Profile Bar - Review

PROFILE BAR - FRIDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


There is no escaping the fact that since its launch back in 2007, Profile bar has certainly made waves across gAylist/land London, in the main for all good reasons, being an opulent alternative to the likes of Soho's Shadow Lounge, Escape, Barcode & Rupert Street, who seemed to have developed a stranglehold over gay bar culture in the West End. Spread across three (or was it four?!) floors at its original location in Frith Street, with its clubbing sister Lo-Profile hitting the headlines and attracting considerable attention as a sleek clubbing experience in the heart of London's biggest gay village, the joining of the two venues was inevitable. We were there to see the official launch of Profile at its new home in Wardour Street, atop its sister venue and were impressed by the polished, smart and quality feel of the diner themed/styled bar, returning just days after the party to see the venue in its true light and pick up on much more of the detail, even if our plans to sample some of the food offers were not fulfilled.

So, it was just a matter of time before we made another re-visit, this time choosing a Friday night, which has recently proven a very popular night for us to end our week within the clutches of Soho, whether it be our regular haunt, Rupert Street, or our newly found favourite bar, The Box, our connections with the staff & management of both venues proving a real draw after a hard few days on London's roads. But having spotted in dispatches that Brent Nicholls was D.J.'ing at Profile bar, as a preclude to the duo of Steve Pitron & Mikey D, who were to perform downstairs in Lo-Profile, we threw all our woes aside for one night and in anticipation of some magnificent music, headed around to Wardour Street, not before making a visit to pick up some bags of sweets (or should we say candy!) that having become a bit of a tradition when spending an evening of musical entertainment with Mr Nicholls (quite how it started we don't remember).

Arriving at Profile's doors at just turned 8.30 p.m. there was already a reasonable crowd gathering, some taking up the seating booths and indulging in the enticing food on offer, others taking to the large stools surrounding the centre console bar & surrounding waist height seating areas. Being just our third visit, we still remained impressed by the shiny decor of black & yellow tiled walls, Profile glass motifs & modernistic brick work, all combining to provide a most welcoming & sumptuous feel, if but a little stark & bright, but nevertheless a refreshing alternative to other bars around. Grabbing refreshments, we turned and spotted Brent behind the makeshift D.J. booth, somewhat tucked up in the corner and out of sight of most of his audience, although he was already consumed with is music choices when we bounded up to say hello, immediately digging out our sweets, sorry candy, to share with him.

Looking round, there was definitely a hive of activity to and from the kitchen and whilst we have still not been privy to the menu, the food being produced and then delivered looked very appetising indeed. Further round towards the back of the bar, people were gathering in numbers, the enclave proving an ideal spot for what turned out to be a special birthday celebration. Catching up with Brent on all sorts of news, not least the successes and failures of Soho Live & associated parties the Sunday just gone, but also our other exploits across the weekend, including our fetching outfit we wore behind the bar when on duty at Rupert Street, we really began to feel right at home in Profile's surroundings and as we talked more, the candy was going down rather too well, but it probably wasn't the best idea mixing liquorice allsorts with our lager, but just can't resist a good chew on the black root.

With Brent turning out a superb sequence of scintillating house hits to really warm up the atmosphere, the beer soon evaporated from our glass (well that was our excuse), so arming ourselves with a healthy refill, efficiently served by the very friendly bar staff who were dealing with an ever increasing crowd really in a speedy and polite manner, we took a wander around the bar and soon bumped into a host of familiar faces, including Industri pal and fellow South African adorer, Sofie, who was looking very glamorous in a sparkling blue number and soaking up the party atmosphere developing in the corner, introducing us to the birthday boy himself and to a collection of her other friends. Not realising Brent was D.J'ing, I tore her away for a moment so she could say her hello's, before leaving her & her mates to their devices and returning to the fast disappearing bags of candy.

By now the night was in full swing and the music was gathering pace, as was the building crowd, beginning to pack out the available spaces, many in anticipation of Lo-Profile's opening, but others simply wishing to soak up the atmosphere in this most unique of spaces. Then as if we weren't enjoying ourselves enough, first the arrival of pal Nik Ripley with a gaggle of friends heightened our mood, then Brent pulled out and played our favourite record, Zoe Baldwin's "Release Me", which sent us wild with excitement, dancing merrily on our spot and then showering thanks on him for choosing this most fabulous of tunes. But our night was not yet over as the enjoyment, merriment & magnificent music continued right until the 11 p.m. calling and we had to then hold ourselves back from the temptations of Mikey D & Steve Pitron in Lo-Profile below, rather choosing to depart with Brent and then head off to the comfort of our own bed to reflect on another fantastic Friday, not in the hands of Rupert Street or The Box, but courtesy of a puissant Profile Bar.

So, what was our verdict on our third outing to this Wardour Street wonderland? Well, it is fair to say that with a few hiccups on the launch party, particularly with the slow service and then on a second visit, the issues with lack of food service, we were reluctant to return, especially as our last encounter with the General Manager was far from cordial. However, we have to say that on this occasion, there was none of that. Not only did we spot changes to the compliment of staff who came across far more friendly than before, but it was clear the team of waiting staff were handling the pace of food service well. The added inclusion of a D.J. really heightened the mood and Brent Nicholls performed superbly, adding to what was an all-round amazing atmosphere in smart surroundings that proved a perfect alternative to the norm. In its new guise and home Profile bar has all the ingredients attract an ever increasing, quality & discerning crowd, so on the basis of our visit and having had such a good time, Profile bar certainly gets a big thumbs up from us and we are sure we will be paying the venue a visit very soon. (DISCO MATT)

