"Bombastic Beats By the Beach" - Beyond Fruit - Club Review

“BOMBASTIC BEATS BY THE BEACH”
BEYOND FRUIT –
AS PART OF THE GAY BRIGHTON DANCE WEEKEND –
SUNDAY 8TH AUGUST
CLUB REVIEW


Our Sunday mornings these days are rarely the same unless we are lauding it large in Area, the magnet of a club that plays host to one of the most prolific & popular afterhours clubbing events we have known. In our years (and there have been a lot) of clubbing in the capital, there have been a mere few pretenders to its crown, this club even having seen off the then mother of all afterhours outings, Trade. In addition, a veritable feast of ventures fell at the first hurdle in an attempt to compete with the strength of this amazing club brand, so it will come as no surprise that the strength of Beyond is unquestionable, its reputation stretching far & wide and it seems that everyone wants to get their slice of this brilliant brand, whether it be the trappings of Paris, Amsterdam or even Mykonos, all destinations that have or are about to mark the clubs escapades abroad. But closer to home and Brighton was hankering for a look in too and it was to get its wish with the emergence of Paul Kemp’s Gay Brighton Dance Weekend, with Beyond set to sandwich itself between the four big events in the 29 strong festival calendar and being such a Beyond babe, it was a foregone conclusion that our excursion to the seaside would include this “bombastic beats by the beach” bash.

Arriving from Dance Nation, we were keen to get in amongst the action at The Honeyclub, host venue for this Beyond by the beach outing and the first one we had experienced outside the capital, our excitement levels reaching fever pitch as we found ourselves within the cavernous space that is, without question, our favourite club setting in Brighton. Mind you, looking around the space, which was brimming with a bountiful collection party heads well into the swing of things, we were struggling to recognise it as The Honeyclub we had known in the past, our vague memories of the venue barely impacting on our minds & eyes as we surveyed the territory in front of us. With Alex, Roni, Danny & Paul Kemp by our side and with no need to utilise the coatcheck facilities, we were set free to savour the full extent of this fruity frolic of a Beyond bash, being the collaboration between the ruling afterhours club in the capital & Brighton’s own big brand, this being the third in our trio outings which we had labelled “The Wild Fruit Way”.

Forging a path through the myriad of naked torso’s that was crowding out The Honyeclub’s main room, we could hardly see the various elevated podiums we needed to negotiate to find the safe spot by the D.J. booth we were aiming for, such was the sea of sweaty bopping bodies that were soaking up the octane fuelled & tech infused dance crazy house that Wild Fruit resident jock, Jonny M, was dishing out. But make the spot we did, Alex, Roni & Danny still in tow, although such was the demand on Paul’s attention that he had be left far behind and no doubt was also now caught up with promotions duties. So, with our spot by the booth secure, we sank into proceedings, our reasonably lofty position enabling us to look back across the extent of this pulsating main room, our minds making comparisons with Beyond’s natural home of now, Area back in London, although the space was nothing near the same, the ceiling much more rectangular than circular, the lighting not a patch on the amazing Area installation, yet all this difference gave Beyond in this by the beach format a funky & fresh feel.

However, venue aside, we could easily have been back in the capital as well over half of the cavorting crowd were Londoner’s, a never-ending list of familiar faces passing us by in our select spot and saying their hello’s, each & every person further lifting our already ecstatic mood, although it was when one Oliver Mohns arrived that our morning was going to get a literal elevation. In his now characteristic move, Mr Mohns gripped our legs and lifted us high into the air in an adoring exclamation of his pleasure to see us, but on bringing us back to terra firma, it was his tight bearhug of an embrace that took the proverbial wind out of our sails, his innocent exuberance crushing our delicately healing ribs and leaving us in considerable discomfort. Mind you, we were in one of our favourite clubs, Beyond, as well as in fabulous company, so the pain soon slipped away, especially with the arrival of Mikey D who was to shortly assume the D.J. decks and bring the real essence of Beyond to the beach.

With refreshments in hand we settled into Mikey’s set, finding our stride within the packed out out & pulsating Honeyclub main room, having adjusted our minds & accustomed our eyes to this new Beyond setting, Mr Dower’s music choices helping us feel even more at home with our beside the seaside Sunday morning and the continuing scene faces & friends appearing every now and then to further enlighten our experience. This included the dinky but delightful D.J. Miswhite, Emma rushing up to say hello and showing all her usual morsels of excitable energy for which we know her the best, we then indulging in our “whisper” moment, a story of old that we play out together whenever we meet, each time with hilarious results & reactions. With our roughed up ribs now a distant memory, we were beginning to really adore our new found Beyond bash away from London, the connections with the capital still apparent, but the atmosphere entirely different, yet for these contrasting reasons it was becoming the best outings in Brighton by far.

