"A Social Soiree Splendour's Retrospective Reflection" - Industri - Club Review

“A SOCIAL SOIREE SPLENDOUR’S RETROSPECTIVE REFLECTION”
INDUSTRI – CLUB REVIEW
24TH MARCH


We have been clubbing in the capital for many a year now and there may be some substance to the phrase we are sometimes labeled witth, “London’s original party boy” and whilst there are a handful of faces that we have rubbed shoulders with as far back as Trade’s formative days in the early nineties still around, we have seen not just the faces change but the whole face of gAylist clubbing change too, with favourite clubs coming & going, while others having stood the test of time and are still around to thrill. To say that clubbing here in London continues to evolve & change is true, but for us it is the people that make our scene so special, creating an amazing social network that has certainly enriched our lives over the years, making us feel right at home in so many venues & club nights we visit. However there is one place, one night that, for us, probably ranks as THE most friendly, THE most sociable and one that has not only cemented a whole host of friendships in recent times, but has become so much a part of our social calendar that we feel a real loss whenever we miss out on it.

Industri was born back in January 2008 when three of the scene’s most prolific faces got together and decided that what was needed was a club that lacked attitude, rather gave people the opportunity to mix in a relaxing & inviting atmosphere, played out under the banner of some of the best music on offer, the joining of forces by scene favourite D.J. Brent Nicholls, international superstar D.J. talent Paul Heron, and the hostess supreme & one of the most familiar faces of gAylist London, Minty, was immediately a match made in heaven, quickly establishing the club as a leader of the pack on Thursday offerings & adding to the already popular status held by host venue Barcode Vauxhall. Indeed the night quickly attracted a merry band of loyal followers, all who became quite close, giving this treat on Thursday a real sense of family like no other club night we have ever known. So, this special review of the social soiree splendour that has become indelibly Industri is our reflection of what has become in institution in our eyes, looking at the characters & the whole fabric of the club, but moreover givig an insight as to why it works so well, also reflecting on some of the changes, for better or for worse.

So, where do we start? Well like any great social soiree it is the people that make it a success and what a fabulous collection of people the club has attracted in its short history, although we have to start with the three for whom Industri would never have become what it is today. Minty in reality is the linchpin of the night, without which Industri would just be another gathering in a bar anywhere in London. She has this incredibly warming presence, yet commands such respect within the throng that she attracts, her enigmatic charm, her genuine generosity and her impeccable hosting skills remain un-paralled, her skill of joining people from so many different walks of life incredible and her care & consideration for everybody walking into Industri’s presence is simply amazing. Her services not just to Industri, but to the wider gay community over the years deserves not just celebrating but commending and for us, she will always remain the hostess with the mostest, the best in her field and someone for whom we have tremendous respect & affection.

Then we turn to the dynamic duo of Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron, the synergy of these two massive D.J. talents working like a dream from day one. Not that the two , before Industri, were unfamiliar with spinning sounds together at the same club in the same space, oh no, as in the heyday of Beyond in its launch at The Colloseum, these scene favourite jocks combined to make the VIP room a very special place to be. And in the early days of Industri, when both would be present & playing b2b for the five hour stint, it was pure magic, the trademark latin tinged, funky & electro tainted house of Brent blending beautifully with the more tech infused & progressive sounds of Paul, although both have always used the night to test out new sounds, new tracks & new genres of their house music craft to a captive audience of regulars, who, like them, crave wonderful music with style flair & enthusiasm, some often showing their appreciation through dazzling dancing moves of motion. Then, when times began to change in Industri’s fortunes and the D.J. duo was split to rotate on a fortnightly basis, the dynamism of the music offer changed considerably and whilst it took a while to get used to, the treat of hooking up with one D.J. one week, the other the next, has become quite compelling, recapturing some of the magical feel of Industri’s informative times.

Then there are the ardent followers, a band of merry folk who crave for the social splendour that only Industri seems to be able to deliver consistently. And for us, it has become akin to a family of friendly folk, whose weekly reunion is not just refreshing but sometimes the highlight of the hectic & demanding lifestyle we lead. There is Chris, the man with the camera, who has captured for posterity hundreds, no thousands of shots of the brilliant times & memoires that Industri and the people that make up this special gathering have created. Through picture albums compiled with love care & affection, Chris’s passion for Industri shows through and he is one of those remarkable individuals for whom the club & night would be a poorer place without. That also goes for Stephen, with whom we have formed a special friendship. He is one of those characters that truly sets a party alight, the focal of attention, yet so genuine with it, full of fun just when it counts and a brilliant conversationalist, as well as a rock in our lives right now. We have lost count the number of brilliant times we have had in his company and he is definitely a face of Industri that everyone in the “family” has come to love & adore. But there are so many more, Terry & Paul, Jeremy & Andrew, David & Stuart & Sofie & Matt, all who have been part of superb memories & memorable parties, although the list of friendly faces is long, Kym, Marlon, Frank, Graham, Andre, Ian, Steven, Glen and even our favourite go-go dancer Dilmar, but many many more that make Industri the social soiree splendour it is.

So, what is a typical Industri evening? Indeed is there one? Well, when we arrive, our friends, our Industri family are there, we chat, we catch up, we socialise and most importantly we listen to great music and have a great time. And the music? Well, whether it be Brent playing out the latest & cutting edge sounds & records that are due to make it big, his latin infused & funky chunky style intermixed with a occasional camp & disco tipped moment, or whether it be Paul, trying out his latest musical mix masterminded in the studio or opting for a collection of crowd pleasing tunes to bring smiles to our faces, in both their hands, the music does as much of the talking that the crowd do with each other. And when they pick out our favourite tunes, the list being countless but the one that always does it, Emma Baldwin’s “Release Me”, & more latterly a great Beyonce dance mix, almost instinctively they invoke reactions, smiles & dancing grooves, we absolutely adore our times there in their masterful musical hands, often staying beyond bedtime & indulging in the kind of audacious activity that would normally be reserved for a non school night.

Then there are the celebrations, the birthdays that are marked with cakes, candle blowing activity and banners, even drawing a whole collection of D.J’s to celebrate in style, Paul Heron’s being a truly memorable night. The big occasions like Easter never fail to disappoint, when throngs appear from nowhere & pack Barcode to the rafters, but in truth we never really need an excuse to celebrate, raise more than a glass or two, to indulge in potentially hangover causing sequences of shots, Minty’s & our favourite “Sassy Bitch” really hitting the spot, or even when “The Candyman” (who could that be?!) arriving with sweets, whether it be liquorice allsorts, marshmallows or the like, such is the uniqueness of the night that activity like this that would be frowned upon elsewhere, but is considered the norm at Industri. And it is all these kind of wonderful elements that have become tradition that makes this club night really stand out as being a truly special outing like no other we have ever known, pushing the boundaries, striking that individual pose, yet being the epitomy of every that that is great about the diversity of the scene within which we live, this fun filled Thursday night fulfilling everything that that we could dream of in our land of social soiree splendour.

