“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/.
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/.
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