Scandal - Club Review

SCANDAL - SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Now you can never keep a good club promoter down, especially when they constantly try to evolve, look for new ideas, try out new venues and do their very best to bring something fresh to a gAylist scene, that in 2009, seems to be constantly needed an injection of something extra special to tempt people out. So, it came as no surprise that one of London's most longstanding & prolific promoters was right at the heart of a wave of activity around the Soho Live 09 weekend. So, who are we talking about, well Steve Elliot of course, the man behind the mighty Salvation, which in its various incarnations at Cafe De Paris, then the Hippodrome and more latterly at the Troxy, is one of those club legends that will remain in our minds and hearts for as long as we will remember. More recently, Steve has been involved with revitalising another club legend, Love Muscle and also launched Famous, earlier in the year, so there is no doubt about this man's pedigree.

So, what of Scandal? Well, it it's design it was never planned to be a Soho Live afterparty, moreover an infrequent Sunday soiree at the posh & glamorous Shadow lounge, attracting a likeminded crowd who crave sophistication in sumptuous surroundings with superb music to match. It just so happened that in the myriad of planning the dates ended up clashing, although in terms of both location & style Scandal was always going to prove a better option than the official afterparty, Paparazzi, which was way out in Wandsworth. We surprised that the Soho Live team didn't choose a central location for their afterparty, but then with the Astoria bulldozed by Crossrail, Cafe De Paris no more & even the Hippodrome demolished, the choice of large venues were next to nothing. Mind you, with the size of the Shadow Lounge, numbers were always going to be limited and as the saying goes "one man's meat is another man's poison", so would Shadow Lounge prove a popular choice?

Well, with our Soho Live day being seen out mainly in Rupert Street, after all those proceedings wound up, our choice was stark, travel down to Paparazzi at Wandsworth, to savour all the delights of a superb venue, dazzling D.J. line up and delectable dancers amidst stage shows (sounds like a no brainer, doesn't it!), but in the knowledge that there would be a lacklustre turnout, or take a small hop, skip & jump around the corner to Scandal at Shadow Lounge, which given our nine hours of duty behind the bar at Rupert Street, ended up being probably the easy option, even though our heart strings were shouting Paparazzi, Paparazzi, Paparazzi!! We had always promised Steve that we would at least pop into Scandal, but finishing as late as we did, our choice ended up being a simple one of location against overt style and seduction, so found ourselves taking that short step rather than a long journey.

Arriving at Shadow Lounge's doors just shy of midnight, having compared notes on our decision with clubbing & close friend Joel, whom we had originally made plans to hit Paparazzi together, we were still unsure as to our choice, but were nevertheless greeted by a friendly door team who waved us towards Steve Elliot who was managing proceedings in his typical hands on style. It was clear from the queue of hopefuls, that this was proving to be just the popular choice for many we had questioned and having shared pleasantries as well as views on Soho Live with Steve, we headed down into the venue, not before leaving our bits & bobs in the coatcheck. Now, it is fair to say that Shadow Lounge is far from our favourite of venues, but on entering the main space, the atmosphere was amazing, with the sunken dancefloor full of a glamorous mixture of scene faces, party goers & ex Soho Live 09'ers who didn't want their night to end and the rest of the venue pumping.

We headed to the bar to seek refreshments, passing by the D.J. booth and spotting the familiar face of Paul Coles behind the decks, who was delivering a delicious delectation of devilish dance tunes which definitely had the party in full swing. Looking around the space, people were definitely making the most of the seating booths, the elevated aisles and the club was pretty full compared with previous visits of ours and the ambiance was surprisingly relaxing and miles away from the pompous reputation that the Shadow Lounge seems to have. Moreover the mix of smart lookers with more mainstream folk was a refreshing sight, making for an altogether more pleasant experience. We slowly wandered around the elevated aisles, eventually settling on a spot, soon bumping into familiar faces, including birthday boy Ian "Pieers" Lewis, who swung by in clear party mood and then D.J. Mis-White who was really looking forward to her set following that of fellow resident Paul Coles.

And follow she did, with a whole string of uplifting house tunes which were pure delight, our tired legs from our days work now a distant memory, especially when she pulled out our favourite record of now, "Release Me" by Zoe Baldwin, which had us dancing on our spot non-stop and when Steve Elliot tore himself away from his door duties, tempting us down onto the dancefloor, we knew that our night was in full swing, Mis-White continuing with the uplifting house tune theme to keep Shadow Lounge's atmosphere & Scandal’s party going well into the early hours of Monday morning. However, our relative short stay was coming to an end, not least that we had communication with our pal Joel on our minds, but also in anticipation of a hefty week of work ahead, we had to wave our goodbye’s to Shadow Lounge & to Scandal, disappearing home to reflect on hefty hive of weekend activity.

So, what was our view of Scandal? And do we think it will be a club that will survive the test of time? Well, as we have said, with Shadow Lounge not proving our favourite venue of choice, our view of Scandal may be somewhat clouded, but you know, the crowd it attracted on this night was far more appealing than we had expected. The music was a real highlight & in the hands of Paul Coles and then Mis-White it really hit the spot and for all of Shadow Lounge's misgivings in our eyes, it was certainly a superb venue host for Scandal. We can definitely see that this club concept will work and in the hands of one of the scenes most experienced promoters we are sure it will. As of going to print, we have no news of any planned up-coming parties, but Scandal certainly showed on this outing that it was a refreshing change and one that deserves support (DISCO MATT).