So, what more can we say about this extra special night in the clubbing calendar? Well, not much really apart from the fact that if you haven’t been to an Industri night yet, where have you been? Yes it’s true that this incredible outing’s fortunes have waxed & waned, but through the tough times remain the good, no the great and through the adversity comes strength, not least due to the amazing people that make up the fabric of the club, whether it be off duty D.J’s, scene faces, club kids or your average joe, Industri has it all. But mostly it has Minty’s magnificence, Brent’s brilliance & Paul’s perfection, meaning that there has rarely been a better place to be in our clubbing & socialising life, for us Industri, ticking every box. Now, if this is seen by some as us being biased, well so be it, but we cannot praise this threesome enough for the magic they bring us week & week out, not to mention all the other people involved. Industri, you are incredible & we will always love you wherever we are. (DISCO MATT)

Later at Fire - Club Review

LATER AT FIRE – SUNDAY 21ST MARCH
CLUB REVIEW


We always used to find Sunday morning clubbing really decadent, especially in the days of Trade, when it seemed so naughty to be inside a club listening to octane fuelled & head-banging music, shirts off & indulging in things that many church goers would find evil & wicked, although curiously our trips to Turnmills were called by some as going to church. Even when Beyond dawned, Sunday mornings still pushed the boundaries and as for Sunday afternoons, well they were just an extension of such debaucherous activity and became part of our weekend fabric. But as Beyond in its new incarnation became the truly accomplished club it is today, that feeling of naughtiness seemed to fade, as did our inclination to party on deep into Sunday afternoon, but for some reason this weekend was very much different.

Later, since its inception back in 2004 has neatly sat in amongst all the club offerings around it, adding that niche, that link for those hedonists that simply don’t want their partying weekend to end, moreover to further indulge in that devilish & audacious activity we were talking about, shunning the Roast dinner, ignoring the normality of modern day activity and party away like good ones deep into Sunday evening like it was the last thing you were going to do. And Later proved a real hit, packing out its home at Fire in Vauxhall, week in week out, although as trends & patterns of success wax & wane, it dipped in popularity as people’s desires shifted. But when news came our way that the place simply rocked last weekend and the club was back on the ascendency, we just couldn’t resist swinging by.

So, having stayed the distance at Beyond after Matinee, a rarity for us these days, yet already clocking up close on 14 hours of virtual non-stop dancing, you would have thought we should have called it a day. But with close pal Benoit having made a surprise visit to Area and was dancing by our side, not to mention the further presence of Nick Tcherniak & man-love Tom amongst a whole host of others that didn’t want their morning to end, which by now was afternoon, our temptations took hold, our resistance crumpled and we found ourselves heading across to Fire for our first outing to Later in well over three years. And despite our expectation, nothing was going to prepare us for the real sense of returning to that fantastically decadent feel that we had so much enjoyed years before. When we arrived at the rear entrance to this iconic venue, the queue was already quite lengthy, giving a hint as to how busy it was going to be inside, although it wasn’t long before we were within Later’s clutches, pal Benoit in tow and depositing our belongings into the makeshift coatcheck set up in the Lightbox room, our friend quipping that, with the low level seating & tables, it looked a bit like “Starbucks” in style, but in reality was a great place to rest weary feet before continuing the dancing.

We had any intention of resting as we grabbed refreshments at the bar and headed straight next door into the Mirror-arch, which was already brimming with a eclectic mix of club kids, party boys & girls, as well as familiar face after face that we had spotted in Beyond earlier, all dancing away to the delightful sounds that resident Paul Martin to was treating them to. We quickly found our spot close to the podiums, Benoit braving it up on those dizzy heights, our appetite for Paul’s music as strong as it had been for Alan K, Steve Pitron & Mikey D before him, immediately finding our stride, moving and grooving like a good un! And talking of which, with people continuing to stream into the space, it seemed like a Beyond reunion, as not only did Alan K arrive, coming over & delighting in the fact we were still going at it, but a whole host of others appeared too, Jamie Head, Mikey D, Jamie Hammond, Nick Tcherniak & Tom, all whom we had rubbed shoulders with not an hour previously, not to mention our fierce partner in crime Lexi, who was trading moves with us in delight to the beats of the sounds Mr Martin was selecting.

In that moment, we felt that real surge of naughtiness, of decadent behaviour and downright hedonism that had so much thrilled us in our earlier clubbing years, thoughts of the hours of dancing already chalked up a distant memory, rather succumbing to the magnificent experience that Later was treating us to. Quite where we were getting our energy from we were not sure, maybe it was the magnificent music, maybe the audacious atmosphere or just that feeling that we were pushing the boundaries, but whatever it was there was no inkling that we were going to stop, further spurted on with the arrival of D’Johnny, who ascended the Mirror-arch D.J. booth to take up the challenge of entertaining the audience with some of his trademark tough tech, funky & electro infused house, dragging us deliriously in a slightly different direction to Paul, yet hitting our sweet spot with one terrific tune after the next. With the room absolutely rammed & pumping, we were going nowhere, finding what little space we could to perform our twists & turns that have become our dancefloor signature, even shunning pal Benoit’s pleads for us to ascend the podium, rather shimmying into our favourite spot to the side of the dancefloor under the arches, still spinning on our new found spot to the spectacular sounds.

But something in our pulsating pace had to give and we sought short respite outside in the Later garden, which was brimming with bodies, people chatting & chilling in socialising splendour. We fell on clubbing face & friend Liz Dowling who immediately recognised us and entered into fevered conversation hardly drawing breath, it being great to catch up with her and get up to speed with her antics & activity. Then, taking our leave we headed over to Nick & Tom who had the same short respite on their minds, although it wasn’t long before we were heading back inside to rejoin the action, but not before bumping into foxy D.J. Mis-White who was thrilled to see us and filled us in on her trip down under and much much more, her vitality & charisma spilling out in bucket loads of fevered excitement. But the dancefloor beckoned & with the Mirror-arch still packed to the rafters and D’Johnny’s set just getting better & better, we sank back into dancing mode as quickly as you could say heavenly house music, bopping to his beats and trading moves with others around us. Momentarily heading to the bar for refreshments, we caught glace of Later promoter Jay Sharp Vokins who seemed pleased with proceedings and delighted that this superb Sunday showing had once again found its feet, even Steven Sharp was around, having laid on yet another brilliant Beyond bash, so a tip top crowd in a tip top clubbing atmosphere.