Being so busy inside, not just in the main room but in the second space next door which was proving a more relaxed affair, with Jeffrey Hinton in charge of the funky Queer Nation inspired tunes, many were seeking respite on the expansive terrace that fronted the beach, a walk on Brighton’s pebbly seafront simply separated by see-through steel fencing allowing onlookers to survey the social & clubbing shenanigans of the masses savouring the splendour of the bustling Beyond bastion before their eyes. And it was here we rested a while, catching up with our companions as well as bumping into recently formed friend Michelle, who like us had missed out on the Barcelona opportunity that had been beckoning, rather making Brighton the B in her wild weekend of clubbing. Clington Forbes was another friend that was here rather than there, but all of three of us were enjoying our experience nevertheless, as were off duty Tonker troupers from earlier, Alan X & Tim Jones, not to mention DTPM’s Lee Freeman, their very presence a clear indication that this fruity flavoured afterhours audacity was the club of choice following all the other Saturday night pride parties, let alone those from the Gay Brighton Dance Weekend.

However, it was inside where all the major action was, so we were back in our spot by the D.J. booth before long, Mickey in full stride and The Honeyclub in similarly full swing, the main room even busier than before, the bubbly Lee Harris appearing out of the masses to say hello, soon to be followed by the shining star of Lovechild’s party a few weeks previously, The Oli, who had hot footed it from Beyond at Area for his own second fill of this brilliant brand. Assuming his position behind the decks and taking up where Mr Dower left off, Oli gave this by the beach bash a very familiar feel with plenty of rip roaring house tunes of now, including that Crazibiza track that had become the sound of this seaside stint of ours, but with eyes beginning to point towards a chill-out session post this Beyond bash, we retreated to safe quarters by the venue entrance. Here we caught sight of yet another Beyond resident D.J., this time Hifi Sean, who had played out at DTPM before and was enjoying himself before yet more duties at Wild Fruit’s “Kings & Queens” event. Then just as we were getting into the swing of a final few minutes of this prolific party, a call came in hinting on our required attendance at the afterparty, so we beat a hasty retreat to rendezvous with our chill-out chums, leaving a still packed & pumping Beyond behind and an event extraordinaire exude on.

Naturally in this beside the beach Beyond party there were always going to be comparisons with London and distinguishing it apart from the club in the capital was not helped by the amount of Londoners present, not to mention resident jock Mikey D & occasional guest The Oli. However in reality, the fact that so many familiar faces had stayed back in Brighton for this Beyond rather than returning to London, was testament to the strength of the brand and proof of its popularity whether in the capital or not. However, there is no escaping that the Honeyclub as a venue isn’t a patch on Area, the lighting nowhere near as good, the overwhelming bass to the sound system sometimes too much to bear, the complete lack of visuals, pyrotechnics & effects which we are so used to in home territory distinctly absent, many observations that, in stepping out of the insularity of the scene in the capital for the couple of days we did, helped us appreciate just how lucky we are with our lot in London. Yet, that said, the Brighton version of this awesome afterhours had an edge to it, the feel of decadence that compared with Trade days of old, the resounding reason why it worked so well for us and meaning that Beyond Fruit will live in our memories for a long time to come. (DISCO MATT)

"Magnificent Marriage Of Minds" - Dance Nation - Club Review

“MAGNIFICENT MARRIAGE OF MINDS”
DANCE NATION –
AS PART OF GAY BRIGHTON DANCE WEEKEND –
SATURDAY 7TH AUGUST
CLUB REVIEW


With the whole landscape of Brighton’s pride weekend under considerable question, not least as a result of a catalogue of failings and precarious decision making by the Brighton Pride committee, the catalyst that saw the emergence of the concept known as Gay Brighton Pride Weekend, was the shocking withdrawal of one of the city’s biggest players which had unquestionably been the single most longstanding supporter of what has become the UK’s most popular pride weekends. In pulling out for all the right reasons, Wild Fruits absence from park proceedings in 2010 not only had the domino effect, a handful of other key players/individuals also pulling out of pride, but left considerable scares across the city’s LGBT community that still run deep in certain quarters. However, from the ashes of a lost park dance tent & bar contract, rose the phoenix of the joining of forces with over 15 venues & 25 club brands to produce a 29 strong schedule of dance events that became the Gay Brighton Dance weekend, its centrepiece the Saturday night event, Dance Nation, but did this event deliver to expectations? and was it the “magnificent marriage of minds” it set out to be?

Being our first full review experience of a club in Brighton (well we had Audio under our belts, just) we were not entirely sure what to expect, although having sampled what we would call “provincial” clubs during a previous working life out in Essex, we were building a picture as we arrived at host venue Tru’s doors on Brighton’s West Street. Being in the company of Lovechild’s Alex Erfan, Roni Inan & Danny Shubert, once into the empty venue, we threw ourselves into the final preparations the crew were making, before arming ourselves with refreshments from the now ready bar. Making the most of our spare time before the club opened for the feature event that was Dance Nation, we got the chance to take a good old butchers around the venue and like those handful of other provincial places we have visited, Tru was a-typical chrome & carpet in its complexion, although the main room with its dual staircases & viewing balcony was quite an impressive space, the lower area spreading back from the dancefloor to include sumptuous seating areas, while a second room was tucked away neatly, very much separating it away from the main expanse, a third space also accessible from the upper deck of the venue.

