“DANCING ON WHEELS”
GAY CITY ROLLERS 1ST BIRTHDAY BASH
WEDNESDAY 3RD MARCH
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
In the time of our life when we were learning to walk rather than crawl and then, when tottering around like a good one, our next challenge was to hit two wheels, balancing on our first bicycle, which has gone on to fill our lives in more ways than one. Yes, two wheels seems to have been the way to go for us, our teens seeing us peddle away delightfully into the countryside virtually every weekend and then, when we moved to sunnier climbs, the motorised version in the form of our favourite Yamaha (that’s a motorbike) was the way we did it. But cycling & two wheels has once again been the way of our world, although with recent occurrences some would say precariously so, nevertheless the thought of using four wheels never really entering our thoughts. But, when we heard that a clubbing event was celebrating a whole year where four rather than two was the name of the game, we thought it was time to dabble in previously un-trodden territory.
Gay City Rollers (GCR) was launched by club promoter Alex Erfan & his team with the aim to fill a gap in the fun side of clubbing, choosing a midweek slot to host the event and at its venue home, The Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall. Now, roller skating disco was not a new phenomenon, indeed folk have been gyrating to music on this form of frantic four wheeled footwear for many years, but adding an event to the gAylist calendar was a real breath of fresh air and something entirely different to anything else on offer across the scene. And, since its launch, GCR has attracted a niche & mixed crowd of experienced roller skaters & novices alike, all with the desire to have a fun filled frolic on, you guessed it, four wheels. A year on and we simply couldn’t resist celebrating GCR’s 1st birthday with the team, even if we had never been on roller skates before, saying to ourselves “it can’t be that difficult surely, four wheels per foot, easy peasy”. So was it? Well, not quite!
So, with plans in place to leave work early and make our short way down to Vauxhall just after the 7 p.m. start, we arrived at the doors of The Renaissance Rooms, where a healthy queue had already developed, although the door team were most welcoming & friendly as we excitedly waited in the queue, chatting to fellow first timers about what to expect, as having never visited before, it was still very much a mystery. Guest list sorted and bag stowed away, we entered the main doors and were directed to the footwear storage area, where a confident young man demanded our shoes, which we were to replace with a sturdy pair of roller skates for our first foray onto four wheels. Well, there was no looking back now, as we made our way to the seating to slowly sink our feet into our slippery shoes for the night and looking round, the whole club space had been converted especially for the occasion, extra birthday decorations included for this special party, plenty of bars to hold onto and lots of viewing space & seating enclosing the main skating ring which was already filling nicely with a whole host of fun seekers. There was also a second larger ring partly concealed behind the main D.J. booth, clearly for the more adventurous, the handful of people we could see spinning around, seemingly going extremely quickly.
Skates on, we attempted to stand up, a feat in itself and then once on our feet, attempted to move forward in a gliding motion as though we knew exactly what we were doing, but far from it as our skates seemed to have a life of their own and careered into the nearby, fortunate, soft seating, whilst many around us seemed to be coping much more admirably. Fortunately, Jerry Boston came to our rescue and guided us safely to the bar where some liquid refreshment was just the ticket and allowed us to take stock and find our bearings as well as our new style feet. And this was the place to be for a while as a whole host of familiar faces appeared coming up to say hello, first Industri pal Chris, armed with his camera and immediately clicking us in delicate pose, then scene face Graham & pals, all who had gone the whole hog, dressed in tight lycra shorts, bright pink leg warmers & sporting a huge afro style wigs, very much the roller disco look. Then there was D.J. pal JC Christopher, another one looking comfortable on his rollers, as was Simon Patrick, who took to his skates and rolled across to give us encouraging support, we then being joined by the man himself, Alex Erfan, who had been looking forward to Disco Matt doing roller disco for some time, greeting us in usual friendly fashion, the look on his face hinting it was time we braved it & threw ourselves into the action.