With the afternoon turning to the early evening, our pal Benoit was ready to call it a day, although by now D’Johnny’s superb stint behind the D.J. decks had come to an end and Fire favourite Terry Bryan had taken up the mantle and my did he step up to the plate or what!!, stringing together a scorching selection of sounds that had us moving & grooving as quickly if not more so than we had done before, even our by now weary legs and aching back could not dampen. Being used to a pure uplifting performance from Mr Bryan, often having savoured such sets in The Terrace bar of Beyond, we were well impressed with his electro & tech twist on his usual theme, although when he selected one of our favourite dancefloor fillers, Zoe Baldwin’s “Release Me”, we went absolutely ballistic, exchanging our excitement with a similarly joyful Mis-White who clearly loved the record too. Every further track & tune from Terry was simply incredible, heightening out already elated mood and ensuring that we danced virtually right up to the 8 p.m. end, although by now pals Nick & Tom had thrown in the towel and the Dower & Head posse had retired to a chill-out up north. And eventually we relented, having danced our way through virtually the entire afternoon of activity, adding another 6 hours to our clubbing marathon tally, although rather than taking the sensible route home, we chose to see out our evening in fabulous style at Barcode Vauxhall that filled with post Later party goers who, like us, just wanted the crazy clubbing to continue.

Well, how can we sum up our return trip to Later? Did it match up to those parties of years ago? And would we repeat the experience again? There was absolutely no doubt that we enjoyed the whole experience from start to finish, as not only did it rekindle all those fabulous feelings we used to get from Sunday afternoon clubbing, but we found the crowd engaging & friendly, the whole party so sociable and yet the central theme of great music & dance played out in superb style. Yes those heady days when Later filled two, sometimes three rooms with hedonistic house music hunters were not quite matched, but both the Mirror-arch & the garden were busy for the whole of our stay and we can well imagine that, on the roll that this club seems to be on, it won’t be too long before a second room may be required to fulfil the demand for this eccentric event. So, you can bet your bottom dollar that we will be returning very soon and may even get tempted to try it over Easter, when the tables are turned and it moves to Area for a one off party. Our hats go off to Jay Sharp Vokins & his team for treating us to a tremendous time. (DISCO MATT)

Matinee "Circuit" - Club Review

MATINEE “CIRCUIT” - 20TH MARCH
CLUB REVIEW


There is no question that we are very fortunate in London to have such a diverse scene that offers the discerning clubber so many opportunities to sample all sorts of styles of sound, music, entertainment, spaces, D.J.’s, even fellow clubbers, so much so that it can be extremely difficult to cover each & every event, especially when faced with choosing between various parties on offer. However, we cannot escape the fact that the so called “big guns” tend to attract the lion’s share of the clubbing fraternity and hence we end up being drawn too, clubs like Action, Crash, Trade, DTPM doing it in the past and now brands like As One, Beyond, Lovechild, SuperMartXe also tempting us in, not just for the reason mentioned, but as we are pretty much guaranteed to have a great time, the driving force for doing what we do. And there is another club brand that has attracted us, pretty much from when it started out in London in 2006 and just the mention of the name holds fantastic memories for us.

Matinee never fails to attract a huge amount of attention in gAylist/land London, apart from its native Spain and across the globe, being recognised as one of the most prolific clubbing brands in the world and seemingly receiving huge favour wherever its armada ship lands. But it is in the capital where we have seen some of their most prolific parties, the launch night at Area, the “Knockout” event at Fabric, the “Viva” outing at Colloseum & “The Next Chapter” showing at Cable really sticking out in our minds, although there have been so many good ones, so choosing favourites is always difficult. Despite a sudden change in the promotions team, we were keen to continue not just reporting on the brand, but having a spectacular time enjoying ourselves and were heartened by a superb party at The Fridge in February, when the Logan Presents team showed their hand with what direction they had planned for the brand and in-spite of some difficulties, the night was a huge success.

So, we were keen to see how Matinee would fair for their “Circuit” event, a pre-party warm up for the big festival in Barcelona and threw ourselves into the mood at the “pre-party” pre-party at The Box on the Friday, rubbing shoulders with some fabulous company & sinking into some amazing music played by resident D.J. Minx, with whom we delighted in enjoying the same passion as each other, The Soul Avengerz. With all was set fair for our trip to The Fridge and the next instalment of the new look Matinee, we met up with pal Stefan & friends beforehand in Barcode Vauxhall, where Pagano was whirling up a storm of mesmeric music, we having to tear ourselves away to land in Brixton just after 11.30 p.m., a little early for us, but given the excitement & build up, we were anxious to make the most of the party. Meeting up with further friends Jeremy & Andy at the door, we were into the club in a trice and with little or no queue to negotiate at the free coatcheck, the start couldn’t have been in bigger contrast to the last event.

Down into the club and it was clear that our earlish arrival wasn’t that vogue, as there was only a smattering of hopefuls hanging back on the bar expanse, although we had taken the opportunity to have a look around upstairs, the venue having opened up this whole area unlike last time, with the added bonus of extra bar & seating facilities, the space also giving an incredible vantage point of the dancefloor & stage below. Back downstairs and the crowd began to filter in, while we looked down at the stage & dancefloor, the very impressive multi layered neon lighting display surrounding the D.J. booth and rising tall behind, making a real impact. D’Johnny was in charge of the decks and pumping out his trademark hard hitting tech & electro funk infused house tunes to a captive audience that continued to build slowly but surely and with more & more familiar faces turning up, not least Maurico & Lunade who were running around sorting things, Naomi Ruiz who had arrived, looking resplendent as always, Industri pal Stephen, pitching up later than expected but keen to grab his piece of the action, as well as D.J bello Alessandro in his usual exuberant mod, we were ready to head down onto the dancefloor. By now it was three quarters full with revellers, succumbing to the last minutes of D’Johnny’s set before he handed over to Spanish Matinee resident import for the night, Enrico Arghentini, the podiums in front of the D.J. booth as well as those straddled across the dancefloor topped by a veritable bevy of beauties, muscled hunked guys & glamorous girls, strutting to the massive beats booming out across the clubs expanse.

All focus now seemed on the P.A., Spanish star of song Luca G, who’s reputation is undoubted, although having taken to the stage twice and blasting out some vocals, for us didn’t quite live up to his billing although there was absolutely no doubting his enthusiasm for injecting some drive & passion into the atmosphere. However, Mr Arghentini was doing plenty of that himself and glancing around we could see that the dancefloor had suddenly filled more, people appearing seemingly from nowhere, although it was unmistakably clear that it was not close to the rammed shoulder to shoulder, chest to chest turnout of the “Under Construction party. However, we were delighting in the magical music Enrico was weaving together and soon found our pace dancing away deliriously and then trading moves with first, a very exuberant Stefan who was very much in the zone and then a slightly more sedate Stephen, who was still doing extremely well given the long day of socialising already behind him.

A brief respite saw us pop into the VIP room next door, where we caught up with D.J. Minx, thanking her entertaining us so at The Box the previous night and then the man himself, Logan, appeared and warmly greeted us, filling us in on news of his Miami trip and then plans ahead for Easter, although remarking that the numbers were down on the last event, we concurring but mentioning that the timing of the month may have had some effect on the turnout. However, the main room was beckoning again and we re-assumed our now favoured spot just shy of the stage & adjacent to the D.J. booth, spotting the arrival of Nick Tcherniak who caught our glimpse, heading out onto the dancefloor to find us and then connect with boyf Tom. So receding to the bar, we sought refreshments (although no coke or gun-mix?!?!), grabbing Tom’s attention who seemed thrilled to see us, even if we were without our trademark dancing braces for him to twang. With Alessandro milling around & then joining us, it was back onto the dancefloor, the muscled go-go’s still attracting attention and the music pulsating, the added pyrotechnic explosions, firing rockets & ceiling high tape ribbon drop helping to boost the atmosphere.

