“CODENAMED CAPTIVATING”BARCODE SOHO & VAUXHALL
SATURDAY 10TH & SUNDAY 11TH APRIL
SPECIAL REVIEW
It isn’t often that we are failed to be impressed by what is on offer across gAylist/land London, not just in the incredible variety of clubs, mainstream or alternative, but in the fantastic places to hang out across the scene, the rich variety of bars and those bridging the gap between the two, testament to the diversity and strength of the capitals nightlife. However it takes a really good brand not just to have survived the recent troubled times that have touched many people’s lives & made trading in the leisure industry quite tough. But Barcode has not only appeared resilient to economic pressures falling into the trap of others that have stood still, but has looked at itself and ventured forth, not just serving up regular nights, but breaking ground with new & refreshing events to attract an increased audience. Through specialist successful nights like Soho’s “The Cave” & “Comedy Camp” or Vauxhall’s “Music Is The Answer” & “Our House” there is no denying the team make strenuous efforts to draw in the crowds, but despite these & other event offerings doing the business for Barcode, their regular nights remain largely as popular as ever and tend to be the ones that draw us in.
So, it came as no surprise that two such nights were to play a large part of our Saturday & Sunday, and both prove to be real hits, despite given the Easter weekend lag factor which can sometimes affect turnout the weekend after, although not so for Barcode it seemed. Having been laid low with a dreadful sore throat & cold on the Friday, plans to make it a quadruplet turnout to this brilliant bar brand were laid to waste, but with news of one of the scene’s biggest names playing out at BCS on Saturday and BCV on Sunday proving a real post Later hit of late, the scene was set to sandwich our clubbing exploits in the hands of Barcode. Putting thoughts of our below par health to the back of our mind, we pulled ourselves together and headed into town for our first evening out of the weekend, seeing what a Soho Saturday would serve up, stopping briefly and Profile Bar to say hi to the gorge Philippe, then swinging in Rupert Street to connect with the charming team, although these proved as mere curtain raisers for the main devotion, BCS, which drew us in not long after 10 p.m.
On many occasions this Soho hangout has proved a perfect way to perk up our penchant for onward clubbing, but nearly as many times it has been a heart warming & soul reviving evening of entertainment, not just in recent times, but stretching right back as far as we can remember, a whole host of D.J.’s serving up scintillating sounds, even when the operation was restricted to just one floor. But since refurbishment of the dance area downstairs, BCS has taken on a new lease of life and we absolutely love our Saturday partying down in this sophisticated place, this weekend being no different as we grabbed refreshments and descended the stairs, entering the space and moving to our usual spot directly behind the D.J. booth, a crowd already gathering to soak up the sounds from resident favourite Brent Nicholls.
Holding station and waiting to grab the attention of the man behind the decks, we turned towards the bar to see pal Tim Banham ready & willing to serve, bounding up to say hello but not seeing manager Jeremy Precelton in our eye radar, who gave us, shall we say, and more than inquisitive look that caused us to beat our retreat to our comfort spot. Then as Mr D.J. turned to say hello, in swooped fellow disc spinning friend Micky Galliano, who seemed very pleased to see us, although was somewhat surprised with our absence the previous night, we explaining away our sore throat & cold being the cause, but the friends kept coming, loads of faces from Rupert Street including long time associate Carl who seemed completely full of beans, dancing & jiving around us furiously, reducing us to fits of giggles, aghast at his overt activity. Mind you it was no surprise as Brent Nicholls was laying down some serious sounds, a glorious collection of “nu-funk” house, electro beats & his trademark latin infused tracks, which included a whole host of our favourite tunes of now, including Sirusmo’s “All The Girls”, Pirupa’s “Sweet Devil” and Rino Cabrera’s “The Best of Me”, which soon got the dancefloor filled with Soho socialites in search of a boisterous boogie, our spirits being further lifted when Brent played out our absolute top choice, Denis Christopher’s mix of “No More Lies”, pure magic.
