“HARD, HUNG & HYPER” - HUSTLABALL LONDON
SUNDAY 2ND MAY
CLUB REVIEW
Now we always love the excitement of a bit of horny action and there is definitely plenty on offer right across the scene in the capital, whether it be in the well know joints in Vauxhall or Kings Cross, or the specialist monthly outings that occasionally tempt us out, Hard On! being very high on our list of choices, but there is one annual event that always gets our juices flowing more than any other, with the temptations of porn, brawn, hunk & funk all combining to provide that irresistible combination of magical music, horny happenings & stunning stage shows that have seen its annual events in London attract a huge amount of attention. Yes, Hustlaball has definitely captured the imagination in gAylist/land London and its return for its third outing this May Day bank holiday weekend attracted the sort of feverish attention that left us, like many, chomping at the bit in anticipation. So, how did it all turn out and was our excited anticipation met with similar satisfaction?
With our Hustlaball experience starting at the pre-party in Rupert Street on the Friday, the fevered anticipation of the main event was far from relieved, moreover heightened as we got the chance to meet a handful of the porn stars that would be taking centre stage on the Sunday, not to mention the in-bound co-promoters from Rentboy.com, who were fresh off a flight from New York, but eager to join the in festivities. With lots of the attention diverted to spreading the Hustlaball word around the streets of London, a short dancing display by two sexy go-go’s was the limit to any horny action, probably due to restrictions imposed by Westminster council, although the night proved to be hugely entertaining for us in the hands of D.J. Brent Nicholls, who treated us & a packed bar to some fabulous funky & uplifting house tunes that went down a storm and with a handful of bar boys dressed in tight revealing sports kit costumes certainly raised more than just our blood pressure.
But it was the main event we were really looking forward to and having made plans to attend the reception launch at 9 p.m., in advance of proceedings proper kicking off at 10.30, we arrived at The Renaissance Rooms’ doors with pal Stephen, to be greeted first by Simon Patrick & then by Roni Inan, plenty of activity already happening on the door to get things ready for the big off. Having been suitably strap banded, we headed to soak up the warm up reception atmosphere, a complication with the coatcheck leaving us carrying our belongings around, although finding a comfy couch to make a base, we took advantage of some complimentary refreshments as well as soaking up the sounds provided by, yet again, Brent Nicholls, who was commissioned to host the reception music then deliver the first set in the Hard On! room. With plenty of Alphamale, Eurocreme & Manhunt men around, there was no short of eye candy and when D.J. Nick Tckerniak appeared, our night was about to get even better, partner (Auntie) Tom twanging our braces in usual fashion and also remarking on our butch leather outfit, compared with his equally butch looking combat attire, that added some humility to the testosterone filled feel.
So, the scene was set for the main event proper and we took the opportunity to take a look around the full extent of the venue, so as to get our bearings, first venturing upstairs into the VIP lounge, where a considerable gathering of scene faces & industry figureheads were lapping up the camp & frivolous activities of D.J. for the night ChiChi LaRue, who was definitely injecting the glam & glitz to the hustla proceedings, extravagantly dressed to impress and very fitting for this special space. Bumping into Matinee’s Mauricio, Michael & co, we caught up on news of the last outing at The Fridge before then connecting with clubbing pal Joel & Stephen who had joined us from downstairs. But the draw, first of the main room, then the Hard On! space, dragged us away from these lofty proceedings, although as the main arena was still struggling to fill, even with Nick Tcherniak was laying down some seriously sexy sounds, patience was required although paid off when we saw the numbers slowly swell. But, we were Hard On! room bound, to lap up some more Brent beats and weren’t to be disappointed as his accessible yet deep & dirty tinged music choices, which were fitting in well with the Hard On! theme, had us dancing in an instant and saw the room fill nicely, the cavorting crowd trading romps in the playroom with gyrating jigs on the dancefloor. And as more people gathered, more friendly faces popped up, including Industri pals Jeremy & Andrew, Hard On! regular & friend Toby, Trade baby club companion Rob and ex-work colleague friends Benoit & Cliniot, all eager to get into the Hustlaball (or at least the Hard On!) mood.