With Nick about to start his set, we went back in search of pals Stephen & Stefan, bumping into more club & scene familiar faces, including the lovely Llwyd Morgan, then assumed the spot most comfortable to us and with the fate on our remaining hours sealed in the hands of Nick Tcherniak & his marvellous music. We couldn’t have asked for anything better, Nick taking us on a magical mystery tour of terrific tune after tune, hard hitting tech, funky infused and energetic electro beats that had us spinning on our spot and fully succumbing to the string of sensational sounds he was serving up. And you could see that the crowd’s reaction was similar to ours, Stefan and many around us all in hedonistic heaven, enjoying every minute of Mr Tcherniak's superb stint of a set, the laser lighting, the effects & not least that massive neon display only serving to help heighten the mood of this Matinee Circuit pre-party themed event. But the inevitable end was drawing close and with eyes on the time and our next port of call, Beyond, beckoning, we gathered our bits and bobs, again with little or no queue to negotiate, then headed out to secure our stead, catching the attentions of Steven Sharp & Tom fuller who made sure our night nay morning was going to continue at Area in Vauxhall.

So, what did we think of this latest Matinee party? Did it live up to expectations? And did it deliver in all respects? Well, speaking to a number of people both throughout the night and post the event, it was clear opinion was very divided, some saying it wasn’t a patch on the previous party, others saying they really enjoyed themselves. Having gone there with certain expectations but in the knowledge that the third Saturday of the month seems to prove to be a tricky one, we actually walked away having had a great time, not least for the company we kept, Stefan, Stephen, Nick, Tom, Alessandro, Jeremy & Andy included, making it special. It was true that the party seemed to take a while to kick into top gear and that it was not anywhere near as busy as the last event, although that should come as no surprise to anyone, as the curiosity element definitely played a part at “Under Construction” and the drop in numbers was as we had expected.

Given what we have just said, there was no doubt that the music once again did the talking, D’Johnny putting on a great show and Enrico Arghentini surprising us with a very credible & entertaining set, especially as we rarely connect with these Spanish D.J’s But the shining star was Nick Tcherniak, who stormed & stole the show for us, as he did for many others, his selection of sounds just perfect for the occasion and testament to the fact that his services are in huge demand. As for the other elements, well they were there, the dazzling dancers, the prolific pyrotechnics & the luminous lighting, the massive neon spread a real wow, but it is an inescapable fact that, under Logan’s steerage, people will draw comparisons with SuperMartXe when making their judgments on these Matinee parties. In truth, the aims of the two are & should be quite different, so, if these comparisons are to go away, a change in style of venue and the injection of some old Matinee D.J. faces may be the answer. Nevertheless, our expectations were met, in some ways exceeded; we had a fab time and will no doubt be back for the next party. (DISCO MATT)

"Bullish Behaviour At Barcode" - Matador Launch - Club Review

“BULLISH BEHAVIOUR AT BARCODE”
MATADOR LAUNCH - FRIDAY 5TH MARCH
CLUB REVIEW


There is little doubt that when it comes to prolific club events, the Spanish seem to have it down to a fine art, with some of the most amazing brands of anywhere we know, our favourite mecca metropolis in Spain, Barcelona, being just one of many hot beds of activity across this sun drenched & sex filled southern Europe splendour. Indeed the Spanish club exports that have hit gAylist/land London have made an incredible impact and can rank as the most successful of any seen in the capital both “Matinee” & “SuperMartXe” creating waves from the moment they launched themselves onto the scene, even “Space” attracting lots of interest. But with plenty more where they came from, it seems that we just can’t get enough of these espaniol extravaganza events, so it came as little surprise that another new venture would make its attempt to wave its big red cape across London, attracting a similarly red hot crowd.

Matador is the brainchild of D.J/club promoter Oliver Mohns, also of Evolved Events, the team behind Matinee London until January this year and Manu Garcia, best known as club promoter of Ursus Planet events & parties, who have joined forces to bring a fresh new clubbing experience to the capital. Fusing elements of Spanish & balearic beats with more than a hint of a sexy & masculine edge, from the outset it promised plenty of glamour & glitz, drag queens & hot go-go dancers entertaining to enthral, prestigious production, not to mention a whole host of the best of London’s D.J’s, joining guests brought in across Europe to inject extra passion to this octane fuelled event. Well, that was the promise, the team taking the decision to start small, choosing Barcode Vauxhall as host for the night, although with both promoters having strong links with the venue, it seemed a wise choice, even if it was amongst plenty of competitve activity, with one of 2009 most successful clubs running just next door. So, how did Matador’s launch fare? And did it live up to all these expectations?

Still nursing a sore back from our exploits at Gay City Rollers just two days previously, as well as a sore head from a brilliant session at Industri not 24 hours gone, Brent Nicholls treating us to some spot on new funky house sounds, we once again found ourselves in the grip of Barcode Vauxhall, arriving at just turned 9 p.m. for the VIP reception, an invited guest of Matador man Oliver Mohns. Ascending the stairs to the exclusive space, we found Oliver and a collection of others, including Barcode’s G.M. Kerry, web designer & club promoter Andrew Harris, dancefloor dish Tim Banham, Salvation’s very own Steve Elliot & brilliant bello D.J. Alessandro, all sipping champagne, which seemed the perfect start to the evening’s entertainment. And sitting down with some of France’s best export soothing our throat was just what the doctor ordered, Oliver catching up on news with us, then giving us a glimpse of the club space from this elevated space. We also got the chance to meet guest D.J. Andrei, a cute yet unassuming young man, who would turn out to be the star of the show.

Back downstairs, GaydarNation’s Jonny M, an accomplished D.J. that had entertained us superbly during Trade’s first outing at MOS, as well as some pulsating performances at Matinee, was in charge of proceedings in the front room, which was conservatively decked out with just a small collection of Spanish flags, but with plenty of Barcode’s impressive lighting to inject into the room some of that red passion we had been promised. We caught up with fellow Industri regular & close pal Stephen, who had a sexy looking young man connected to his side but was eager to chat about the fortunes of the evening, while the bar continued to fill with a varied collection of people, some familiar to us as regulars of this south of the river hotspot, others faces from Matinee events in the past, all eager to see what Matador had to offer. Leaving Stephen behind for a while, he clearly busy with his young man, we headed off, first saying our hello’s to Jonny M who was injecting some real punch in this passionate club night launch with some hard hitting yet uplifting house tunes, then made our way down into the club space where Oliver M was kicking off proceedings in a room that rapidly filled with eager party goers looking for their slice of the Matador melodies. Pausing for a moment at the bar, we caught the attention Evolved Events’ Robb Williams, whom we hadn’t seen for ages, the man ringing out the tones of our name like no other. And it seemed much of London’s glitterati were out in support, Clone Zone’s retired top cheese Mike McCann there, club promoter Patrick Lilley soaking up the atmosphere, the effervescent Clington Forbes gracing us this his presence. Even D.J. Pier Morrocco & boyf made an appearance, as did one & only Romano Hendry arriving and immediately grabbing us in a whirlwind embrace, spinning us round in dancing delight.

