“HALLOWEEN HOUSE HORROR”
VAUXHALL CHAINSAW MASSACRE – SATURDAY 30TH OCTOBER
CLUB REVIEW
Over the years we have slowly seen Halloween gain popularity in London, the all American style of celebrating infiltrating Britain & very much taking over the traditional pagan style parties that used to take place up until only a few years ago. And in clubland, it seems that Halloween is much more of a significant date too, many jumping on the bandwagon & choosing to throw specialist events to celebrate what is traditionally simply the eve of All Saints day, but has come to mean so much more for many. Indeed, more & more grown-ups go to the trouble & expense of dressing up in ghostly & ghoulish outfits to mark the occasion, parading around the streets of London with gay abandon and entering into the spirit of Halloween, often out numbering ten to one, the children playing out the more typical trick & treat antics, the adults trading the doorstep for the dancefloor to cavort in their costumes for one night only, well maybe the morning after too.
So, it came as no surprise that the club scene south of the river would be serving up its own offering for Halloween, doing its best to tempt people out with s specially themed party, aptly named “Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre”, with the added enticement of a headline international D.J./Producer to compliment the impressive line-up, not to mention much promise with regard the decor & delights in prospect at host venue, superclub Colosseum. Add the that the teaming up of new A:M promoter & the flavour of the moment, Oliver M, with the Beyond B2B team, the scene was set for a spectacular Saturday night down Vauxhall way, we having been enticed away from our planned visit to Guy Williams’ “Black Rabbit” 4th birthday bash, in preference to supporting Mr Mohns, plus catching up with Industri pals & D.J. close friends Brent Nicholls & Eduardo De La Torre. However, two questions’s remained, did we make the right decision? And how did this Halloween House Horror turn out?
With much debate occurring between us & friend Benoit during the day, not just over the change of clocks, but whether we would venture out clubbing before the big one, Trade’s 20th Birthday, we finally decided that a trip to Vauxhall rather than Maida Vale was on the cards, firming up arrangements during the course of the evening and then scheduling an arrival at Colosseum at not long turned midnight. And as we had been greeted at A:M just a few hours before, the ever smiling & welcoming Minty was on hand to greet us, we eventually negotiating the maze of fencing at the door to find ourselves in her presence, even joint promoter, Oliver M, appearing at the door to say hello. But with the weather having turned quite cold & wet, we were keen to get inside the club, although not before the usual formalities, which this time included catching up with Tom Fuller who was keeping warm just inside the entrance and making himself useful with ticket collections & sales.
With the promise of delivering a warming shot of Sambuca back downstairs to Minty complete, we armed ourselves with our own refreshments and sad our hello’s to Pier Morrocco, who like Minty, we had seen at A:M and was, this time, on D.J. duty in the aptly named “Riverbar”, a view of the Thames out from its windows the inspiration. Mind you, with most of the action happening in the main room, we soon found ourselves in our usual spot, yes you guessed it, just left of the D.J. booth and savouring the delights of guest D.J. Andrei Stan for the second time this Halloween weekend, this enigmatic & fun-filled young man serving up a superb selection of sounds, tough & euro-style yet uplifting enough to rouse the select audience into audacious action. But, as select as the crowd may have been, we were very impressed with the amount of people that had made the effort to come in costume, the pathetic extent of our outfit merely a skull & cross-bones on a t-shirt, paining in significance to those around us, especially one such person who surprised us with a tap on the shoulder. Reacting to this prompt, we turned to face the individual, who we did not immediately recognise, only a closer inspection revealing it to be our Industri close pal Stephen, the make-up shrouding his familiar features and his clothing completely hiding his usual persona, so well that we were astounded by his transformation. Clutching a skull in one hand & a spear in the other, not to mention a ball & chain tied to his leg, Stephen was cutting an impressive stride and certainly matching the best costumes in this Halloween house horror of a happening, even many of the dancers outfits failing to make as much of an impression.
