Orange Summer Of Love Pt3 "The Ressurection" - Club Review

ORANGE SUMMER OF LOVE PT 3 THE RESSURECTION –
MONDAY 25TH MAY
REVIEW


Now history tells us that we love to be decidedly decadent, as over the years we have been bowled over by the brashness of Beyond, corrupted in the clasp of Crash & tantalised by the temptations of Trade, three iconic clubs that have formed a major clubbing life. However, there is another club, which, while not a weekly event in our calendar, has nevertheless been one of those outings which has continued to draw us in from time to time, exploiting everything hedonistic in our hearts and sinful in our souls, although in more recent times with Fire falling out of our favour, Orange has faded into the limelight.

However, with the sequence of Summer of Love parties, seeing Orange evolve into segments at Area, we were (it has to be said, purely by chance for part one) drawn into one of our most favoured club spaces of all time, a venue originally in the hands of fab promoter Wayne Shires, but now firmly controlled by the “All Things Orange” group (sharp intake of breath – no pun intended), although with the phrase ringing through our heads “its only a disco” and having had so many good parties in Area throughout its various incarnations, we simply couldn’t resist.

With a major party brewing in Barcode and Brent Nicholls stirring up a storm (in a musical way of course) in the front room, we didn’t really wanted to leave, although despite work commitments, our friend Joel seemed intent on throwing caution to the wind (a man after our own heart!) and as we were taking a moments respite outside, spotting Steven Sharp at Area’s door clutching a clipboard seemed the only prompt we needed to head round and into Summer of Love Part 3. Mind you, by now it was well turned 1 a.m. and with our free ticket entry down the drain (not another missing guestlist slot – how many more times?) we had to cough up the full price to gain entry, but then with a bucket load of booze on top of other pleasures inside us, the £18 charge seemed a small price to play to extend the happy mood well into Monday morning.

So we were in and dropping our bits off in the coatcheck upstairs, then headed into the embankment bar (that’s the one by the outside terrace for those of you uninitiated) which was alive with action, pulsating with people and with Terry Bryan behind the decks, churning out a succession of disco tipped dancefloor fillers, the atmosphere was at fever pitch. Looking around it was very much a typical Vauxhall like crowd (get our drift?), some that had probably been partying since Saturday night, but then with only a shortish break between SuperMartXe & Lovechild, we had been at it nearly as long although still raring to go (funny that), as Joel’s pal Jason, who was still part of the threesome (not like that naughty!) guided us through and into the second “RAW” room, where David Jiminez was playing out a much tougher trail of tunes, catering to a more select crowd of hardcore hedonists. Had it been Hi-Fi Sean, one of Joel’s & our more favoured D.J’s, we may well have stopped off, but it seemed we were main room bound.

And it was through the arched entrance and into the main space, where we found ourselves, squeezing into a slot close to the D.J. booth and spotting the other half of the Sharp Boy duo, George, behind the decks, his massive hands in the air commercial house music clearly going down with a packed dancefloor brimming with a colourful collection of Latino lovelies, muscle queens, club kids, party girls and a smattering of scene figures as well as some familiar faces. These included D.J. Mis-White (can we call her Emma here?) who seemed ever so grateful for our praiseworthy review of her set at Famous, then enquiring whether we would be at Salvation next weekend (well what do you think the answer to that one is?!), Jay Sharp Vokins who gave us a peck on the cheek, Paul Coles who had finished D.J.ing duties next door in Barcode, Lee Yeomans & partner Max Sanna in close quarters, Alessandro & mates getting up to no good, even Minty & her crew who seemed to be following us from club to club (or was it the other way around?).

But it was Joel that was receiving our attentions who was well and truly in the party mood, but then he was hardly dragging us kicking and screaming was he? as we were intent on making the most of this Bank Holiday Orange outing ourselves. With George Sharp giving way to The Oli behind the D.J. booth, who set about laying down a superb string of sounds much more akin to our funky, chunky, tech & latino infused house, the already electric atmosphere in the main room rose to stratospheric heights. But then with our clubbing companion deciding to go down the hedonist route & us following his lead, the night took a on a whole new meaning in more ways than one, as Joel & us, now stripped down to our waists, swapped main room dancing with outside terrace exploits, often squeezing past the packed second & third space, sometimes hand in had so as not to lose eachother in the crowd, intermixing everything with trips to refuel our fancies.

Mind you, as they always say, good things have to come to an end (why do they?) and with the hours seemingly passing away in a blink, it was 5 a.m. when Joel finally called it a day, heading home to sleep off his own excesses in advance of work later in the morning, leaving us alone (well not quite) to continue to soak up the overt Orange Summer of Love experience. With our clubbing pal departed, it didn’t quite feel the same for us, somehow as though a link was missing, although the party was far from over as scene legend Steve Pitron was now in charge in the main room and Hi-Fi Sean had arrived in room two to offer up some alternative audio audacities to Steve’s more mainstream musical mixes. Deciding between the two was a difficult choice so rather than doing so, we continued to trade trips between each of the two rooms, only occasionally venturing onto the terrace for respite, spotting buddy Benoit & friend, who had not long arrived from the Freemasons at XXL (we were uninvited – an in house joke).

With the planned P.A. of Peyton packing a real punch in the main room, we finally settled on our favourite spot right next to D.J. booth behind the podiums, bumping into yet more familiar faces, including D.J. Mikey D who had entertained us so well at our last Beyond outing, as well another clubbing companion Denival, who was nearly as excited to see us, as we were he. Then, with the P.A. over the man behind the decks, Steve, spotting us, waving and exchanging comments (we cannot repeat) bringing an instant smile to our faces, this sealed our fate as we saw out the rest of the evening soaking up his scintillating sounds and magical mixes virtually through until the 8 a.m. finish, when our excesses with Joel finally took their toll and we had to pave a weary route out of Area and home to shake off, what turned out to be our end to a weekend packed with partying.

So, what was our verdict on the second of our Summer of Love trips to Area? Well, it was certainly different to the first, not least that we were fully aware it was an Orange event, but also that the timings were different to the first , resulting in a very different vibe which didn’t quite evoke that true afterhours feeling we have come to enjoy and love at Area. However, it was certainly a popular choice of many, with all three rooms buzzing well past dawn and with some sparkling performances from Terry Bryan, Hi-Fi Sean, but especially Steve Pitron, once again it proved to us that music is definitely the answer.

But what really did make it for us? Yes the P.A. was terrific and the plethora of people we bumped into gave the party a wonderful feel, but it was our new found friend Joel who, despite work pressures and deciding to make the most of it all, involving us all along the way, really made it an extra special outing, giving us a mindblowingly ecstatic experience, taking us to places we hadn’t been in a good while & ensuring that this night will be one we certainly won’t forget for a very long time. What more can we say? (DISCO MATT)

Lovechild Red Hot 'n' Sexy - Club Review

LOVECHILD “RED, HOT ‘N’ SEXY” – SUNDAY 24TH MAY
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


With opulence and style being just two of the bywords of gAylist/land London, when an event comes around that evokes these & more, it certainly draws our attention, especially when it falls on a Bank Holiday Sunday, meaning we don’t have to get up for Monday. However, as recent long weekends seem to have proven, it has been tricky to draw anywhere near as the kind of crowds that special club nights have done in previous years, proving that life remains very difficult not only for promoters laying on events, but party goers choosing where to spend their hard earned cash.

Lovechild seems to have been one such an outing, which has had mixed fortunes since its launch in London, back in February. The first party was quite successful, with the V.I.P. area open, albeit that many didn’t take up the tempting offer of complimentary champagne & table treats, whereas as a Salvation-esque crowd filled out the space below, enjoying magnificent music, superb shows & pumping P.A. performances, pointing towards good times ahead for the brand in London. The second instalment, however, failed to ignite fully although the crowd were still stylish and sexy & the combination of this, along with the amazing atmosphere bolstered by the dazzling dancers & magical music in the hands of Mattias & Per Q.X., really made it for us. So what was in store at the next Lovechild event?

Well, we were certainly anticipating it alot, not least with the expectation of being joined by new found friend Joel, who was determined to make the most of a window of opportunity between work commitments, and with us prompting him, decided that Lovechild would be the best choice amongst other offerings. To add to the excitement, Industri pals Paul Heron, Minty & Stephen were planning to be there, and with Brent Nicholls lined up to D.J. in the V.I.P. room, the scene was set for a perfect party ahead. All that was left to decide was the time to pitch up at Pasha, with a starting time of 6 p.m. seemingly a little early, it was eventually agreed that an 8 ish arrival would be the best, so, shaking off a hefty Saturday evening of activity (which actually ended on Sunday morning), we had a pre club rendezvous with our clubbing companion Joel at Barcode Vauxhall to get the night going and catch up on matters since our last meet.