So, with us settled into our surroundings, it was now a case of waiting for the doors to swing open on this Dance Nation delirium and the partying to commence, it being a matter of minutes before people started drip feeding in, filling up the dancefloor & surrounding areas and soaking up the uplifting house heaven that opening D.J., Lovechild’s Leroy Tayler was delivering. But before we go on, perhaps we should explain the concept of Dance Nation, a gathering of promoter minds, to create a fusion of four club brands across three rooms, London’s Lovechild, Macho City & Tonker joining forces with Brighton’s Wild Fruit to create a mini style As One (the success story of NYD in the capital), although with a very different feel & vibe. Right, back to the action and from our vantage point just left of the enclosed D.J. booth, a general spot that we always seem to prefer & find favour with, we had a good view of the developing crowd in front of us, like Audio before it, proving to be a mix of locals & Londoner’s and as the numbers swelled & the room filled close to capacity within a blink of an eye, it was clear that Dance Nation was the place to be, with the party packing the biggest punch on this Brighton pride Saturday night.

Keen to see what was going on around the venue, we left our comfortable spot in the main room, circling the stairs & upper deck, first landing in on the select space given away to Macho City, before swooping in on the outside area for a brief respite, then re-tracing our steps downstairs and into room two, where the Tonker crew were tipping the popularity scales. Here we found resident D.J. & Tonker main man, Tim Jones in charge of the tunes, serving up a selection of sounds not dissimilar to the bombastic beats in the main room, although this space had a very much more intimate feel, an intriguing area in the corner clearly set aside for pole dancing & the like, the theme of carpet, chrome & luminous lighting highlighting the provincial feel of the place. However, both Tim’s & then Alan X’s soundtrack of vocal infused, funky, chunky house was enjoying considerable following, not just from the bevy of Brightoner’s but loads on London boys too, all very much loving their Tonker fill of fun.

But it was the main room, which was being shared by Wild Fruit & Lovechild, that had the majority of our devotions across the night, the superb opener of a set supplied by Leroy Tayler giving way to Wild Fruit’s own Neil Duffie who had so entertained us earlier at Audio. By now the place was pulsating with action, the music doing much of the talking in anticipation of the PA performance to come and having caught up with her upon landing in Brighton, we were keenly awaiting the arrival of Krysten Cummings, our spot by the D.J. booth the perfect position to catch the full extent of her extravert performance. However, the spotlight was first to fall on second Lovechild resident for the night, Tony English, who took up the mantle left by Neil Duffie and, once again, treated us to a sparkling set full of tech toned euro style & rip roaring sounds of now, one tune after the next hitting the mark magnificently and paving the way for Krysten’s coming.

With the lasers & lighting pointing on the small stage in front of the D.J. booth and the party people pushed back to make way, in came a gang of gorgeous go-go’s to frame the slightly built Krysten standing proud in the middle of the stage, she then proceeding to belt out a sequence of songs that definitely roused the revellers, not that they needed it, although there was no doubt that her showing was spectacular. Miss Cumming’s cavorting around the stage had filled the upper galleries which were teaming with onlookers taking in the full extent of her frolicking, while the dancers continued to flex muscles, flaunt their fulsome frames & taut torso’s to the delight of the audience in front of them, the whole show very much stamping it mark on Dance Nation . With the first of two stage showings over, the focus switched back to the D.J. booth and this time headlining act The Hoxton Whores, the duo setting about their business of delivering an eclectic mix & style of sounds that, for us, sadly didn’t quite match the previous performance of Lovechilder Tony English, their choices failing to ignite our dancing enthusiasm anywhere near like we were enjoying before.

So, finding respite behind the D.J. booth, we took stock of this Dance Nation event and caught up with friendly faces including Industri (that’s the London Thursday soiree before you ask) pals Jeremy & Andy, as well as the ever present promoters Alex Erfan & Paul Kemp, both who seemed pleased with their lot. But it was the arrival of Steve Pitron and partner Celso that re-ignited the excitement that had waned in us, a cheerful Celso bounding up to say hello and an equally happy Steve clearly pleased to see us, as we were him, this legendary D.J. and Beyond club main room maestro having been sorely missed while on a well earned holiday abroad. Now our night was going to take a terrific turn, as Mr Pitron pronounced his arrival behind the decks with not one, not two, but well over twenty tremendous tunes that had us an a dancing dervish in our new found spot just right of the booth. With Celso trading the occasional move with us amidst the huge house hits Steve was selecting, hits like “Here Comes the Rain” which was quickly followed by “Release Me” intermixed with latest dance gems, this musical mastery resulted in yet another scintillating set from this splendid D.J., marking his return to the decks and our clubbing exploits in the best way possible. But this climax of a closing set was to end all too soon, the call of Beyond in London dragging Steve, Celso & co away, while we were destined for our own slice of Beyond brilliance just down the road at The Honeyclub, we heading to our next outing very satisfied with our lot and our expectations fulfilled.