So, with us now well into our stride, trading chit chat with Brent between records, marvelling in the magnificent music he was playing and even fending off a very forward Jeremy who challenged us over some of our recent review work, we once again had a terrific time in the hands of BCS on a Saturday and you can see why the space is so popular, excellent lighting, superb sound quality, amazing atmosphere and a bunch of staff & management that always make us feel very welcome. For us, there is something very special about the regular nights at BCS, they feel so relaxed, so inviting and attract a like minded crowd that are simply out for a good time. Mix that with the ability to socialise superbly in between top notch music, plus with very reasonably priced drinks and there is little more you could ask of a Saturday night, well of any night in fact.
But the Barcode story of our weekend was far from over, as it seemed inevitable that BCV would draw us in, having already committed to an afternoon of audacious activity with clubbing pal Joel at Later, this Sunday outing at Fire really having found new legs in recent months. Indeed, BCV has very much benefitted from Later’s surge in popularity and a whole host of revellers tend to gravitate across Vauxhall to continue the partying. And this was something we simply couldn’t resist, having done the same just two weeks before, our decision being further swayed by the tantalising D.J. line up for the night, in the form of Gonzalo Rivas & Paul Heron, both who had treated us to splendid sets at Beyond & Industri respectively, leaving us craving for more. So, in anticipation these superstars being the decks arrival, we left Later behind, arriving at BCV just shy of 7 p.m. and assumed a spot by the bar with the aid of a much needed stool to rest our weary legs after over 10 hours of delirious dancing.
With Gonzalo kicking off proceedings, serving up a super selection of tech infused & pumping progressive tracks, as 8 p.m. arrived, BCV rapidly filled with post Later party heads, some which like us had also been to Beyond beforehand, but certainly didn’t want their night to end. Within minutes the atmosphere was amazing, very muck akin to a massive chill-out party, but with the music to match a full on club experience, leaving virtually everyone dancing away to Gonzalo’s gigantic performance, indeed even we were back up our feet, gyrating & grooving in dervish delight, trading moves with a host of people around us that included a very cute guy with blond locks, as well as a fun filled Brazilian quartet, who were clearly enjoying this special Sunday evening experience.
With an eye on the time but before we knew it, fab pal Paul Heron arrived, making a bee-line for us at the bar, having made the effort to arrive a little early to catch up with us before assuming the D.J. decks, it being an absolute pleasure to trade news of the weekend and otherwise, this charming man seemingly full of beans and in fine fettle. So, our night was to get even better, as Paul set about laying down a series of terrific tracks, tech infused beauties as well as more mainstream dance hits, including the amazing “Downpipe” and not too long after that, Remaday’s “No Superstar”, which had the BCV front room pumping. Add to all that the trail of familiar faces wandering through including Paul Coals, Francesco Pagano & Micky Galliano (twice in one weekend!), not to mention the ever attentive & friendly bar staff, Rick and Eduardo, to help our evening along, we were definitely in great company once again and couldn’t have asked for a better way to round off our weekend of clubbing naughtiness at Beyond & Later, superbly sandwiched by the brilliance of both BCS & BCV, no better words to sum up our Barcode experiences than simply “codenamed captivating”.
