“ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AFTERHOURS”
BEYOND – 21ST MARCH
CLUB REVIEW
Right here’s the thing, in all the years we have been indulging on what has become a most favourite activity (no not that you filthy minded lot!) clubbing, we often ask ourselves the question, what does it take to make a great club, an iconic club, a legendary club, our favourite club? Well, after so much time enjoying so many clubs, the truth is that we are still not sure of the actual answer. Some would say that it is the magnificent music, others would say it is the characteristic crowd, or the divine D.J’s, while many would count the vivacious venue as their reason. But that says in all in a way, we each have our own reasons for deciding which is the best club in all our estimations, not just because the clubs on offer are so different, but we are different, after all, if everything was the same, wouldn’t life be really boring.
But unquestionably in the minds of many people, Beyond is one such club that has attained that status, not just as a great club or an iconic club, but as a legendary club, seen as probably the best that the gAylist scene has on offer at the moment, even receiving accolades from other clubbing communities, it standing literally head & shoulders above the competition, not just in the afterhours market, but across the whole spectrum of club happenings in our most diverse scene in the capital. Testament to that fact is that, not only did it scoop the prestigious Seenqueen best club award of 2009, voted by you the clubbing public, but has now also taken top slot in the Boyz Magazine awards for the best club production, on both occasions beating massive brands like Matinee, SuperMartXe & Trade to the crown, a considerable feat giving some of the amazing parties all three of those brands brought to us last year. And with this second award news just out, coupled with one of the resident D.J’s celebrating his birthday, we just couldn’t resist heading down to Area in Vauxhall to celebrate in style.
Mind you, we had already been treading the dancefloor boards for some hours, having savoured Matinee’s latest event “Circuit” at The Fridge, although persuading us to carry on the partying was such an easy task, that we even cajoled friends Stephen & Stefan to do the same, waiting patiently for laid on transport to whisk us from Brixton to Beyond, although eventually having to make do with second best, arriving at Area’s doors just shy of 7 a.m. But in the good hands of Tom & then Naomi, we were into the club in a trice, even getting a fast track entry via the outside space and having quickly deposited our belongings in the efficient chapel coat check, we were released to grab refreshments & then take our usual search around the venue, first hitting on the “Black” room where Paul Christian was warming up the crowd and then into the Terrace Bar where The Oli was treating a packed space to some heart warming & funky tunes. But, we were in search of friends Stephen & Stefan, whom we had lost in the departing melay at Matinee, so swung into the main space which was not yet open, but caught the eye of the enigmatic Mikey D, who was preparing to kick the party off in the biggest of the three rooms, although spared a few moments to catch up with us, before heading down to the D.J. booth to get himself ready for what would turn out to be another pulsating performance.
Not being able to find our lost companions, we settled on the Terrace bar for a while, although when Stephen emerged, seemingly from nowhere, then friend Benoit also arrived, shortly followed by Nick Tcherniak & Tom, not to mention the birthday boy himself, Hi-Fi Sean, we knew that we were once again in great company on what has become a special Sunday when in the hands of Beyond. While Stephen looked to be tiring a little, the pace of the club was rising dramatically and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in the main room, on the way meeting yet more friendly faces, including two Jamie’s, first Mr Head, the one person, who if spotting us out & about, never fails to draw us into a Beyond party, he fresh from exploits down under & clearly ready to party well into Sunday afternoon, then Mr Hammond, the young man making waves on the D.J. scene and celebrating his award landed in the best newcomer poll for Boyz magazine, but both only temporarily halting our stride to the hot action in the hands of Mikey D. And my was it hot & Mikey on fire behind the D.J. booth, the room already brimming with party heads moving & shaking to the superb sounds & tantalising tracks being served up by this brilliant Beyond boy. One track after the next kept us totally enthralled and cutting our own stride in our favourite spot next to the D.J. booth, trading moves with those around us, plenty of eye candy on hand from a bevy of topless hunks, one not far away & exchanging a host of cruising looks in our direction.