You may have noticed that we used the word provincial a few times and in truth, our visit to Tru did feel a little bit like that, the chrome & carpeting adding to the sense that we were experiencing something a world apart from that which we are used to in the capital. That said, the influx of Londoner’s which included a plethora of familiar faces bounding up to say hello, meant that we did feel quite at home with our Dance Nation experience and the anonymity that we were expecting, simply didn’t happen (all in a good way of course). As for the highlights of the night, well Krysten Cummings’ prolific PA performance was definitely up there, as was Tony English’s superb set, but you cannot take away the brilliance of Steve Pitron & his ability to lift the spirits like virtually no other D.J. we know. To see him back where he belonged, in charge of the tunes and storming the show with his delectable dance hits was pure delight at its best and witnessing his performance in provincial land was a tip top tastic treat. As for the night overall, the joining of forces between the four club brands certainly proved to be a "magnificent marriage of minds" and we can see this concept being repeated again, again & again, so hats off to all involved for making Dance Nation the enthralling event it was. (DISCO MATT)

"Alfresco Antidote At Audio" - Wild Fruit Terrace Party - Special review

“ALFRESCO ANITDOTE AT AUDIO”
WILD FRUIT TERRACE PARTY –
AS PART OF GAY BRIGHTON DANCE WEEKEND –
SATURDAY 7TH AUGUST
SPECIAL REVIEW


We have been hankering to step out from under the massive shadow that is the London clubbing scene for a while now, even though it been a good friend to us for the years we have been partying (too many to mention) and the much shorter time that we have been reporting on its delights & diversity. An attempt to break away and report on Brighton Pride last year fell at the final hurdle, although we were determined to not let anything get in our way this year. Then enter the Brighton Pride committee, who not only close on completely compromised the whole Brighton Pride event, which the city’s LGBT community had steadfastly supported & nurtured over the years, but through a series of financial & other blunders, disenfranchised its biggest support, Aeon Events, thus creating the kind of backlash never seen before within this tight knit community.

But the company behind the massive club brand, Wild Fruit, turned a setback into an opportunity and Gay Brighton Dance Weekend was born, its creator, one Paul Kemp, not only stealing much of the thunder of Brighton Pride itself, but developed a calendar of clubbing events stretching from the Thursday through to the Monday, totally eclipsing the drastically reduced Pride programme. Moreover, Paul’s stature & standing with community field meant that he managed to pull together 15 of the city’s best known dance bars & clubs and his reputation in the larger club promotions circuit attracted brands from back here in the capital to become involved in what turned out to be the outstanding success of Brighton’s Pride weekend, not so much a Pride weekend but a dance weekend extraordinaire. So, where did it all start for us? And why did it turn out to be an “alfresco antidote”?

With all the controversy & calamity surround Brighton Pride's park proceedings, even though we were determined to make it down to our version of London by the sea (yes we know about Southend! no letters please), the park was never really on the agenda, so a leisurely mid-afternoon train journey was the order of play. Meeting up with travelling partner and companion for this short weekend of clubbing merriment, Alex, the journey was over in a trice and a stroll down this seaside city’s (that’s Brighton of course) streets culminated in a rendezvous with other friends Roni & Danny who had travelled ahead to set up shop and prepare for the partying ahead. With the pride parade already over, many had headed for the park, although our body compass was pointing us in the direction of the seafront and the fabulous Wild Fruit Terrace party which had kicked off in earnest at 3 p.m. and was earmarked as the first leg in our trio of prolific parties as part of the Gay Brighton Dance Weekend.

Having not been to Brighton for some time and never having set foot in Audio, we were doing our level best to visualise what to expect and exactly where the venue was, although upon arrival with Alex, Danny, Roni & co, we were pleasantly surprised by both its convenient location (sandwiched between popular Charles Street & Amsterdam venues on Marine Parade) as well as the expansive space both inside & out, this multi levelled deco styled building certainly making an impressive seafront statement. Entering directly onto the smartly decked terrace, we were immediately taken by the superb setting, even if the sun was struggling to break through the rolling clouds, but looking around, it was clear the team had gone to extra effort to give this outside area a special feel, a massive mirror ball (and we are talking huge) dominating our view seaward, so big in fact, that it was seemingly being held up by this scaffolding affair that wouldn’t have looked out of place on one of the pop concert stages in Hyde Park or somewhere, while Inside and the laser lighting was already going full steam, a carpet of green dots filling the air, bouncing off the walls and illuminating the interior beautifully.

With refreshments in hand, we headed back out onto the terrace, where a select crowd had gathered to warm up their dance weekend proceedings, although our eyes were now fixed on the huge American style motor home parked outside Audio which was displaying Wild Fruit, Dance Nation & Gaydar posters and therefore clearly having a connection with this dance weekend festival. Having spotted heads bopping up & down on the upper open deck and with Danny & Roni deciding to head off to check out the Pride park proceedings, Alex led us round into the motor home where we got the chance to meet both Chrissy Darling (the face of Onyx & Lovechild), this time out of character & colourful costume, as well as superb PA singing star, Krysten Cummings. Both of them were mingling with a crowd of locals & Londoners including scene faces Gary Jordon & Quentin Neild, all very much in party mood and ready for the audacious alfresco action that lay ahead and we sank into their company & this entertaining experience with consummate ease, sinking yet more refreshments that were flowing freely.