Soho Live - Special Review

SOHO LIVE 09 - SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER SPECIAL EVENT REVIEW

Ever since its inclusion in the social calendar back in 2002, the street parties of Soho, in Pride format, have been a resounding success, attracting a healthy, handsome & hedonistic crowd who were definitely in party mood and one that has always been a popular choice for us, whether in the original "Saturday" Pride format or the more recent "Sunday" slot which proved to be just as, if not more successful for many reasons. With last year’s party in August being one the best events, not only of the year, but in Soho Pride's history, we were very disappointed when news of its demise came through, the lack of financial support being the main reason, although the underlying current of causes extended to excuses such as Crossrail, Mayoral support withdrawal and many things in-between, we began to resign ourselves to the fact that our most favoured outdoor event was not going happen this year.
However, when news hit that the team behind The Edge Bar, together with the might of the Gaydar organisation were coming to the rescue and planning a Pride style event across Soho's streets, our enthusiasm was renewed as was our anticipation of what the combo team had in mind for the day and indeed when the date for this all encompassing party would be. Then as news began to spill out from various sources, it was clear that the now usual August timing would definitely slip, the preferred date being a Sunday in September, but with the promise of the inclusion of all the ingredients that have made previous events great, but with a new name tag as well as the aim to make it much more of a community event in line with the wishes & necessary support of Westminster Council, everything seemed set fair for another spectacular Sunday in Soho. So, how did the reformed event go down? Was it the success that the team expected? And what was our take on Soho Live 09?
Well, having made a commitment to our favourite bar, Rupert Street, to help the team out, in what in previous years has proven their busiest of days, we knew from the start that our experience of Soho Live 09 was going to be different to say the least, although we were defiantly going to savour everything the event had to offer, even if it was going to be in small bites across the afternoon. Mind you, we were definitely in poll position to view the goings on around the Q.X. stage in Rupert Street, just shy of the bar, which has always proven to be a very popular area of activity. And with plans to decorate the bar in a XXX rated style, we threw ourselves into the affair, joining the Rupert St bar crew on the Saturday afternoon, to commence preparations for the big day itself and like in no Soho Pride parties before, we were going to be very much a working part of the event itself, well and truly in the thick of it at one of the most popular destination bars on this very special day. With the weather forecast looking set fair just days before and with the Saturday having a real "indian summer" feel, expectations were high for a repeat the following day, although we rose from our bed to a very gloomy looking London and dressing ourselves in our special saucy outfit to match the Rupert Street theme, we headed into Soho, arriving just before midday to start our duties. Walking into the area, there seemed to be an uneasy calm around the streets of Soho, although much of the preparation for the afternoon's activities having been completed, St Anne's Garden looked very colourful with a huge bouncy castle on one side, stalls spread around the other, all sandwiching a stage area ready for a string of shows including a huge homage to musicals by the talented "A Stage Kindly" theatre group. We had also spotted the revised positioning of the girls stage in Romilly Street on our approaches to Soho, which had the promise of some spectacular performances by girl bar G Spot's very own D.J. Caz Sandra D, resident at Ruby Tuesdays & Miss Bailey, not to forget the added spice of vocalist extraordinaire Tonnic. Even the Q.X. stage was ready and waiting and we were very much looking forward to appearances by Matinee, Hard On!, Industri & Lo Profile resident Brent Nicholls, fab D.J/Producer & Gutterslut resident Per Q.X. and the duo that played a superb b2b set at the recent Trade/Orange party and are regulars at Beyond & Juicy, Jamie Head & Mickey D, all who had the promise of making this stage area extra special yet again.
Aiming for Rupert Street, we didn't catch the build up in Soho Square itself, the focus of much of the afternoon, as duty called behind the bar, but we had plans to savour the atmosphere on planned breaks across the afternoon. Now in years gone by, the party would get going reasonably early with the 1 p.m. start across Soho drawing in an early crowd, which would quickly swell to capacity by mid afternoon, but as 1 p.m. came and went it was clear this year was going to be very different. But for what reason? Was it the weather? (well it was a bit chilly & grey!), Was it the lack of advertising? (well there was plenty, although some customers coming into Rupert Street seemed unaware of what was going on). Or was it down to the current lacklustre financial climate where people seem to not want to party like last year? (a definite possibility).
With only a handful of people in the bar, we spotted Brent Nicholls arriving for opening duties on the Q.X. stage, although with no-one to perform to, his 1 p.m. start was stalled and we managed to grab his attention for a brief chat, catching up on news, showing off our saucy outfit and attempting a prediction on how the afternoon would pan out. And, it is fair to say that our predictions were not far off the mark, with the crowd struggling to build for much of Brent's set and the bar being relatively quiet for much of the early afternoon. We were also getting news that Soho Square was taking its time to liven up but with the weather clearly not helping it was evident, looking through Rupert Street's windows, that the streets were far from full even as 3 p.m. approached, when all expectations were that it would be much busier. Further news from around Soho was not promising, Barcode reporting things were really quiet and even Compton Street not the usual bottleneck of people we have become used to in previous years. So, it was time to get out onto the streets and see what was going on for ourselves and in a short hop down to the Q.X. stage, where Brent Nicholls had handed over proceedings to Mikey D, there was a reasonable crowd gathering, although nowhere near the packed out place this popular part of Soho's street parties usually is. We were hoping to catch up with Brent to get his perspective, but with news he had gone in from the cold, we turned tail and headed up to St Anne's Garden and then into Compton Street which seemed to lack the buzz we would normally expect, although there were plenty of familiar faces stopping us in our tracks, commenting on our Paparazzi T-Shirt and leather chaps outfit and also asking about the afterparty itself, a glamorous T-dance styled affair with a star studded cast at super new club venue the Wandsworth Palais. The mood of many we spoke to seemed a little downbeat, although things were spiced up the procession of bronzed beauties promoting the forthcoming Wig party, definitely lifting the atmosphere, as well as the sexy dancers, courtesy of Mark Forn's Fierce Intl organisation, outside newbie gAylist shop DV8, all carrying out impromptu performances to delight.
Heading up to Soho Square via Greek street, there were plenty of stalls to tempt, although not many were taking the bite and then entering Soho Square, the format was very much different to 12 months ago, when the main stage was within the confines of the square itself, the real focal point of activity. This year, the Soho Live team had decided to make the square a place for fun and frivolity, with carousel style slides & rides, as well as laying on some special catwalk shows sponsored by "Paparazzi". But the music was where the real action was, with the stage in the far left hand corner outside the square, drawing the largest crowd of the day we had seen yet. Oliver M was performing a very uplifting set ahead of the biggest billing of the afternoon, The Freemasons, who would be followed first by Steve Pitron and then by Paul Heron, so there was certainly alot on offer to attract. And with a good looking crowd smattered with familiar & scene faces as well as jaw droppingly gorgeous go-go dancers in amongst the throng & on the stage in front of Oliver, even the overcast skies couldn't dampen the spirits here.
But, we had to head back to our duties behind the bar and sidling down Dean Street, where there were a handful of people enjoying the fairground style of stalls but the street like the ones we had wandered down before just seemed to lack the atmosphere we had been used to. Even the girl’s stage, which we dropped in on, had just a handful of people entering the entertaining fun. It was only when we were back behind the bar at Rupert Street and when day turned to night that the buzz began to really build for us, with the surrounding streets now full with revellers who then decided to spill inside to soak up the scintillating sounds being delivered by Alessandro, Rupert Street's resident D.J. and we really began to enjoy our Soho Live experience, being released from duties at 9.30 p.m. when we mingled with friendly faces and customers alike to see out the rest of our evening before deciding which afterparty to head to.
So, that was Soho Live for us, but to answer our earlier questions, firstly, how did the reformed event go down? then, was it the success the team expected? and finally, what was our take on Soho Live 09? Well, with the lacklustre start which was most likely influenced by the inclement weather, the event really struggled to ignite in anywhere near the numbers that the previous year's Soho Pride event did and certainly our experience going around the streets when we did, was that Soho Live seemed to lack the dynamism of previous events, probably trying to be too much to be all encompassing, rather than focussing on its usual target market. There was no doubt that the team were expecting big things, but we suspect they were disappointed by both the turnout and some of the feedback. The grand plans for the official afterparty, Paparazzi, seemed all good, but the response was minimal, most choosing to stay in Soho for parties at Lo Profile & Shadow Lounge or heading to nearby Vauxhall. Being confined to Rupert Street for most of the day may have distorted our opinion of the event, but with constant feedback from friends passing through, we think not.
So what of the future for Soho Live? Well, there is no doubt that hosting the event in September was probably a factor on its success this year, although with the weather having been so bad in August, maybe the outcome would have been the same. Then there is the inevitable reason, if but a now boring one, that the so called recession took away peoples enthusiasm to get out and party, so to be fair to the organisers were always going to face an uphill battle. A more controversial view is that through its recent publicity campaigns, the Gaydar organisation has alienated the very people it wanted to attract to Soho Live and that the lateness of advertising together with the change of branding was also to blame. We suspect that there was an element of all of these reasons to point the blame, which then raises doubts about future events, should they take the current course. In our view is that there is mileage in Soho Pride (not Live!) and by bringing it back towards the summer, we believe the successes of 2008 can be repeated. We wait in anticipation of news for next year’s celebration. (DISCO MATT)