So good was the main room that we hardly moved an inch, well we moved more than that but not from the main room and when Mikey D’s scintillating set came to an end, the legendary Steve Pitron taking over proceedings, it was only going to get better and it did. By know our friend Benoit was at close call, Area’s spectacular lighting displays & pyrotechnics were at full tilt and the sexy troupe of dancers were atop of the podiums, entertaining with energetic & explosive displays of dancing delight, adding to the amazing atmosphere & audacious activity we found ourselves entirely succumbed within. Then to add to it all, our partner in fierceness, Lexi, appeared to briefly share boogie sashaying steps with us, before heading into the packed crowd who were, like us, in absolute heaven in the hands of Mr Pitron. Only a short respite would keep us away from the main room, first drawing breath back through the “Black” room where Gonzalo Rivas was whipping up his own storm & then into the Terrace Bar where Hi-Fi was laying down some serious sounds, lapping up loads of birthday wishes, Messrs Nick & Tom and a collection of others including D.J. pal J.C. Christopher, treating themselves to the terrific tunes Sean was delivering. We do absolutely love this Terrace space & in the hands of Hi-Fi it is always extra special, this Sunday being no different, D’Johnny & Jamie Head also always serving us well, each three of them loving the space, as much if not more than the main room.
But it wasn’t long before we were back in among the action Steve was creating with breathtaking beats and despite having been dancing virtually non-stop for over 10 hours, there was no sign of us slowing, aided even further by the arrival of Alan K, who was delighted to see us dancing away, remarking that yet another Sunday looked set to be superbly special. And it was, as Alan took up the mantle left by Steve and treated us some a whole host of his multi-mixing skills, the main room crowd not waning in any way, rather taking up the challenge Mr K was laying down to make it through way past mid-day, all helped along by some rapturous records, especially an awesome self made mix of Zoe Baldwin’s “Release Me” that short of blew the roof off Beyond at Area. With no signs of the enjoyment fading, with all the familiar faces still present & more, the lovely Naomi & posse joining us for a while, even Steven Sharp & Jay Sharp Vokins savouring the brilliance of this latest afterhours instalment, the scene was set for another afternoon finish to our day of ecstasy in the grip of Beyond.
Finding energy we thought we had all but spent, cutting an energetic stride in our spot as though we had only just started our night and finding ourselves totally succumbing to the uplifting & chunky tunes, any thought of throwing in the towel on what was yet another phenomenally fantastic Beyond blinder of a bash was distant from our minds, even our pal Benoit still going for it, clearly keen for his night and day dancing to carry on. However, all great things do come to an end and just shy of 1 a.m., it was time for us to wave goodbye to Beyond, although rather than making our usual trip home to savour our exploits, we were tempted to keep the party going at afternoon gathering Later at Fire, joining a whole collection of Beyonder’s that, like us, simply couldn’t resist that sense of being naughty, stretching the boundaries of sensibility and simply keeping going what had been a marvellous morning in the hands of D.J. delights Adams, Dickson, Dower, Head, Pitron & co, also knowing that it would take something extra special to even equal the epic enjoyment we had experienced.
So, why report on Beyond in this way? What drives us to be so praiseworthy of an event as we are? Well, the answer to both is quite simple; Beyond is without question the best party on the gAylist scene at the moment. Its popularity, the awards it has won, the crowd that it now attracts, the amazing host venue, all the people in the background, the promotions team in the forefront, the resident jocks taking the plaudits, the door hosts working tirelessly, indeed everyone involved in this connoisseur among clubs, tell the tale of tremendous triumphs that have made Beyond an institution. It comes as no surprise that outsiders looking in have become very envious of what this club has achieved and it would be a strange place that we would find ourselves in if nobody else wanted to challenge the dominance of this giant in the afterhours market. But despite the challenges & despite the protagonists attempts to topple it, Beyond is proof that not only is life a brilliant disco in its hands, but by letting the music speak rather than the politics, it has every chance of holding onto its pile topping status for a long time to come and we absolutely love it. (DISCO MATT)
BEYOND – 21ST MARCH
CLUB REVIEW
Right here’s the thing, in all the years we have been indulging on what has become a most favourite activity (no not that you filthy minded lot!) clubbing, we often ask ourselves the question, what does it take to make a great club, an iconic club, a legendary club, our favourite club? Well, after so much time enjoying so many clubs, the truth is that we are still not sure of the actual answer. Some would say that it is the magnificent music, others would say it is the characteristic crowd, or the divine D.J’s, while many would count the vivacious venue as their reason. But that says in all in a way, we each have our own reasons for deciding which is the best club in all our estimations, not just because the clubs on offer are so different, but we are different, after all, if everything was the same, wouldn’t life be really boring.