However, as good as the mini party on Chrissy’s temporary home was, it was Audio and the Terrace party that required our devotion, so it was back onto the decking where a considerable crowd had now developed, dancing away delightfully to the banging beats of local chick Kate Wildblood, this minx of a mistress serving up a cocktail of hip swaying & wholesome house that not only had this outdoor area pumping & bumping to her spectacle of sounds, but had a whole band of admirers spying in from the elevated area next door on Amsterdam bar’s own terrace, looks of envy & jealously written all over their faces as they gazed in amazement down on this elite collection of invitees to Wild Fruit’s select soiree. With Danny & Roni back from the park and lambasting lyrically about the inferior quality of the crowd & proceedings in the park, we were soon joined by Lovechild resident D.J. Leroy Taylor with his partner Pascual, both intent on kick-starting their night with shots of tequila, while we spotted London pal Tony Tansley and took the opportunity for a laugh & catch up with this charismatic chap who was already headlong into his weekend, having landed in Brighton the previous night for the Wild Fruit weekend welcoming party.

With the sun sinking in the skies and the breeze dropping a little, this select & sophisticated soiree was in full flow, the terrace now completely packed with party heads intent on rocking Audio to its foundations, incumbent D.J. Neil Duffie picking up the pace with a superb string of hypnotically funky & chunk house, including what turned out to be the tune of the weekend, Crazibiza’s “Spinning Around” (nothing like Kyle before you ask!) which had the place pumping in motion to Neil’s magnificent music choices, the ever present pride whistles blowing (can they be annoying or what!) although both South African’s Leroy & Pascual concurring with us that even the whistles were better that the vuvuzela’s, a trumpet style instrument that has made many headlines recently. But whistles or not, we were well into our stride by now and savouring every magical minute of this alfresco antidote to Brighton Pride, this second Wild Fruit bash certainly being the place to be and attracting the lion’s share of local LGBT celebrities & stars and leaving its competitor, Sundance, with a mere handful of followers.

However, the star of this soiree was about to take charge, as the legend that is Seamus Haji took to the D.J. decks and immediately set about raising the already terrific tempo even higher with a tremendous truck load of tunes, very much in his Hed Kandi hat style of old, but with new funky & fulsome tones that had the terrace gripped by his performance, the numbers having now also spilled inside, such was his following & the popular of this Paul Kemp party. As good as both Kate & Neil had been (and they were so refreshingly good), Seamus took the party to a new level and certainly proved his worth & reputation, short of stealing the show for us and rounding off a truly fabulous Wild Fruit Terrace party in scintillating style, very much paving the way for the DTPM party that was to follow, while we headed with Alex, Roni & the rest across to our next Gay Brighton Dance weekend instalment, Dance Nation, still delighting ourselves on the thoughts & feelings from this impeccable start to our weekend by the sea.

Having both sampled Audio and taken a bite of the Wild Fruit cherry for the first time, we were not only impressed with the set up of the venue and the vibe of the Terrace, but can now see exactly why this clubbing brand of Paul Kemp’s is so popular down here in Brighton. Whilst Mr Haji was clearly the star of the show, the local D.J.’s more than held their own and showed a refreshingly different side to the house music that we so love & adore in our homeland back in the capital. The blend of locals & Londoners at this terrific terrace gathering worked like a dream and the air of relative exclusivity also found fervent favour. Yes, we cannot escape the fact that Brighton Pride tends to be all about the park, although in recent years it has been the street party on the Sunday that has been stealing more of the limelight, yet for us, it was Audio & Wild Fruit that had the spotlight well & truly shone on them, this party playing out perfectly as a result and proving, not least with the terrace space, the alfresco antidote to the park that we expected it to be. A trip to Sunday Sundae soon must surely be beckoning. (DISCO MATT)

"The Leomeo Lovechild Love-In" - Lovechild "Hot Tropicana" - Club Review

"THE LEOMEO LOVECHILD LOVE-IN"
LOVECHILD “HOT TROPICANA” - SATURDAY 31ST JULY
CLUB REVIEW


Now we love our clubbing and we love our club brands, although it takes a lot for us pay homage to events more than once in a month, well with the possible exception of those weekly outings that are too much to resist. But then, the occasions that we are faced with two parties in one month by the same brand is rare indeed, although this July was to prove the exception to the rule, as unbeknownst to us, the team behind Lovechild had planned for their big extravaganza of the month to fall at the final rather than its usual third Saturday slot. Therefore, we were somewhat caught off guard and unprepared for the month end madness of “Hot Tropicana”, having already pledged our allegiance to “Makin Hay” just two weeks before, added to which some serious unravelling of plans was required given the arrival of a special guest D.J. to the decks, that made our attendance at this second Lovechild outing a virtual certainty. So, were our change of plans worthwhile? What made this latest Lovechild event stand out from the rest? Was the move to the end of the month a success? And who and what did it for us the most?