As quickly as the club space had filled, it began to empty, a puzzled Oliver looked across to us, yet the bar area was still rammed, although it seemed that people were possibly migrating next door, as Onyx had not long swung its doors open. So, to see what the opposition were up to we nipped into Area, also a little curious as to quite what lengths the new promotions team had gone to with their “Atlantis” theme, but with the crowd top heavy with a trashy feel, we were back in Barcode in a trice and just in time, as guest Andrei had taken to the D.J. booth. Now, it would be fair to say that we tend to be fairly unimpressed by these overseas imports, most of them missing the mark for us, we tending to prefer the London based D.J.’s to tickle our musical fancies, although we were really impressed with both Steven Redant &, of course, Danny Verde when they graced Matinee’s decks, Hugo Sanchez also doing a superb job at SuperMartXe. But Andrei’s sound selections grabbed us from the minute we returned, the kind of music that had us close to breathlessness, gaping in admiration of his sophisticated style, the man brilliantly combining uplifting & underground to euphoric effect.

So, the scene was now set for Matador to really swing its massive red cape of action into motion, as the dancers & drag queen (singular) squeezed past the incredible amount of party goers that had seemingly appeared (some re-appeared) from nowhere, aiming for the stage area that the back, all three suitably dressed in seductive Spanish customers to delight. Hurried activity to point the lighting & focus toward the performance plinths ensued as the music pace changed & the trio swung into action, delighting the crowd close to the stage, although with the club space overfilling, it was difficult to get the full impact of the show from where we were standing. However, the dancers were definitely hitting the mark, the two hunks gyrating in unison to the banging beats, creating the kind of spectacle that go-go’s tenfold would have found difficult to match.

With the show over what seemed to be a little prematurely, the drag queen struggling with a defective microphone, it was down to Andrei to re-surge the atmosphere and that he did in bucket loads, his terrific tracks packing out the dancefloor and giving a us a real hint of the style of his music, playing out to packed audiences at super club night La Demence in Brussels as he does. But the action wasn’t just confined to the club space, as Jonny M had given over the front room to super sexy Steven Artis, a Barcode regular, yet the perfect choice for infusing this Matador event with his unbounding enthusiasm, just like an excited bull in the ring. His muscular music, funky, chunky & nu style disco really impressed and when he played the track “When I Die” by D.J. Discipline, which really hit our sweet spot, Mr Artis made our night by handing us his copy straight from the decks, once he had mixed into the next record, what a sweetheart!

But glancing at the time, the witching hour was well over three behind us, although the temptations to stay right till the end were sucking us in, despite an early appointment the following day. So we decided on one last foray into the club space & some social schmoozing with Steve Elliot, Robb Williams & a very tipsy Oliver, the atmosphere still electric and Andrei still waving his magical musical wand. With the crowd balanced out between the two rooms but the feel by this time being more like a regular Barcode outing, we sought to retrieve our belongings from behind the D.J. booth, being fortunate not to have fallen prey to the earlier lengthy coatcheck queue, made our excuses to Oliver, Robb & Steve, waved goodbye to the cute Andrei and headed out into a chilly Vauxhall early morning to make our way home and mull over our thoughts on this Matador launch meet.

So what were our thoughts on Matador? Did it conquer the expectations of those bullish critics? Or did it fall foul of the raging rampages of its Vauxhall competitors? Well, true to the style of a champion Spanish senor fighter in the ring, exciting the audience with thrills & spills, dodging the advance of the blood thirsty bull, Matador had its highs & lows. Without question the star of the show was Andrei, whose music was a distinct breath of fresh air to the normality & monotony we can sometimes be succumbed to in London, his euro style upbeat yet hard hitting house perfect for this party. The go-go dancers were another high, the duo performing brilliantly and given the limited space, provided a very eye catching spectacle, however there is no escaping the fact that the promised levels of production were somehow lacking, the expected drag queens mingling with the crowd absent and in reality as a result, it was difficult to distinguish Matador from just another night in Barcode.

It was busy at times, very busy, although in our view there was no way of telling whether Matador’s launch attracted people because it was Matador, or whether Barcode was full because it was Barcode, although in fairness we suspect, there was an element of both. Saying that, we know the promoters wanted to start small, thus gauging the response, so given our observations, maybe keeping it intimate & social is they way to go, but we suspect clubbers expectations were & are very different. Leaving it in Barcode will, without doubt, restrict Matador’s aspirations, only putting it into club style venue will reflect whether there is real desire for another Spanish style venture in gAylist London and if that is the promoter’s aims, then they need to take the plunge. We will be watching developments with interest. (DISCO MATT)

"Dancing On Wheels" - Gay City Rollers 1st Birthday Bash - Club Review

“DANCING ON WHEELS”
GAY CITY ROLLERS 1ST BIRTHDAY BASH
WEDNESDAY 3RD MARCH
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


In the time of our life when we were learning to walk rather than crawl and then, when tottering around like a good one, our next challenge was to hit two wheels, balancing on our first bicycle, which has gone on to fill our lives in more ways than one. Yes, two wheels seems to have been the way to go for us, our teens seeing us peddle away delightfully into the countryside virtually every weekend and then, when we moved to sunnier climbs, the motorised version in the form of our favourite Yamaha (that’s a motorbike) was the way we did it. But cycling & two wheels has once again been the way of our world, although with recent occurrences some would say precariously so, nevertheless the thought of using four wheels never really entering our thoughts. But, when we heard that a clubbing event was celebrating a whole year where four rather than two was the name of the game, we thought it was time to dabble in previously un-trodden territory.

Gay City Rollers (GCR) was launched by club promoter Alex Erfan & his team with the aim to fill a gap in the fun side of clubbing, choosing a midweek slot to host the event and at its venue home, The Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall. Now, roller skating disco was not a new phenomenon, indeed folk have been gyrating to music on this form of frantic four wheeled footwear for many years, but adding an event to the gAylist calendar was a real breath of fresh air and something entirely different to anything else on offer across the scene. And, since its launch, GCR has attracted a niche & mixed crowd of experienced roller skaters & novices alike, all with the desire to have a fun filled frolic on, you guessed it, four wheels. A year on and we simply couldn’t resist celebrating GCR’s 1st birthday with the team, even if we had never been on roller skates before, saying to ourselves “it can’t be that difficult surely, four wheels per foot, easy peasy”. So was it? Well, not quite!