"A Foreign Affair" - Theatrical Review

"A FOREIGN AFFAIR" - THURSDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER
THEATRICAL REVIEW DISCO MATT WEBSITE


In a real departure from our regular reviews, when the invite came through to attend a play down at fringe theatre The White Bear, our immediate thoughts were that it would just be an entertaining evening out with great pal Joel and seeing for ourselves, the fruits of labours of another friend, Andre, who had written, produced and directed this very gay themed piece of thespian drama. Indeed any thoughts of reviewing what turned out to be a most entertaining play were far from our minds when we made original plans way back in August and was still not a consideration as the day drew closer and eventually arrived. However, with a hectic day at work finishing later than planned, but with constant communication with Joel about plans of where & when to meet, we dashed home to scrub up and then headed down to Kennington to make our pre theatre liaison with our friend at not long after 7.30 p.m..

Now, Kennington is not quite the glamorous destination we are used to, but then considering some of the club locations we grace, it wasn't that bad, although a hurried phone call from Joel seemed to indicate that the pub come theatre host venue, was a little unsavoury (should we say rough) and was seeking alternatives when we arrived. However, summoning courage we entered The White Bear pub, which was akin to a bit of a "spit & sawdust/community" vibe, huge screens showing football to a testosterone filled bar. So, having grabbed some refreshments in advance of the play's timed 8.15 start, we decided to sit & wait out front of the pub, catching up with Joel on all the week’s events thus far and then spotting familiar & friendly faces also arriving for this evening of entertainment. After sinking yet more refreshments, it was time to head in and towards the theatre which was at the rear of the pub and down quite a cosy entrance way.

With our tickets checked off and with the inside of the theatre's capacity of just 50 filling rapidly, we had originally aimed to sit near the exit (don't ask!!) but our choice was limited to the far end seating on the back row of a half rectangular of three and settling into our spot it was clear the word "fringe" was very appropriate with little more than a performing area rather than a stage set up as a simple lounge space, a table & chairs and a sofa dominating the space and enticing a little imagination, both to what tale was about to unfold in front of our eyes and to the style linked to theme of the play. We had been given a hint about the storyline, a personal account of Andre's exploits on arriving in London from Brazil, but as the play unfolded it was clear that, knowing him as we did, it was a much more intense account of his experiences than we ever expected and for that reason, more than any, really engaged our attention.

So, what was the play about? Well, let’s cut to the chase shall we. It was an account of a young Brazilian boy (Marcus) finding mutual lust followed by temporarily enduring love with a much older Caucasian man (Gareth) who lived in sumptuous style in his house in Putney, shared by an old university pal & a rather homophobic one at that (Darren), together with a third housemate (Becky) who, it soon transpired, had attracted a lesbian adoration from a buxom cum butch female (Pam) on a boozy night out. Following us so far? With the first two scenes clearly rolling out the plot, with a glorious mix of serious issues intermixed with amusing moments, especially from Pam who was playing the part superbly, the twists and turns of the tale kept us fully enthralled as the love between Marcus & Gareth developing to the point that they were considering living together, but were continually thwarted by the homophobic come jealous intentions of Darren.

With the play's plot progressing rapidly and with the whole audience locked into the action, including both Joel & us, despite needing to relieve ourselves of our earlier refreshments, we continued to get sucked into the trials and tribulations of Marcus & Gareth as their planned enduring love and fairytale ending of living together bliss, build beautifully and then slowly fall apart, courtesy of the influential Darren who eventually persuaded Gareth that Marcus was simply looking for an easy ticket into the U.K. With our minds stepping away from the intensity of the play, we reflected on the reality of the issues that the storyline was bringing up, which were proving not only to be an accurate account of many people’s experiences in real life, but were tugging on our heart strings as we watched our friend Andre playing out what were possibly some really distressing times in his life.

Back with the play and the lesbian intentions of Pam being put straight in a very diplomatic, if but very amusing way by Becky, we were left with the ever deteriorating relationship between Gareth & Marcus, but with the obvious knowledge than underneath it all, their love should be destined to keep them together, had it not been for the intervention of Darren. We were, by now, desperate to see a happy ending to the play, the painful split between Gareth & Marcus, for us, being extended a little too long, despite the intermixing scenes between Darren & Becky, Darren & Gareth and even Becky & Pam which were clearly intended to deflect from the inevitability of the plot. However, what it did was to end up attracting our attention to the awful conclusion that the main message of the play, in our interpretation, was that foreign affairs, so called, are based on manipulation for personal gain. And so the play ended, with Gareth alone listening to his favourite Brazilian music and us reflecting on some stunning performances by the whole cast, Andre Bacelar as Marcus, Neil Kelly as Gareth, Jason Carter as Darren, Rachael Hilton as Becky & Antonia Oliver as Pam.