With 8 p.m. fast approaching, we were Victoria bound and to Lovechild at Pacha, arriving at the entrance to join a smattering of a queue that was holding station, waiting for the return of the door host. In the meantime the security guard beckoned us forward simply so we could supply our photo I.D., not something we had done at any other venue, but having been asked at Pacha before, it didn’t really faze us. With the return of the lady with the list, it was clear it wasn’t the familiar face of the masterful Marky B, but a fem. fatale of a figurine, who then couldn’t find us on the guestlist (what again!! – and how embarrassing in front of our friend) but with our entry committed, we were waved passed the security checks and in through the entrance to pay our dues at the desk.

Once inside the main room it was clear that maybe a 9 p.m. arrival would have been more appropriate as there were a mere handful of hopefuls savouring what a less than lively atmosphere which clearly needed bodies to boost it. We retired to the bar to seek refreshment, spotting Minty & boyfriend standing by, bounding up to say hello and enquiring on her time of arrival. Being the vivacious and positive figure she is Minty immediately praised a set of superb sounds delivered by warm up D.J. and Lovechild resident Tony English, saying that despite the numbers his set was smashing and had really hit her spot.

Back over at the bar and chatting more with our friend Joel, we bumped into an old pal of his who joined the select party of people, but with such small numbers in attendance it was clear that Lovechild was going to struggle. Anxious to see whether Brent Nicholls had arrived and indeed whether Paul Heron was on his way, we enquired with Minty whether either had been spotted, then hurriedly sending text messages to both, we waited in anticipation. By now imported Spanish talent Eros was behind the decks trying to stir up some enthusiasm, but with limited numbers it was always going to be an uphill battle. Even the appearance of Chris Geary with camera in hand, catching Joel his pal & us in pose did little to lift the lack lustre vibe, although everyone present was making the most of the situation.

At least the show was imminent and with the appearance of a gang of gorgeous go-go’s dressed seductively in tight red, revealing raunchy body hugging corsets, garbed to the gills in knee length black boots and strutting their stuff on the stage, although in order to woo the crowd, they quickly descended onto the dancefloor to dazzle and performed perfectly to the sexy sounds Eros was delivering. With the lighting displays setting them off, even after the show was over, they continued to be the major eye candy gyrating on the podiums. Eros’s euro style hard hitting house tunes continued at a pace, but then soon gave way to the mixing maestro Mattias, a Lovechild as well as a big scene favourite & yummy at that, to increase the momentum more and do his bit in keeping the party going.

Alex Erfan wafted by, said a quick hello,commenting on the lack of people and you could see the disappointment on his face, a shame as he is such a hard working individual who has a track record of laying on great gatherings & crowded celebrations. But, with the numbers beginning to dwindle and our desire to show Joel a good time, it wasn’t going to happen at Lovechild, so reluctantly, we agreed that a trip back over the river was our only option, waving goodbye to Minty and her crew, and heading back to Vauxhall to enlighten our evening.

So, where did Lovechild go wrong? Well, in some ways it is quite puzzling as there are many reasons a concept like this should succeed, not least for sumptuous surroundings in the perfectly formed Pacha, scintillating sounds supplied by a delightful line up of D.J’s, and stylish shows supplied by Chris Geary’s go-go’s, ingredients that have worked before, so why not now? Well, was it the weather? It was an amazing day of sunshine, probably the best of the year so far, begging the question, did people want to be outside or in? Was it the venue? Is Pacha really gay friendly or is the location the reason? Perhaps the thought of producing photographic I.D. put some people off, it doesn’t bother us but some may feel that big brother is watching over them. Then was it the timing? As we have always said, the T-dance slot has recently proven a difficult nut to crack, Yes, in the early days of DTPM and then Factor 25 as well as Salvation at Café De Paris, it worked, but times they have changed and people’s attitudes have with them.

No, whilst all these are valid reasons, we suspect that it was down to the question of selection & choice. With massive turnouts at SuperMartXe then Beyond, most of the party heads were partied out both in energy & pocket, the rest saving themselves for Orange or even going dutch at Barcode Vauxhall which was rammed. In these times of economic difficulty, even us pink pounders are watching our pennies and therefore choosing & selecting our events with care, whether it be a Bank Holiday or not, seemed to seal Lovechild’s fate this time round. The question is, can it survive or will it be put to bed? We have our own theory on this one. (DISCO MATT)

SuperMartXe "Peep Show" - Club Review

SUPERMARTXE “PEEP SHOW” – SATURDAY 23RD MAY
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


With another Bank Holiday coming around so soon, what choices would be in store this time? With so many offerings over Easter it was clear that too many parties resulted in just a few so called “winners” and sadly yet inevitably lots of losers, amongst them some new ventures that would generally have worked either on normal weekends or in more affluent economic times. The same could be said of May Day Bank Holiday and whilst many of the big guns showed their cards, some decided against the move, quite wisely so, as once again the wealth of events saw yet more damp squids amongst mere grains of success. So how would this weekend fair and who would grab the lions share of the precious pink pound?

As the run up this last long weekend before August panned out, it was clear that one club event was on everyone’s lips, one that has been an overwhelming success since its launch last November and one that has along the way attracted a lot of attention mixed in with a measure of controversy. Well it jut had to be SuperMartXe and especially on the back of its “Limited Edition” sister club outing, it seemed that the world and his wife was going to turn up to the latest instalment, this time labelled “Peep Show”, with the expected return to massive production & delivery, the inclusion of porn stars to further entice, & with all the ingredients that have cemented SuperMartXe’s success before. Some seemed intrigued to see whether the proverbial bubble had burst following the sister act, some making a pilgrimage like return, while others just wanted to party, party party. So how did this event extraordinaire go down? And was it a Bank Holiday winner?

Well, our night got off to a bumpy start, with a planned appearance to a new club launch shelved and even our appearance at the Coronet a little rushed, although arriving at its doors at just before 1 a.m., there was a considerable queue for those arriving ticket less, but armed with ours we were into the club in a instant, handled in a very friendly manner by the security staff (so much improved on our first visit) and to make our speedy entrance even better, the sometimes problematical coatcheck was anything but, think swift, think efficient, fabulous, although to be fair, we suspect with the warm weather the pressure on the system was quite what it was in the depths of winter. With the outside terrace already brimming with those wishing to chill-out, we made our way into the main room, to find the whole space packed tightly full with a vast array of Latino lovelies, muscle queens, gorgeous guys, gaggles of girls & a smattering of scene faces, a signature SuperMartXe crowd for sure and it was so busy it took us well over 10 minutes to make our way round to our usual start point down by the stage front.

But make it we did, in time to savour the last section of Steve Pitron’s set, which had clearly got the dancefloor pulsating to his scintillating sounds, so much so, that we could barely move in amongst the bare-chested beefcakes, so sought a little respite on the right-hand walkway, where we got a superb view of the stage show that was about to unfold. Being so busy we couldn’t find our friend Stephen in the crowd anywhere, in fact only a handful of familiar faces passed us by, as we headed to the bar for refreshments, returning to our elevated spot, as the music pace changed and the show began with the inimitable words “welcome to SuperMartXe at The Coronet”. Out swung the massive curtains and up lifted a huge triple X floating sign, revealing a red light district inspired stage setting, set back with a “girls, girls girls” neon light and an interesting semi screened yet see-through full height doorway acting as, what we can only describe as an entrance to a sexy seductive bedroom, with the stage centrepiece being a slinky red chez lounge where a sexy stud was already posing dressed in next to nothing. With dancers elevated on podiums behind, the effect was certainly starkling and impressive and with the stage show following not so much peep, but more porn, it definitely got everyone’s attention, with raunchily dressed performers, one with whip in hand, stirring up the emotions. This was only topped by the arrival of the P.A. for the evening, Belle, who lifted the already electric atmosphere even higher.

By this time we had found our friend Stephen, who was in a select corner next to the V.I.P. area and who else was on hand, but the ravenous Romano who was truly thrilled to see us, but then immediately compared the P.A.’s act to a previous show masterminded by the talented Therese, although it was fair to say the Belle was cutting her own stride in amongst the bevy of beauties on the stage. With Nick Tcherniak taking over the controls from headlining D.J. Vitti, who seemed to be struggling with the soundtracks, we squeezed passed the masses to grab his attention, but to no avail, then returning to find Stephen, lost him in the crowd, so retired to our lofty position to see out the rest of the show and then Vitti’s set.

Having seen a rarity of familiar faces, as if by magic people started to appear, not least our hairdresser Luis, photographer Chris Jepson, D.J. & club promoter Lee Yeomans, Phil Hewson who came up to thank us for our glowing revue of his set at Hustlaball (well deserved it was too) and then by dance impresario Chris Geary, camera in hand, who clicked away, catching us in pose with friend Stephen who had returned and then with Tom, Nick Tcherniak’s partner, both who had joined us, catching up on events of the week, Nick having entertained and then socialised with us at Barcode just 7 days before. With a sudden tap on the shoulder, we turned and who was standing there but non other than pal Nik Ripley, whom we hadn’t seen for ages, but was sporting a smart new haircut and looking as gorgeous as ever. This prompted us to immediately enquire as to Mark M Forms’ whereabouts, which would have sealed off our gAylist gathering of friends, although with the promise of a possible appearance later, we left Nik to his devices and continued to socialise with Tom & Nick, exiting the main room briefly for some fresh air then returning to the action, before the D.J. switchover.