Tabloild - Club Review

TABLOID - SATURDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN

Now, we love it when news hits our desks about new club events, especially in a world where when switching on the news or pickig up a newspaper (broadsheet especially) we seem to be consumed with doom & gloom, so the prospect of something excitingly new is hard to resist, even if, in this case, the venue isn't one of our more popular haunts. However, in the inimitable words of a D.J. friend of ours "it's all just one big disco" (have we used that before!?!?),how could we resist, especially if their was the prospect of dancing under a mirrorball (Camp or what!?). So, what was this new event? and were we easily drawn in or pushed to make an appearance?

Well, with a truly press related theme vein running right through the weekend of club events, for instance, there was "Paparazzi", (and we know what they are like!!), the official Soho Live afterparty, then there was "Scandal" (the newspapers are full of that these days), both which were showing their wears on the Sunday, the team over at Fire were also thinking the same thoughts, albeit on the Saturday, launching "Tabloid", which was showcassing some truly headlining D.J.'s (was that a pun?!) with the aim to make a real impact, possibly hit the covers of a magazine (there's a song about that!), but more likely to try and inject some fresh fun into Saturday nights at this Vauxhall institution that keeps pulling in the punters. So, did Tabloid steal the headlines?, Did it prove that it was worthy of front page exposure? And who was making the breaking news cum exclusive?