So, what did we think of the play "A Foreign Affair"? Well, it was certainly a provocative take on many issues that more than likely affect foreign immigrants arriving in the U.K. than we think, people arriving, falling in love and then being subjected to discrimination through misunderstanding. Parts of the play were very stark, especially the homophobic flecks which drew our breath, but the interspersment of humour as well as reality within the confines of the story, made the play most entertaining and for us worthy of a viewing to a much larger audience and theatre. It is clear that Andre has a talent for writing and the whole cast can be congratulated for delivering a truly captivating play which had us glued from start to finish. It is rare that we make time to re-discover our thespian routes, but this play certainly did that and we are sure it won't be long before we head down to the theatre again. (DISCO MATT)

Scandal - Club Review

SCANDAL - SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Now you can never keep a good club promoter down, especially when they constantly try to evolve, look for new ideas, try out new venues and do their very best to bring something fresh to a gAylist scene, that in 2009, seems to be constantly needed an injection of something extra special to tempt people out. So, it came as no surprise that one of London's most longstanding & prolific promoters was right at the heart of a wave of activity around the Soho Live 09 weekend. So, who are we talking about, well Steve Elliot of course, the man behind the mighty Salvation, which in its various incarnations at Cafe De Paris, then the Hippodrome and more latterly at the Troxy, is one of those club legends that will remain in our minds and hearts for as long as we will remember. More recently, Steve has been involved with revitalising another club legend, Love Muscle and also launched Famous, earlier in the year, so there is no doubt about this man's pedigree.

So, what of Scandal? Well, it it's design it was never planned to be a Soho Live afterparty, moreover an infrequent Sunday soiree at the posh & glamorous Shadow lounge, attracting a likeminded crowd who crave sophistication in sumptuous surroundings with superb music to match. It just so happened that in the myriad of planning the dates ended up clashing, although in terms of both location & style Scandal was always going to prove a better option than the official afterparty, Paparazzi, which was way out in Wandsworth. We surprised that the Soho Live team didn't choose a central location for their afterparty, but then with the Astoria bulldozed by Crossrail, Cafe De Paris no more & even the Hippodrome demolished, the choice of large venues were next to nothing. Mind you, with the size of the Shadow Lounge, numbers were always going to be limited and as the saying goes "one man's meat is another man's poison", so would Shadow Lounge prove a popular choice?

Well, with our Soho Live day being seen out mainly in Rupert Street, after all those proceedings wound up, our choice was stark, travel down to Paparazzi at Wandsworth, to savour all the delights of a superb venue, dazzling D.J. line up and delectable dancers amidst stage shows (sounds like a no brainer, doesn't it!), but in the knowledge that there would be a lacklustre turnout, or take a small hop, skip & jump around the corner to Scandal at Shadow Lounge, which given our nine hours of duty behind the bar at Rupert Street, ended up being probably the easy option, even though our heart strings were shouting Paparazzi, Paparazzi, Paparazzi!! We had always promised Steve that we would at least pop into Scandal, but finishing as late as we did, our choice ended up being a simple one of location against overt style and seduction, so found ourselves taking that short step rather than a long journey.

Arriving at Shadow Lounge's doors just shy of midnight, having compared notes on our decision with clubbing & close friend Joel, whom we had originally made plans to hit Paparazzi together, we were still unsure as to our choice, but were nevertheless greeted by a friendly door team who waved us towards Steve Elliot who was managing proceedings in his typical hands on style. It was clear from the queue of hopefuls, that this was proving to be just the popular choice for many we had questioned and having shared pleasantries as well as views on Soho Live with Steve, we headed down into the venue, not before leaving our bits & bobs in the coatcheck. Now, it is fair to say that Shadow Lounge is far from our favourite of venues, but on entering the main space, the atmosphere was amazing, with the sunken dancefloor full of a glamorous mixture of scene faces, party goers & ex Soho Live 09'ers who didn't want their night to end and the rest of the venue pumping.

We headed to the bar to seek refreshments, passing by the D.J. booth and spotting the familiar face of Paul Coles behind the decks, who was delivering a delicious delectation of devilish dance tunes which definitely had the party in full swing. Looking around the space, people were definitely making the most of the seating booths, the elevated aisles and the club was pretty full compared with previous visits of ours and the ambiance was surprisingly relaxing and miles away from the pompous reputation that the Shadow Lounge seems to have. Moreover the mix of smart lookers with more mainstream folk was a refreshing sight, making for an altogether more pleasant experience. We slowly wandered around the elevated aisles, eventually settling on a spot, soon bumping into familiar faces, including birthday boy Ian "Pieers" Lewis, who swung by in clear party mood and then D.J. Mis-White who was really looking forward to her set following that of fellow resident Paul Coles.

And follow she did, with a whole string of uplifting house tunes which were pure delight, our tired legs from our days work now a distant memory, especially when she pulled out our favourite record of now, "Release Me" by Zoe Baldwin, which had us dancing on our spot non-stop and when Steve Elliot tore himself away from his door duties, tempting us down onto the dancefloor, we knew that our night was in full swing, Mis-White continuing with the uplifting house tune theme to keep Shadow Lounge's atmosphere & Scandal’s party going well into the early hours of Monday morning. However, our relative short stay was coming to an end, not least that we had communication with our pal Joel on our minds, but also in anticipation of a hefty week of work ahead, we had to wave our goodbye’s to Shadow Lounge & to Scandal, disappearing home to reflect on hefty hive of weekend activity.

So, what was our view of Scandal? And do we think it will be a club that will survive the test of time? Well, as we have said, with Shadow Lounge not proving our favourite venue of choice, our view of Scandal may be somewhat clouded, but you know, the crowd it attracted on this night was far more appealing than we had expected. The music was a real highlight & in the hands of Paul Coles and then Mis-White it really hit the spot and for all of Shadow Lounge's misgivings in our eyes, it was certainly a superb venue host for Scandal. We can definitely see that this club concept will work and in the hands of one of the scenes most experienced promoters we are sure it will. As of going to print, we have no news of any planned up-coming parties, but Scandal certainly showed on this outing that it was a refreshing change and one that deserves support (DISCO MATT).