And that was just what happened, as tip top vocalist Tonnic appeared, embracing us and then grabbing our hand, guiding us slowly onto the main ring, which was now filled with a whole host of gyrating skaters, some hugely confident, others gingerly making their way around, but all savouring the poptastic disco tunes the D.J. star taking the first turn on the decks, The Very Miss Dusty O, selecting some spot on sounds to serenade the skaters. With both us & Tonnic far from secure on our feet, we helped each other around the ring, part in concentration, part in hilarious laughter, part in fear of falling, but nevertheless entering the spirit as best we could. Adding to the already incredible atmosphere were Chris Geary’s boys, including the boisterous Bam Bam, all dressed appropriately in bright blue hot pants & sporting massive 70’s Elton John style specs with outrageous wigs, just the picture for this roller skating frolic into the world of classic disco, each of them very proficient at the art, Chris whirling around a breakneck speed in breathtaking fashion.
Taking a rest from our somewhat tame attempt at rotating the ring, Mr Geary had other plans for us, spinning in our direction and pulling us back into the fray, although not before Industri’s Chris had snapped us in a interesting pose for posterity. A trio of Chris’s were made up as scene photographer Mr Jepson arrived to photo chronicle this special birthday bash, but worryingly had his camera pointed in our direction as Chris Geary attempted to wave his magical wand of skating supremacy on us. But as we gained momentum and with our experienced guide just behind us, we lost our footing in an instant, falling head over heels and bringing Chris down with us, together with a whole collection of others, causing colossal carnage, the marshal madly blowing his whistle and the devious Jepson catching our cataclysmic fall in a series of shots which, knowing our luck, will be popping up in print somewhere, showing the full extent of our embarrassment. Mind you, no photo will be as embarrassing as the fact that despite a year of exemplary performance, when we hit the ring, poor Chris Geary suffered his first roller skating fall in our hands, oops, sorry Chris!
Thinking better of re-entering the fray we headed to calmer waters, seeking refreshments to calm our excited nerves and then sidelined ourselves to spectator status, just shy of the “Chandelier” bar, where the very cute Ku Bar boys were assembling to add to the eye candy. But then we were surprised just how many gorgeous men were present at this disco drenched dervish, in amongst one of the most mixed yet friendly crowds we have come across at any event, gentile girls mingling with gym trained guys, hirsute hunks rubbing shoulders with lithe ladies and everything in between, all with the aim of letting their hair down, having a good old laugh & giggle. Adding to everything around was the cheesy yet entertaining nostalgic dance & disco music, which was now in the hands of the incomparable Stewart Who?, the delight of a D.J. giving his stint the feel of one of those classic 70’s nights of music at Barcode we have enjoyed in his hands, but with skates on.
But we were keen to see what was happening on the other ring, so slipping & sliding our way up the steps, we spotted Tonnic spinning around, so tentatively joined her, while his house music holiness, Alan X, pumped out some incredible sounds that, had we not been on skates, would have had us dancing deliriously in delight. However, on our four, nay eight wheels (how could we not stand up?!) it was far more difficult and as much as the charming Tonnic tried to save us from toppling over, but it happened again and we tumbled in a trice, terminating our brief attempt to make a big impression in this larger skating space with much more accomplished rollers who were rollicking resplendently to the terrific tunes Alan was selecting. But eager to master our roller skating technique, we headed back to the main space, stopping briefly by the D.J. booth where Jon Dennis had arrived with his boyf, another two that were confident at this craft, although it was when Mr Dennis egged us on that we suffered our biggest fall, unglamorously crashing on our back, signalling our final fling of fantasy on four wheels, nevertheless laughing & smiling our way home, nursing our sore back & elbows but reflecting on one of the best midweek socials we have had in a long time.
So what did we think of our first skating stint at Gay City Rollers? and would we recommend it to others? Well, having never tried out roller skating before, it would be fair to say that we were pretty hideous at the skill, but for us it didn’t matter as we were surrounded by some impeccable company and had an absolute hoot from start to finish, laughing our way through the carnage we caused, delighting in the camp, kitsch & crazy fun filled frivolity of this monthly midweek frolic into the depths of disco madness on those slippery skates. Having not known what to expect, we came away wanting more and despite having fallen over, we reckon at least eight times, still days later suffering from a really sore back, we would do it all again in an instant. From accomplished skaters, to others that were delightfully dressed, from gorgeous hunks of guys to those throwing themselves into the occasion with gusto, Gay City Rollers had them all (even novices like us) and for that alone we would thoroughly recommend a visit. For us, it was a most pleasurable experience from start to finish, so we will be investing in some knee & elbow pads for the next one, which is already pencilled into our diary. (DISCO MATT)
GAY CITY ROLLERS 1ST BIRTHDAY BASH
WEDNESDAY 3RD MARCH
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
In the time of our life when we were learning to walk rather than crawl and then, when tottering around like a good one, our next challenge was to hit two wheels, balancing on our first bicycle, which has gone on to fill our lives in more ways than one. Yes, two wheels seems to have been the way to go for us, our teens seeing us peddle away delightfully into the countryside virtually every weekend and then, when we moved to sunnier climbs, the motorised version in the form of our favourite Yamaha (that’s a motorbike) was the way we did it. But cycling & two wheels has once again been the way of our world, although with recent occurrences some would say precariously so, nevertheless the thought of using four wheels never really entering our thoughts. But, when we heard that a clubbing event was celebrating a whole year where four rather than two was the name of the game, we thought it was time to dabble in previously un-trodden territory.
