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)
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)
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