Soho Live - Special Review

SOHO LIVE 09 - SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER SPECIAL EVENT REVIEW

Ever since its inclusion in the social calendar back in 2002, the street parties of Soho, in Pride format, have been a resounding success, attracting a healthy, handsome & hedonistic crowd who were definitely in party mood and one that has always been a popular choice for us, whether in the original "Saturday" Pride format or the more recent "Sunday" slot which proved to be just as, if not more successful for many reasons. With last year’s party in August being one the best events, not only of the year, but in Soho Pride's history, we were very disappointed when news of its demise came through, the lack of financial support being the main reason, although the underlying current of causes extended to excuses such as Crossrail, Mayoral support withdrawal and many things in-between, we began to resign ourselves to the fact that our most favoured outdoor event was not going happen this year.
However, when news hit that the team behind The Edge Bar, together with the might of the Gaydar organisation were coming to the rescue and planning a Pride style event across Soho's streets, our enthusiasm was renewed as was our anticipation of what the combo team had in mind for the day and indeed when the date for this all encompassing party would be. Then as news began to spill out from various sources, it was clear that the now usual August timing would definitely slip, the preferred date being a Sunday in September, but with the promise of the inclusion of all the ingredients that have made previous events great, but with a new name tag as well as the aim to make it much more of a community event in line with the wishes & necessary support of Westminster Council, everything seemed set fair for another spectacular Sunday in Soho. So, how did the reformed event go down? Was it the success that the team expected? And what was our take on Soho Live 09?
Well, having made a commitment to our favourite bar, Rupert Street, to help the team out, in what in previous years has proven their busiest of days, we knew from the start that our experience of Soho Live 09 was going to be different to say the least, although we were defiantly going to savour everything the event had to offer, even if it was going to be in small bites across the afternoon. Mind you, we were definitely in poll position to view the goings on around the Q.X. stage in Rupert Street, just shy of the bar, which has always proven to be a very popular area of activity. And with plans to decorate the bar in a XXX rated style, we threw ourselves into the affair, joining the Rupert St bar crew on the Saturday afternoon, to commence preparations for the big day itself and like in no Soho Pride parties before, we were going to be very much a working part of the event itself, well and truly in the thick of it at one of the most popular destination bars on this very special day. With the weather forecast looking set fair just days before and with the Saturday having a real "indian summer" feel, expectations were high for a repeat the following day, although we rose from our bed to a very gloomy looking London and dressing ourselves in our special saucy outfit to match the Rupert Street theme, we headed into Soho, arriving just before midday to start our duties. Walking into the area, there seemed to be an uneasy calm around the streets of Soho, although much of the preparation for the afternoon's activities having been completed, St Anne's Garden looked very colourful with a huge bouncy castle on one side, stalls spread around the other, all sandwiching a stage area ready for a string of shows including a huge homage to musicals by the talented "A Stage Kindly" theatre group. We had also spotted the revised positioning of the girls stage in Romilly Street on our approaches to Soho, which had the promise of some spectacular performances by girl bar G Spot's very own D.J. Caz Sandra D, resident at Ruby Tuesdays & Miss Bailey, not to forget the added spice of vocalist extraordinaire Tonnic. Even the Q.X. stage was ready and waiting and we were very much looking forward to appearances by Matinee, Hard On!, Industri & Lo Profile resident Brent Nicholls, fab D.J/Producer & Gutterslut resident Per Q.X. and the duo that played a superb b2b set at the recent Trade/Orange party and are regulars at Beyond & Juicy, Jamie Head & Mickey D, all who had the promise of making this stage area extra special yet again.
Aiming for Rupert Street, we didn't catch the build up in Soho Square itself, the focus of much of the afternoon, as duty called behind the bar, but we had plans to savour the atmosphere on planned breaks across the afternoon. Now in years gone by, the party would get going reasonably early with the 1 p.m. start across Soho drawing in an early crowd, which would quickly swell to capacity by mid afternoon, but as 1 p.m. came and went it was clear this year was going to be very different. But for what reason? Was it the weather? (well it was a bit chilly & grey!), Was it the lack of advertising? (well there was plenty, although some customers coming into Rupert Street seemed unaware of what was going on). Or was it down to the current lacklustre financial climate where people seem to not want to party like last year? (a definite possibility).
With only a handful of people in the bar, we spotted Brent Nicholls arriving for opening duties on the Q.X. stage, although with no-one to perform to, his 1 p.m. start was stalled and we managed to grab his attention for a brief chat, catching up on news, showing off our saucy outfit and attempting a prediction on how the afternoon would pan out. And, it is fair to say that our predictions were not far off the mark, with the crowd struggling to build for much of Brent's set and the bar being relatively quiet for much of the early afternoon. We were also getting news that Soho Square was taking its time to liven up but with the weather clearly not helping it was evident, looking through Rupert Street's windows, that the streets were far from full even as 3 p.m. approached, when all expectations were that it would be much busier. Further news from around Soho was not promising, Barcode reporting things were really quiet and even Compton Street not the usual bottleneck of people we have become used to in previous years. So, it was time to get out onto the streets and see what was going on for ourselves and in a short hop down to the Q.X. stage, where Brent Nicholls had handed over proceedings to Mikey D, there was a reasonable crowd gathering, although nowhere near the packed out place this popular part of Soho's street parties usually is. We were hoping to catch up with Brent to get his perspective, but with news he had gone in from the cold, we turned tail and headed up to St Anne's Garden and then into Compton Street which seemed to lack the buzz we would normally expect, although there were plenty of familiar faces stopping us in our tracks, commenting on our Paparazzi T-Shirt and leather chaps outfit and also asking about the afterparty itself, a glamorous T-dance styled affair with a star studded cast at super new club venue the Wandsworth Palais. The mood of many we spoke to seemed a little downbeat, although things were spiced up the procession of bronzed beauties promoting the forthcoming Wig party, definitely lifting the atmosphere, as well as the sexy dancers, courtesy of Mark Forn's Fierce Intl organisation, outside newbie gAylist shop DV8, all carrying out impromptu performances to delight.
Heading up to Soho Square via Greek street, there were plenty of stalls to tempt, although not many were taking the bite and then entering Soho Square, the format was very much different to 12 months ago, when the main stage was within the confines of the square itself, the real focal point of activity. This year, the Soho Live team had decided to make the square a place for fun and frivolity, with carousel style slides & rides, as well as laying on some special catwalk shows sponsored by "Paparazzi". But the music was where the real action was, with the stage in the far left hand corner outside the square, drawing the largest crowd of the day we had seen yet. Oliver M was performing a very uplifting set ahead of the biggest billing of the afternoon, The Freemasons, who would be followed first by Steve Pitron and then by Paul Heron, so there was certainly alot on offer to attract. And with a good looking crowd smattered with familiar & scene faces as well as jaw droppingly gorgeous go-go dancers in amongst the throng & on the stage in front of Oliver, even the overcast skies couldn't dampen the spirits here.
But, we had to head back to our duties behind the bar and sidling down Dean Street, where there were a handful of people enjoying the fairground style of stalls but the street like the ones we had wandered down before just seemed to lack the atmosphere we had been used to. Even the girl’s stage, which we dropped in on, had just a handful of people entering the entertaining fun. It was only when we were back behind the bar at Rupert Street and when day turned to night that the buzz began to really build for us, with the surrounding streets now full with revellers who then decided to spill inside to soak up the scintillating sounds being delivered by Alessandro, Rupert Street's resident D.J. and we really began to enjoy our Soho Live experience, being released from duties at 9.30 p.m. when we mingled with friendly faces and customers alike to see out the rest of our evening before deciding which afterparty to head to.
So, that was Soho Live for us, but to answer our earlier questions, firstly, how did the reformed event go down? then, was it the success the team expected? and finally, what was our take on Soho Live 09? Well, with the lacklustre start which was most likely influenced by the inclement weather, the event really struggled to ignite in anywhere near the numbers that the previous year's Soho Pride event did and certainly our experience going around the streets when we did, was that Soho Live seemed to lack the dynamism of previous events, probably trying to be too much to be all encompassing, rather than focussing on its usual target market. There was no doubt that the team were expecting big things, but we suspect they were disappointed by both the turnout and some of the feedback. The grand plans for the official afterparty, Paparazzi, seemed all good, but the response was minimal, most choosing to stay in Soho for parties at Lo Profile & Shadow Lounge or heading to nearby Vauxhall. Being confined to Rupert Street for most of the day may have distorted our opinion of the event, but with constant feedback from friends passing through, we think not.
So what of the future for Soho Live? Well, there is no doubt that hosting the event in September was probably a factor on its success this year, although with the weather having been so bad in August, maybe the outcome would have been the same. Then there is the inevitable reason, if but a now boring one, that the so called recession took away peoples enthusiasm to get out and party, so to be fair to the organisers were always going to face an uphill battle. A more controversial view is that through its recent publicity campaigns, the Gaydar organisation has alienated the very people it wanted to attract to Soho Live and that the lateness of advertising together with the change of branding was also to blame. We suspect that there was an element of all of these reasons to point the blame, which then raises doubts about future events, should they take the current course. In our view is that there is mileage in Soho Pride (not Live!) and by bringing it back towards the summer, we believe the successes of 2008 can be repeated. We wait in anticipation of news for next year’s celebration. (DISCO MATT)