Having spent most of the day helping in preparations for Soho Live, our evening wasn't going quite to plan, eventually tearing ourselves away from Rupert Street's Paparazzi pre-party and decided it was time to make an appearnace at this new Saturday night event down in Vauxhall town. Yes, Tabloid was ceratinly a draw and having re-frequented oursleves with Fire not more than a week previously, we were quite relaxed about attending and in the spirit of tthoise words of our D.J. pal, we were actually quite excited about the propsect. Arriving at Fire's main entrance at just turned 10.30 p.m., timnely enough to take adavntage of the V.I.P. gathering we had been kindly invited to by Steven Sharp, we found our way into the Lightbox, the host area for this exclusive gathering, pre-club, where we found a select handful of guests sipping complimentary champagne and special cocktails, very much in the Tequilla style (what was the name of that drink?!), served by some truly scruptous bar staff, aprrporaitely dressed down (if you know what we mean!!).

Wandering around the bar, we found ourselves drawn to the table occupied by Fire owner Criag Elder, with friends and immediately made ouselves comfortable, with the champagne following nearly as plentfully as the conversation as we discussed the ways of the world, saking up the atmosphere and crowd which was very much scene related, D.J's, peformers, club figureheads and familar faces from around gAylist London that were, like us, taking advantage of this special gathering to give Tabloild the launch it well and truly deserved. Yes, Hi-Fi Sean Dickson was there and we were gratified in meeting his man, who was responsible for the impressive floral decotration around the Lightbox. Then, there was Mark McKenzie (aka Edna), who was proving very entertaining at our sudo head table and not long after our arrival a whole plethora of pals & familar faces appeared, including scene D.J. legend Steve Pitron, The Oli, Lee Yeomans, JC Christopher & even David Jiminez. But the fun was about to get all the better as we bumped into pal & D.J. extraordinarre Nick Tcherniak and boyf Tom, who were definately in partying mood like us and were also most amused with our cheeky showing of our Paparazzi t-shirt.

With the crowd beginning to swell, Steven Sharp walked up and kindly offered us a full tour of the venue (not that we hadn't seen it before) as he was keen for us to see all the new addtions to the main room, which looked superb and really made a statement, very much in the "Tabloid" style, new visuals, stunning lighting and production which gave the space a whole new feel. Winding our way back to the lightbox more faces were appearing and we settled back into our gathering of pals, which now included Nigel davenport, camera in hand clicking us in pose for prosterity. The excitment of the inclusion of D.J.'s Tall Paul & Jon Byrne was clearly on everybody's lips, definately pointing the music policy at Fire in a new direction, although with the stablemate of regulars the guarantee of great music was very much in the air. Certainly yhe atmosphere in the lightbox was electric, although with our expolits in Soho and then the free flowing champagne & other drinks at this very special VIP launch taking their toll, we were resigned to make an early departure, in the knowledge that we needed to be a fresh as possible for our duties at Soho Pride the following day.

Feeback from firends after the event, were that the main room in the hands of both Tall Paul & Jon Byrne rocked and they were very much the breaking news headliners of the evening. Tabloid as a concept could certainly work, although it is clear that clubbers still remain cautious about when & where to spend their hard earned cash. With the quality of the D.J. line up, together with the extra special production & efoort put in by the team at Fire, we are sure, with perserverence the club will become a resounding sucess, surely hitting the headlines of a magazine just as it should. (DISCO MATT)

Beyond Belief - Club Review

BEYOND BELIEF - SUNDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


There are some choices in our life that are very simple indeed, even when faced with a sumountable list of choices, we generally don't tend to have problems in making a decision, whether it be scrolling over an extensive menu in a resturant, being faced with a confusing choice of drinks on an lengthy cocktail list or even looking through the myriad of options when choosing a new outfit at our favourite clothing store. It is certainly true about life being full of choices and this also goes for clubbing in gAylist London, where, despite the tough climate, there remains plenty of choices of where to be and be seen. But when it comes to clubbing after hours, there is only one name that springs to mind these days, a name that is etched on our memories, has a virtual permanent place on our left hip (what!.. a tatoo?, well not quite) and has, for more than once in its colourful history, really captured the imagination of many, who see it as their only choice when deciding what to do on the still decadent activity that is Sunday morning clubbing. This weekly outing has not only survived the test of time, where many others failed at a moments breath, but unlike any other afterhours event, continues not only to survive but thrive unrelentlessly.

Well, you have probably guessed by now (without looking at the heading ofcourse..doh!) that we are talking about Beyond, and in its latest incarnation at Area in Vauxhall, has secured a healthy existence in many peoples minds, being the destinationation of choice after virtually every Saturday night event, including Matinee, SuperMartXe and where we had been strutting our stuff on this Saturday night, Megawoof, just up the road in Hidden. And with the gentle arm twisting (hardly!) by D.J. pal Hi-Fi Sean, the Thursday just gone at Industri, it didn't take much tempting to once again dance under the mirrorball at this now iconic and for some, unmissable Sunday morning outing. The early start of 3 a.m. was even more enticing, as it presented the opportunity to party for a good old while yet not penetrating too far into Sunday, which has so often in the past, resulted in staying out early into Monday morning (dirty stopouts we were!!). So, did we behave ourselves? And was it morning or afternoon before we made it to our bed? What do you think?!?!?!