Now probably the first question to answer is, who was that special guest D.J. we were deluding to? Well, it was French fancy Leomeo of course, whose trip to the capital had been preceded by whistle-stop tours of New York, & Barcelona, the hectic schedule of this amiable Parisian pal meaning that London bound appearances were few & far between, making our decision to make changes to our plans a simple choice. However, having met up with the man earlier on Saturday afternoon, we at least managed to keep to some of our old plans, our liege Leomeo accompanying us, along with fellow party head Marco Cerrone, to Circus’s Pyjama party, before duty called in Vauxhall. Arriving as a threesome (in the clubbing kind of course) at Lovechild’s door, we were greeted not just by head poncho Alex Erfan and a supporting cast including Simon Patrick & Romain Lopez, but had to beat our way through the plumes of palms that were decorating the entrance to this “Hot Tropicana” themed event, really setting the scene for the prolific production that was to behold our eyes inside.

And it was into the club that we found ourselves in an instant, Alex leading Leomeo & Marco away while we headed to the coatcheck to drop off our belongings, before stopping off at the bar to fuel our body with refreshing energy drink and painkilling remedies for our expected dancing onslaught in the hands of this latest Lovechild luxuriate. There we were surprised by an off-duty Tom Fuller and a departing Craig Daniels, both men stopping us in our tracks, we engaging in catch up news with Tom before continuing on our way. Descending down onto the main room dancefloor we were immediately impressed by the sheer level of effort the team had gone to in decorating the space, the extent of palms we had witnessed on our entry, paling into insignificance compared with the lavish greenery that was festooning Fire’s main space, added extra’s all around the D.J. booth complimenting the look and certainly deluding to the jungle like feel of the place, the tongue in cheek visuals full of extracts from the famous Disney movie adding a camp touch to the truly tropical theme.

But we were intent on finding our favoured spot in this main room madness and as we approached the D.J. booth found our friends Leomeo & Marco in situ, with resident Lovechilder Tony English in charge of the tunes, rousing the room with a rip roaring rendition of euro style & Balearic inspired beats intermixed with tunes of now, all of which were striking resonance with the packed out premier Fire space. Mind you, our late arrival had meant we had missed out on the usual opener by Phil Hewson, who spotted us in our usual place and bounded over to quiz us on absence before speeding off in search of his companions. This kind of spurted us into carrying out our usual tour of duty around the club, first dropping in on the lounge space and headed straight for the D.J. booth to say our hello’s to Gabriele Cutrano who was once again in charge of this intimate offering, serving up a more laid back yet tech infused funky house soundtrack compared with the more upbeat offerings next door, although it was clear this lounge area had its following, a comfortable crowd lapping up his alternative musical delights. But our tour was to continue as we urged Alex to introduce us to second guest D.J. for the night, Nick Wolanski, as we were keen to see this model turned music maker in the flesh, although on arriving in the contact room and heading to meet the man, it was clear he was engrossed in his set and far from interested in our introduction. So, instead we stepped back down to observe him in action and it has to be said that we found his performance far from inspiring, his music not quite hitting our mark, perhaps reflective of his monstrous mood.

Returning to the main room was now a simple choice, especially as the lovely Leomeo was about to hit the decks and were we in for a treat or what, as this terrifically talented individual set about stoking up the already impressive atmosphere with a mesmeric mix of uplifting and funky vocal infused house, slowly sliding into more tribal and progressive beats, that took us on a journey of magical musical exploration. With every new track Leomeo selected, we became more engrossed with his delightful delivering, dancing deliriously to recognition of his rip roaring raptures and it was clear he was enjoying his lot too, bopping up & down behind the decks, occasional hands in the air invoking similar reactions from the packed out dancefloor. Such was the strength of his set, that the numbers next door in the Mirrorarch soon drained into the main room to soak up Leomeo’s scintillating sounds and to add to the excitement, we were joined by a whole load of familiar faces, including Lovechilders Roni Inan & Danny Shubert, the delightful Dorin, who had torn himself away from duties in the Lightbox and bello Alessandro who had just landed from his gig in Barcode, our Sicilian friend in fine fettle & ready to party deep towards dawn.

With Leomeo now very much in charge, the atmosphere was to get even better when Thigio Drewry’s drop dead gorgeous go-go dancers hit the podiums placed around the main room, stilt walkers adding to the stage show antics and our gaze pointed in the direction of this massively muscled man displaying his wares and swinging his man tool around with baring bravado, his proud appendage big enough to more than poke your eye out, we wondering exactly where the Seen Queen video camera was when you needed it. Having missed the snake charmer & all the other audacious activities earlier on, our time was definitely now and we were very much enjoying our lot, the saucy shows adding to the magnificent music and the vibrant visuals, which had replaced the jovial jungle book screen shots before, the impressive Lovechild images the work of the immensely talented Alan X, who had also joined us to pour out his take on this Tropicana tribal transmission.

With the dancers retreated and our love-in liaison with Mr Drewry over, it was down to Leomeo to fulfil our hearts desires, he failing to disappoint, as one rousing tribal inspired tune after the next well & truly made a mesmeric mark on our musical mind, especially a brilliant brand new track full of tech & tribal tones that our Parisian pal had created with close compatriot D.J. friend Javier Medina in his Barcelona studio, we being treated to a first live airing of this terrific tune. And in essence this summed up Leomeo’s pulsating performance, a two hour showing of spectacular sounds that left us wanting for more and searching for inspiration once he had stepped down from his D.J.’ing duties, he handing over the reins to Lee Harris who was to see out this “Hot Tropicana” main room marauding, while we made the most of our last few minutes with Leomeo before he retired to rest on what had been a jam packed Saturday of socialising, partying & performing, his departure leaving us to soak up the remaining uplifting sounds from Mr Harris, which included our tune of now “World Go Round”, this in itself signalling our own go round and journey off to the afterhours action across Vauxhall.