Gay City Rollers (GCR) was launched by club promoter Alex Erfan & his team with the aim to fill a gap in the fun side of clubbing, choosing a midweek slot to host the event and at its venue home, The Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall. Now, roller skating disco was not a new phenomenon, indeed folk have been gyrating to music on this form of frantic four wheeled footwear for many years, but adding an event to the gAylist calendar was a real breath of fresh air and something entirely different to anything else on offer across the scene. And, since its launch, GCR has attracted a niche & mixed crowd of experienced roller skaters & novices alike, all with the desire to have a fun filled frolic on, you guessed it, four wheels. A year on and we simply couldn’t resist celebrating GCR’s 1st birthday with the team, even if we had never been on roller skates before, saying to ourselves “it can’t be that difficult surely, four wheels per foot, easy peasy”. So was it? Well, not quite!
So, with plans in place to leave work early and make our short way down to Vauxhall just after the 7 p.m. start, we arrived at the doors of The Renaissance Rooms, where a healthy queue had already developed, although the door team were most welcoming & friendly as we excitedly waited in the queue, chatting to fellow first timers about what to expect, as having never visited before, it was still very much a mystery. Guest list sorted and bag stowed away, we entered the main doors and were directed to the footwear storage area, where a confident young man demanded our shoes, which we were to replace with a sturdy pair of roller skates for our first foray onto four wheels. Well, there was no looking back now, as we made our way to the seating to slowly sink our feet into our slippery shoes for the night and looking round, the whole club space had been converted especially for the occasion, extra birthday decorations included for this special party, plenty of bars to hold onto and lots of viewing space & seating enclosing the main skating ring which was already filling nicely with a whole host of fun seekers. There was also a second larger ring partly concealed behind the main D.J. booth, clearly for the more adventurous, the handful of people we could see spinning around, seemingly going extremely quickly.
Skates on, we attempted to stand up, a feat in itself and then once on our feet, attempted to move forward in a gliding motion as though we knew exactly what we were doing, but far from it as our skates seemed to have a life of their own and careered into the nearby, fortunate, soft seating, whilst many around us seemed to be coping much more admirably. Fortunately, Jerry Boston came to our rescue and guided us safely to the bar where some liquid refreshment was just the ticket and allowed us to take stock and find our bearings as well as our new style feet. And this was the place to be for a while as a whole host of familiar faces appeared coming up to say hello, first Industri pal Chris, armed with his camera and immediately clicking us in delicate pose, then scene face Graham & pals, all who had gone the whole hog, dressed in tight lycra shorts, bright pink leg warmers & sporting a huge afro style wigs, very much the roller disco look. Then there was D.J. pal JC Christopher, another one looking comfortable on his rollers, as was Simon Patrick, who took to his skates and rolled across to give us encouraging support, we then being joined by the man himself, Alex Erfan, who had been looking forward to Disco Matt doing roller disco for some time, greeting us in usual friendly fashion, the look on his face hinting it was time we braved it & threw ourselves into the action.