With the dancefloor still packed and only small spaces appearing at the back by the bar, the stage shows continued at a pace with a highly muscled guy showing all his wares (and very big they were!) completely naked and prone, with the line of TV’s in front of the D.J. booth showing porn movies, both serving to maintain the sex filled atmosphere. This was further fuelled by Nick Tcherniak’s choice of hard edged, progressive & raunchy house tunes, which with the combination of superb laser lighting, massive plumes of smoke and explosive pyrotechnics, the epitome of the whole evening, continued & managed to delight the crowd right until the planned finish of 7 a.m., by which time we were well & truly worn out from our excesses, sauntering out just before then end, home to collapse yet reflect on a night full of niceties from start to finish.

So what was our verdict on this “peep show” spectacular? Well, there was absolutely no doubt that the stage set up and shows were stunning. We have seen more breathtaking performances by other dance troupe’s, but the fact that the shows continued at a pace for most of the night is great credit, both to the stage stars & to the organisers. With massive musical highlights from both Steve Pitron and Nick Tcherniak, both delivering differing styles yet hitting ours and many others sweet spots, combined with quality production, wonderful lighting & pyrotechnics together all the extra’s you expect from a SuperMartXe showing (give aways thrown into the crowd, a huge embossed beach ball bouncing round the dance space, ticker tape explosions & more), to answer some of our own questions, yes SuperMartXe went down extremely well and yes it was definitely a winner this bank holiday.

We have sometimes been criticised for being overtly biased towards certain events, unfairly critical of others and some of the cynical scepticists will say that, here, we are just trying to redress that balance. However, not so, as whenever we report & review, we try to show a true reflection of how an event pans out for us, how our experience turns out and if our criticism’s serve to make parties better in future, our aim entirely by the way, then that has to be good doesn’t it? In the case of SuperMartXe’s Peep Show, it turned out brilliantly well, with magical music, spellbinding shows, pulsating performances, only topped by cracking company, and if all this was as a result of what we have said in the past, then we are very happy indeed. Logan & his Schmitzels really pulled it out of the bag this time and we simply cannot wait for the next one in July. (DISCO MATT)

Rverse "Sunrise" - Club Review

REVERSE SUNRISE AT PARAMOUNT – FRIDAY 15TH MAY
REVIEW FOR DISCO MATT WEBSITES


With the club scene littered with launches that failed to deliver, even in the best of times, the competition is well and truly tough out there, although it is refreshing to see that promoters of old try new things, but moreover the men that know most about how to please on the dancefloors, D.J’s, try their hands at the promoting game, dipping their toes into this most fiercely fought of fields, to bring us something fresh to challenge the old masters of the game and the big boys on the scene.

Guy Williams is a perfect example of the new breed of promoter, dabbling in a new area for him, but with a proven track record of dynamic D.J.’ing behind him, which, in itself has created a wealth of support drawing interest in anything he turns his hands too, we are inspired by his ingenuity. And with the successful launch of Hoof at Easter and the promise of further parties to come at the spectacular venue Ghost in Farringdon, when news came our way of another new venture named Reverse, we were well and truly enticed, not least that the core principles of the club were based on lofty locations & mind blowing music, why wouldn’t we be?

So, as the news became reality and our excitement increased to fever pitch, the location of this first party, named “Sunrise”, was certainly at a lofty location no less. Paramount club on the 31st floor has got to be the highest club we have partied in and being bang slap in the centre of the West End, right at the top of Centrepoint, it was the centre piece of this spectacular club launch, which had been so fastidiously planned to entice to incredible effect. With the promise of being a metrosexually mixed club, it still grabbed the gay glitterati’s attention, the news being spread across all the well know rags and it was no surprise, as with 360 degree views of London below, and the very best space to see the sun rise (well why else would it be called Sunrise?!?!) , there is nothing that us gays love more than glamorous & exclusive spaces to party the night away, but moreover see the sun come up while we continue to dance beyond the dawn and into the day.

Now you can see why we were so excited about Reverse and coupled with celebrating friend Robb’s birthday, it was certainly looking as though it was going to be a Friday to remember rather than a Friday to forget, well that was the expectation anyway. So, having already worked ourselves into paralytic party mood at The Box, we arrived at Centrepoint and a considerable queue. Having visited the building during the day, it was confusing as to how our entrance would be planned, but clearly having done it all before, the clubs organisers were a well oiled machine, albeit a little brusque in their approach and as we advanced to the front of the queue, promising to get a gaggle of Boyz boys into the club, clutching Minty in close quarters, we sought to find our space on the guestlist, although to no avail. Not to worry said our plethora of posse as we were released up the entrance, past the security check and into the speedy lifts which would ascend us to the 31st floor in a trice.

Once at our lofty destination, virtually everyone apart from us smoothly succeeded to enter the club, leaving us bereft at the entrance, shocked that the female on the door was determined not to let us in, simply because were weren’t on the list!! With our surprise turning into fuming furore, we were rescued by none other than birthday boy Robb, who managed to get us through and into the amazing space that was Paramount. And what an interestingly rectangular space it was, with an elongated bar in the middle facing one way and with a dance floor and D.J. booth mirroring it facing the other way, each one looking out on the breathtaking view of London town at midnight, the best view of everything you wanted to see, and way beyond the usual sights of St Paul’s in the East, Buckingham Palace in the West, to Wembley Stadium in the north and Crystal Palace in the south, you could see literally for miles, and the very reason why this venue is so stunningly spectacular.

Having soaked up the view on each side, we retired to the bar to mingle with our mates, Oliver, Robb, Alessandro, Jeremy & Steve with the rest of the party posse in tow occasionally glancing over to the view and spotting the Boyz boys reclining on the floor in the corner waiting for the action to begin. Within a matter of moments more & more familiar faces appeared, not least the cheeky & lovely Jamie Head, who we hadn’t seen for ages, with pals present and then Guy Williams appeared in true apologetic mood for the problems we encountered on the door. Mind you, it wasn’t the first we had done so and we suspect it won’t be the last either, but we were in and beginning to savour the amazing atmosphere of this special space and it a was great see see the excitement written all over Guy’s face.

With the light headed house music turned dynamic disco pumping out on the other side, we popped round to see Serge Santiago in charge of the decks doing his best to entice the crowd onto the dancefloor, although it was clear that the draw of both views and socialising were proving difficult to break, but break them he did as the space began to fill to the melodic music sounds. Choosing to continue our socialising around the other side, we stood at the bar for a while picking up on conversation points with Steve, Alessandro & Minty, where we had left off in the Box and then spending extra special time with Oliver & birthday boy Robb, it was only when Guy Williams took to the decks that we were dancefloor bound, boogying away to the dancing future disco dipped delights that he was dishing out. With the view still in sight and dancing away while looking at London below us, was a surreal experience, one we have never enjoyed before, but one we really hoped we would savour again and we hadn’t yet seen the sun come up!

However, with issues afar playing on our minds and a hard days work on top of the excesses of Robb’s birthday bash taking its toll, we were sadly destined not to see the sun come up, not least as the forecast was for a cloud filled start to Saturday, our time was well and truly up at Reverse. So waving goodbye to Steve, Minty, Oliver, Alessandro & Robb, who were still giving it some, we headed down to put our feet firmly back on the ground and head home to reflect on a party with a real difference.

So what made Reverse different, was it a success and were we as delighted with the reality as opposed to the expectation? Well, it is fair to say that the venue is amazing in terms of the views alone, but for us that was about it. The space is a converted office and in reality that’s just what it felt like. It was sparse of seating, short on toilet facilities, enough for an office yes, but woefully short for a club flowing with booze and full of party people. The dancefloor lighting was not much better than school disco standard and with our less than impressive entry to the club, there was much to lament on. However, where Reverse truly excelled, was in the music which was definitely different but delightfully so and one of the cornerstones of the Reverse psychology. The other element was in the lofty location and Paramount delivered that without question, providing the most spectacular views we have seen from any club, truly incredible.

With the turnout to the club and the amazing feedback following the event, there was no doubt that Reverse was a success and the ideology was certainly met in every way. However, in looking at the reality compared to the expectation for us, it didn’t quite hit the mark. Yes the views were awesome, yes the music was great and even the gay glitterati we mixed with made it for us, but the lack of club production which would have transformed the sterile office like space & the lack of atmosphere detracted from overall experience. Will Reverse survive? Well it certainly deserves to, just for the concept alone and with a planned party at Century in Shaftesbury Ave on the forthcoming Bank Holiday Monday, when sunrise will become sunset, we are sure it will. (DISCO MATT)

Robb's Birthday Bash - Special Review

ROBB’S BIRTHDAY BASH AT THE BOX – FRIDAY 15TH MAY 2009
SPECIAL REVIEW FOR DISCO MATT WEBISTES


With 2008 going out with a bang on the back of two mega birthday bashes and then the new year starting on the same vein, with a plethora of parties (seemingly every week), whether it be club or bar anniversary or a friends birthday, 2009 up till now has certainly been a year full of celebrations, and why not! So, it came as no surprise when yet another invitation came our way, this time an extra special birthday for an extra special friend, the choice was simple, attend, attend, attend!!