So, with plans in place to leave work early and make our short way down to Vauxhall just after the 7 p.m. start, we arrived at the doors of The Renaissance Rooms, where a healthy queue had already developed, although the door team were most welcoming & friendly as we excitedly waited in the queue, chatting to fellow first timers about what to expect, as having never visited before, it was still very much a mystery. Guest list sorted and bag stowed away, we entered the main doors and were directed to the footwear storage area, where a confident young man demanded our shoes, which we were to replace with a sturdy pair of roller skates for our first foray onto four wheels. Well, there was no looking back now, as we made our way to the seating to slowly sink our feet into our slippery shoes for the night and looking round, the whole club space had been converted especially for the occasion, extra birthday decorations included for this special party, plenty of bars to hold onto and lots of viewing space & seating enclosing the main skating ring which was already filling nicely with a whole host of fun seekers. There was also a second larger ring partly concealed behind the main D.J. booth, clearly for the more adventurous, the handful of people we could see spinning around, seemingly going extremely quickly.

Skates on, we attempted to stand up, a feat in itself and then once on our feet, attempted to move forward in a gliding motion as though we knew exactly what we were doing, but far from it as our skates seemed to have a life of their own and careered into the nearby, fortunate, soft seating, whilst many around us seemed to be coping much more admirably. Fortunately, Jerry Boston came to our rescue and guided us safely to the bar where some liquid refreshment was just the ticket and allowed us to take stock and find our bearings as well as our new style feet. And this was the place to be for a while as a whole host of familiar faces appeared coming up to say hello, first Industri pal Chris, armed with his camera and immediately clicking us in delicate pose, then scene face Graham & pals, all who had gone the whole hog, dressed in tight lycra shorts, bright pink leg warmers & sporting a huge afro style wigs, very much the roller disco look. Then there was D.J. pal JC Christopher, another one looking comfortable on his rollers, as was Simon Patrick, who took to his skates and rolled across to give us encouraging support, we then being joined by the man himself, Alex Erfan, who had been looking forward to Disco Matt doing roller disco for some time, greeting us in usual friendly fashion, the look on his face hinting it was time we braved it & threw ourselves into the action.

And that was just what happened, as tip top vocalist Tonnic appeared, embracing us and then grabbing our hand, guiding us slowly onto the main ring, which was now filled with a whole host of gyrating skaters, some hugely confident, others gingerly making their way around, but all savouring the poptastic disco tunes the D.J. star taking the first turn on the decks, The Very Miss Dusty O, selecting some spot on sounds to serenade the skaters. With both us & Tonnic far from secure on our feet, we helped each other around the ring, part in concentration, part in hilarious laughter, part in fear of falling, but nevertheless entering the spirit as best we could. Adding to the already incredible atmosphere were Chris Geary’s boys, including the boisterous Bam Bam, all dressed appropriately in bright blue hot pants & sporting massive 70’s Elton John style specs with outrageous wigs, just the picture for this roller skating frolic into the world of classic disco, each of them very proficient at the art, Chris whirling around a breakneck speed in breathtaking fashion.

Taking a rest from our somewhat tame attempt at rotating the ring, Mr Geary had other plans for us, spinning in our direction and pulling us back into the fray, although not before Industri’s Chris had snapped us in a interesting pose for posterity. A trio of Chris’s were made up as scene photographer Mr Jepson arrived to photo chronicle this special birthday bash, but worryingly had his camera pointed in our direction as Chris Geary attempted to wave his magical wand of skating supremacy on us. But as we gained momentum and with our experienced guide just behind us, we lost our footing in an instant, falling head over heels and bringing Chris down with us, together with a whole collection of others, causing colossal carnage, the marshal madly blowing his whistle and the devious Jepson catching our cataclysmic fall in a series of shots which, knowing our luck, will be popping up in print somewhere, showing the full extent of our embarrassment. Mind you, no photo will be as embarrassing as the fact that despite a year of exemplary performance, when we hit the ring, poor Chris Geary suffered his first roller skating fall in our hands, oops, sorry Chris!

Thinking better of re-entering the fray we headed to calmer waters, seeking refreshments to calm our excited nerves and then sidelined ourselves to spectator status, just shy of the “Chandelier” bar, where the very cute Ku Bar boys were assembling to add to the eye candy. But then we were surprised just how many gorgeous men were present at this disco drenched dervish, in amongst one of the most mixed yet friendly crowds we have come across at any event, gentile girls mingling with gym trained guys, hirsute hunks rubbing shoulders with lithe ladies and everything in between, all with the aim of letting their hair down, having a good old laugh & giggle. Adding to everything around was the cheesy yet entertaining nostalgic dance & disco music, which was now in the hands of the incomparable Stewart Who?, the delight of a D.J. giving his stint the feel of one of those classic 70’s nights of music at Barcode we have enjoyed in his hands, but with skates on.

But we were keen to see what was happening on the other ring, so slipping & sliding our way up the steps, we spotted Tonnic spinning around, so tentatively joined her, while his house music holiness, Alan X, pumped out some incredible sounds that, had we not been on skates, would have had us dancing deliriously in delight. However, on our four, nay eight wheels (how could we not stand up?!) it was far more difficult and as much as the charming Tonnic tried to save us from toppling over, but it happened again and we tumbled in a trice, terminating our brief attempt to make a big impression in this larger skating space with much more accomplished rollers who were rollicking resplendently to the terrific tunes Alan was selecting. But eager to master our roller skating technique, we headed back to the main space, stopping briefly by the D.J. booth where Jon Dennis had arrived with his boyf, another two that were confident at this craft, although it was when Mr Dennis egged us on that we suffered our biggest fall, unglamorously crashing on our back, signalling our final fling of fantasy on four wheels, nevertheless laughing & smiling our way home, nursing our sore back & elbows but reflecting on one of the best midweek socials we have had in a long time.

So what did we think of our first skating stint at Gay City Rollers? and would we recommend it to others? Well, having never tried out roller skating before, it would be fair to say that we were pretty hideous at the skill, but for us it didn’t matter as we were surrounded by some impeccable company and had an absolute hoot from start to finish, laughing our way through the carnage we caused, delighting in the camp, kitsch & crazy fun filled frivolity of this monthly midweek frolic into the depths of disco madness on those slippery skates. Having not known what to expect, we came away wanting more and despite having fallen over, we reckon at least eight times, still days later suffering from a really sore back, we would do it all again in an instant. From accomplished skaters, to others that were delightfully dressed, from gorgeous hunks of guys to those throwing themselves into the occasion with gusto, Gay City Rollers had them all (even novices like us) and for that alone we would thoroughly recommend a visit. For us, it was a most pleasurable experience from start to finish, so we will be investing in some knee & elbow pads for the next one, which is already pencilled into our diary. (DISCO MATT)

“Fabbatastic Exhibition Experience” - Abbaworld - Special Review

"FABBATASTIC EXHIBITION EXPERIENCE”
ABBAWORLD – 24TH FEBRUARY
SPECIAL MUSIC REVIEW


So much of our world these days is taken up in our adoration of all things related to house music, whether it be parading around some of the biggest gAylist clubbing events across the capital, savouring great socialising company in the string of top notch bars, where the scene’s big D.J. stars treat us to fabulous house music selections, or having it drummed into our ears while we wiz around London’s roads in our weekday vocation, not a day goes by without it touching us in some way or another. There is no doubt that this style music has also dominated our lives for well over 15 years, whether it be genres like dance, hard, tech, progressive, funky, electro, uplifting, latino or deep & dirty, but lurking in our soul has always been a penchant for good old fashioned pop music, not the modern day stuff, no we are talking 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, indeed our music collection is littered with a vast array of artists works, from Kate Bush to Sade, Deacon Blue to Spandau Ballet, Prefab Sprout to Simple Minds, Paul Young to U2, the list is endless.