Tabloild - Club Review

TABLOID - SATURDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN

Now, we love it when news hits our desks about new club events, especially in a world where when switching on the news or pickig up a newspaper (broadsheet especially) we seem to be consumed with doom & gloom, so the prospect of something excitingly new is hard to resist, even if, in this case, the venue isn't one of our more popular haunts. However, in the inimitable words of a D.J. friend of ours "it's all just one big disco" (have we used that before!?!?),how could we resist, especially if their was the prospect of dancing under a mirrorball (Camp or what!?). So, what was this new event? and were we easily drawn in or pushed to make an appearance?

Well, with a truly press related theme vein running right through the weekend of club events, for instance, there was "Paparazzi", (and we know what they are like!!), the official Soho Live afterparty, then there was "Scandal" (the newspapers are full of that these days), both which were showing their wears on the Sunday, the team over at Fire were also thinking the same thoughts, albeit on the Saturday, launching "Tabloid", which was showcassing some truly headlining D.J.'s (was that a pun?!) with the aim to make a real impact, possibly hit the covers of a magazine (there's a song about that!), but more likely to try and inject some fresh fun into Saturday nights at this Vauxhall institution that keeps pulling in the punters. So, did Tabloid steal the headlines?, Did it prove that it was worthy of front page exposure? And who was making the breaking news cum exclusive?

Having spent most of the day helping in preparations for Soho Live, our evening wasn't going quite to plan, eventually tearing ourselves away from Rupert Street's Paparazzi pre-party and decided it was time to make an appearnace at this new Saturday night event down in Vauxhall town. Yes, Tabloid was ceratinly a draw and having re-frequented oursleves with Fire not more than a week previously, we were quite relaxed about attending and in the spirit of tthoise words of our D.J. pal, we were actually quite excited about the propsect. Arriving at Fire's main entrance at just turned 10.30 p.m., timnely enough to take adavntage of the V.I.P. gathering we had been kindly invited to by Steven Sharp, we found our way into the Lightbox, the host area for this exclusive gathering, pre-club, where we found a select handful of guests sipping complimentary champagne and special cocktails, very much in the Tequilla style (what was the name of that drink?!), served by some truly scruptous bar staff, aprrporaitely dressed down (if you know what we mean!!).