Since meeting him, Robb’s friendship was pretty much instant and genuine, always treating us like royalty when visiting him in club outings and is now very much part of the close bunch of friends we can call “family”, so it was a no brainer that we attended his special day of celebration, which started early with phone wishes and the tooting of a horn (our little secret!) which truly set the scene for a rip roaring evening of action. The question was, where? as Robb had left it to his better half to arrange, with just a couple of pre-requisites, but knowing his partner as we do, well the sky is generally the limit and we expected all the stops being pulled out.

So desperately arranging our evening ahead of a new club launch & trying our best to shake off a dreadful hangover from a wild night at Industri, we eventually made contact with Oliver to find that initial plans of grandeur, the rooftop of the Trafalgar Hotel no less, had been shunned for a V.I.P. area of audacity in The Box Bar, renowned on a Friday for having a special buzz & vibe, more akin to Robb’s liking. It was just a question whether his pre-requisites had been met as we, having well and truly cleared our hangover away at Rupert Street, sped home to change and then made a swift arrival at Box Bar’s doors, meeting friend Jeremy as planned.

The bar was already brimming with hedonist hopefuls, some using this classy & cosmopolitan space as a pre club outing, others making it an evening of entertaining sociality and with sexy staff and mesmemeric music, all in sumptuous surrounds, why not?! As Jeremy and I wandered through, well actually squeezed past the masses of people, we came across the birthday buy himself, dressed super smartly and already in the party mood, clutching a bottomless glass of champagne (just the way it should be) and greeting us in his usual friendly fashion and then pointing us in the direction of his posse of party heads in the corner of the bar. There, standing resplendent in amongst a whole collection of scene faces & friends, including the fabulous Romano, D.J. pal Alessandro, promoter extraordinaire Steve Elliot was, ofcourse, Oliver Mohns, who was clearly pleased to see us, grabbing us in a massive embrace, lifting us high into the air in a now characteristic welcome. Oliver, like Robb, has proven a real friend of friends, making us feel so special whenever we see him.

We just had to head for refreshments to kick start our evening, well put us in the party mood anyway and having been swiftly served, headed back to the corner which had been cleared for Robb’s exclusive use. With introductions to his family friends over we nestled into the circular seating space, sandwiched by Romano & Steve immersing ourselves in deep conversation with both, catching up on news of old (and new), remarking on the last Bank Holiday full of parties and looking forward to events on their way, Salvation, Matinee, but moreover our trip to Guy Williams’ in launch Reverse at Paramount which looked like the choice of many, not least as the dizzy heights of the club seemed to be a major attraction. Steve then introduced us to a friend, whom we immediately recognised from dancefloors of the past & from the days when we managed the Birdcage in Chiswick, which sprouted yet more reminiscing chat interspersed with meeting more familiar faces, including the magnificent Minty, an adorable addition to any gathering, who got the same rapturous welcome as we had had (apart for the up in the air bit!).

The Box was now well and truly alight, the music was mammoth and the bar buzzing with beautiful folk cramming into the seductive space to soak up the amazing atmosphere. Having rarely visited on a Friday, it was surprising to see how popular the place obviously was, although having been established for over 13 years, outstripping many of its competitors and offering a great alternative to the sometimes seedy style of Soho, its situation on Seven Dials, whilst a little off beaten track of choice, has an exclusive air about it and seems to draw the crème de la crème of the scene, gorgeous guys, Latino lovelies & party people out for a terrific time.

With the champagne truly flowing and the party mood at fever pitch, the only exception being a gatecrasher into our exclusive area who had the audacity of pinching our pint (well what’s one pint!), we let the night of naughtiness continue and with bottle after bottle of champagne hitting the table, with the conversation between Jeremy, Minty, Romano, Steve & us continuing at a pace, with the drink being dispensed in gigantic gulps rather than sizable sips, it was clear that if we kept up this pace we would be heading in one direction only. So, holding back and standing up we got an introduction to the Box Bar’s owner Frank, who had come across to join in the celebrations. This most interesting individual has clearly carved a quality driven niche for his bar and the whole place reeks of his character, laid back attitude and amazing attention to detail, not least in his tip top team of troops.

With the party running out of time rather than steam, the seemingly premature ending of eleven arrived far too quickly, although our excursion to Reverse was stalled by a final bottle of champagne to toast (yet again) Robb’s birthday, with Frank, Oliver & Steve & ofcourse the man of the moment raising their glasses with us, before heading off into the depths of a West End Friday to the next instalment of celebration at even more heady heights (literally).

So what did we think of The Box Bar and how did Robb’s birthday bash go down? Well, being exponents of Rupert Street & Barcode normally, it not only made a pleasant change to try something different, but we came away well and truly tantalised by the temptations of this vivacious venue on the edge of Covent Garden. Having only really visited on a Sunday, we were genuinely surprised how popular it was this Friday and seemingly so every Friday of the week, definitely the place to be seen and we like that!! As for Robb’s birthday bash, well a better place couldn’t have chosen to celebrate his special day, with compelling company & conversation, copious amounts of champagne superb surroundings mixed with magical music, we were privileged to be part of this steaming success of a pulsating party. And what better a way to see in a new decade of decadence, well Robb’s decade anyway, so all that’s left to say, if his starts the way ours did, it is definitely going to be naughty 40’s for him. (DISCO MATT)

Orange "Summer of Love" - Club Review

ORANGE “SUMMER OF LOVE” PART ONE – MONDAY 4TH MAY
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Every now and then comes the occasional surprise, something entirely unplanned but which often ends up being a real highlight, a delight & an experience not to forget. And as much as you could have planned for it, doing so would only serve to dampen the impact and ruin the surprise, but then if you had planned for it, then what would have been surprising about it in the first place.

Well, everybody likes surprises don’t they? well we know we do and this Bank Holiday certainly turned up one of the biggest surprises we have enjoyed in a long time, coming our way in the form of Orange “Summer of Love”, on our part a totally unplanned encounter and one we really didn’t expect to happen at all. But happen it did and looking back we are certainly glad for it, not regretting a minute, rather savouring every second of this summer surprise.

With what we thought was out final fill of the weekend ending with Matinee, our slow walk across Vauxhall towards our charge home saw us bumping into a clubbing pal who begged the question, which is a better choice Fire or Area? At 7 a.m. when after a plethora of clubs under our belt, we would normally have just carried on home, we were somehow intrigued that Area was open, surely it wasn’t Beyond, so what was going on? We certainly weren’t heading for Fire and suggested to our friend that Area would definitely be the better choice and decided to make our way over, with the mere intention of winding down from our exploits & nothing more.

However, upon arriving at Area’s doors and spotting the outside space full of revellers, it was clear that there was a pulsating party well & truly underway and with the security clearing our entrance, we stepped inside, waving at Jay Sharp Vokins, whom we had bumped into at most, if not all of our previous event outings, quickly finding a guest ticket being pushed into our hands (wow, that was a nice surprise!...maybe an indication of more to come). Making our way round past the usual coatcheck which was already full, we entered the main room and joined the queue for the impromptu coatcheck, which was up the stairs. Looking around, the room was absolutely packed with bare chested boys & gyrating girls dancing to the super speed sounds of The Sharp Boys (well we didn’t know it was them at the time but soon found out!), which served to raise our tempo in an instant.

So, with our bag safely stored away, we were keen to find out exactly what event we had landed ourselves upon, was it an extra Beyond? or just an impromptu post Fire party? But something in the back of our mind seemed to indicate that this may have been some sort of afterparty, was it Hustlaball’s?, well there were plenty of leather clad hunks around, but when a burst of none other than Steven React Sharp’s characteristic tones came wailing across the microphone in the main room, it suddenly clicked, could we be at some extra special Orange party? Well yes we were, as we spotted a poster on the wall by the main room bar, a D.J. listing with the heading “Orange Summer of Love” on it. My goodness, had we stumbled on a fire(esque) party, well yes, but being in Area it did have the feel of Beyond about it and at 8 a.m. in the morning, well that was good enough for us.

With the main room bursting with bodies, we wound our way around through the terrace bar and into the second room (commonly known as the “black” or “raw” room), to find a much more pleasantly filled space, a select crowd savouring some much more tougher & funkier sounds than the more uplifting offerings in the main room & terrace bar, these harder edged tunes being much more our style, as our energy levels received a further boost and we quickly found our pace. Looking across to the D.J. booth we spotted none other than D’Johnny behind the decks, delivering a set which was ten times stronger than we had enjoyed at Hype, this class act of a D.J. seemingly far more at home in the Area atmosphere, bopping beautifully in time with his track selections which had us dancing deliriously. It was evident that many who had partied beforehand, decided to continue their Bank Holiday in style, as we spotted & said hello to the likes of D.J’s Gabriele Cutrano, Lee Yeomans, Paul Coles, not to mention promoters Alex Erfan & Logan Schmitz, the latter on dancing duty (or so we understood), not to mention Matinee’s own Romano & Bam Bam, both who like us, were deviating on the wild side!!