And that was just what happened, as tip top vocalist Tonnic appeared, embracing us and then grabbing our hand, guiding us slowly onto the main ring, which was now filled with a whole host of gyrating skaters, some hugely confident, others gingerly making their way around, but all savouring the poptastic disco tunes the D.J. star taking the first turn on the decks, The Very Miss Dusty O, selecting some spot on sounds to serenade the skaters. With both us & Tonnic far from secure on our feet, we helped each other around the ring, part in concentration, part in hilarious laughter, part in fear of falling, but nevertheless entering the spirit as best we could. Adding to the already incredible atmosphere were Chris Geary’s boys, including the boisterous Bam Bam, all dressed appropriately in bright blue hot pants & sporting massive 70’s Elton John style specs with outrageous wigs, just the picture for this roller skating frolic into the world of classic disco, each of them very proficient at the art, Chris whirling around a breakneck speed in breathtaking fashion.
Taking a rest from our somewhat tame attempt at rotating the ring, Mr Geary had other plans for us, spinning in our direction and pulling us back into the fray, although not before Industri’s Chris had snapped us in a interesting pose for posterity. A trio of Chris’s were made up as scene photographer Mr Jepson arrived to photo chronicle this special birthday bash, but worryingly had his camera pointed in our direction as Chris Geary attempted to wave his magical wand of skating supremacy on us. But as we gained momentum and with our experienced guide just behind us, we lost our footing in an instant, falling head over heels and bringing Chris down with us, together with a whole collection of others, causing colossal carnage, the marshal madly blowing his whistle and the devious Jepson catching our cataclysmic fall in a series of shots which, knowing our luck, will be popping up in print somewhere, showing the full extent of our embarrassment. Mind you, no photo will be as embarrassing as the fact that despite a year of exemplary performance, when we hit the ring, poor Chris Geary suffered his first roller skating fall in our hands, oops, sorry Chris!
Thinking better of re-entering the fray we headed to calmer waters, seeking refreshments to calm our excited nerves and then sidelined ourselves to spectator status, just shy of the “Chandelier” bar, where the very cute Ku Bar boys were assembling to add to the eye candy. But then we were surprised just how many gorgeous men were present at this disco drenched dervish, in amongst one of the most mixed yet friendly crowds we have come across at any event, gentile girls mingling with gym trained guys, hirsute hunks rubbing shoulders with lithe ladies and everything in between, all with the aim of letting their hair down, having a good old laugh & giggle. Adding to everything around was the cheesy yet entertaining nostalgic dance & disco music, which was now in the hands of the incomparable Stewart Who?, the delight of a D.J. giving his stint the feel of one of those classic 70’s nights of music at Barcode we have enjoyed in his hands, but with skates on.
But we were keen to see what was happening on the other ring, so slipping & sliding our way up the steps, we spotted Tonnic spinning around, so tentatively joined her, while his house music holiness, Alan X, pumped out some incredible sounds that, had we not been on skates, would have had us dancing deliriously in delight. However, on our four, nay eight wheels (how could we not stand up?!) it was far more difficult and as much as the charming Tonnic tried to save us from toppling over, but it happened again and we tumbled in a trice, terminating our brief attempt to make a big impression in this larger skating space with much more accomplished rollers who were rollicking resplendently to the terrific tunes Alan was selecting. But eager to master our roller skating technique, we headed back to the main space, stopping briefly by the D.J. booth where Jon Dennis had arrived with his boyf, another two that were confident at this craft, although it was when Mr Dennis egged us on that we suffered our biggest fall, unglamorously crashing on our back, signalling our final fling of fantasy on four wheels, nevertheless laughing & smiling our way home, nursing our sore back & elbows but reflecting on one of the best midweek socials we have had in a long time.
So what did we think of our first skating stint at Gay City Rollers? and would we recommend it to others? Well, having never tried out roller skating before, it would be fair to say that we were pretty hideous at the skill, but for us it didn’t matter as we were surrounded by some impeccable company and had an absolute hoot from start to finish, laughing our way through the carnage we caused, delighting in the camp, kitsch & crazy fun filled frivolity of this monthly midweek frolic into the depths of disco madness on those slippery skates. Having not known what to expect, we came away wanting more and despite having fallen over, we reckon at least eight times, still days later suffering from a really sore back, we would do it all again in an instant. From accomplished skaters, to others that were delightfully dressed, from gorgeous hunks of guys to those throwing themselves into the occasion with gusto, Gay City Rollers had them all (even novices like us) and for that alone we would thoroughly recommend a visit. For us, it was a most pleasurable experience from start to finish, so we will be investing in some knee & elbow pads for the next one, which is already pencilled into our diary. (DISCO MATT)
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