Arriving at Area's doors at a respectable 5 a.m., having had a slight reprieve from the masinations of Megawoof, in the hands of Nick Tcherniak at Barcode Vauxhall (we actually had to tear ourselves away as he was whipping up a real storm!), our inclusion on Hi-Fi Sean's guestlist went without a hitch (well apart from an interesting comment made by the door hostess we cannot repeat), it was no time before we were inside Area and into the Terrace bar that was already brimming with a headonist bunch of disco bunnies, muscle queens, scene faces and party heads raring to go, bopping to the uplifting & funky house tunes supplied by Fire resident and cutie Terry Bryan, who definately had the lions share of a developing crowd. Down in the second room (oh those mirror balls, we love them!!), David Jiminez was treating a select few to some harder edged sounds, very much the style of this space, where we have partied so many times and which remains a favoured spot of ours. With friend Benoit in tow and a recognisable amount of ex Megawoofer's around, the immediate action was in the Terrace bar however, our anticipation growing with the imminent arrival of the man himself, Hi-Fi Sean.

And arrive he did, virtually bang on time, seeing us in the crowd and coming up to say hello before heading to the somewhat makeshift D.J. booth to prepare for his set. With Benoit anxious to see what was happening in the main room, we left him to his devices, rather finding a perfect spot between two of the speakers in the Terrace bar, to soak up Sean's sounds and with the eclectic crowd growing yet more, we quickly found our stride as this D.J. meistro set about laying down a much more funkier set than we are used to when he assumes his usual slot in room 2. And there was little or nothing that was going to tempt us away from our newly found & semi favoured Beyond space, not least as the funkier style had us dancing delriously, especially when Hi-Fi dug out and dusted off his amazing mix of "Get Busy" which had us mesmerised, captivated & cavorting unrepentently, as was fellow enthusaist of the Scotmans music, Dimitrios. There was nothing that was going to tempt us away and with familar faces who had also decided upon an after Megawoof outing, Clington Forbes, Andrew Harris & pal Cliff Jackson (he was innocently corrupting a friend of his..don't ask!), Beyond Belief in the Terrace Bar was well and truly kicking.

Not that the rest of the club was doing bad, as we slipped into the main room to find The Sharp Boys really warming up the atmosphere, with the pyrotechnics in full swing, the lasers dazzling the space & the familar Beyond visuals on the two massive screens complimenting all the action. And when favourite D.J. Steve Pitron took to the decks, we found it hard to tear ourselves away from our most comfortable spot just left of the D.J. booth, with familar and melodic sounds from Steve's latest music mix was being played out live to the adoration of an excited band of supporters, mounting podiums to gyrate away, filling virtually every space to soak up the superb songs this tulmultous talent was stringing together, fantastic floor fillers, amazing anthems & huge house hits. What more could we say? well not much apart from pure brilliance once again from Mr Pitron and with Mikey D arriving for duty, waving hello as well as Jay Sharp Vokins also in our presence, we knew we were in priviledged company.

But after having danced virtually non stop since 5 a.m., we had to take some respite from the action, walking back through the venue, passing D.J. D'Johnny who had taken over in the Terrace bar, we stepped outside to rest our legs a little, finding the space in typical lively fashion, although still proving the perfect escape from the mayhem inside. But before very long, back inside we were, heading straight for the main floor which seemend busier than ever, Mikey D now in full flow and Logan with a smattering of his schmitzels providing the eye candy & go-go dancing activity on the podiums in front of the D.J. booth, not for the first time in the evening, adding more spice to an already enthrawling experience. Only rendevous, firstly with Italian Stallion Pagano, whom we were surprised to see but was in his usual playfull mood, then the lovely Jamie Head who was delighted to see us as we were him, but also with D.J. and French fancy Stephan Gaeten Scott, who caught us in motion a number of times, increased our excitment levels to fever pitch. So much so that we completely mislaid our t-shirt in the melay, although we are pleased to say that whoever found it was so honest as to hand it in, we finding it safely stored in the coatcheck.

With friends Stephen & Benoit having said their fairwells, we somehow caught second wind (or was it third, fourth or fifth?!?) toying our fancies between Mikey in the main room and Jamie in the Terrace bar, determined to see out the rest of the morning in the bountiful brace of Beyond, although having been out & about for over 12 hours now, time and more likely age caught up with us and we eventually threw in the towel at just past 11 a.m., waving goodbye to Jamie and a club still rocking and rolling up to and well past midday, pointing our way towards home to chill and recover from some absolutely amazing afterhours audacity.

So what were the questions again? Oh yes, Did we behave ourselves? And, what was it? ah, Did we make it to our bed in the morning or afternoon? Well, it was umistakably evident that we were thoroughly naughty from start to finish, but then how could you blame us, especially as first Hi-Fi Sean, then Steve Pitron, followed by Mikey D, as well as Jamie Head, were playing such magnificent music, which always makes act naughtily. Sean's performance in the Terrace Bar was particularly pleasing, with so many people remarking on how much they enjoyed his musical style both during & after the event. Our naughtiness was helped on by a plethora of friends egging us on (well we didn't really need encouragement to be honest....but then we have to blame someone!) and we walked away from Beyond Belief with some truly fond memories of naughty escapdes that we are sure to repeat at this very special club in our hearts very soon indeed. Big up Beyond, "Belief" format or not. (DISCO MATT)

Megawoof "Re-Booted" - Club Review

MEGAWOOF "RE-BOOTED" - SATURDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


There seems to be a trend for ringing the changes across gAylist London, with Matinee deciding to up sticks and move across London to Cable, heralding a new beginning for them and that was exactly what the team behind one of the capitals butchest clubs had in mind when it waved goodbye to its associations with super club Colosseum, deciding that Hidden over the otherside of Vauxhall would prove a much better home for its plans to not only re-invigorate the fortunes this once popular monthly outing, but would allow the team to re-introduce the social elements that were sometimes missing from its most recent home. Who are we talking about? Megawoof ofcourse, a club that we admidt is not a regular part of our calendar, but we certainly couldn't miss this "re-boot" party.