What was clear from the moment we graced the doors of this Lovechild “Hot Tropicana” party was the sheer amount of effort that had gone in to the production of the event, from the entrance through to the main room & beyond, all really inspiring the jungle fever feel of this outing, indeed the best we have seen of any Lovechild party yet. Having arrived a little late to catch the snake charmer, we heard that part of the string of shows was an absolute wow, although the slices of Thigio’s dancers were more than enough for us, especially that muscular man who certainly had a snake of his own! However, whilst the numbers were certainly up on the last outing, this particular month end move was always going to be up against the exodus to Barcelona and once again it seemed the contact room failed to ignite anywhere near the passion of Lovechild parties of old, this occasion like “Makin Hay” before it, proving that it was all about the main room. But in reality this was no surprise, as the Leomeo show certainly packed a punch, his brilliant blend of funky, chunky tunes sliding into tribal tracks, had us hooked from start to finish and yes we were pleased to change our plans in order to make this “Hot Tropicana” happening, as his set was our outstanding highlight & well worth the visit. (DISCO MATT)

"Barmy Beside Bawdiness" - Circus "The Pyjama Party" - Club Review

“BARMY BESIDE BAWDINESS”
CIRCUS “THE PYJAMA PARTY”- SATURDAY 31ST JULY
CLUB REVIEW


If we are brutally honest, in all the years we have been clubbing in the capital, we have always fallen into the stereotypical gAylist style event, all too often concentrating on the Vauxhall circuit to satisfy our hearts desires. Yes, clubs like Fist & Trade tended to buck that trend and then, of course, there was Love Muscle in Brixton. However, our forays further a-filed have been few & far between, notable exceptions to our Vauxhall rule being the way-out & whacky Gutterslut and the metrosexual delight of Reverse, although one club has recently been drawing a little of our attention, having played its part in recent events such as The London Global Dance Festival & SuperMartXe’s “The Wizard Of Oz” party. Like both Gutterslut & Reverse who both plant themselves firmly in the mixed crowd market, this fun-filled frolic also does that, but with the added excitement of a celeb here & there for good measure, not to mention a supporting cast of cavorters both in front & behind the decks, all adding up to a temptation far too much to resist.

Yes, Circus has, slowly but surely, made its way into our world, although some would say a long overdue entry, the club having firmly planted itself on the clubbing scene back in 2006, making plenty of waves at their home, The Soho Revue Bar, and immediately attracting an A list crowd of clubbers to its monthly events with enticing side shows to compliment the mains meal of musical madness from resident jocks that included Malcolm Plate, Kris Di Angelis and the lady herself, promoter extraordinaire Jodie Harsh. And what was a club that was created as a sideline project to pay off this larger than life character’s student debt, has become very much an iconic outing, drawing in equally overt individuals such as Amy Winehouse, Kelly Osbourne, Pete Burns & Siouxsie Sioux to its parties, along with other A listers Sophie Ellis Bextor, Roisin Murphy & Robyn, not to mention top notch gAylister Will Young, all who have either partied, performed or played at events across Circus’s 4 year history.

That history has seen Jodie Harsh’s creation develop & change with the times, the demise of Soho Revue Bar inspiring new ventures around the capital to keep the offering fresh & fulsome, ventures forth that have included trips into Mayfair at the posh Metropolitan Hotel, across to the massive Matter venue at the O2 arena in Greenwich, closer to home in Shoreditch at the appropriately named, Last Days Of Decadence, before honing in back on its hallowed territory of Soho. And despite moving the club around the capital, Circus’s following has not only survived, but thrived, where other clubs that have gone through similar metamorphic moves have failed, in part due to the brands unique mix of creative characters, mind stretching music and thought provoking themes. So, it came as no surprise that our ears were well & truly pricked up when we got an invite to their latest offering, this time at the lofty Paramount club venue at Centrepoint, a venue where we have witnessed parties in the hands of both DTPM and Reverse, although given Jodie’s reputation for pushing the boundaries, was all the more enticing as a Circus event, especially as the team were labelling this latest outing as “...a grown up sleep-over with drag queen pillow fights, naked Twister & bedtime stories...” amongst plenty more. So, how did our experience of this Circus “Pyjama Party” turn out? And what were the highlights of our trip fantastic & foray into this “barmy bedside bawdiness” of an event.