Looking around the main room, the team had certainly gone to the effort of sprucing up the place to give it a ghostly & ghoulish feel, the performing stage to the side featuring a similar chair to that we had seen in A:M’s Asylum party, although there were plenty more effects besides which certainly gave the main room a special feel, even if the atmosphere felt a little flat. With Andrei still in control, we went in search of the VIP (second room) space, having seen the posters indicating that Brent Nicholls was playing, we sure this not being the case as he was already committed to Hard On! and our conversation earlier had indicated that he wasn’t due to play at this “Massacre” event until later, our suspicions being confirmed when we found Lee Harris waiting patiently, the room still not open, a poor Mr Harris having been left high & dry for most of the first couple of hours with no real news to the contrary.
Having grabbed a short break outside & taken a message from our friend Benoit who was heading our way, we were back in the main room & catching up with plenty of familiar faces including Industri friends, Chris, Jeremy & Andrew, as well as long standing clubbing pal Johnny Salas with his own little entourage, many of whom had adorned themselves with suitable Halloween make-up & more, very much throwing themselves into the event with gusto. But it was back to our spot next to the D.J. booth that we found ourselves, Andrei having handed over to special guest, D.J/Producer David Penn, who assumed the decks and set about treating us to a full on euro-style & euphoric set of sounds, although it seemed that even he wasn’t going to lift the lack lustre atmosphere, the flat as a pancake feel a bit perplexing as was the scant amount of numbers, even if many had made the effort to dress to impress. Plus with no real second space on offer, we were condemned to making the most of what we had, our friend Benoit arriving & quickly drawing the same conclusions as us on proceedings.
However, we were boosted with the arrival of D.J. close pal Eduardo de la Torre, who was due to play in the second space, we praying that a change of heart by the event promoter, the seemingly single handed Oliver M, would see this VIP space roar into action. But, none of it, poor Eduardo, who had travelled across from his Berlin base especially for the promised gig, being left out in the proverbial cold with no proper explanation or information. It now seemed a case of damage limitation as the stage show did it’s best to ignite the faltering atmosphere, The Free Radical Formation’s Rob Harris injecting all his energy into a powerful & punchy performance of two tracks which gave the event a temporary lift, as did the drop dead gorgeous hunks of dancers that were framing him on the podium in front of the D.J. booth. But, with the show over, we were beginning to watch the clock until our trip across to Trade, it seemingly like many had chosen to either save themselves for the big birthday, or had decided Halloween parties at home were the preferred option, news also coming our way that Brent Nicholls had been cancelled, signalling the last straw in our stamina for this party.
It was now just a case of counting down until we could grace our exit, although with Gonzalo taking over the decks, we were given some joy, as his selections were definitely hitting the mark, even our pal Benoit beginning to enjoy himself at last. And with Mis-White & friend in close call trading dancing moves with us, we made the most of our final massacre minutes, the whole party feeling very much that, rather than the resounding success the build up & billing had promised. So, with the strike of 5 a.m., it was curtain call time on this chainsaw calamity, the main room dancefloor having thinned before our eyes, many either choosing a hip skip & jump across to Beyond Hell at Area, which was getting underway, or like us, making the journey across to Southwark & the mother of all parties this Halloween weekend, Trade’s 20th birthday.
Well, what can we say about this promised biggest & scariest Halloween party in London that was the Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre that we haven’t already? Well, apart from the fact that it failed to attract anywhere near the following the team had expected, the whole night felt extremely flat & monotone, only brief sparks of brilliance coming from the D.J.’s on duty, as well as the stage performers & dancers. And of those duty D.J.’s, it simply beggars belief the way Eduardo de La Torre was treated during this event. Yes, the decision was made not to open the second room and yes, he was probably paid a cancellation fee, but having travelled all the way from Berlin and not even been given the opportunity to play in preference to London based D.J.’s is a disgrace in our books. Had it not been for the fact that we were in good company, that so many people had made the effort to dress for the party & that we really wanted to catch up with the people we did, we would have left Colosseum a lot earlier than we did, or indeed forgone the party completely. As another review after the event summarised, the party definitely lived up to its name and we will leave you to judge exactly what name that was. (DISCO MATT)
VAUXHALL CHAINSAW MASSACRE – SATURDAY 30TH OCTOBER
CLUB REVIEW
Over the years we have slowly seen Halloween gain popularity in London, the all American style of celebrating infiltrating Britain & very much taking over the traditional pagan style parties that used to take place up until only a few years ago. And in clubland, it seems that Halloween is much more of a significant date too, many jumping on the bandwagon & choosing to throw specialist events to celebrate what is traditionally simply the eve of All Saints day, but has come to mean so much more for many. Indeed, more & more grown-ups go to the trouble & expense of dressing up in ghostly & ghoulish outfits to mark the occasion, parading around the streets of London with gay abandon and entering into the spirit of Halloween, often out numbering ten to one, the children playing out the more typical trick & treat antics, the adults trading the doorstep for the dancefloor to cavort in their costumes for one night only, well maybe the morning after too.