But one group in our pop filled earlier life stands out head & shoulders above the rest and just the mention of their name evokes such brilliant memories, their music being timeless & their images still clear in our minds. It would be fair to say that Abba holds legendary status in our eyes and in reality is probably the most successful pop group ever, seen as the 70’s version of the fab four, but even eclipsing the Beatles with a truly phenomenal amount of record sales, dominating the charts for well over seven years and achieving worldwide success like no other band we know, filling our early teens ears with superb songs, when, musically wise, we played little else. So, when news came through of a special exhibition chronicling & celebrating their incredible history, we simply couldn’t miss out, especially as thirty three years after first succumbing to the brilliance of this Swedish superstar quartet, we had the chance to re-live it all. So, sit back as we take you on our journey into Abbaworld, giving you a small insight to this magnificent collection of memorabilia, looking back on a choice amount of their career highlights & re-kindling our love of everything Abba.

It all started from the minute we realised that our passion was shared by a great friend of ours, matching with him, most of our top ten favourite Abba tunes in one of those online quizzes, that our trip to the world launch in London of an incredible exhibition, chronicling the life of this amazing group, aptly called Abbaworld, couldn’t have come soon enough. Despite planning from as far back as November, when we finally decided on the date to attend, our anticipation grew to fever pitch, our excitement levels hitting 240 volts & beyond, the eve of the event taken up with an endless array of classic tunes as we dug out our original collection of albums, all on cassette tape, engrossing ourselves in pure Abba heaven. So, with the course set fair but hardly sleeping, rising early like an excited child on Christmas morning, we topped our brains up with yet more amazing Abba anthems and pointed our journey in the direction of Earls Court and a rendezvous with our fellow fanatic, Brent Nicholls, meeting in time for the 11 a.m. booking start.

Picking up our tickets from the box office we were waved through the entrance and then registered ourselves for the post exhibition online experience, which would provide some souvenirs in the form of video captions of segments of our journey. With that initial step over, we were then armed with audio aids and pointed in the direction of the start of this terrific tour back to our teens, entering the first room, which saw us immediately engrossed in biographies of Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny & Anifrid (better known as Frida), suitably displayed in four special areas, prolific photo images accompanying fact filled texts on our fab four. With our minds now full with Abba profiles, the scene was set for a foray fantastic into the chronological history of this amazing group, the next room of note being dedicated to their incredible rise to fame, following their success at the 1974 Eurovision song contest, when smash hit “Waterloo” secured their victory in Brighton, pushing these four Swedes into the would musical limelight. Mind you, it wasn’t the first time they had tried, as their song “Ring Ring” was entered into the Swedish heat of the 1973 competition, but failed to hit top spot and the resultant first studio produced album was released to only a handful of countries, Australia being noted for having a different cover on its version.

Not being quite old enough to remember the early years, when albums “Ring Ring”, “Waterloo” and the third studio release, simply entitled “Abba”, paved the way for even bigger successes, this part of the exhibition was nevertheless intriguing, not least for some of the original artefacts gathered together, including sound equipment and even an office re-created with pieces of memorabilia of the moment. But it was when we turned and approached the “Arrival” room that our enthusiasm overflowed, the space being dominated by that iconic helicopter, in life like form, that had graced the cover of our first ever album purchase. In fits of wonder and hysterics, we immediately took the opportunity in jump into its seats, Brent asking for some camera clicking assistance, as we posed together for posterity inside the cockpit, we also being pleased as punch that we chose this album cover to pose against for our Abbaworld after event experience. With classic hits like “Dancing Queen”, “Money Money Money” & “Knowing Me Knowing You” gracing the album list, “Arrival” signalled a major surge of interest in the band in Europe, breaking all advance record orders, although the Australian’s were already in the grip of the Abbamania, the previous “Greatest Hits” album, being released with the title “Best Of” down under, selling an incredible 860,000 copies there, “Fernando” proving to be a massive hit in Oz and even a televised broadcast attracting a larger audience than the landing on the moon.

Back to the expo & our excitement was to build even more, as room by room our history and teenage life, in the hands of the amazing Abba, unfolded before our eyes, courtesy of images, video footage, displays & specialist rooms that took us deeper into the world of this Swedish foursome, costumes displayed in glass cases, albums framed on walls and even gold versions of our beloved cassette tapes on show, one picture moment being caught as we held out our version of “The Greatest Hits” (yes we had all our tapes with us!) against theirs. The spaces dedicated to their “The Album” & “Voulez Vous” releases thrilled nearly as much as the “Arrival” room, with records like “Eagle”, “I Have A Dream” & “Chiquitita” back-grounding some amazing displays and it was at this stage that we agreed with Brent that the cover for “The Album” was probably their most striking and the album itself being recognised for having the richest and most colourful arrangements of all their releases, most of the records having incredible meaning & depth, even if it seemed to lack the fun factor of “Arrival”. In recognition of this, before the release of “Voulez Vous”, the group recorded their single “Summer Night City”, which was a distinct nod towards the disco dance style in them, setting the scene for what was to become not just the most octane fuelled & disco dance tipped album in their history, but one that had the largest amount of successful worldwide singles of any of their studio release collection. “Voulez Vous” is acknowledged to be one of their best albums, if not the best selling and is one that holds the most incredible & strongest memories of any, we remembering vividly when & where we were when it was added to our then growing Abba collection.


Now, where were we? Oh yes, moving through the re-created lakeside hut, the place where Benny & Bjorn used to lyrically jam together, the re-creation including a proper piano as demonstrated by our pal who bent over the railing to tickle the ivory, as well as a virtual video image of the shimmering water & moving flotilla’s. However, the virtual imagery was to hit a real crescendo as we turned the corner to be faced with the most brilliant holographic imaging unit, a special stage constructed where visitors could literally perform alongside Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny & Frida. You can imagine that we simply couldn’t wait to have a go, although the song choices were sadly restricted to “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia” on our visit, but unrepented our partner in abbaness jumped at his choice, even getting all the moves right, reducing us to hysterics all the way through, we taking the easier choice when it was our turn. But having the reputation for being a bit of a one, it had to be “Dancing Queen” for us, we even trying pathetically to sing along & sway in time to Agnetha & Frida who seemed incredibly lifelike. Standing back as we did throughout Brent’s “Mamma Mia” performance, we were astounded by the holographic effects and the images will be something we will treasure for a long time, recorded footage intact to recall our hilarious escapades on stage. Then there was the video cube, an area where we were engulfed in a “Take A Chance On Me” whirlpool of musical madness, dancing away in fits of laughter as Abba images of the original single release played out in front of our eyes & on all four walls, the after experience video truly chokingly funny.