With our troubled back injury still praying on our mind, the plan was to take it reasonably easily, so a trip to Jodie Harsh’s overt outing seemed like a good plan, but we hadn’t accounted for the arrival in London of D.J. pal Leomeo, who was scheduled to headline Lovechild’s latest event and would inevitably draw us into dancing dervishness in Vauxhall. Mind you, meeting up with this fetching Frenchman in the sunshine of a Soho Saturday afternoon, we compared notes and decided that a trip to Circus before heading south was an added treat to Leomeo’s schedule, so made arrangements to meet later that evening for our foray 31 floors up at Paramount. So, with the witching hour upon us and having warmed our evening in the hands of Brent Nicholls at Barcode Soho, our rendezvous with our Parisian pal & fellow night owl Marco Cerrone, saw us arrive at Centrepoint, where a considerable queue had developed for this prolific pyjama party. But, finding ourselves at the head of the hedonists, we were pleased to find Laurent Chaumet in charge of proceedings, Leomeo pleased as punch to catch up with his French compatriot, this chance meeting seeing us whisked into Paramount in an instant and up to the audacious action above.

Stepping out into Paramount’s unique setting, the space was already packed with plenty of party heads intent on succumbing to this sleep over inspired shocker, both sides of the venue buzzing with excitement of what this event had in store. So, in usual fashion we sought to find our bearings, first heading onto the dancefloor side, which was already brimming with a most eclectic bunch of beautiful boys & gorgeous girls, soaking up the sounds of the fabulous Filthy Dukes, who were treating the cavorting crowd to an extravert electro pop pumped performance that got us dancing in an instant, Leomeo & Marco joining us in our impromptu energetic bursts of moving & grooving to the synthesised electro-pop & barnstorming beats being served up. Looking around, the team had certainly delivered on the promise of vivacious visuals, a whole collection of screens painting the Circus picture and displaying a whole host of colourful characters, depicting the world of this crazy world of Jodie Harsh’s creation perfectly, although our eyes were then drawn to the massive bed in front of the D.J. booth where plenty of sleep over shenanigans were in full flow, not least by the torso toned go-go Luke-Baden Barnsley, who was bouncing on the bed with a cuddly toy bunny in his hands, very much evoking everything extrovert about this event.

With Leomeo spotting Jodie behind the D.J. booth and disappearing for a hello & catch up, we positioned ourselves close to the action up front, where hostess Polly was keeping the appropriately dressed sleep over boys & girls in check, but with their reputation for outrageousness, she was always going to have her hands full keeping control of their slumberland antics, especially when the camera’s started clicking, catching each & everyone of them in compromising pose in pyjamas and more. With the audacious atmosphere going skyward with every minute, the usual draw of the incredible views from this lofty 31 floor high venue was the last thing on our minds, rather our thoughts more concentrated on soaking up the superb sounds from the Filthy Dukes’ Olly Dixon and savouring the spectacle that was this grown up bedtime bravado. Catching a few familiar faces floating by, it wasn’t long before Leomeo was back by our side and sinking into dancing dives with us, although we were keen to investigate the other aspects of this Circus party, so headed round past a second boudoir area, where performer Scotee was holding court and dishing out plenty of bedtime stories & hot milk to entice followers into & under his duvet of delight, we eventually finding ourselves by the bar to fuel with refreshments before aiming back in the direction of the dancefloor.

Back with the boisterous beats, we found a spot in amongst the crowd with Leomeo & Marco, our French D.J. pal getting plenty of attention with his multi-coloured top, while our eyes were gazing at the eccentric & eclectic crowd that were certainly completely different to the clubbers we are used to rubbing shoulders with at the likes of Matinee, Beyond & SuperMartXe. Indeed, following a tap on our backside & a flick on our ear, our attention was caught by the lovely Luke, who made a similar remark to us before returning to his bouncing bawdiness on the bed, posing for the never-ending photo shots that would surely hit the scene pages far & wide. We were keen to catch up with long standing friend and resident D.J. Kris Di Angelis, whom we had spotted in the background dressed in not much more than a slinky blue silk gown, with Fidel Trotman in close quarters, head to toe in white bedside couture & a towering towel turban, but time had moved on much quicker than we had expected and the Leomeo Lovechild due clock was ticking, thus curtain calling a close on our courting with Circus on this occasion, we departing to Vauxhall and the relative normality of clubbing conformity.

Now, it is fair to say that our walk on the Circus wild side was somewhat brief, but the small amount we sampled left us wanting for more and suitably sucked into the Harsh & co recipe of audacious activity, electro twisted tunes and downright debaucherous decorum that is clearly the trademark of this monthly eccentric event. Had it not been for our liege Leomeo, we would have engrossed ourselves in the full extent of this frolic thirty one floors up and reflecting on some of the images post event, there is no doubting that the Circus crowd certainly know how to party & rise to the occasion, so many making the effort to dress up for the outing, while others completely threw themselves into proceedings with vigour. We absolutely loved the eclectic mix of people this club night attracted and the amazing atmosphere they created, not to mention the energetic electro-pop pumped musical soundtrack, which was superb, but probably the most outstanding aspect was the effort put in by so many to make the whole experience magnificent. As for those highlights, well Fidel & his towel turban was up there, but the image of Luke bouncing up & down on the bed, bunny in hand, will live with us for a long time, although it will be the brilliant beats, the amazing atmosphere & the incredible individuals that will collectively claw us back to our next Circus bash and we have our diary out already. (DISCO MATT)


Postscript

Images for this review are courtesy of David Hart Photography and for full details of the impressive individual’s talents, his portfolio of pictures, published work, club shots & plenty more, including how to book his services, go to http://shootmeup.co.uk/.