Wandering around the bar, we found ourselves drawn to the table occupied by Fire owner Criag Elder, with friends and immediately made ouselves comfortable, with the champagne following nearly as plentfully as the conversation as we discussed the ways of the world, saking up the atmosphere and crowd which was very much scene related, D.J's, peformers, club figureheads and familar faces from around gAylist London that were, like us, taking advantage of this special gathering to give Tabloild the launch it well and truly deserved. Yes, Hi-Fi Sean Dickson was there and we were gratified in meeting his man, who was responsible for the impressive floral decotration around the Lightbox. Then, there was Mark McKenzie (aka Edna), who was proving very entertaining at our sudo head table and not long after our arrival a whole plethora of pals & familar faces appeared, including scene D.J. legend Steve Pitron, The Oli, Lee Yeomans, JC Christopher & even David Jiminez. But the fun was about to get all the better as we bumped into pal & D.J. extraordinarre Nick Tcherniak and boyf Tom, who were definately in partying mood like us and were also most amused with our cheeky showing of our Paparazzi t-shirt.

With the crowd beginning to swell, Steven Sharp walked up and kindly offered us a full tour of the venue (not that we hadn't seen it before) as he was keen for us to see all the new addtions to the main room, which looked superb and really made a statement, very much in the "Tabloid" style, new visuals, stunning lighting and production which gave the space a whole new feel. Winding our way back to the lightbox more faces were appearing and we settled back into our gathering of pals, which now included Nigel davenport, camera in hand clicking us in pose for prosterity. The excitment of the inclusion of D.J.'s Tall Paul & Jon Byrne was clearly on everybody's lips, definately pointing the music policy at Fire in a new direction, although with the stablemate of regulars the guarantee of great music was very much in the air. Certainly yhe atmosphere in the lightbox was electric, although with our expolits in Soho and then the free flowing champagne & other drinks at this very special VIP launch taking their toll, we were resigned to make an early departure, in the knowledge that we needed to be a fresh as possible for our duties at Soho Pride the following day.

Feeback from firends after the event, were that the main room in the hands of both Tall Paul & Jon Byrne rocked and they were very much the breaking news headliners of the evening. Tabloid as a concept could certainly work, although it is clear that clubbers still remain cautious about when & where to spend their hard earned cash. With the quality of the D.J. line up, together with the extra special production & efoort put in by the team at Fire, we are sure, with perserverence the club will become a resounding sucess, surely hitting the headlines of a magazine just as it should. (DISCO MATT)

Beyond Belief - Club Review

BEYOND BELIEF - SUNDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


There are some choices in our life that are very simple indeed, even when faced with a sumountable list of choices, we generally don't tend to have problems in making a decision, whether it be scrolling over an extensive menu in a resturant, being faced with a confusing choice of drinks on an lengthy cocktail list or even looking through the myriad of options when choosing a new outfit at our favourite clothing store. It is certainly true about life being full of choices and this also goes for clubbing in gAylist London, where, despite the tough climate, there remains plenty of choices of where to be and be seen. But when it comes to clubbing after hours, there is only one name that springs to mind these days, a name that is etched on our memories, has a virtual permanent place on our left hip (what!.. a tatoo?, well not quite) and has, for more than once in its colourful history, really captured the imagination of many, who see it as their only choice when deciding what to do on the still decadent activity that is Sunday morning clubbing. This weekly outing has not only survived the test of time, where many others failed at a moments breath, but unlike any other afterhours event, continues not only to survive but thrive unrelentlessly.

Well, you have probably guessed by now (without looking at the heading ofcourse..doh!) that we are talking about Beyond, and in its latest incarnation at Area in Vauxhall, has secured a healthy existence in many peoples minds, being the destinationation of choice after virtually every Saturday night event, including Matinee, SuperMartXe and where we had been strutting our stuff on this Saturday night, Megawoof, just up the road in Hidden. And with the gentle arm twisting (hardly!) by D.J. pal Hi-Fi Sean, the Thursday just gone at Industri, it didn't take much tempting to once again dance under the mirrorball at this now iconic and for some, unmissable Sunday morning outing. The early start of 3 a.m. was even more enticing, as it presented the opportunity to party for a good old while yet not penetrating too far into Sunday, which has so often in the past, resulted in staying out early into Monday morning (dirty stopouts we were!!). So, did we behave ourselves? And was it morning or afternoon before we made it to our bed? What do you think?!?!?!

Arriving at Area's doors at a respectable 5 a.m., having had a slight reprieve from the masinations of Megawoof, in the hands of Nick Tcherniak at Barcode Vauxhall (we actually had to tear ourselves away as he was whipping up a real storm!), our inclusion on Hi-Fi Sean's guestlist went without a hitch (well apart from an interesting comment made by the door hostess we cannot repeat), it was no time before we were inside Area and into the Terrace bar that was already brimming with a headonist bunch of disco bunnies, muscle queens, scene faces and party heads raring to go, bopping to the uplifting & funky house tunes supplied by Fire resident and cutie Terry Bryan, who definately had the lions share of a developing crowd. Down in the second room (oh those mirror balls, we love them!!), David Jiminez was treating a select few to some harder edged sounds, very much the style of this space, where we have partied so many times and which remains a favoured spot of ours. With friend Benoit in tow and a recognisable amount of ex Megawoofer's around, the immediate action was in the Terrace bar however, our anticipation growing with the imminent arrival of the man himself, Hi-Fi Sean.

