of the event), who greeted us in friendly fashion, waving us through in trice. Mind you, with it being so cold we were anxious to get inside, but had to negotiate the coatcheck first, yet another slow moving affair halting our entry into the warm.
However, once inside and into the corridor leading to the mirror arch, we immediately started feeling the heat & also hearing the beat of the music, indicating that the club was already pumping. And we weren’t to be disappointed, as entering the Lovechild mirror arch, the crowd was building nicely, with D.J. Mattias playing out some chunky & funky tunes to get proceedings underway. However, we were keen to investigate further, advancing through a near wall of people into the main room which was packed out, a sea of bodies gyrating away to the upbeat sounds, courtesy of Mikey D, being the first D.J. to hit the decks in this Beyond dedicated space, also serving as the official afterhours room for SuperMartXe’s “Alice In Wonderland” party which was still going at The O2 Academy in Brixton. Moving further through the club, we made it into the Lo-Profile lounge, which was also brimming with people, Phil Hewson in charge of the D.J. decks, treating the crowd to an uplifting collection of house hits from the year just gone.
We grabbed some refreshments with the drinks vouchers kindly supplied to us by Roni and also by Jay Sharp Vokins, who we came across in this sumptuous & stylish lounge space, still conscious of our now throbbing ankle, so sought to numb the pain as best we could (whatever with?!?!), heading back across the club which was getting busier & busier, aiming to find a bit of space in a favourite Fire spot, just shy of the D.J. booth in the mirror arch. Settling on this space was not only a wise move for our ankle, but gave us a prime view of the continual bevy of beautiful dancers, hunky muscular men taking it turns in twosomes on the podiums in front of us, their saucy, sexy & steamy performances setting our pulses racing. The music wasn’t bad either, Mattias doing a sterling job, then handing over to the Italian stallion Pagano, who lavished the most scintillating set on us, we had heard from him in a long time, knowing in an instant of him starting that we had really missed his superb selection of sounds over the weeks nay months, the dancers complimenting his tracks, the lighting electric & the exploding ticker tape pyrotechnics timed perfectly with his music.
It was then a case of a who’s who parade, as a host of familiar faces came up & wandered by, including Rob Ferguson who immediately asked about our ankle, D.J. pals Hugh Stevenson & D’Johnny, both giving us a big hug & exchanging new year’s wishes, then Chris Geary, who lifted us high in the air with a loving embrace, not to mention Lovechild, Kinky Trade, Hustlaball (you name it) club promoter Alex Erfan spotted us & said hello, although it was clear he was busy organising matters in what had become a jam packed & incredibly popular As One clubbing event. So much so, that it took us ages to squeeze our way back through into the Beyond room to continue our check on proceedings, resigning on a further shuffle through the mass of people into the Lo-Profile lounge, where we caught up with yet another D.J. pal Alessandro, who was due to play in this space later on, also spotting Stewart Who? preparing to take over from Phil Hewson.
By now, our ankle numbing concoction was working nicely and we were in dancing mood, so heading back into the Beyond room, we made our way up the aisle to find a small space to jig away to the tougher yet melodic sounds being played out by The Sharp Boys, although it turned out to be just a “Sharp Boy”, George present, but Stephen 1000’s of feet in the air on his way to South Africa (the lucky beggar!). There we came across yet more familiar faces, French pals Benoit & Franck, both lapping up the amazing atmosphere and moving further round, we weaved our way through the sea of cavorting clubbers, finding a spot in the corner to dance away & marvel at the “Alice” performers who had made it to their afterparty to entertain the throng. The costumes they were in looked stunning, just a hint how good the show must have been at SuperMartXe, the screens behind them full of “Alice” images & the space filled with seasonal prolific production, giving this beyond room an extra special feel.
But with so much going on across this collaborative masterpiece, we wanted to check out the other rooms, as both Megawoof & Trannyshack were swinging into action, although negotiating our way through to the Lightbox was going to be no mean feat, eventually arriving in the space, to find it brimming with a mega mix of hunky, chunky Megawoofers, dancing away merrily to the melodic music supplied by this testosterone filled club brands D.J. resident & promoter Daz Saund. Whilst the room was fuller than we had seen it in years and the men were hot, the space was even hotter, so we retreated back to our favoured Lovechild spot, where Paul Heron had arrived to take over where the phenomenal Pagano had left off. Having savoured the bulk of the Italian’s set, in between our trips around the rest of “As One”, with the dancing action still keeping up the raunchy pace, we were content to stay put for a while, lapping up everything on offer from Lovechild in the hands of Mr Heron.
With the arrival of D.J. Gabriele Cutrano, Alex Erfan appeared & offered to show us into the Trannyshack room & then further into the depths of Fire, going over the plans ahead for this massive club, we being amazed by the sheer size of the place. But then, after leading us back to where we started, Alex left us to our devices, heading off to grab a spot of fresh air, while we spent the rest of the darting between the Lovechild space, Paul Heron & Gabriele Cutrano keeping up the raunchy filled pace, the Lo-Profile lounge, where Alessandro kept the heat up with a trail of terrific tunes and the Beyond room where we eventually settled. It was here where the pinnacle of our prancing occurred, as Alan K strung together the most superb of sounds, including our track of the night, Celeda’s “Underground, but much much more, packing the space out till well past 8 a.m., leaving tunes a plenty ringing through our ears, long after the party was over, our ankle pain a distant memory, but the absolutely brilliant time we had savoured at “As One” firmly entrenched in our mind.
Well, there is little left to say about our first party of 2010, apart from these words which neatly describe our experience of “As One”, amazing, delightful, fantastic, magnificent, spectacular, & wonderful. The collaboration of the clubs worked perfectly, giving Fire an extra special feel, weaving together all the different strands of Beyond, Lovechild, Megawoof, Lo-Profile & Trannyshack, better than we could have imagined. Never since a trip to Later five NYD’s ago, have we seen the venue so busy, so buzzing, so pumping and we were simply spoilt for choice between the rooms, each bringing their own charm, their own stunning D.J. performances yet all being as one. Special mentions have to go to Alan K in the Beyond room, who (in his own words) “was in the zone”, playing the best set we have heard & Pagano who simply engulfed us with a phenomenal performance in the Lovechild space. We conclude that “As One” was definitely the year’s first real success in so many ways, showing the way for other events to follow and we really hope it will be back with us soon. You can bet that we will be there for sure. (DISCO MATT)
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