In some ways the remainder of the exhibition seemed tame compared to our frolics just gone, although having nipped out for some light lunch refreshment, which proved nearly as hilarious as our video & holographic performances, our friend cracking one innuendo joke after the next which had us bent up in girl like giggles, we returned to resume the historical Abba trip, entering the “Super Trouper” & the “The Visitors” areas, the latter proving to be the last studio album the group would record. With all the video footage & pictures our friend had taken, perhaps the most stunning would prove to be his pose in amongst the huge “Super Trouper” album cover, the image tricking the eye to believe he was right there with the foursome & their crowd, amazing! As much as these two albums in some ways represented the beginning of the end, they were a signal of the bands maturity and “Super Trouper” has been classified as their best selling studio album, combining all the elements of previous albums through the songs, the elements of disco, theatre, pop, rock, and folk all married beautifully and including what is our number one Abba record “The Winner Takes It All”. In terms of the final studio release “The Visitors”, it stands as probably the most lyrically strong, with many of the songs reflecting personal feelings of the four, who were by now all single, Benny & Frida having announced their divorce just before its release and whilst, as a result, most of the tunes & lyrics are quite sombre, “Head Over Heels” is definitely not & would go on to prove to be our Abbaworld anthem, as well as being a brilliant record in its own right.

By now, we had been in this extravagant yet enthralling exhibition for nearly four hours, although we still had the equivalent of closing credits to absorb, the final spaces being reflective, not just of the amazing selling statistics the group achieved through record sales, global popularity and the amassing of scores of gold & platinum discs, but of the world tours they undertook, the legs in Australia (we know someone that was there) & Japan being particularly noteworthy successes, although their London concert received an amazing three million advance ticket orders. And, reflecting on these final rooms, it was clear that Abba have left an amazing legacy behind, which has since been applauded by numerous artists & comedians in film & television, whether it be “Spitting Image” puppets, stage show adaptations or even small screen hits, the group living on through their “Gold” & “More Gold” album compilation releases, as well as in their very own movie which was recorded back in 1977 but still receives airing to this day. We even got the final insight to the four heading into solo careers, Agnetha & Frida’s album recordings chronicled, while Bjorn & Benny were credited with their foray into theatre with “Chess”, their lyricist & musical skills transferring brilliantly in the album release in 1984 & London stage success in 1986. But, when we hit the Abbaworld store, full of every imaginable product, souvenir & trinket as well as some striking decor which included a display of massive three dimensional “ABBA” letters, we knew our joyful journey was nearly at an end, although the final part was when we allowed to record our memorable Abba moment, this seemingly a fitting end to an amazing adventure back to our early teens. So, waving goodbye to Abbaworld & Earls Court, we made our way back into reality & London town, only to recap all our experiences with Brent & our pal Stephen at Profile Bar later that night, still on an incredible high from our dazzling day.

So, what of our trip back into our Abba world at Abbaworld? Well, there is little more to say, apart from what an all-encompassing, entertaining & exemplary exhibition of everything Abba it was, that brought back some happy memories, laughing and smiling as we did from start to finish. It is clear that a huge amount of work went into putting this magical musical journey together and we came away not only having had a brilliant time, but learned facts about the foursome we didn’t know before, best of all having the real sense of re-living part of our informative years that no other experience could ever have achieved. Yes there were moments of tackiness, yes the Abbaworld store smacked of commercialism and perhaps the whole idea of an exhibition was just a money making scheme, but without doubt for any Abba fan (like us) it represented incredible value for money and a day that will live in our minds for a long time to come. With fantastic video footage, and a huge collection of photo images to remind us of the wonderful memories of our nostalgic trip, we couldn’t have asked for better company, Brent proving the perfect person to share our trip down memory lane with, celebrating the magic of the fabulous four, Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny & Frida, making for the best pop group we will ever know. So, to say it was abbasolutely abbamazingly fabbatasticly phabbanomenal is an understatement, it was by far the best whopper of an abbarilliant day out we could have wished for and we loved every minute of it. (DISCO MATT)


“IN MEMORANDUM OF A CLOSE FRIEND LOST”
POSTSCRIPT TO SPECIAL MUSIC REVIEW
ABBAWORLD – 24TH FEBRUARY


Having celebrated our early teens at the brilliant Abbaworld exhibition at Earls Court, our joy and laughter that day was tinged & surrounded by sadness, having lost a very dear & close friend in South Africa, our homeland for our late teens and deep into our twenties. The news of his loss, our first true love, came as an immediate shock and was followed by a real sense of emptiness, although we did our best to put a brave face on it when the news hit, trying to carry on with our life as normal. However, the weekend we heard of Matt’s passing, provoked some strange reactions we cannot explain, maybe displaying those thoughts of loss & emptiness, but nevertheless an uncharacteristic side to us that left the friends we were around more than a little puzzled.

The euphoria that followed with Abbaworld, where our companion for the day had quite rightly said to us “some silent contemplation will serve you well, then a fun day out at Abbaworld will remind you that sadness as well as joy are all part of life” also adding on the morning of our trip, “remember to bring a picture of Matt so he can enjoy Abbaworld too” was a real tonic for our deflated thoughts, providing just the escape we needed, the day full of fun & laughter, paving the way for reflective thought as the whole Abbaworld experience was a look back to our early teens. But the highs of the day were followed by inevitable lows, as a week after the news, we plunged into deep sadness again, although what came out of this sadness were a small collection of tunes, which, through their lyrics, have helped us cope with our loss. Had it not been for Abbaworld we may never have reflected in this way, so it has real significance for the place we were at the time and we feel a sense of being able to cope by sharing our thoughts with you.

Painting a picture, the records bookmark firstly 1) when our friendship grew to much more than just friends, then 2) when we made that big commitment, the first in our lives, then 3) of the time when we split, and 4) when a decision to return from South Africa put distance between us. When we were re-united years later, 5) reflects our hope, while 6) follows with a reflection of the last times we had together. 7) then relates to the actual loss, and finally 8) signifies the need to look forward to see us through the situation, our companion at Abbaworld and other friends there to help us. Some of the songs are upbeat, some otherwise, some of the lyrics are spot on, others require a little translation, but each record reflects what was a very special relationship in our lives, our first love.

So, we dedicate these following records to his memory, which in so many ways as well as through these records, will live with us forever.

1. Does Your Mother Know
2. Take A Chance On Me
3. My Love My Life
4. I Wonder
5. I Have A Dream
6. Our Last Summer
7. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
8. The Way Old Friends Do