With the main room shows beginning to fire up and the space now pretty full, we found a reasonable vantage point to watch a series of sex drenched & seductive shows, go-go dancers swapping the massive stage with porn stars effecting pseudo sexual acts, their horny, naked & x-rated action beamed onto two massive screens for all to see, although the inclusion of acrobatic dancers didn’t quite do it for us, especially when they seemed to detract from the musical pace, rather turning the main room into one big circus style space. So, it was back into the Hard On! room, where Mr Nicholls had handed the D.J. reigns over to fellow resident Hifi Sean, who set about laying down some terrific tracks, more deep & tech based, yet delighting with every choice and it was clear from both the traffic through the space as well as the packed out dancefloor, that this was the room to be in, whether it be playing in the dark or dancing in the light. And the atmosphere was only going to get better, when the podiums filled, first with a rather perverse yet entertaining two-some act, one with a hilarious clown mask on, the other succumbing to his naughty advances, in many ways so much more erotic for us, as were the three competition winning go-go dancers, chosen by a panel of judges at the “Hustla-Industri” event two weeks before, we being particularly impressed with cute & perfectly formed youngster right in our eyeshot.
With our juices now well & truly flowing, it was inevitable that we would make a trip into the playroom, just to make sure nothing untoward was going on of course, not!, although never thought we would be caught in the act by Hard On! promotress Suzi Krueger, but with the sling so tempting, being found out frolicking was the last thing on our minds. But such was the quality of the music and the amazing atmosphere in the room proper, we were back out before long & soaking up the scintillating sounds, struggling to find suitable space to swing our proverbial pants, while more & more familiar faces squeezed by, including an off duty Mickey D, fierce partner in crime Lexi, club promoter & man of all seasons Andrew Harris, even Box bar owner Frank, all who were in search of their Hustlaball heaven, which they were finding in the Hard On! room.
But finding a moments respite outside on the Terrace revealed one of the real gems of the night, as New York duo D.J’s Kraak & Smaak were stirring up a veritable storm with some truly funky hip, hop, pop infused, groove tracks that was such a delightful escape from the frenetic activity inside, only the chilly early morning air dampening our enthusiasm slightly for their superb sounds. And when Rentboy.com head poncho Jeffrey Davids popped out, also exclaiming how good they were, having come across them back in his hometown & knowing in an instant they would be just the ticket for this outside space, we concurred that the duo were definitely the find & surprise of the party and had the temperature been not so inclement, the space may well have stole the show, Gabriele Cutrano taking up where Kraak & Smaak had left off, delivering heaps of sumptuous sounds.
But it was inside again and our remaining devotions were to the Hard On! room, with Hugos-land & Dmac, if anything, picking up the pace more, both delivering bucket loads of hard tech house that were perfect for the occasion and only the odd dive up to the VIP room interrupted service, Chi Chi LaRue eventually concluding a mammoth six hour set of splendour & handing over to Megawoof’s Daz Saund to round off proceedings. So good was Suzi’s room, that we didn’t even get the chance to indulge in the bed with the porn stars or even pose in front of the camera, choosing the space downstairs to fulfil virtually all of our desires. Even when Eduardo de La Torre took over in the main room, a set we were really looking forward to, the space had thinned considerably leaving the atmosphere a little flat, all the action still kicking next door and by now, with our feet tiring somewhat, it was also our turn to grace a departure, heading off to change & recharge our batteries in time for the after-party in Fire.
So, in posing our question at the outset, it would be fair to say that our excited anticipation was exceeded in many ways, while falling short in others. Undoubtedly for us, it was the Hard On! room that contributed most to exceeding our expectations, the magnificent match of mesmeric music & horny happenings capturing the real essence of Hustlaball. But it would also be fair to say that, as Suzi’s space absorbed most of our devotions, it was difficult to conclude completely on the main room, but the snippets that we saw didn’t quite hit the mark for us and the shows tended to interrupt the dancing too much, each D.J. really struggling to capture anywhere near the sort of attention the Hard On! boys did. But, we were impressed with the VIP space as a retreat, although the best surprise was out on the terrace and the Kraak & Smaak find that worked like a dream. So, three elements out of four definitely worked for us, leaving us being able to reflect far more on the positives rather than the negatives and when Hustlaball returns next year, as we are sure it will, we will be there to do it all again. (DISCO MATT)
SUNDAY 2ND MAY
CLUB REVIEW
Now we always love the excitement of a bit of horny action and there is definitely plenty on offer right across the scene in the capital, whether it be in the well know joints in Vauxhall or Kings Cross, or the specialist monthly outings that occasionally tempt us out, Hard On! being very high on our list of choices, but there is one annual event that always gets our juices flowing more than any other, with the temptations of porn, brawn, hunk & funk all combining to provide that irresistible combination of magical music, horny happenings & stunning stage shows that have seen its annual events in London attract a huge amount of attention. Yes, Hustlaball has definitely captured the imagination in gAylist/land London and its return for its third outing this May Day bank holiday weekend attracted the sort of feverish attention that left us, like many, chomping at the bit in anticipation. So, how did it all turn out and was our excited anticipation met with similar satisfaction?