And arrive he did, virtually bang on time, seeing us in the crowd and coming up to say hello before heading to the somewhat makeshift D.J. booth to prepare for his set. With Benoit anxious to see what was happening in the main room, we left him to his devices, rather finding a perfect spot between two of the speakers in the Terrace bar, to soak up Sean's sounds and with the eclectic crowd growing yet more, we quickly found our stride as this D.J. meistro set about laying down a much more funkier set than we are used to when he assumes his usual slot in room 2. And there was little or nothing that was going to tempt us away from our newly found & semi favoured Beyond space, not least as the funkier style had us dancing delriously, especially when Hi-Fi dug out and dusted off his amazing mix of "Get Busy" which had us mesmerised, captivated & cavorting unrepentently, as was fellow enthusaist of the Scotmans music, Dimitrios. There was nothing that was going to tempt us away and with familar faces who had also decided upon an after Megawoof outing, Clington Forbes, Andrew Harris & pal Cliff Jackson (he was innocently corrupting a friend of his..don't ask!), Beyond Belief in the Terrace Bar was well and truly kicking.

Not that the rest of the club was doing bad, as we slipped into the main room to find The Sharp Boys really warming up the atmosphere, with the pyrotechnics in full swing, the lasers dazzling the space & the familar Beyond visuals on the two massive screens complimenting all the action. And when favourite D.J. Steve Pitron took to the decks, we found it hard to tear ourselves away from our most comfortable spot just left of the D.J. booth, with familar and melodic sounds from Steve's latest music mix was being played out live to the adoration of an excited band of supporters, mounting podiums to gyrate away, filling virtually every space to soak up the superb songs this tulmultous talent was stringing together, fantastic floor fillers, amazing anthems & huge house hits. What more could we say? well not much apart from pure brilliance once again from Mr Pitron and with Mikey D arriving for duty, waving hello as well as Jay Sharp Vokins also in our presence, we knew we were in priviledged company.

But after having danced virtually non stop since 5 a.m., we had to take some respite from the action, walking back through the venue, passing D.J. D'Johnny who had taken over in the Terrace bar, we stepped outside to rest our legs a little, finding the space in typical lively fashion, although still proving the perfect escape from the mayhem inside. But before very long, back inside we were, heading straight for the main floor which seemend busier than ever, Mikey D now in full flow and Logan with a smattering of his schmitzels providing the eye candy & go-go dancing activity on the podiums in front of the D.J. booth, not for the first time in the evening, adding more spice to an already enthrawling experience. Only rendevous, firstly with Italian Stallion Pagano, whom we were surprised to see but was in his usual playfull mood, then the lovely Jamie Head who was delighted to see us as we were him, but also with D.J. and French fancy Stephan Gaeten Scott, who caught us in motion a number of times, increased our excitment levels to fever pitch. So much so that we completely mislaid our t-shirt in the melay, although we are pleased to say that whoever found it was so honest as to hand it in, we finding it safely stored in the coatcheck.

With friends Stephen & Benoit having said their fairwells, we somehow caught second wind (or was it third, fourth or fifth?!?) toying our fancies between Mikey in the main room and Jamie in the Terrace bar, determined to see out the rest of the morning in the bountiful brace of Beyond, although having been out & about for over 12 hours now, time and more likely age caught up with us and we eventually threw in the towel at just past 11 a.m., waving goodbye to Jamie and a club still rocking and rolling up to and well past midday, pointing our way towards home to chill and recover from some absolutely amazing afterhours audacity.

So what were the questions again? Oh yes, Did we behave ourselves? And, what was it? ah, Did we make it to our bed in the morning or afternoon? Well, it was umistakably evident that we were thoroughly naughty from start to finish, but then how could you blame us, especially as first Hi-Fi Sean, then Steve Pitron, followed by Mikey D, as well as Jamie Head, were playing such magnificent music, which always makes act naughtily. Sean's performance in the Terrace Bar was particularly pleasing, with so many people remarking on how much they enjoyed his musical style both during & after the event. Our naughtiness was helped on by a plethora of friends egging us on (well we didn't really need encouragement to be honest....but then we have to blame someone!) and we walked away from Beyond Belief with some truly fond memories of naughty escapdes that we are sure to repeat at this very special club in our hearts very soon indeed. Big up Beyond, "Belief" format or not. (DISCO MATT)

Megawoof "Re-Booted" - Club Review

MEGAWOOF "RE-BOOTED" - SATURDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


There seems to be a trend for ringing the changes across gAylist London, with Matinee deciding to up sticks and move across London to Cable, heralding a new beginning for them and that was exactly what the team behind one of the capitals butchest clubs had in mind when it waved goodbye to its associations with super club Colosseum, deciding that Hidden over the otherside of Vauxhall would prove a much better home for its plans to not only re-invigorate the fortunes this once popular monthly outing, but would allow the team to re-introduce the social elements that were sometimes missing from its most recent home. Who are we talking about? Megawoof ofcourse, a club that we admidt is not a regular part of our calendar, but we certainly couldn't miss this "re-boot" party.

