SuperMartXe "Under The Sea" - Club Review

SUPERMARTXE "UNDER THE SEA" - SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Despite the doom & gloom which seems to fill our lives from time to time this year, there are a handful of clubs which continue to buck the trend and truly captivate, drawing a near capacity crowd to their events, reflecting that there are alot of us that either want to escape the realities of the world for a while or still have the passion & enthusiasm for a great night out, whether it be under a mirrorball over at Vauxhall, under the spotlight over in Soho or in the case of the latest outing, over at Elephant & Castle but "Under The Sea", with the team behind the ever popular super Spanish smash-hit club brand laying on another spectacular themed event in mega theatrical style. And with a reputation for putting on some truly thrilling parties, attracting the lion’s share of the gAylist glitterati as well as the most handsome hunks & quintessential queens to its events, how would the latest chapter in the SuperMartXe story unfold? And would "Under The Sea" stand up to its billing proving to be a heavyweight rather than a flyweight event?

Well, with things as they stood at the start of the weekend, we were still debating whether to make it a double whammy or simply concentrate on the afterhours mother Trade, but as events unfolded, Friday into Saturday, we decided to throw caution to the wind and take on a mammoth potential 18 hours worth of clubbing in Elephant and Castle, grabbing one of the last available treasured advance tickets, while out in Soho, to ensure a smooth entry to SuperMartXe at the Coronet. And smooth it certainly turned out to be, as we arrived at the doors of this age old theatre at a slightly later than planned 12.30 a.m., having diverted to Vauxhall for an important rendezvous before scrubbing up and preparing for what would prove to be one of the best back-to-back party nights of the year so far. Despite the sizable queue outside, we were soon past the efficient security checks and having handed over our ticket were waved through and to the outside coatcheck, again with a lengthy queue, but unlike previous visits to the Coronet, hardly had to wait before we were released to enjoy ourselves.

Entering the main room, it was clear that many had made the trip early as it was absolutely brimming full of a glamorous mix of gorgeous gals, beautiful boys, luscious Latino’s, sparkling scene faces & many more in between, all revelling in the already incredible atmosphere. We had to head for the bar, but having had our fill in Soho, sought for energetic refreshments instead, to get us on our way, then moving down towards the front of the room, squeezing past pulsating bodies and finding a precious vacant spot just shy of the D.J. booth as relatively new to SuperMartXe, D.J. Tony English was handing over to Spanish resident Hugo Sanchez. There was definitely an air of expectation, as the massive stage was shrouded by huge curtains which would soon peel back to show of Logan Schmitz's latest dazzling display of production perfection. Moving across the packed dancefloor towards the V.I.P. area, in search of Industri pal Jeremy who had texted us to advise of his whereabouts, unfortunately as we looked intently we didn't find, rather bumping into raver Romano who greeted us in his usual fashion, sashaying in front of us in an indulgent way and bringing a massive smile to our face, adding even more to the superb party vibe in this cosmopolitan corner & beyond.

But it was showtime and as the curtains began to draw, we sped back through the crowd and up to our usual position up the right hand aisle to gain a full view of the splendour of the stage setting, which was a stunning sea (no pun intended) of aquatic additions, magnificent mermaids, and oceanic oddities in the form of a gorgeously sexy go-go dancer filled stage of frenzied activity. With a continual splurge of waves of bubbles, intermixed with incredible lighting, the team were definitely capturing the "Under The Sea" theme, and bursting out from this sea of underwater air was P.A. Jasmine, with radiant red hair locks to contrast her green outfit, looking just the ticket to befit her Mermaid Idol 2009 title and taking centre stage, performed the aptly named Disney classic tune "Under The Sea" to a rip roaring and whistling crowd in front of her. But with the performance over all too soon, the dancers then began to steal the limelight with a dazzling display of nautical naughtiness, keeping their prescience felt as Hugo Sanchez resumed the D.J. decks and delivered a delectable dish full of hot euro-style house that had the Coronet well & truly rocking and us dancing deliriously on our elevated aisle anchor.

Only brief respites outside to restore our breath, coupled with a dash or two to the bar to grab more energetic refreshments stopped us dancing from dusk till dawn, this mixed with the occasional liaison with familiar faces, including John, Oli and others from Rupert Street as well as work & fellow courier pal Lloyd, who came bounding over, spotting us from afar and filling us in on his activity of late. But it was the music and the aquatic audacities below that we ended up concentrating on, as a massive blue sheet was pulled out right across the whole dancefloor, covering the sea of bodies beneath giving the feel that they were all, well, "under the sea", followed by further plumes of bubbles not to mention the trademark tickertape explosions, although we failed to spot the infamous SuperMartXe beach ball, but then it wasn't a beach scene was it really?!?! With Hugo Sanchez continuing to send out some scorching sounds, a glance at our timepiece was doing just that, calling time on our escapades at this event, as we searched for our second wind, disappearing into an Elephant & Castle early morning for the next party on offer.

So, what of this latest chapter in the SuperMartXe story? Well, we thought it had all the ingredients and more to make it one of our best experiences yet. Some may say the stage setting lacked the punch of previous parties, but we felt the dancers simply dazzled and the brilliant bubble effects were fantastic. By keeping the eye candy and the interest going right through the event, Logan's Schmitzel's worked really hard and we think it well & truly paid off. Hugo Sanchez, we thought, was at his best (a stunning looker too!!), although perhaps his mammoth set went on a tad too long. There is absolutely no doubt that in its theatre style setting SuperMartXe has to be at capacity (or at least near) to make it work and for the turnout alone, it certainly worked as the dancefloor remained packed from start till finish. Moreover, the prolific production, the glamorous gathering and the stupendous stage show definitely had the SuperMartXe stamp that many have come to love and adore and with Logan & his team celebrating their first anniversary at their next outing scheduled for the end of November, we are sure the incredible popularity of this clubbing night & brand is set to continue. As for our remaining question, there is no doubt that "Under The Sea" was a heavyweight for us and a compelling addition to our wonderful weekend of clubbing. (DISCO MATT)