TRADE – PRIDE 09 “THE AFTERHOURS” – SUNDAY 5TH JULY
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
Now, there has always been something really appealing about clubbing on a Sunday morning, it is a feeling of being quite devilish, striking out against the proletariat and in a sense entering territory where our straight cousins would probably fear to tread. We like equal rights of course but there is no denying that we like to be different in many ways, our clubbing being one area where we love setting the trend. It is certainly true that gAylist/land London has done that, especially in afterhours terms, with clubs over the years that have truly captured the imagination, whether it be A.M. (well it was a Saturday morning), Crash (the afterhours version of course) and probably our favourite, Beyond (in all of its incarnations). But there is one that separates itself from all of these with sheer iconic status.
Yes, we are talking about Trade, a club that has had a bigger influence on our lives than many others put together and a club that is synonymous the afterhours experience and all that comes with it. Ever since its launch back in 1990, it has been groundbreaking for a whole host of reasons and even since its weekly demise at Turnmills, has continued to capture the imagination with a series of parties in various venues & locations (who can forget the 18th Birthday celebration), so it was no surprise that the team would be rolling out another special event for London Pride. But this was to be no ordinary outing as in securing Ministry of Sound (MOS), Trade was certainly aiming high and making a real statement of intent, fusing what is probably the most iconic gay club with a legendary straight venue.
Right from the moment it was announced, this was going to be one party we were definitely not going to miss, securing our ticket weeks in advance to avoid disappointment and setting plans in stone with our clubbing buddy Joel, even though, at the time and having never visited, there was much debate about the actual location of MOS (not in Greenwich..silly us!!). With that little problem ironed out & with plans to be at SuperMartXe beforehand, when 6 a.m. came, it was just a hop skip & jump up to Trade’s temporary home, in the company of pals Alessandro & Chris, who were debating whether to hit the club or head home (they were tired but strangely had other things on their minds, dirty birdies!!). Joining the expectant queue and spotting Minty & beau, we whiled away our wait catching up on news since we had last met.
As we got closer to the entrance, our anticipation & excitement grew and in some ways took us back to those heady days of queuing at Turnmills, and when we finally made it in, we could hardly wait to investigate the club, but paused for a moment to make rendezvous plans with our friend who had just risen & was making tracks towards this latest of Trade temptations. We were now ready to take in the most awaited event of the year so far and entering the main room, could already get a sense of an exceptional experience to come. Whilst MOS, like other clubs, is based under arches, there was an incredible sense of space in the main room and with the party stretching over four different floors, was definitely sizable and we were then curious as to which room was what. So spotting a poster on the wall which answered our questions, the main room (so called) acting as (in Trade terms) the lite lounge, the Box Room (so called) acting as (in Trade Terms) the main room, with the addition of two extra spaces sporting the two ends of the clubs music spectrum, the Baby Box room serving up toughened head banging hard house & the loft offering a much more relaxing vibe, the D.J’s being an obvious pointer as to which room was what. And then there was the terrace, an outside space which was all set to deliver an alfresco avalanche of music mayhem as a retreat from the indoors insanity, well that was the plan anyway.
So, with our bearings well and truly rooted, we decided to settle on the main room to begin with and it was no time at all before we found our grove next to the D.J. booth where Jonny M was kick starting the hedonism with an uplifting string of sounds. Like us, many that were arriving were also finding their bearings, wandering through the main room and then heading off in all directions, but in amongst the movement we spotted out Guy Williams who came over to say hello, chatting a while and then pondering on proceedings before taking his place behind the D.J. booth. By now our pal Joel had arrived and wanted to track down a friend of his, so took us with him in search, heading into the Box Room which was already full with revellers soaking up the tougher tunes, much more Trade like, being dished out by Kammishake.