In the many years that we have been circulating the gAylist scene in London, there are few bars that have continued to draw us in and even fewer that have chalked up the kind of fantastic fun filled nights that we have enjoyed courtesy of Barcode. Not only has this brilliant bar brand stood the test of time, evolving & changing to cater for the discerning needs of its audience, but it remains at the forefront of bar culture both in Soho and Vauxhall, both venues proving their popularity week in week out. Yes it is fair to say that their specialist nights have given both the Soho pace & the Vauxhall venture extra dimension and indeed we absolutely adore the social soiree Industri, which is probably one of the most important events in our life right now, but, for us, the regular nights are also very special, both our weekend experiences being testament to that fact. So, there is little more to say apart from, Barcode we love what you do, keep doing what you do and for those that have yet to experience either at Saturday at BCS or a Sunday at BCV, we thoroughly recommend it. (DISCO MATT)
SATURDAY 10TH & SUNDAY 11TH APRIL
SPECIAL REVIEW
It isn’t often that we are failed to be impressed by what is on offer across gAylist/land London, not just in the incredible variety of clubs, mainstream or alternative, but in the fantastic places to hang out across the scene, the rich variety of bars and those bridging the gap between the two, testament to the diversity and strength of the capitals nightlife. However it takes a really good brand not just to have survived the recent troubled times that have touched many people’s lives & made trading in the leisure industry quite tough. But Barcode has not only appeared resilient to economic pressures falling into the trap of others that have stood still, but has looked at itself and ventured forth, not just serving up regular nights, but breaking ground with new & refreshing events to attract an increased audience. Through specialist successful nights like Soho’s “The Cave” & “Comedy Camp” or Vauxhall’s “Music Is The Answer” & “Our House” there is no denying the team make strenuous efforts to draw in the crowds, but despite these & other event offerings doing the business for Barcode, their regular nights remain largely as popular as ever and tend to be the ones that draw us in.
So, it came as no surprise that two such nights were to play a large part of our Saturday & Sunday, and both prove to be real hits, despite given the Easter weekend lag factor which can sometimes affect turnout the weekend after, although not so for Barcode it seemed. Having been laid low with a dreadful sore throat & cold on the Friday, plans to make it a quadruplet turnout to this brilliant bar brand were laid to waste, but with news of one of the scene’s biggest names playing out at BCS on Saturday and BCV on Sunday proving a real post Later hit of late, the scene was set to sandwich our clubbing exploits in the hands of Barcode. Putting thoughts of our below par health to the back of our mind, we pulled ourselves together and headed into town for our first evening out of the weekend, seeing what a Soho Saturday would serve up, stopping briefly and Profile Bar to say hi to the gorge Philippe, then swinging in Rupert Street to connect with the charming team, although these proved as mere curtain raisers for the main devotion, BCS, which drew us in not long after 10 p.m.
On many occasions this Soho hangout has proved a perfect way to perk up our penchant for onward clubbing, but nearly as many times it has been a heart warming & soul reviving evening of entertainment, not just in recent times, but stretching right back as far as we can remember, a whole host of D.J.’s serving up scintillating sounds, even when the operation was restricted to just one floor. But since refurbishment of the dance area downstairs, BCS has taken on a new lease of life and we absolutely love our Saturday partying down in this sophisticated place, this weekend being no different as we grabbed refreshments and descended the stairs, entering the space and moving to our usual spot directly behind the D.J. booth, a crowd already gathering to soak up the sounds from resident favourite Brent Nicholls.
Holding station and waiting to grab the attention of the man behind the decks, we turned towards the bar to see pal Tim Banham ready & willing to serve, bounding up to say hello but not seeing manager Jeremy Precelton in our eye radar, who gave us, shall we say, and more than inquisitive look that caused us to beat our retreat to our comfort spot. Then as Mr D.J. turned to say hello, in swooped fellow disc spinning friend Micky Galliano, who seemed very pleased to see us, although was somewhat surprised with our absence the previous night, we explaining away our sore throat & cold being the cause, but the friends kept coming, loads of faces from Rupert Street including long time associate Carl who seemed completely full of beans, dancing & jiving around us furiously, reducing us to fits of giggles, aghast at his overt activity. Mind you it was no surprise as Brent Nicholls was laying down some serious sounds, a glorious collection of “nu-funk” house, electro beats & his trademark latin infused tracks, which included a whole host of our favourite tunes of now, including Sirusmo’s “All The Girls”, Pirupa’s “Sweet Devil” and Rino Cabrera’s “The Best of Me”, which soon got the dancefloor filled with Soho socialites in search of a boisterous boogie, our spirits being further lifted when Brent played out our absolute top choice, Denis Christopher’s mix of “No More Lies”, pure magic.