With our Hustlaball experience starting at the pre-party in Rupert Street on the Friday, the fevered anticipation of the main event was far from relieved, moreover heightened as we got the chance to meet a handful of the porn stars that would be taking centre stage on the Sunday, not to mention the in-bound co-promoters from Rentboy.com, who were fresh off a flight from New York, but eager to join the in festivities. With lots of the attention diverted to spreading the Hustlaball word around the streets of London, a short dancing display by two sexy go-go’s was the limit to any horny action, probably due to restrictions imposed by Westminster council, although the night proved to be hugely entertaining for us in the hands of D.J. Brent Nicholls, who treated us & a packed bar to some fabulous funky & uplifting house tunes that went down a storm and with a handful of bar boys dressed in tight revealing sports kit costumes certainly raised more than just our blood pressure.
But it was the main event we were really looking forward to and having made plans to attend the reception launch at 9 p.m., in advance of proceedings proper kicking off at 10.30, we arrived at The Renaissance Rooms’ doors with pal Stephen, to be greeted first by Simon Patrick & then by Roni Inan, plenty of activity already happening on the door to get things ready for the big off. Having been suitably strap banded, we headed to soak up the warm up reception atmosphere, a complication with the coatcheck leaving us carrying our belongings around, although finding a comfy couch to make a base, we took advantage of some complimentary refreshments as well as soaking up the sounds provided by, yet again, Brent Nicholls, who was commissioned to host the reception music then deliver the first set in the Hard On! room. With plenty of Alphamale, Eurocreme & Manhunt men around, there was no short of eye candy and when D.J. Nick Tckerniak appeared, our night was about to get even better, partner (Auntie) Tom twanging our braces in usual fashion and also remarking on our butch leather outfit, compared with his equally butch looking combat attire, that added some humility to the testosterone filled feel.
So, the scene was set for the main event proper and we took the opportunity to take a look around the full extent of the venue, so as to get our bearings, first venturing upstairs into the VIP lounge, where a considerable gathering of scene faces & industry figureheads were lapping up the camp & frivolous activities of D.J. for the night ChiChi LaRue, who was definitely injecting the glam & glitz to the hustla proceedings, extravagantly dressed to impress and very fitting for this special space. Bumping into Matinee’s Mauricio, Michael & co, we caught up on news of the last outing at The Fridge before then connecting with clubbing pal Joel & Stephen who had joined us from downstairs. But the draw, first of the main room, then the Hard On! space, dragged us away from these lofty proceedings, although as the main arena was still struggling to fill, even with Nick Tcherniak was laying down some seriously sexy sounds, patience was required although paid off when we saw the numbers slowly swell. But, we were Hard On! room bound, to lap up some more Brent beats and weren’t to be disappointed as his accessible yet deep & dirty tinged music choices, which were fitting in well with the Hard On! theme, had us dancing in an instant and saw the room fill nicely, the cavorting crowd trading romps in the playroom with gyrating jigs on the dancefloor. And as more people gathered, more friendly faces popped up, including Industri pals Jeremy & Andrew, Hard On! regular & friend Toby, Trade baby club companion Rob and ex-work colleague friends Benoit & Cliniot, all eager to get into the Hustlaball (or at least the Hard On!) mood.