As Joel had now linking up with his friend, we left them to their devices, returning to the main room, not wanting to miss out on Guy’s set and we certainly were not to be disappointed as he laid down a heap of heavenly hard edged tech house tracks, so characteristic of his style and much more to our liking. Really finding our pace, we sank into the amazing atmosphere he was developing and with the huge screens above the bar flashing up classic Trade visuals, adding to the laser lighting swirling around the space, we were in pure ecstasy. With Joel back with us and familiar faces a plenty passing by, including Hook’d promoter Paul Beauchamp, D.J’s Hi-Fi Sean & Paul Coles, Clington Forbes, Lee Yeomans, Max Sanna, Tamsin Roberts, we felt at home and they all kept coming & going, no surprise really as, like us, they didn’t want to miss out on anything. But, with four rooms in full swing, we couldn’t be everywhere at once, although with Nick Tcherniak setting the Box room alight, Gary H creating mayhem in the Baby Box room & Kate Lawler up in the Loft room, we were spoilt for choice and quality choice at that. But so good was Guy, we just couldn’t tear ourselves away and when Mr Williams was replaced by Mr Heron, it seemed we were destined not to move from this main room come lite lounge.
But it was time to sample some more of the Box room delights and with Nick & partner Tom hijacking us away from the main room while Joel was refuelling & refreshing himself, we found ourselves in amongst the Box room badness where Pagano was in full steam, whipping up a frenzy in advance of the special P.A. by Stewart Who, performing the collaboration track “Back To the Future” and then giving way to Logan’s troupe of dancers to continue the entertaining. But, the heat and pace was a little too much for us, so we decided to grab some fresh air, heading out onto the terrace, although there was no D.J. booth to be found, rather the music from the main room being piped out. And it was Paul Heron’s sounds spilling through which drew us back in, finding Joel in position where we had left him, so we settled once more, soaking up every ounce of energy the mixing maestro was giving out through his magical music. The trend continued when Trade legend Fat Tony took to the decks from Paul, changing the direction & the pace of the sounds, stylishly enhanced by the vocals of Tonnic and then by Trade head poncho Lawrence Malice with his usually inspired if sometimes bizarre microphone mumbles.
With Sunday morning turning into Sunday afternoon, we made our final appearance into the Box room, where Pete Wardman was now setting the pace and with more space to stretch ourselves into, we really began to enjoy this period in proceedings, the room’s temperature not as stifling as before and the music very much of the style we used to adore in the days of Turmills, where Pete always used to round off our gigantic journey through afterhours audacity. But, the draw of the main room was the inevitable winner, where we saw out the remainder of our stay, eventually deciding to call time on Trade at just gone 2 a.m., picking up our belongings and heading out into the sunshine of a July Sunday afternoon, Joel escorting us to our tube stop home, then leaving us to chill & reflect on another marathon party under our belts.
So, what did we think of Trade’s Pride special? And did it live up to expectations? What did we think of MOS as a venue? And are we going to include this party on our memorable list? Well, first things first, we were glad we made it to this latest Trade instalment, not least for the quality collection of people there, such a breath of fresh air compared to other similar trappings. Then there was the music, which for us was the best we had heard all weekend, real highlights being Guy Williams, Paul Heron & Fat Tony, each of them the epitomy of what we thought was great about the 18th Birthday bash, but then Pagano wasn’t bad either (if ever there was an understatement, this is it!) and together with Pete Wardman, as well as Nick Tcherniak, ended up in setting the musical standard bar extremely high this time round. So, for these reasons we can say that, for us, our expectations were met is some ways, but then sometimes we are easy to please.
However, on the flip side, we found MOS as a venue for Trade far too clinical, taking the edge off what has always been a decadent affair, rather making it squeaky clean and lacking in outrageous action. The layout of the rooms and the way in which they were used seemed strange to say the least and the lack of the billed Ibiza style terrace, which in reality ended up just being an outdoor area to chill, was disappointing. Then there was the apparent absence of certain D.J.’s, we certainly not spotting anywhere near the number of listed stars, Lady Bianca & Malcolm Duffy being just two examples. So in reality, for those in search of classic Trade, it wasn’t going to be so this time, some Trade babies probably not finding favour with this outing at all. Nevertheless, taking the party in isolation, not making comparisons to other events, but rather focussing on what worked, there was a lot going for it. No, it probably won’t find a place on our memorable list, but we had a good enough time to remember it for at least a while to come. (DISCO MATT)
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
Now, there has always been something really appealing about clubbing on a Sunday morning, it is a feeling of being quite devilish, striking out against the proletariat and in a sense entering territory where our straight cousins would probably fear to tread. We like equal rights of course but there is no denying that we like to be different in many ways, our clubbing being one area where we love setting the trend. It is certainly true that gAylist/land London has done that, especially in afterhours terms, with clubs over the years that have truly captured the imagination, whether it be A.M. (well it was a Saturday morning), Crash (the afterhours version of course) and probably our favourite, Beyond (in all of its incarnations). But there is one that separates itself from all of these with sheer iconic status.