So, with us now well into our stride, trading chit chat with Brent between records, marvelling in the magnificent music he was playing and even fending off a very forward Jeremy who challenged us over some of our recent review work, we once again had a terrific time in the hands of BCS on a Saturday and you can see why the space is so popular, excellent lighting, superb sound quality, amazing atmosphere and a bunch of staff & management that always make us feel very welcome. For us, there is something very special about the regular nights at BCS, they feel so relaxed, so inviting and attract a like minded crowd that are simply out for a good time. Mix that with the ability to socialise superbly in between top notch music, plus with very reasonably priced drinks and there is little more you could ask of a Saturday night, well of any night in fact.
But the Barcode story of our weekend was far from over, as it seemed inevitable that BCV would draw us in, having already committed to an afternoon of audacious activity with clubbing pal Joel at Later, this Sunday outing at Fire really having found new legs in recent months. Indeed, BCV has very much benefitted from Later’s surge in popularity and a whole host of revellers tend to gravitate across Vauxhall to continue the partying. And this was something we simply couldn’t resist, having done the same just two weeks before, our decision being further swayed by the tantalising D.J. line up for the night, in the form of Gonzalo Rivas & Paul Heron, both who had treated us to splendid sets at Beyond & Industri respectively, leaving us craving for more. So, in anticipation these superstars being the decks arrival, we left Later behind, arriving at BCV just shy of 7 p.m. and assumed a spot by the bar with the aid of a much needed stool to rest our weary legs after over 10 hours of delirious dancing.
With Gonzalo kicking off proceedings, serving up a super selection of tech infused & pumping progressive tracks, as 8 p.m. arrived, BCV rapidly filled with post Later party heads, some which like us had also been to Beyond beforehand, but certainly didn’t want their night to end. Within minutes the atmosphere was amazing, very muck akin to a massive chill-out party, but with the music to match a full on club experience, leaving virtually everyone dancing away to Gonzalo’s gigantic performance, indeed even we were back up our feet, gyrating & grooving in dervish delight, trading moves with a host of people around us that included a very cute guy with blond locks, as well as a fun filled Brazilian quartet, who were clearly enjoying this special Sunday evening experience.
With an eye on the time but before we knew it, fab pal Paul Heron arrived, making a bee-line for us at the bar, having made the effort to arrive a little early to catch up with us before assuming the D.J. decks, it being an absolute pleasure to trade news of the weekend and otherwise, this charming man seemingly full of beans and in fine fettle. So, our night was to get even better, as Paul set about laying down a series of terrific tracks, tech infused beauties as well as more mainstream dance hits, including the amazing “Downpipe” and not too long after that, Remaday’s “No Superstar”, which had the BCV front room pumping. Add to all that the trail of familiar faces wandering through including Paul Coals, Francesco Pagano & Micky Galliano (twice in one weekend!), not to mention the ever attentive & friendly bar staff, Rick and Eduardo, to help our evening along, we were definitely in great company once again and couldn’t have asked for a better way to round off our weekend of clubbing naughtiness at Beyond & Later, superbly sandwiched by the brilliance of both BCS & BCV, no better words to sum up our Barcode experiences than simply “codenamed captivating”.
In the many years that we have been circulating the gAylist scene in London, there are few bars that have continued to draw us in and even fewer that have chalked up the kind of fantastic fun filled nights that we have enjoyed courtesy of Barcode. Not only has this brilliant bar brand stood the test of time, evolving & changing to cater for the discerning needs of its audience, but it remains at the forefront of bar culture both in Soho and Vauxhall, both venues proving their popularity week in week out. Yes it is fair to say that their specialist nights have given both the Soho pace & the Vauxhall venture extra dimension and indeed we absolutely adore the social soiree Industri, which is probably one of the most important events in our life right now, but, for us, the regular nights are also very special, both our weekend experiences being testament to that fact. So, there is little more to say apart from, Barcode we love what you do, keep doing what you do and for those that have yet to experience either at Saturday at BCS or a Sunday at BCV, we thoroughly recommend it. (DISCO MATT)
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