So, having made plans to meet up with friends Benoit & Stephen in Barcode Vauxhall, we took the short stroll round to Hidden, arriving at the entrance just after midnight. Having been the the venue before in the guises of Hard On! and also Hook'd, we were familar with the layout and once we made our way through and past the friendly security staff, we headed to and were checked off the guestlist, which we had been kindly added to by Italian stallion D.J./Producer Pagano, swinging through the main entrance where Daz and his team were marshalling proceedings, saying our hello's and also hinting that we were down to review the revised music policy and Hidden as Megawoof's home.

Checking our bits & bobs off in the coatcheck, we entered into the middle space, named the "Blue" room, which was already brimming with the usual Megawoof mix of musclebears, chunky blokes and their admirers with more than a splatter of gorgeous looking Latino's but with the accent definately on muscle & hunk rather than chunk or camp, the room oozing a real sense of social interaction with some cool beats being played out by D.J. Oss. Fueling ourselves with refreshments and having caught up & said greetings to Pagano, as well as chatting with a host of other familar faces, we decided that a tour of the other rooms was on the cards and made our way around the winding corridoor, up the stairs, entering the main "Red" room from behind, through the elevated seating area and then down towards a packed out dancefloor, where Sugarbear was just handing over the D.J. decks to Daz Saund. Now, we know that a key part of the new look Megawoof was a re-positioning of the music offer, with this "Red" room aimed at delivering a more uplifting and commercial sound, but we were somewhat surprised to hear the familiar tones of the Freemasons "Uninvited" track, which was for us a little too commercial, but was clearly going down well with the crowd who were jiving away, hands in air, a quite interesting sight to see such butch musclebears dancing away more like disco bunnies.

Having found a spot next to the D.J. booth with a perfect view of proceedings, we also began to dance away to Daz's music choices which toughened up slightly, still had a very much uplifting & commercial style but with a little less amount of vocals, familar faces still kept appearing, including favourite bar boy Guilleme, Gaydar pin-up Dimitrious and D.J. Micky Galiano, who were all savouring the amazing atmosphere that was buidling, as was the heat in the room, or at least around our spot which was becoming stifling. Mind you the action was hot as well, with some very good looking men around and two very hunky & gorgeous go-go dancers ascending the podiums each side of the dance area to perform for the crowd, adding to the impressive lazer lighting and the butch Megawoof motiffs hanging from the ceiling. Despite the heat, we were really getting into our stride, when we were interrupted by a chunky & seemingly Megawoof regular who wanted a slice of our spot by the D.J. booth, pushing his way in front of us and declaring "I want to be seen" (don't we all!!), putting a severe dent in our enthusiasm for the commercial space and indeed the impeccably friendly crowd, up until this rude interlude.

This singanlled our need to re-inject some fun back into our Megawoof experience, so we made our excuses to friends Benoit & Stephen, opting to head off into the third music space, the "Black" room, which had the promise of more deep and progressive house, much more our style of late and in the hands of Pagano, who had just taken over from Diddy behind the decks, who could ask for more. Having savoured a superb set from him just days ago at Trade/Orange, we were definately up for more of the Italian stallion's magical mixes and were not to be dissapointed as he delivered one tantalising tune after the next, erupting us in dancing delirium in a room & space set aside by Hard On! as a play room, but working just as well as a dancefloor. With enough space to move & groove together with the temperature being much more comfortable, we really began to enjoy ourselves once more, the incident in the "red" room now a distant memory and to make us feel even better a goodlooking leather clad hunk spotted us, complimenting our work and entering into an engaging conversation, this sort of interruption to our dancing a much more pallatable & welcome affair. With pal Stephen also joining us, followed by friend Cliff Jackson, we were definately in good company and with Pagano pulling yet more great sounds out of the bag our evening was certainly set fair.

However, with time getting away from us and the call of an earlier starting Beyond on our mind, combined with the need to pop back to Barcode Vauxhall to catch up with Nick Tcherniak, we headed back into the "red" room to find friend Benoit who was also ready to move on, although the space was still full with dancing hunks savouring the tougher sounds being played out by Tim McClone. So we stayed a short while before winding our way back through a buzzing & sociable middle "blue" room, saying our fairwell's to Stephen, to Cliff Jackson & dipping into the "black" room, also to Pagano, who was still at full steam and questioning whether we had been in the darkroom (was there a darkroom?), although with our intentions clear, we headed off into the Vauxhall night to honour our further liason commitments.

So, what did we think of Megawoof at its new home? Did it fulfil expectations? How did the change of music policy work? And did the planned "re-booting" work? Well, it was fair to say that we were not expecting it to be quite as busy as it was and arriving to find two of the three rooms packed out was a welcome surprise. With Hidden's three room layout and configuration, it has certainly allowed Megawoof as a club to realise some of its "re-booting" goals, not least in giving the club event a much more friendly feel, the "blue" room being an ideal space to socialise & chat with much more chilled music on offer. The decision to offer a room with uplifting & commercial music certainly went down well with the masses and despite the D.J's playing out in the room not really known for delivering out & out commercial sounds, Daz Saund particularly performed really well and with so many of the muscle hunks holding hands up high, it was more like Megapoof!! This probably detracted somewhat from the deep, progressive sounds on offer across the other side of the venue, a music style we think the team need to hold on to, especially with someone as talented as Pagano on their residency list.