So, it came as no surprise that the club scene south of the river would be serving up its own offering for Halloween, doing its best to tempt people out with s specially themed party, aptly named “Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre”, with the added enticement of a headline international D.J./Producer to compliment the impressive line-up, not to mention much promise with regard the decor & delights in prospect at host venue, superclub Colosseum. Add the that the teaming up of new A:M promoter & the flavour of the moment, Oliver M, with the Beyond B2B team, the scene was set for a spectacular Saturday night down Vauxhall way, we having been enticed away from our planned visit to Guy Williams’ “Black Rabbit” 4th birthday bash, in preference to supporting Mr Mohns, plus catching up with Industri pals & D.J. close friends Brent Nicholls & Eduardo De La Torre. However, two questions’s remained, did we make the right decision? And how did this Halloween House Horror turn out?
With much debate occurring between us & friend Benoit during the day, not just over the change of clocks, but whether we would venture out clubbing before the big one, Trade’s 20th Birthday, we finally decided that a trip to Vauxhall rather than Maida Vale was on the cards, firming up arrangements during the course of the evening and then scheduling an arrival at Colosseum at not long turned midnight. And as we had been greeted at A:M just a few hours before, the ever smiling & welcoming Minty was on hand to greet us, we eventually negotiating the maze of fencing at the door to find ourselves in her presence, even joint promoter, Oliver M, appearing at the door to say hello. But with the weather having turned quite cold & wet, we were keen to get inside the club, although not before the usual formalities, which this time included catching up with Tom Fuller who was keeping warm just inside the entrance and making himself useful with ticket collections & sales.
With the promise of delivering a warming shot of Sambuca back downstairs to Minty complete, we armed ourselves with our own refreshments and sad our hello’s to Pier Morrocco, who like Minty, we had seen at A:M and was, this time, on D.J. duty in the aptly named “Riverbar”, a view of the Thames out from its windows the inspiration. Mind you, with most of the action happening in the main room, we soon found ourselves in our usual spot, yes you guessed it, just left of the D.J. booth and savouring the delights of guest D.J. Andrei Stan for the second time this Halloween weekend, this enigmatic & fun-filled young man serving up a superb selection of sounds, tough & euro-style yet uplifting enough to rouse the select audience into audacious action. But, as select as the crowd may have been, we were very impressed with the amount of people that had made the effort to come in costume, the pathetic extent of our outfit merely a skull & cross-bones on a t-shirt, paining in significance to those around us, especially one such person who surprised us with a tap on the shoulder. Reacting to this prompt, we turned to face the individual, who we did not immediately recognise, only a closer inspection revealing it to be our Industri close pal Stephen, the make-up shrouding his familiar features and his clothing completely hiding his usual persona, so well that we were astounded by his transformation. Clutching a skull in one hand & a spear in the other, not to mention a ball & chain tied to his leg, Stephen was cutting an impressive stride and certainly matching the best costumes in this Halloween house horror of a happening, even many of the dancers outfits failing to make as much of an impression.
Looking around the main room, the team had certainly gone to the effort of sprucing up the place to give it a ghostly & ghoulish feel, the performing stage to the side featuring a similar chair to that we had seen in A:M’s Asylum party, although there were plenty more effects besides which certainly gave the main room a special feel, even if the atmosphere felt a little flat. With Andrei still in control, we went in search of the VIP (second room) space, having seen the posters indicating that Brent Nicholls was playing, we sure this not being the case as he was already committed to Hard On! and our conversation earlier had indicated that he wasn’t due to play at this “Massacre” event until later, our suspicions being confirmed when we found Lee Harris waiting patiently, the room still not open, a poor Mr Harris having been left high & dry for most of the first couple of hours with no real news to the contrary.