With the main room shows beginning to fire up and the space now pretty full, we found a reasonable vantage point to watch a series of sex drenched & seductive shows, go-go dancers swapping the massive stage with porn stars effecting pseudo sexual acts, their horny, naked & x-rated action beamed onto two massive screens for all to see, although the inclusion of acrobatic dancers didn’t quite do it for us, especially when they seemed to detract from the musical pace, rather turning the main room into one big circus style space. So, it was back into the Hard On! room, where Mr Nicholls had handed the D.J. reigns over to fellow resident Hifi Sean, who set about laying down some terrific tracks, more deep & tech based, yet delighting with every choice and it was clear from both the traffic through the space as well as the packed out dancefloor, that this was the room to be in, whether it be playing in the dark or dancing in the light. And the atmosphere was only going to get better, when the podiums filled, first with a rather perverse yet entertaining two-some act, one with a hilarious clown mask on, the other succumbing to his naughty advances, in many ways so much more erotic for us, as were the three competition winning go-go dancers, chosen by a panel of judges at the “Hustla-Industri” event two weeks before, we being particularly impressed with cute & perfectly formed youngster right in our eyeshot.
With our juices now well & truly flowing, it was inevitable that we would make a trip into the playroom, just to make sure nothing untoward was going on of course, not!, although never thought we would be caught in the act by Hard On! promotress Suzi Krueger, but with the sling so tempting, being found out frolicking was the last thing on our minds. But such was the quality of the music and the amazing atmosphere in the room proper, we were back out before long & soaking up the scintillating sounds, struggling to find suitable space to swing our proverbial pants, while more & more familiar faces squeezed by, including an off duty Mickey D, fierce partner in crime Lexi, club promoter & man of all seasons Andrew Harris, even Box bar owner Frank, all who were in search of their Hustlaball heaven, which they were finding in the Hard On! room.
But finding a moments respite outside on the Terrace revealed one of the real gems of the night, as New York duo D.J’s Kraak & Smaak were stirring up a veritable storm with some truly funky hip, hop, pop infused, groove tracks that was such a delightful escape from the frenetic activity inside, only the chilly early morning air dampening our enthusiasm slightly for their superb sounds. And when Rentboy.com head poncho Jeffrey Davids popped out, also exclaiming how good they were, having come across them back in his hometown & knowing in an instant they would be just the ticket for this outside space, we concurred that the duo were definitely the find & surprise of the party and had the temperature been not so inclement, the space may well have stole the show, Gabriele Cutrano taking up where Kraak & Smaak had left off, delivering heaps of sumptuous sounds.
But it was inside again and our remaining devotions were to the Hard On! room, with Hugos-land & Dmac, if anything, picking up the pace more, both delivering bucket loads of hard tech house that were perfect for the occasion and only the odd dive up to the VIP room interrupted service, Chi Chi LaRue eventually concluding a mammoth six hour set of splendour & handing over to Megawoof’s Daz Saund to round off proceedings. So good was Suzi’s room, that we didn’t even get the chance to indulge in the bed with the porn stars or even pose in front of the camera, choosing the space downstairs to fulfil virtually all of our desires. Even when Eduardo de La Torre took over in the main room, a set we were really looking forward to, the space had thinned considerably leaving the atmosphere a little flat, all the action still kicking next door and by now, with our feet tiring somewhat, it was also our turn to grace a departure, heading off to change & recharge our batteries in time for the after-party in Fire.
So, in posing our question at the outset, it would be fair to say that our excited anticipation was exceeded in many ways, while falling short in others. Undoubtedly for us, it was the Hard On! room that contributed most to exceeding our expectations, the magnificent match of mesmeric music & horny happenings capturing the real essence of Hustlaball. But it would also be fair to say that, as Suzi’s space absorbed most of our devotions, it was difficult to conclude completely on the main room, but the snippets that we saw didn’t quite hit the mark for us and the shows tended to interrupt the dancing too much, each D.J. really struggling to capture anywhere near the sort of attention the Hard On! boys did. But, we were impressed with the VIP space as a retreat, although the best surprise was out on the terrace and the Kraak & Smaak find that worked like a dream. So, three elements out of four definitely worked for us, leaving us being able to reflect far more on the positives rather than the negatives and when Hustlaball returns next year, as we are sure it will, we will be there to do it all again. (DISCO MATT)
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