Only one question is left. Will three rooms of music work and indeed will there be a big enough crowd to fill every room? For us this remains doubtful and therfore the team may need to remain open to returning to the "two" room format, which seems to work well for Hard On!. As for our expectations, well they were fulfilled and in part suceeded in many ways and we definately think the move to Hidden was the right one, so with a few small tweaks we are sure Megawoof will continue to survive and to thrive and we will certainly be back for more sometime soon. (DISCO MATT)

Trade/Orange "The Second Coming" - Club Review

TRADE/ORANGE "THE SECOND COMING" - MONDAY 31ST AUGUST
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


Well, they say you can never keep a good thing down and there is definately one iconic nay lengendary club brand that fails to lie down and die, a club that has formed a major part of our clubbing past and one that was probably responsible for labelling us "London's original party boy" as it really formed our passion for dancing, for partying and for pushing the boundaries in all sorts of ways. Yes, there have been a few clubs that have really captured the imagination, Factor 25, Salvation, Matinee and two other biggie's Crash & Beyond, but there is no denying that in terms of pure decadence, groundbreaking parties & events to remember there is is only one that is top of the pile. Yes, we are talking about Trade, a club that we religiously visisted week-in, week-out for years and have hardly missed any party since it went all occasional on us. Mind you the last time it collaborated with The Orange group, we couldn't see our way to grace the doors of Fire, even for Trade, but we guess, since then we have mellowed and with the words of a well known D.J. "it's just a disco" ringing through our ears, it was time we put our prejudicies to bed, at least for this most special of outings.

So, with plans to roll the weekend into one massive party slightly de-railed, as a snooze ended up being more of a coma, we woke at 6 a.m. and having gathered ourselves, arrived at Fire's rear entrance at just turned 7.30 a.m., slightly later than planned, but luckily were greeted by door host Tom Fuller & non other than Fire owner Craig Elder, who immediately gave us the royal treatment (for the second time this weekend), showing us round the now extensive rear outside space which included a brand new swmming pool installation, aslo talking about plans for the additional arches he has purchased (now a total of 8!). It was great to see Craig on the level, such a change from previous meets and we were suitably impressed with the changes, at least to the outside of the club & indeed him. Leaving Craig to his devices we headed in from an outside space full with people chilling and into the club itself, with the promise of four rooms of action open. It was immediately clear that the club was packed and we slowly re-aquainted ourselves with the myriad of corridoors leading fristly to the lightbox, then to the mirror arch (more in name only now), then to the main room itself, before popping our heads into the old third room, now a glamorous bar area come dance spot. Every space, with the possible exception of the lightbox, was absolutely packed to the rafters and hot with it, mind you with Tyron playing in the Fire Bar, The Oli in the main space (styled the Orange room) and Gonzalo about to hand over to the dynamic duo, Nick Tcherniak and Steve "Janet" Thomas in the mirror arch (the Trade room), the music was just as hot!

Heading to the bar for refreshments, we were intent on settling on the Trade room as our primary destination, also with the anticipation that clubbing pal & fellow Trade enthusiast, Joel, was due to arrive, we soon settled into our age old spot not far from the D.J. booth under the arches, where we had enjoyed so many occasions in our Fire past. Here, we began to savour what became probably the best back-to-back set we have even had the pleasure to witness, as both Steve and Nick spun out a series of amazing tracks in true hard, tech infused house style tainted with the traditional Trade sounds that had us simply mesmerised, dancing frantically and sending our body temperature sky high, although so good was the music we just danced on & on, throwing ourselves into the whole experience. Looking around the room as we grooved to the impecable music of the duo, it was brilliantly decorated in Trade production, floating Trade bullets, Trademark artwork stretched round the walls, all enhanced by superb laser lighting & effects and for us, probably the closest feel to Turnmills we had experienced. So good was Nick's & Steve's combo set, even a brief excursion into the main room, where the legendary D.J. Steve Pitron was whipping up a storm, also bumping into pal Benoit, was short lived and returning back to our spot under the arches, yet more fantastic track after track had us in full swing in an instant.

Truly awesome was both Nick's & Steve's performance, we really didn't want it to end, but time was now moving on and with the Italian stallion Pagano arriving to assume the Trade room decks, we knew our night (well day by now) was set fair for another great 2 hours of fun filled dancing, as the excitment of the previous duo's music was replaced by the deep, progressive & tough tones we have come to love in the hands of this truly great talent. And Pagano failed to dissapoint as he laid down some real classics, swelling an already busy space even more and only the occasional break for refreshments interrupted our homage to his stunning set. Mind you, we wondering whether our friend Joel had made it, so popped outside to check our phone and with three missed calls & a couple of messages we suspected he had arrived, so on returning back to the Trade room bumped into the man himself, who joined us on the dancefloor. By now, Pagano had handed the reigns over to Lady Bianca (whom Joel was most looking forward to) and the quality of the music continued unabaited in true Trade style, only to be heightened when Pete Wardman entered the fray, stepping the pace up even more (as if it wasn't lively enough) with one major hard house track after the other, emulating so many great performances of his we had enjoyed at Turnmills. Now we knew we were experiencing a very special Trade party indeed, infact Trade baby of old & pal Rob kept remarking to us how good it was, as did Joel who thought, like us, the music was simply sensational.