Having grabbed a short break outside & taken a message from our friend Benoit who was heading our way, we were back in the main room & catching up with plenty of familiar faces including Industri friends, Chris, Jeremy & Andrew, as well as long standing clubbing pal Johnny Salas with his own little entourage, many of whom had adorned themselves with suitable Halloween make-up & more, very much throwing themselves into the event with gusto. But it was back to our spot next to the D.J. booth that we found ourselves, Andrei having handed over to special guest, D.J/Producer David Penn, who assumed the decks and set about treating us to a full on euro-style & euphoric set of sounds, although it seemed that even he wasn’t going to lift the lack lustre atmosphere, the flat as a pancake feel a bit perplexing as was the scant amount of numbers, even if many had made the effort to dress to impress. Plus with no real second space on offer, we were condemned to making the most of what we had, our friend Benoit arriving & quickly drawing the same conclusions as us on proceedings.
However, we were boosted with the arrival of D.J. close pal Eduardo de la Torre, who was due to play in the second space, we praying that a change of heart by the event promoter, the seemingly single handed Oliver M, would see this VIP space roar into action. But, none of it, poor Eduardo, who had travelled across from his Berlin base especially for the promised gig, being left out in the proverbial cold with no proper explanation or information. It now seemed a case of damage limitation as the stage show did it’s best to ignite the faltering atmosphere, The Free Radical Formation’s Rob Harris injecting all his energy into a powerful & punchy performance of two tracks which gave the event a temporary lift, as did the drop dead gorgeous hunks of dancers that were framing him on the podium in front of the D.J. booth. But, with the show over, we were beginning to watch the clock until our trip across to Trade, it seemingly like many had chosen to either save themselves for the big birthday, or had decided Halloween parties at home were the preferred option, news also coming our way that Brent Nicholls had been cancelled, signalling the last straw in our stamina for this party.
It was now just a case of counting down until we could grace our exit, although with Gonzalo taking over the decks, we were given some joy, as his selections were definitely hitting the mark, even our pal Benoit beginning to enjoy himself at last. And with Mis-White & friend in close call trading dancing moves with us, we made the most of our final massacre minutes, the whole party feeling very much that, rather than the resounding success the build up & billing had promised. So, with the strike of 5 a.m., it was curtain call time on this chainsaw calamity, the main room dancefloor having thinned before our eyes, many either choosing a hip skip & jump across to Beyond Hell at Area, which was getting underway, or like us, making the journey across to Southwark & the mother of all parties this Halloween weekend, Trade’s 20th birthday.
Well, what can we say about this promised biggest & scariest Halloween party in London that was the Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre that we haven’t already? Well, apart from the fact that it failed to attract anywhere near the following the team had expected, the whole night felt extremely flat & monotone, only brief sparks of brilliance coming from the D.J.’s on duty, as well as the stage performers & dancers. And of those duty D.J.’s, it simply beggars belief the way Eduardo de La Torre was treated during this event. Yes, the decision was made not to open the second room and yes, he was probably paid a cancellation fee, but having travelled all the way from Berlin and not even been given the opportunity to play in preference to London based D.J.’s is a disgrace in our books. Had it not been for the fact that we were in good company, that so many people had made the effort to dress for the party & that we really wanted to catch up with the people we did, we would have left Colosseum a lot earlier than we did, or indeed forgone the party completely. As another review after the event summarised, the party definitely lived up to its name and we will leave you to judge exactly what name that was. (DISCO MATT)
1 comment:
Dear Matt Hopkins or Disco Matt or both.
I would appreciate if you would research your facts a bit more before throwing accusations at people.
Eduardo de la torre rang me and another club promoter the month before Halloween and where asking for a gig around the halloween weekend "HE WAS IN LONDON THAT WEEKEND BECAUSE OF A BITHDAY CELEBRATION WHERE HE WAS BOOKED TO DJ ,THATS WAS THE REASON FOR HIM BEEING IN LONDON"
I therefore thought , okay I will try to fit him into our line up.
He was not a especially flown in guest Dj.......
This was something I and Andrei Stan where trying to explain to you already before.
So, next time please do your research properly.
thanks
Oliver
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