So, having made plans to meet up with friends Benoit & Stephen in Barcode Vauxhall, we took the short stroll round to Hidden, arriving at the entrance just after midnight. Having been the the venue before in the guises of Hard On! and also Hook'd, we were familar with the layout and once we made our way through and past the friendly security staff, we headed to and were checked off the guestlist, which we had been kindly added to by Italian stallion D.J./Producer Pagano, swinging through the main entrance where Daz and his team were marshalling proceedings, saying our hello's and also hinting that we were down to review the revised music policy and Hidden as Megawoof's home.

Checking our bits & bobs off in the coatcheck, we entered into the middle space, named the "Blue" room, which was already brimming with the usual Megawoof mix of musclebears, chunky blokes and their admirers with more than a splatter of gorgeous looking Latino's but with the accent definately on muscle & hunk rather than chunk or camp, the room oozing a real sense of social interaction with some cool beats being played out by D.J. Oss. Fueling ourselves with refreshments and having caught up & said greetings to Pagano, as well as chatting with a host of other familar faces, we decided that a tour of the other rooms was on the cards and made our way around the winding corridoor, up the stairs, entering the main "Red" room from behind, through the elevated seating area and then down towards a packed out dancefloor, where Sugarbear was just handing over the D.J. decks to Daz Saund. Now, we know that a key part of the new look Megawoof was a re-positioning of the music offer, with this "Red" room aimed at delivering a more uplifting and commercial sound, but we were somewhat surprised to hear the familiar tones of the Freemasons "Uninvited" track, which was for us a little too commercial, but was clearly going down well with the crowd who were jiving away, hands in air, a quite interesting sight to see such butch musclebears dancing away more like disco bunnies.

Having found a spot next to the D.J. booth with a perfect view of proceedings, we also began to dance away to Daz's music choices which toughened up slightly, still had a very much uplifting & commercial style but with a little less amount of vocals, familar faces still kept appearing, including favourite bar boy Guilleme, Gaydar pin-up Dimitrious and D.J. Micky Galiano, who were all savouring the amazing atmosphere that was buidling, as was the heat in the room, or at least around our spot which was becoming stifling. Mind you the action was hot as well, with some very good looking men around and two very hunky & gorgeous go-go dancers ascending the podiums each side of the dance area to perform for the crowd, adding to the impressive lazer lighting and the butch Megawoof motiffs hanging from the ceiling. Despite the heat, we were really getting into our stride, when we were interrupted by a chunky & seemingly Megawoof regular who wanted a slice of our spot by the D.J. booth, pushing his way in front of us and declaring "I want to be seen" (don't we all!!), putting a severe dent in our enthusiasm for the commercial space and indeed the impeccably friendly crowd, up until this rude interlude.

This singanlled our need to re-inject some fun back into our Megawoof experience, so we made our excuses to friends Benoit & Stephen, opting to head off into the third music space, the "Black" room, which had the promise of more deep and progressive house, much more our style of late and in the hands of Pagano, who had just taken over from Diddy behind the decks, who could ask for more. Having savoured a superb set from him just days ago at Trade/Orange, we were definately up for more of the Italian stallion's magical mixes and were not to be dissapointed as he delivered one tantalising tune after the next, erupting us in dancing delirium in a room & space set aside by Hard On! as a play room, but working just as well as a dancefloor. With enough space to move & groove together with the temperature being much more comfortable, we really began to enjoy ourselves once more, the incident in the "red" room now a distant memory and to make us feel even better a goodlooking leather clad hunk spotted us, complimenting our work and entering into an engaging conversation, this sort of interruption to our dancing a much more pallatable & welcome affair. With pal Stephen also joining us, followed by friend Cliff Jackson, we were definately in good company and with Pagano pulling yet more great sounds out of the bag our evening was certainly set fair.

However, with time getting away from us and the call of an earlier starting Beyond on our mind, combined with the need to pop back to Barcode Vauxhall to catch up with Nick Tcherniak, we headed back into the "red" room to find friend Benoit who was also ready to move on, although the space was still full with dancing hunks savouring the tougher sounds being played out by Tim McClone. So we stayed a short while before winding our way back through a buzzing & sociable middle "blue" room, saying our fairwell's to Stephen, to Cliff Jackson & dipping into the "black" room, also to Pagano, who was still at full steam and questioning whether we had been in the darkroom (was there a darkroom?), although with our intentions clear, we headed off into the Vauxhall night to honour our further liason commitments.

So, what did we think of Megawoof at its new home? Did it fulfil expectations? How did the change of music policy work? And did the planned "re-booting" work? Well, it was fair to say that we were not expecting it to be quite as busy as it was and arriving to find two of the three rooms packed out was a welcome surprise. With Hidden's three room layout and configuration, it has certainly allowed Megawoof as a club to realise some of its "re-booting" goals, not least in giving the club event a much more friendly feel, the "blue" room being an ideal space to socialise & chat with much more chilled music on offer. The decision to offer a room with uplifting & commercial music certainly went down well with the masses and despite the D.J's playing out in the room not really known for delivering out & out commercial sounds, Daz Saund particularly performed really well and with so many of the muscle hunks holding hands up high, it was more like Megapoof!! This probably detracted somewhat from the deep, progressive sounds on offer across the other side of the venue, a music style we think the team need to hold on to, especially with someone as talented as Pagano on their residency list.

Only one question is left. Will three rooms of music work and indeed will there be a big enough crowd to fill every room? For us this remains doubtful and therfore the team may need to remain open to returning to the "two" room format, which seems to work well for Hard On!. As for our expectations, well they were fulfilled and in part suceeded in many ways and we definately think the move to Hidden was the right one, so with a few small tweaks we are sure Megawoof will continue to survive and to thrive and we will certainly be back for more sometime soon. (DISCO MATT)