As if D’Johnny’s music wasn’t enough to set our hearts alight, hardly moving from the second room for the remainder of his set, the arrival of Hi-Fi Sean Dickson only served to increase our temperature even more, as he assumed the decks and took us on a gigantic journey of terrific techhouse heaven, with track after track enthralling us and our select fellow followers, with amongst others a superb remix rendition of one of our favourite tracks “Get Busy”, which had us spellbound on our spot. With plenty of friendly and familiar faces continuing to pass us by, with the room emptying out a little, we tried our hand, first in the terrace bar and then in the main room, but nothing quite compared with Sean & Johnny and we kept returning to the second space to savour what was, for us something so special, not so much a surprise, but a tremendous treat.

Were there going to be more treats in store? well yes there were, as with 11 a.m. fast approaching, who else but the legend that is Steve Pitron would be stoking up proceedings in the main room, a place which for us truly belongs to him, right from the awesome Area launch party way back when, to the brilliant Beyond bashes of recent times. Moving into our favoured spot just shy of the D.J. booth and podiums, we slotted easily into Steve’s more upbeat musical magic, as he set about delivering a colossal collection of hands in the air heavenly house tunes, which well and truly set the room alight. With Area’s superb laser lighting in full swing, complimenting Steve’s stunning set, it was a classic Pitron performance which ensured we saw out the remainder of this outrageous Orange Summer of Love party in scintillating style. It was made even better by another surprise to round off our time, as Steve handed us a copy of his new double disc mix entitled “Addicted” (which, incidentally we haven’t been able to stop playing since), how appropriate as we were well and truly addicted to his set, like D’Johnny’s, much much better than at Hype and reassuringly so.

So, was Orange Summer of Love the surprise we said it was? Well, indeed yes and for many reasons too, not least that had we known, it would not have been our choice at all, but not just that, we were genuinely surprised by just how good it was, life is often full of surprises & this event was no exception. If you had blinked an eye, you could have mistaken it for a Beyond bash, well it had all those incredible ingredients and it did feel like it, with only the Orange signs reminding us it wasn’t and as for the music, well, we were certainly captivated by some superb sets, D’Johnny, Hi-Fi Sean & Steve Pitron really making our May Bank Holiday Monday morning memorable and the flock of familiar faces also helping us hold our head high in the knowledge, that yes, we were on what some would call foreign territory for us, but what the heck, if its is partying what the scene should be about and believe us, it should be, then Area in the hands of Orange certainly delivered.

In these days of competitive choices and seemingly loads of bitching between promoters & club owners, not to mention underhanded activities by certain individuals on the scene, isn’t it about time that we concentrated on what it should all be about? As someone quite rightly said, after all it’s just a Disco and whether it be Matinee, SuperMartXe, Salvation or Beyond, isn’t it time we just all got along? Yes, we draw a line somewhere, but that is our choice, however we don’t mind reporting on great parties, whoever may be involved, but will also reflect our views in an unbiased way, good or bad, despite opinions to the contrary. So, to the doubters of you as to our allegiances, Orange Summer of Love at Area was not only good but great and we loved it, so there! (DISCO MATT)

Matinee - Clube Review

MATINEE – SUNDAY 3RD MAY 2009
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


With another Bank Holiday comes lots of choices and there is no surprises in seeing all the big guns serving up offerings of some kind, whether it be choosing one particular brand as the focal point of activity, flexing or replicating a brand to attract similar attention, launching a new brand to truly entice, or relying on an existing brand to deliver on the back of tried & tested successes. Yes, May Day Bank Holiday was full of all of these variants, making for rich pickings & choices alike.

Deciding to stick with the winning formula, Matinee didn’t choose a special theme name, didn’t look to vary the format, didn’t embark on a new venture, but stuck with just Matinee, gelling all the successful elements that have proven this to be a popular choice of many. Mind you, some would say that choosing the same venue, the same D.J’s the same performances & the same timings was not a wise choice, but then it always delivered before, so why not now. So did Matinee deliver and was it a success?

Despite having a hectic schedule of events to attend, our weekend wouldn’t have been complete without a homage to Matinee, even though we were destined to split our experience this time round, into the earlier & later parts of the 12 hour extravaganza, due to commitments to another event which beckoned our call. So, with this in mind, we made an earlier than usual trip to & arrival at super club Colosseum’s doors at just turned 11 p.m., being greeted, as usual, by the hostess with the mostest, Minty, braving the windy conditions, clutching her clipboard of guest lists and online ticket bookings, with a smattering of people waiting to be ticked off and released into the club. We said our usual hello’s, quickly catching up on matters since we had last seen each other just three days before at Industri, but with us promising to return with warming shots of Sambuca and with our tight schedule pressures coming down to bear, we sped into the club to fit in as much as we could on our first of two visits.

Once inside, we dropped off most of our excessive belongings, holding onto our jacket for our impending sprint across Vauxhall and ascended the stairs, passed through the Riverview bar and into the main room, which was virtually devoid of bodies, but then it was still very early. It was immediately clear that the team had decided to change around the format in this space, with the D.J. booth re-assuming its original spot at the back of the room, the vacated space given back to the clubbers to dance on & the stage area set aside for the P.A. & go-go dancing performances. With the return of the podiums in the middle of the room and the added inclusion of the now famed neon lighting, we glanced across to see the familiar figure & silhouette of Oliver Mohns, who was gracing the D.J. decks for the first time in many a Matinee event. Bouding up, he spotted us and beckoned us round the side and up onto the D.J. booth which had yet more magnificent neon lighting, in the form of a brightly lite floor, adding to the incredible look of the whole area. Oliver grabbed us in a huge embrace, lifting us high into the air in a, by now, typical welcome (we love it!) and was great to see him, not only just to see him, but to see him back where he belonged, behind the decks, pumping out chunky tech infused & euro style house tunes, the epitomy of the Matinee style, as the crowd began to build.

Leaving Oliver to his devices and venturing backstage to catch up on the Fierce International crew, it was clear we were too early as they were no-where to be found, so, instead, ventured round to our favoured space, the V.I.P. room, where Brent Nicholls was in situ, in an uncharacteristically early slot for him, but like us, he had other commitments to fulfil. Finding the doors between the main room and this “second” space locked, we went in search of one of the event organisers to get them opened and returning back to Brent, catching up on lots of news (never gossip…us) before venturing off back through the main room, which was filling nicely, out past the Riverview bar, on the way arming us with the promised shots of Sambuca for Minty and with our re-entrance to the club arranged, as well as our hostess warmed from her shots, we departed on our other duties.

Now, it is far to say that we missed out on most of the main activities at this Matinee excursion, the superb P.A. performance from Clarence, which were told was a triumph, the fabulous Fierce International dancers who never fail to dissapoint, but also Matinee superstar D.J. Lydia Sanz, not our favourite we have to say, but an accomplished talent nevertheless. Despite having been absent for the time we were, upon our return, it was clear that a good time was being had by all, as we caught the tail end of Lydia’s set, with the main room pulsating with action, although it seemed that the chillout areas were just as popular as we struggled round to the VIP room, as the doors between the two dance spaces were still annoyingly locked (how many times do you have to tell someone!!!). There we found Alessandro behind the decks pushing out his characteristic mix of big floor anthems & progressive tech infused house tracks, all craftily blended. By all accounts the room had been quite busy, with the usual buzzy atmosphere, although, when we arrived there was just a smattering of folk enjoying Alessandro’s tunes.

So, it was back into the main room for us, where Lydia Sanz had given up to scene favourite Paul Heron, who set about delivering a delirious concoction of amazing funky, chunky, electro & tech house headliners, which had the room pounding & pumping. There were still plenty of revellers out to enjoy this Bank Holiday extravaganza, as we spotted Fierce Intl supremo, the lovely Mark M Forms, who gave us a hearty hug and then enquired as to our whereabouts earlier. We felt a little guilty for being absent for the shows & the P.A., on top of missing him at the last Matinee party, but it was good to see him relaxing & having a good time with his Spanish friend and also with a few of the dancers still in tow, not to mention the fab Romano, who seemed bursting with energy just like us.

With Paul having finished a superb set and popping across to say hello (it had seemed like ages since we had seen him – well at least a week anyway!), with Minty flashing by and Oliver also watching over an emptying main room, Saki took over the decks, going back to back with Alessandro in an attempt to hold the crowd. We did our best to stay the distance, but with just a handful of hedonists and already five (now 6) clubs under our belt, decided to call it a day, waving farewell to Colosseum & Matinee for another weekend, slipping into a somewhat chilly Vauxhall Bank Holiday Monday morning at just turned 7 a.m.