But unquestionably in the minds of many people, Beyond is one such club that has attained that status, not just as a great club or an iconic club, but as a legendary club, seen as probably the best that the gAylist scene has on offer at the moment, even receiving accolades from other clubbing communities, it standing literally head & shoulders above the competition, not just in the afterhours market, but across the whole spectrum of club happenings in our most diverse scene in the capital. Testament to that fact is that, not only did it scoop the prestigious Seenqueen best club award of 2009, voted by you the clubbing public, but has now also taken top slot in the Boyz Magazine awards for the best club production, on both occasions beating massive brands like Matinee, SuperMartXe & Trade to the crown, a considerable feat giving some of the amazing parties all three of those brands brought to us last year. And with this second award news just out, coupled with one of the resident D.J’s celebrating his birthday, we just couldn’t resist heading down to Area in Vauxhall to celebrate in style.
Mind you, we had already been treading the dancefloor boards for some hours, having savoured Matinee’s latest event “Circuit” at The Fridge, although persuading us to carry on the partying was such an easy task, that we even cajoled friends Stephen & Stefan to do the same, waiting patiently for laid on transport to whisk us from Brixton to Beyond, although eventually having to make do with second best, arriving at Area’s doors just shy of 7 a.m. But in the good hands of Tom & then Naomi, we were into the club in a trice, even getting a fast track entry via the outside space and having quickly deposited our belongings in the efficient chapel coat check, we were released to grab refreshments & then take our usual search around the venue, first hitting on the “Black” room where Paul Christian was warming up the crowd and then into the Terrace Bar where The Oli was treating a packed space to some heart warming & funky tunes. But, we were in search of friends Stephen & Stefan, whom we had lost in the departing melay at Matinee, so swung into the main space which was not yet open, but caught the eye of the enigmatic Mikey D, who was preparing to kick the party off in the biggest of the three rooms, although spared a few moments to catch up with us, before heading down to the D.J. booth to get himself ready for what would turn out to be another pulsating performance.
Not being able to find our lost companions, we settled on the Terrace bar for a while, although when Stephen emerged, seemingly from nowhere, then friend Benoit also arrived, shortly followed by Nick Tcherniak & Tom, not to mention the birthday boy himself, Hi-Fi Sean, we knew that we were once again in great company on what has become a special Sunday when in the hands of Beyond. While Stephen looked to be tiring a little, the pace of the club was rising dramatically and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in the main room, on the way meeting yet more friendly faces, including two Jamie’s, first Mr Head, the one person, who if spotting us out & about, never fails to draw us into a Beyond party, he fresh from exploits down under & clearly ready to party well into Sunday afternoon, then Mr Hammond, the young man making waves on the D.J. scene and celebrating his award landed in the best newcomer poll for Boyz magazine, but both only temporarily halting our stride to the hot action in the hands of Mikey D. And my was it hot & Mikey on fire behind the D.J. booth, the room already brimming with party heads moving & shaking to the superb sounds & tantalising tracks being served up by this brilliant Beyond boy. One track after the next kept us totally enthralled and cutting our own stride in our favourite spot next to the D.J. booth, trading moves with those around us, plenty of eye candy on hand from a bevy of topless hunks, one not far away & exchanging a host of cruising looks in our direction.