Yes, we are talking about Trade, a club that has had a bigger influence on our lives than many others put together and a club that is synonymous the afterhours experience and all that comes with it. Ever since its launch back in 1990, it has been groundbreaking for a whole host of reasons and even since its weekly demise at Turnmills, has continued to capture the imagination with a series of parties in various venues & locations (who can forget the 18th Birthday celebration), so it was no surprise that the team would be rolling out another special event for London Pride. But this was to be no ordinary outing as in securing Ministry of Sound (MOS), Trade was certainly aiming high and making a real statement of intent, fusing what is probably the most iconic gay club with a legendary straight venue.
Right from the moment it was announced, this was going to be one party we were definitely not going to miss, securing our ticket weeks in advance to avoid disappointment and setting plans in stone with our clubbing buddy Joel, even though, at the time and having never visited, there was much debate about the actual location of MOS (not in Greenwich..silly us!!). With that little problem ironed out & with plans to be at SuperMartXe beforehand, when 6 a.m. came, it was just a hop skip & jump up to Trade’s temporary home, in the company of pals Alessandro & Chris, who were debating whether to hit the club or head home (they were tired but strangely had other things on their minds, dirty birdies!!). Joining the expectant queue and spotting Minty & beau, we whiled away our wait catching up on news since we had last met.
As we got closer to the entrance, our anticipation & excitement grew and in some ways took us back to those heady days of queuing at Turnmills, and when we finally made it in, we could hardly wait to investigate the club, but paused for a moment to make rendezvous plans with our friend who had just risen & was making tracks towards this latest of Trade temptations. We were now ready to take in the most awaited event of the year so far and entering the main room, could already get a sense of an exceptional experience to come. Whilst MOS, like other clubs, is based under arches, there was an incredible sense of space in the main room and with the party stretching over four different floors, was definitely sizable and we were then curious as to which room was what. So spotting a poster on the wall which answered our questions, the main room (so called) acting as (in Trade terms) the lite lounge, the Box Room (so called) acting as (in Trade Terms) the main room, with the addition of two extra spaces sporting the two ends of the clubs music spectrum, the Baby Box room serving up toughened head banging hard house & the loft offering a much more relaxing vibe, the D.J’s being an obvious pointer as to which room was what. And then there was the terrace, an outside space which was all set to deliver an alfresco avalanche of music mayhem as a retreat from the indoors insanity, well that was the plan anyway.
So, with our bearings well and truly rooted, we decided to settle on the main room to begin with and it was no time at all before we found our grove next to the D.J. booth where Jonny M was kick starting the hedonism with an uplifting string of sounds. Like us, many that were arriving were also finding their bearings, wandering through the main room and then heading off in all directions, but in amongst the movement we spotted out Guy Williams who came over to say hello, chatting a while and then pondering on proceedings before taking his place behind the D.J. booth. By now our pal Joel had arrived and wanted to track down a friend of his, so took us with him in search, heading into the Box Room which was already full with revellers soaking up the tougher tunes, much more Trade like, being dished out by Kammishake.