So, what did we think of the latest Matinee instalment. Well, we have to be fair in saying that as we missed the lion’s share of the evening, it is difficult to comment, apart from the bits we savoured. The team had certainly gone to a lot of effort to change around the look of the main room and the new D.J. booth and stage area set up did look wonderful. By all accounts it was busy at its peak, but arriving early as we did, Colosseum did feel strangely empty, even if the crowd was building when we left for our excursion. Upon our return, it was fair to say that it was far from full, but you could sense the usual Matinee party atmosphere everything that goes with it. However, you could also sense that with other events going on, maintaining a crowd through to 11 a.m. was always going to be a struggle and it was.

Nevertheless in the split times we were there, we had a terrific time, especially in the hands of Paul Heron, who played out a scintillating set to rival any we enjoyed over the weekend. It seems that for us music was definitely the answer this Bank Holiday and yet again and this brilliant talent did us proud. Add to that the ever welcoming Evolved Events team of people, Oliver, Robb, Malcolm (Bubbles) Minty & co, not to mention the fab Mark M Forms & his Fierce crew, how can you not walk away with a smile on your face and we certainly did. (DISCO MATT)

Hustlaball 2009 - Club Review

HUSTLABALL LONDON 2009 – SUNDAY 3RD MAY
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


It comes as no surprise that we have dabbled in the daringly darker side of the scene, you know the sort of thing, damp and dinghy basement venues where sex (shock, horror!) was the by-word of the day (and that’s just where we used to work!!), but stretching back over the years, the scene has been littered with those sorts of places, when gay activity was pushed underground, in most cases literally, some more risqué than others but most if not all failing to survive the test of time. So, the thought of an upfront, above ground & overt event evoking everything that was, how did we say, daringly darker & sexy, would attract such attention and dare we say a massive dollop glamour & glitz to match, would be a surprise indeed.

However, that’s exactly what Hustlaball has created, not only has it developed a reputation for being deep, dark & overt, but it has, along the way, attracted all the trappings of everything you come to expect from a glamorous gAylisting event, star studded scene faces and star studded studs, in this case the crème de la crème of porn stars, creating a truly compelling combination that is unrivalled amongst equals and all in not an underground, dark & dingy basement, but only in one of London’s bigger clubbing venues that has sported such great events such as Action, Factor 25 & more latterly Gay Roller Disco, to mention just a few.

So, it goes without saying that we weren’t going to miss this one and with the prospect of a special signing at Prowler by porn director & larger than life glamour puss Chi Chi La rue, with her gaggle of porn stars, including Johnny Hazzard, Steve Cruz & Matthew Rush, followed by a superb pre-party at Soho’s favourite social sanctuary, Rupert Street, with non other than the magnificent Mattias (woof, woof!) controlling the D.J. decks this proved to just the warm up to the main event we were hoping it would be. With Hustlaball videos playing out on the big screens and gorgeous go-go’s gyrating on the bar, the night went off with a bang, not least caused our friend Franck (you know, the one from that infamous trip to SuperMatXe) creating mayhem with us & other pal Terry meaning poor old Mattias didn’t know where to put himself (don’t ask), but then with sex & seductiveness being the theme, why not!!

With our entrance to the main event pretty much guaranteed and with talk of it being a sell-out, we made our way round to the Renaissance rooms, just after midnight, being greeted at the V.I.P. entrance by the lovely Marky B, who always gives us a welcome to rival any, although it seemed on this occasion he had his hands well and truly full controlling the gigantic guest list. However, we were soon inside and in an attempt to drop our belongings in the V.I.P. coatcheck, were, instead, sent in search of the main drop off. Mind you, it gave us the opportunity to not only take a wander round the venue, but also get lost in the maze of corridors and openings, winding round and finally reaching our destination. With our jacket safely stored away, we were main room bound squeezing through & past the already brimming Hard On! room (well, no raunchy party would be without it), spotting D.J. Hi-Fi Sean in charge of the decks. Having said hello to him among a bunch of other friendly faces, we eventually made it into a packed to brimming main space, full of an amazing mix of horny hunks, leather clad lads, muscle mary’s & glamorous gAylisters, all rubbing shoulders in superb style.

Making our way through the crowd, we spotted more familiar faces, including Gabriele Cutrano (who was due to D.J. later), Stewart Who? (who had already done so) and Clone Zone pals Rob & Keith. Then, swinging right round the dancefloor we bumped into Ian from Industri and close friend Stephen, who, like many, had their eyes fixated on the main stage as proceedings were getting underway. With porn star after porn star being introduced by the M.C. coupled with an interesting live performance by Massive Ego & Polly, drenched in pyro technical and lighting heaven, followed by a series of sexy and seductive stage shows, some truly eye popping, others involving implements we can only imagine in use in the bedroom (anyone use a melon as an erotic sex tool?) but each & every display making a real impact with the crowd, each artist bringing their own dimension of horny hedonism to the room. All that was left round off the amazing atmosphere were progressive & raunchy sounds which were delivered by a collection of D.J. stars including Mattias, & Leomeo, although for us the music, particularly mid event, didn’t quite do it.

Being distinguished guests of chief organiser Alex Erfan, it was the V.I.P. room where we really wanted to be, so finding our way to the entrance, we showed a special wristband and were released up the stairs and into the exclusive space. With our late arrival much of the laid on canopies, champagne and other goodies were long gone, but the scene celebrities certainly weren’t, with the likes of host Jodie Harsh, legendary pin-up Aiden Shaw, dance troupe team leader Chris Geary, Hard On! heiress Susie Kruger & U.K. pint size porn star Christian Torrent, together with cuties, hunks & others who had forked out the considerable cost of this exclusivity, it felt really special up there. And with the prospect of attendance of all the porn stars to entertain, some ascending the bar to display their delectations, this was definitely going to be the place to be. Looking across to the D.J. booth, we spotted the trim & taut torso of Phil Hewson, busy laying down some incredibly uplifting funky, chunky & tough tainted tunes that had us captivated from the moment we made our entry. It was fair to say that we weren’t the only ones, with a whole bunch of blokes dancing away adding to the already amazing atmosphere, his set proving a real highlight of our evening, indeed of our weekend.

And it was this space where we continued to see out most of the remainder of our stay, only occasionally sinking downstairs round the main floor & the Hard On! room, both continuing to pump with activity, but the draw of Phil’s phenomenal playlist, which was, for us, head & shoulders over the rest, kept drawing us back with incredible regularity. With his awesome 3 hour set over, the fun continued with scene star Brent Nicholls taking up the reigns where Phil had left off, entrapping us with favourite tune, one after the other, seeing out our Hustlaball happening in superb style. But with other clubbing commitments, time was against us and we had to tear ourselves away to further exploits across Vauxhall.

So, was Hustlaball the huge success expected? And what was our take on the tantalising temptations? Well, it is fair to say that from the numbers alone, the answer to the success question has to be yes and indeed with the amount of familiar faces we came across, it was clearly the choice of many over the more mainstream offerings. This may account for the fact that brawn & porn still attracts and mixing it in with a bit of glam & glitz does prove to be the winning formula, so rather than pushing sex & seductiveness behind tightly closed doors, but shouting it from the rooftops seems to be the way to go. And it certainly worked, not least reflected in the huge amount of publicity & sponsorship the event attracted.

As for the tantalising temptations, it was clear that much was on offer with revealing shows and plenty of raunch, but for us, they served merely to interrupt our dancing & socialising. If you were into sexy shows you were definitely in heaven, but we seem to have grown out of it and found them quite boring (getting old & prudish? maybe!) coupled with the music in the main room that never really set the space alight. However, in the Hard On! room, the winning formula of this club won out, being the most popular space of the night, although for us, it was the upstairs space that was the winner. Having moved on from our daringly darker side, we savoured the sanctum of the V.I.P. lounge, yes a select crowd, but the gAylist crowd we have come love & enjoy rubbing shoulders with, but as we so often say “music is the answer” & it was here with a massive performance by Phil Hewson, that made our night extra special, so Hustlaball, you have a winner here. (DISCO MATT)

Famous - Club Review

“FAMOUS” – SUNDAY 3RD MAY 2009
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Now we all like the thought of being famous, but fame comes in many guises and indeed what is fame? Is it being a famous person, a celebrity, or maybe just someone that is known by many for what they do, known within the circles they mix, maybe known on the gAylist scene, yes, we all have our idea of fame and being Famous.

So when you are asked the question, do you want to be Famous, only if for 15 minutes?, would you say yes?, well we certainly did, when this very prospect was landed on our doorstep, with a new club launch called, yes you guessed it, Famous. Brought to us by the people behind none other than Salvation and at the swanky centrally located venue, Floridita in Soho’s Wardour Street, it was not just that attracted us, but set that at the socially sensible time of 5 p.m. till midnight, well how could we say no?