So good was the main room that we hardly moved an inch, well we moved more than that but not from the main room and when Mikey D’s scintillating set came to an end, the legendary Steve Pitron taking over proceedings, it was only going to get better and it did. By know our friend Benoit was at close call, Area’s spectacular lighting displays & pyrotechnics were at full tilt and the sexy troupe of dancers were atop of the podiums, entertaining with energetic & explosive displays of dancing delight, adding to the amazing atmosphere & audacious activity we found ourselves entirely succumbed within. Then to add to it all, our partner in fierceness, Lexi, appeared to briefly share boogie sashaying steps with us, before heading into the packed crowd who were, like us, in absolute heaven in the hands of Mr Pitron. Only a short respite would keep us away from the main room, first drawing breath back through the “Black” room where Gonzalo Rivas was whipping up his own storm & then into the Terrace Bar where Hi-Fi was laying down some serious sounds, lapping up loads of birthday wishes, Messrs Nick & Tom and a collection of others including D.J. pal J.C. Christopher, treating themselves to the terrific tunes Sean was delivering. We do absolutely love this Terrace space & in the hands of Hi-Fi it is always extra special, this Sunday being no different, D’Johnny & Jamie Head also always serving us well, each three of them loving the space, as much if not more than the main room.
But it wasn’t long before we were back in among the action Steve was creating with breathtaking beats and despite having been dancing virtually non-stop for over 10 hours, there was no sign of us slowing, aided even further by the arrival of Alan K, who was delighted to see us dancing away, remarking that yet another Sunday looked set to be superbly special. And it was, as Alan took up the mantle left by Steve and treated us some a whole host of his multi-mixing skills, the main room crowd not waning in any way, rather taking up the challenge Mr K was laying down to make it through way past mid-day, all helped along by some rapturous records, especially an awesome self made mix of Zoe Baldwin’s “Release Me” that short of blew the roof off Beyond at Area. With no signs of the enjoyment fading, with all the familiar faces still present & more, the lovely Naomi & posse joining us for a while, even Steven Sharp & Jay Sharp Vokins savouring the brilliance of this latest afterhours instalment, the scene was set for another afternoon finish to our day of ecstasy in the grip of Beyond.
Finding energy we thought we had all but spent, cutting an energetic stride in our spot as though we had only just started our night and finding ourselves totally succumbing to the uplifting & chunky tunes, any thought of throwing in the towel on what was yet another phenomenally fantastic Beyond blinder of a bash was distant from our minds, even our pal Benoit still going for it, clearly keen for his night and day dancing to carry on. However, all great things do come to an end and just shy of 1 a.m., it was time for us to wave goodbye to Beyond, although rather than making our usual trip home to savour our exploits, we were tempted to keep the party going at afternoon gathering Later at Fire, joining a whole collection of Beyonder’s that, like us, simply couldn’t resist that sense of being naughty, stretching the boundaries of sensibility and simply keeping going what had been a marvellous morning in the hands of D.J. delights Adams, Dickson, Dower, Head, Pitron & co, also knowing that it would take something extra special to even equal the epic enjoyment we had experienced.
So, why report on Beyond in this way? What drives us to be so praiseworthy of an event as we are? Well, the answer to both is quite simple; Beyond is without question the best party on the gAylist scene at the moment. Its popularity, the awards it has won, the crowd that it now attracts, the amazing host venue, all the people in the background, the promotions team in the forefront, the resident jocks taking the plaudits, the door hosts working tirelessly, indeed everyone involved in this connoisseur among clubs, tell the tale of tremendous triumphs that have made Beyond an institution. It comes as no surprise that outsiders looking in have become very envious of what this club has achieved and it would be a strange place that we would find ourselves in if nobody else wanted to challenge the dominance of this giant in the afterhours market. But despite the challenges & despite the protagonists attempts to topple it, Beyond is proof that not only is life a brilliant disco in its hands, but by letting the music speak rather than the politics, it has every chance of holding onto its pile topping status for a long time to come and we absolutely love it. (DISCO MATT)
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