As Joel had now linking up with his friend, we left them to their devices, returning to the main room, not wanting to miss out on Guy’s set and we certainly were not to be disappointed as he laid down a heap of heavenly hard edged tech house tracks, so characteristic of his style and much more to our liking. Really finding our pace, we sank into the amazing atmosphere he was developing and with the huge screens above the bar flashing up classic Trade visuals, adding to the laser lighting swirling around the space, we were in pure ecstasy. With Joel back with us and familiar faces a plenty passing by, including Hook’d promoter Paul Beauchamp, D.J’s Hi-Fi Sean & Paul Coles, Clington Forbes, Lee Yeomans, Max Sanna, Tamsin Roberts, we felt at home and they all kept coming & going, no surprise really as, like us, they didn’t want to miss out on anything. But, with four rooms in full swing, we couldn’t be everywhere at once, although with Nick Tcherniak setting the Box room alight, Gary H creating mayhem in the Baby Box room & Kate Lawler up in the Loft room, we were spoilt for choice and quality choice at that. But so good was Guy, we just couldn’t tear ourselves away and when Mr Williams was replaced by Mr Heron, it seemed we were destined not to move from this main room come lite lounge.
But it was time to sample some more of the Box room delights and with Nick & partner Tom hijacking us away from the main room while Joel was refuelling & refreshing himself, we found ourselves in amongst the Box room badness where Pagano was in full steam, whipping up a frenzy in advance of the special P.A. by Stewart Who, performing the collaboration track “Back To the Future” and then giving way to Logan’s troupe of dancers to continue the entertaining. But, the heat and pace was a little too much for us, so we decided to grab some fresh air, heading out onto the terrace, although there was no D.J. booth to be found, rather the music from the main room being piped out. And it was Paul Heron’s sounds spilling through which drew us back in, finding Joel in position where we had left him, so we settled once more, soaking up every ounce of energy the mixing maestro was giving out through his magical music. The trend continued when Trade legend Fat Tony took to the decks from Paul, changing the direction & the pace of the sounds, stylishly enhanced by the vocals of Tonnic and then by Trade head poncho Lawrence Malice with his usually inspired if sometimes bizarre microphone mumbles.
With Sunday morning turning into Sunday afternoon, we made our final appearance into the Box room, where Pete Wardman was now setting the pace and with more space to stretch ourselves into, we really began to enjoy this period in proceedings, the room’s temperature not as stifling as before and the music very much of the style we used to adore in the days of Turmills, where Pete always used to round off our gigantic journey through afterhours audacity. But, the draw of the main room was the inevitable winner, where we saw out the remainder of our stay, eventually deciding to call time on Trade at just gone 2 a.m., picking up our belongings and heading out into the sunshine of a July Sunday afternoon, Joel escorting us to our tube stop home, then leaving us to chill & reflect on another marathon party under our belts.
So, what did we think of Trade’s Pride special? And did it live up to expectations? What did we think of MOS as a venue? And are we going to include this party on our memorable list? Well, first things first, we were glad we made it to this latest Trade instalment, not least for the quality collection of people there, such a breath of fresh air compared to other similar trappings. Then there was the music, which for us was the best we had heard all weekend, real highlights being Guy Williams, Paul Heron & Fat Tony, each of them the epitomy of what we thought was great about the 18th Birthday bash, but then Pagano wasn’t bad either (if ever there was an understatement, this is it!) and together with Pete Wardman, as well as Nick Tcherniak, ended up in setting the musical standard bar extremely high this time round. So, for these reasons we can say that, for us, our expectations were met is some ways, but then sometimes we are easy to please.
However, on the flip side, we found MOS as a venue for Trade far too clinical, taking the edge off what has always been a decadent affair, rather making it squeaky clean and lacking in outrageous action. The layout of the rooms and the way in which they were used seemed strange to say the least and the lack of the billed Ibiza style terrace, which in reality ended up just being an outdoor area to chill, was disappointing. Then there was the apparent absence of certain D.J.’s, we certainly not spotting anywhere near the number of listed stars, Lady Bianca & Malcolm Duffy being just two examples. So in reality, for those in search of classic Trade, it wasn’t going to be so this time, some Trade babies probably not finding favour with this outing at all. Nevertheless, taking the party in isolation, not making comparisons to other events, but rather focussing on what worked, there was a lot going for it. No, it probably won’t find a place on our memorable list, but we had a good enough time to remember it for at least a while to come. (DISCO MATT)
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