So, with only a wee Disco nap after a busy Saturday into Sunday, we headed into town and up to a so far undiscovered venue, not far from Lo-Profile, very easy to find, with a wide entrance and very welcoming security staff, we were inside in a trice. With only a small hiccup with the guestlist to negotiate, we were through & past the coatcheck, being greeted & given the royal treatment by the man himself, Steve Elliot, who clearly was busy, busy, busy, but certainly had the time to not only guide us in, but show us around the top floor, before getting on with his business. And it was this most sumptuous tip top space where we enjoyed the first part of the “Famous” experience, with a gorgeous mix on true gAylist socialites, none of your trashy end tat here, moreover a glittering array of good lookers, glamorous gays, guys & girls as well as sassy scene faces, including Chris Geary, Pier Morrocco & Alessandro, who all took the time to say hello. But the hello’s didn’t stop there, as a whole array of faces, some recognisable, others not, walked up to greet us. So was this to be our 15 minutes of fame? well maybe. With D.J. Minx warming up the crowd with some uplifting funky house, we armed ourselves with refreshments in anticipation of what was to come.

And come it did, as the reasonable crowd began to disappear down the sweeping staircase, yes a stylist and seductive entrance to the downstairs place, but not quite the opulence & overtness of the Café De Paris comparison, but fabulous nevertheless. Once down the staircase, drinks in hand and having had the paparazzi click us in motion, we found respite by the lengthy and well stocked bar at the front of the room and watched as the gathering masses began to brave the dancefloor, grooving & moving to the equally groovy & gigantic house mixes that D.J. MisWhite was laying down. From her elevated position, she could oversee all the action and it was clear that she was in pole position to build on the atmosphere, with brilliant track after track, which certainly hit the spot with many and certainly us, less commercial, more funk, less mainstream, more unique and so much more our style than in previous outings.

There seemed to be more familiar faces appearing, some from years gone by, a true reflection of the appeal & draw that Steve Elliot and Salvation(esque) parties tend to attract, making it feel quite special. We spotted Industri pal, Matt Kruger, on duty sadly, but looking superbly smart nevertheless, although it was a shame he wasn’t allowed to sport the fantastic kilts that the gaggle of go-go’s were wearing, some looking jaw droppingly gorgeous, certainly providing the eye candy required and many being most attentive to the crowds desires (now, now, nothing filthy here!!), adding that extra dimension to the nights proceedings. So, with Pier Morrocco still in close attendance and discussions a plenty about who the night would pan out, not least that poor old Gonzalo, who was lined up to D.J. later, had bitten more off the weekend that he could chew and may not be arriving (I don’t know… these youngsters just can’t handle the pace!!), the arrival of Oliver Mohns and Robb Williams served to inject yet more excitement into our evening and maybe another reason to grab a moment of fame!

With Steve in attendance, we, along with Oliver, Robb, & Pier were ushered into the exclusive V.I.P. space, to savour a quadrangular room of quality and class, that was very much the epitome of Floirdita, from the fabulous first floor, right through to the bohemianly styled basement, which made for the most amazing space for Famous and, if it be said, many more gAylist offerings, so clean, so presentable and exuding style in bucket loads. As we caught up with Oliver, Robb & Pier more, we were introduced to the organiser of Salvation Paris (you know how bad we are remembering names…sorry forgot his), who was keen to get to know us (not like that naughty!), so was this another moment of fame?

With Oliver & Robb off to organise their own event and Pier about to take over the D.J. decks from MisWhite, we moved back into the main room to savour the fabulous Famous atmosphere, with the crowd building, if a little slower than expected, but with the quality never diminshed. However, one thing was for sure,the heat was certainly being turned up by Pier, who, as he had at Matinee La Leche, grabbed the audience with his charismatic collection of progressive, chunky, and tougher edged tech house tracks combined with tunes of the now, which had even the tamest of dancefloor dollies, gyrating away. With the kilt clad go-go’s taking to the stage in front of the D.J. booth to excite the experience, definately did that and the evening was now well & truly alight, with a continuing number of hopefuls swinging down the staircase to grab their fill of Famous. However, with a hectic schedule ahead of us, our moment of fame was well & truly up and as we waved farewell to Pier, to Matt and then caught up with Steve, to discuss the merits of the night, we had to then make our leave, heading of to our next clubbing appointment south of the river.

So what did we think of Famous as a venture and did we get our moment of fame? Well, the event had all the ingredients of a high quality affair, matched in everyway by the classy crowd, by the magnificent music and by the fantastic Floridita venue. However, with everything in place, the one thing the event lacked was numbers through the door. So why didn’t the all the build up and talk match the popularity on the night? Well, if you look back to the last bank holiday, it has become starkly clear that like then, people were very picky with their choices, as we said then, there were winners & there were losers. On this occasion however, we would say that Famous was not a loser. Yes, the numbers were quite low, but we can guarantee that everyone that was there had a superb time.

However, it may have down to the recent problem of making a t-dance timed event work. In days of old, remember Factor 25? it definitely worked, but times they have changed and whoever takes on this tricky task needs to tread carefully in our view. Famous deserves the right to succeed in whatever form it decides upon & in the hands of Steve Eliot we are certain it will, for our support it will definitely get. As for our 15 minutes of fame, well, we think we achieved it in more ways than one (DISCO MATT)

"Hype" - Club Review

“HYPE” – SATURDAY 2ND MAY 2009
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN



Well, with our weekend already off to a healthy start, what with a 12th Birthday celebration in Soho, followed by our weekly homage to Industri, then a pre-party bash, we were very much looking forward to our Saturday night, on so many occasions being “super” Saturday, but perhaps with the second Bank Holiday of the year upon us (so soon!?!), would Saturday prove to be the lost relation in a longer than usual weekend?

Ever since news of “Hype” hit our desks, we have, perhaps like many others, anticipated what certainly, well as far as the billing was concerned anyway, seemed a party to rival the success of bigger sister SuperMartXe. Indeed, with the ingredients looking much the same, it was surely destined for success, but as sometimes is the case, to much of a good thing can run against the form, despite all best intentions. So was “Hype” a case in point? Well, what do you think!?!

Having warmed ourselves up in the usual way, with a trip to Barcode Soho, in the hands of you know who and with pal Stephen accompanying us, our Saturday certainly got off to a healthy start, just the warm up we wanted and which has always done the trick, providing a superb curtain raiser to an amazing night at The Coronet. And it was Elephant & Castle where we were bound, arriving at the doors of “Hype’s” home at our now usual fashionably late time of nearly an hour past midnight. Now, we were expecting a bit of a queue, but having been kindly put onto a list, we didn’t have to wait long at all and with the security checks safely negotiated, paid our dues (a tad on the expensive side for a concessions list we thought!!) and then found our way to the outside(ish) coatcheck, where again a wait was expected, but on this occasion (a Coronet first!), nothing of it.

So, into the main room we sped, to find it, we have to say, far from full, in fact looking around we reckoned not more than 600 people, many looking very Fire like (oh dear!), but with a smattering of Matinee or should we say SuperMartXe faithful's, wanting to get their piece of this, how was it explained now?, a “Limited Edition” event, with the aim to be much more about the music and the P.A. performances rather than the big style stage settings and shows. Indeed, with the D.J. booth taking prime spot on the massive stage front and an elevated area in the middle of the dancefloor, it seemed to have all the trappings of what had been promised., what was it again, oh yes, the music and the P.A., well remembered!

We found our way down to the front of the massive main room, in no way the usual feat of squeezing past seething bodies, moreover a easy journey hardly impeded, where we spotted scene legend Steve Pitron in control of the decks. Now, in years gone by, with so many heady Crash & Beyond parties under our belt, perhaps we were expecting great things of this incredible D.J. talent, and maybe that’s where we went wrong, as, if we were being honest, Steve’s performance was a little on the average side, maybe perhaps due to the fact that he was first on, or that our expectations were running a little too high. Nevertheless, we made the most of his set, finding our pace with relative ease, even though we had plenty of room to stretch our legs (we do like our dancing space). With a few familiar faces around us, some spotting us as Disco Matt, others just plain old Matt, we did feel somewhat at home, even if the atmosphere was not quite as electric as we had anticipated it would be and so it was that we saw out the remainder of Steve’s set, without leaving our spot, working ourselves into the “Hype” rhythm as only we knew best.

With Steve’s set over and the D.J. reigns handed over to Spanish & Matinee import, Rafa Ariza, who took the music on an altogether much tougher & euro style direction, we took a moments respite back up towards the bar, which actually felt busier than the dancefloor. It was evident that the crowd was building considerably and with friendly faces a plenty, including Clington Forbes, Cliff Jackson (he was loving the music) and Clinton Goldsmith, as well as a much more SuperMartXe feeling audience up here, we pondered on a return to the dancefloor proper for a while. Standing immediately behind the massive lighting & effects enclosure, it was a perfect place to see the full magnitude of this gigantic Coronet space and, just what a task lay ahead to fill it. Indeed it was fair to say that the effects were magnificent, albeit sometimes on the bright side, exposing the empty spaces below us.

Having made our presence felt with organiser Logan (who had his hands full preparing for the impending show), with a burst of pyrotechnics out came P.A. Rebekka Brown, who just days ago had celebrated her birthday, to attempt to ignite the atmosphere and crowd, in her inimitable fashion, with a string of anthems including her new track, “Don’t let this moment end”. This heralded the arrival & joining on the centre performing island, floating above the dancefloor, of violinist extraordinaire, Micah, with his powerful acoustic instrument and amazing neon lit bow, cutting an impressive stride next to Rebekka, complimenting both her vocals and the house beats pumping out, quite brilliantly. This proved to be, not one, not two, but three appearances by the duo, clearly on strict orders to get the party motoring, just the way that SuperMartXe had been so great in achieving before now.

Now we were well and truly into our stride, although it has to be said, given the smaller crowd, we felt the music was a little on the tough side and was holding some back from the full on dancefloor vibe, with only shades of truly hands in the air house favourites to lighten the mood. So, this kind of signalled our somewhat restless to-ing & fro-ing between the dancing expanse and the more elevated & comforting bar area, where we got the chance to catch up with Steve Pitron, see incumbent D.J. D’Johnny as well as Industri & Matinee pals, Sofie & Romano, amongst others, like us savouring, the “Hype” journey that was being laid out in front of us. Arming ourselves with much needed energy & assistance boosts, we ventured back down to where we started the evening, with a number of people asking of our supposed valuable view of proceedings (quite flattering really), pointing our focus onto what we were going to report.

With the night wearing on and Rafa Ariza eventually giving way to homegrown talent Mr D’Johnny, our anticipation levels never really reached our expectations and, yet again, like both the music maestro’s before him, D’Johnny only monetarily showed sparks of true house hedonism, with a track of the moment, which would have gone down a storm had the crowd been there to enjoy it. However, with only small pockets of the dancefloor remaining busy and the bar area now feeling considerably diminished of bodies, it didn’t! and, despite our best intentions to see out the remainder of the nights delights, called in our early bath ticket, at just before 6 a.m., sliding into the grasp of a chilly early May morning and home to ponder on a night that, in some (well in lots actually) respects, didn’t quite do it for us.

So what was all the “Hype” about? Well we don’t know really. Feeling from the outset that it was trying hard to emulate the SuerMartXe feel of success, for some reason it didn’t hit the mark. Was it because, as we have said before, Saturday, on a Bank Holiday weekend, is the poor relation? Was it that many were holding back, saving their pennies for the rich pickings of Sunday? Or was it, as we suspected, that many had seen “Hype” as a money making exercise, rather than an extension of the SuperMartXe success story, with all the trappings looking curiously the same, yet not delivering! Were we too “hyper” critical, we think not, as whilst many reported enjoying the experience, we, as always, have reflected our personal opinion, for what it is worth.

On reflection, if “Hype” is to take-off as the promoter wishes, in our view, it has to be a very “Limited Edition” and targeted perhaps in a time when there is genuine desire by the faithful to give it the support it deserves. There is no doubt that, when full, the theatre space that is the Cornet works, but on this occasion it only served to detract from the atmosphere. There were so many elements that should have worked, yet didn’t and we only hope that the audience has not been put off and that the “Limited Edition Hype” and it doesn’t become a one-off!! We guess only time will tell on that score (DISCO MATT)

Rupert Street 12th Birthday - Review

RUPERT ST. BAR 12TH BIRTHDAY – THURSDAY 30TH APRIL REVIEW FOR RUPERT STREET & DISCO MATT WEBSITE(S)


With one of the biggest & most diverse scenes of any capital city, not to mention clubs & bars spread right across London, certain areas have tended to come & go in the trendsetting & popularity stakes, but you can pretty much guarantee that Soho still attracts the lions share of gAylist following, at least on the bar front, with a vast array on offer, all within a hop, skip & jump of eachother, but with some proving more popular than others, Rupert Street being one such bar, ideally located in the heart of the action.

Since is launch in 1997, the venue has achieved incredible popularity and has carved an amazing niche in this most vibrant and hectic urban area. It has also, for us, been a guiding force in our socialising spheres, with many new friends made, old friendships cemented and a whole host of familiar faces continuing to touch our lives. We have seen the crowd mix change, sometimes as often as the staff and management, but in the current steership of Cathy, the bar has truly settled into a purple patch of popularity with the most relaxing and engaging cosmopolitan & metrosexual mix of customers we have seen in its twelve year history.

So, we just had to get ourselves down to Soho to celebrate Rupert Street 12th in the business and made our way into town for the planned start at 8 p.m. a little in advance for a change. A balmy spring evening in Central London generally tends to drive drinkers & socialites out onto the streets to wallow in alfresco audacity and tonight was no exception, with, despite all the frustrating Thames Water works (not again!!) interrupting the space outside the bar, it didn’t seem to stop people from gathering, with out feeling much busier than in.

Bur it was inside that got our attention as Rupert Street’s resident D.J., Alessandro was about to commence duties but took time out before his set to catch up with us on news of the last few days since we had met. He also mentioned that Oliver Mohns was in the vicinity, so spurned on with the excitement of his arrival, popped outside momentarily, where the engaging figure of the man, had arrived. We immediately bounded up to him, receiving Oliver’s now classic hug, as he swept us off our feet, raising us high into the air (no mean feat, even though we have lost excessive weight).

Back inside, and it was clear the planned Mexican theme was underway, perhaps with all the news of flu bill boarded everywhere, seemed somewhat untimely, but then you can never plan for those sort of things can you?! Mind you, the staff were all well turned out, some even sporting flu masks (how comical) to make the most of it and with frozen Margarita’s, bottles of Corona & hoards of Tequila shots on offer, it certainly got the night off on the right footing, especially those frozen Margarita’s, strengthened by some crafty extra shots to give the drink a real kick.

As the crowds in the bar continued to swell, some maybe not aware of the birthday celebrations, others here for that very reason, with Alessandro pumping our a heady concoction of heavenly house floor fillers, the atmosphere in one of our most favourite bars (some remarking is as our home?! how dare you!) was well and truly alight, with the evening only going from strength to strength with the arrival of Industri pals Jeremey & David, further enhanced when close friend & confidante, Stephen, graced our presence. Oliver, by this time was taking a back seat to our affections, catching up with other adorning folk around, including Manager Cathy, who whisked him downstairs to do something (don’t ask & don’t be so rude to even think about it!). All the time, we engaged in conversation with our Industri mates, especially Stephen, who was to prove just the support we needed later on in the evening (all will become clear) and our safety in numbers buffer for a delicate situation to encounter.

With the continuing party vibe erupting across Rupert Street, it was nearly time for the big event, well the parading of a massive cake, heralding the twelve yardstick years Rupert Street has irrevocably influenced the Soho scene and everyone knew exactly what the cake symbolised (well nearly everyone that is) as a promoter, who will remain un-named for sake of his pity, turned round and said “Who’s Birthday is it?!” Well, we were in hysterics in what, on the surface, seemed an entirely innocent comment, but then surely he knew what the night was about? Well maybe too many frozen Margarita’s had clouded his short term memory. However, it was highly amusing nevertheless and served to only increase the heady heights on what was already an electric atmosphere.

With Oliver’s departure, both Stephen & I glanced at our respective time pieces and decided on a time of departure ourselves, as we had our regular weekly homage south of the river to consdier, in the knowledge, that for us at least, this was a day and a time we had been somewhat dreading and nervous of reaching, given the magnitude of our plight with a D.J. that had, so we were told, taken considerable offence to an innocent remark posted on our favourite social networking site. Nevertheless, this in no way, detracted from the ecstatic evening we had enjoyed in Rupert Street and had we not committed to Industri, would have stayed the distance in Soho, albeit a blessing that we didn’t as by all accounts the team partied well after closing, even hitting Vauxhall and the trappings of a late night (in some cases) an early morning club.

Well, did Rupert Streets 12th Birthday bash live up to expectations? Well yes it did and in many ways more so, not least for the magical musical mastery of Alessandro, the truly compelling company in our midst, Oliver & Stephen proving real highlights, but moreover the amazing atmosphere that will have us going back for more (not that we really need an excuse, do we?). So, we raise a glass, overflowing with praise & adoration for a venue that has a unique part in, not just our lives, but we suspect many, who see the easily elegant, yet never overstated opulence attraction of this most special of bars.

Cathy and her team have certainly made Rupert Street what it is today, a relaxing, attitude free, comfortably pleasant, enjoyably exciting place to be. With superb bar boys like Vlad, Luca, John (well the whole team actually) making us always feel welcome, we can only see that the venue will continue to head in an upwards direction in the popularity stakes and with resident D.J’s complementing the offer & appeal, we believe the bar has really found its home in the hearts of many, it certainly has ours and we love it! Here’s to many more birthdays just like this one (DISCO MATT)