By now we were well into the afternoon and with no plans to stop partying, when the Trade room eventually began to thin out, we headed for the Orange room with Joel, to savour yet another back-to-back set, this time in the hands of Jamie Head & Mickey D, two Crash & Beyond veterans but every bit as fresh with their music choices. They also both played a scintilating set, captivating a packed space with a collection of uuplifting electro infused house tunes and while the crowd was now down to a hardcore of true party revellers, good looking muscle queens intermixed with typical Fire style party oys & girls, who like Joel and us, simply didn't want to stop, the room was still brimming. With regular trips to refuel our energies and influence our stamina, we could have gone on and on and we did in a way, with Alan K filling the last slot of our twelve hour extravagansa in superb style, meaning it was gone 8 p.m. before we decided to retire with Joel for welcome refreshments over at Barcode Vauxhall.

So, what did we think of Trade/Orange? Was our first trip back to Fire a pleasurable one? And what were the highlights? Well, there was no doubt that the combination of Trade and Orange seemd to work quite well, although for us it was all about Tracde, hence we spent the most of our stay in the mirror arch room. And we were certainly treated to some amazing music, not least in the hands of Lady Bianca, Pagano & Pete Wardman, but moreover by the simply sensational set by Messrs Tcherniak & Thomas which was one of the biggest highlights of the party for us and we have to say again, probably one of the best back-to-back performances we have witnessed, ever! Mind you Jamie Head & Mickey D didn't do a bad job at all, actually a really credible one, which will also hold great memories for us, as will our return to Fire for lots of reasons. Yes, the club was hot, very hot, the feel of Fire hasn't changed that much and that goes for the crowd too. We suspect that if it had only been a regular night, we would have given it a miss, but the draw of Trade and in such great D.J'ing company, not to mention our clubbing pal Joel, was too much to resist and made for an wonderful party indeed. Hats off to Craig Elder, his team & The Trade Collective for a sucessful event which we will remember for a long time. (DISCO MATT)

Matinee August Bank Holiday Spectacular - Club Review

MATINEE AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR - SATURDAY 29TH AHUGUST
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN


With the previous Bank Holiday breaks proving to be unpredictable to say the least, not just in lower turnouts to events that a year before would have been packed to the rafters, but with times being tough, the big names showed the desire to make the most of an extra long weekend, often pitching themselves against eachother, which definately meant their were winners & losers as people voted with their feet. Matinee was no exception to this and with numbers dwindling at their then home, Colosseum & their party at Koko not attracting as many as expected. So, the thinking caps were on and with London Pride also not hitting the mark, the scene seemed to be in slumberland, signalling time to ring the changes. And change was exactly what Matinee did, moving across town to new home Cable in London Bridge, which received a warm reception at the launch party back in July. So how would it fair on this last bank Holiday before Christmas?

Well, arriving at Cable's doors with friend Stephen, we were agast as the main queue was massive & even the guestlist line was lengthy enough, keeping door hosts Minty & Marky B very busy indeed. There was certainly a real buzz in the air, much more than last time and with co-promoter Robb arriving outside & then giving us the royal treatment, wisking us out of the queue and into the club, our party was off to a great start. The main room was our first stop, where Guy Williams was in full swing, delivering his characteristic tough tech infused house to a packed space, really pumping up the atmosphere with his superb choice of tunes, the podiums already full with revellers, the lighting complimenting the music wonderfully and the large screen showing Matinee visuals to heighten the mood. With pal Stephen off to pop is belongings into the coatcheck, agreeing to meet him in the V.I.P. area and having said our hello's to Guy & boyfriend Rob, we went wandering through room two where Stevie B was holding a considerable crowd, playing out lighter, funkier house, but it wasn't until we hit room three, where Jonny M was serving up a truly uplifting elctro tainted house to yet another packed space, that well realised this Matinee party was just so busy. So with all three rooms brimming it was no surprise that the outside queues were considerable, but with the arriving clubbers already waiting a while at the door & then having to face a huge wait at the coatcheck, it made for a frustrating start for them and begged the question, why can't venues get coatchecks right?!?!

Meeting Stephen in the exclusive V.I.P. space, we needed to find a home for his coat, so exercising some influence, we headed to room three's D.J. booth to find, not only Jonny M, but D.J./Producer friend Danny Verde, whom we had not seen for a few months, but during that time has been building a real name for himself across europe and it was no surprise that an already packed room ended up rammed for the whole of his set. Tearing ourselves away for a moment, more to seek out Industri pals Chris & Terry with Stephen, we headed back to the main room, just in time to see out the remainder of Guy's superb set and then as G-Martin took over the reigns, the music pace changed, the lighting increased and out walked Mark M Forns Fierce International dancers, looking resplendant in glittering & sexy mix of costumes, strutting their stuff in front of the massive screen, the display a little more understated than we have seen before, yet captivating enough to make a good impression.

With the show over and G-Martin into his stride, we found the draw of Danny Verde in room three too much to resist, so squeezing through the middle room, where Fat Tony was now holiding court, spinning funky house tinged with disco classics remixed, which was clearly going down well, we made it into the third space which was most definately the busiest space of the time. And no wonder, as Danny was laying down some serious sounds, deep euro house with uplifting edges, which had us & the crowd mesemerised. It was clear he was enjoying his first time at Matinee, throwing himself into the action, entertaining the crowd as the laser lighting created the perfect harmong with the music which had us dancing on our spot, only briefly heading to the V.I.P. area, a comfy retreat with luxurious seating & even scented table candles (a very nice touch) where the likes of Wayne Shires, Tim McLone, Stevie B and even Evolved Events supremo Oliver Mohns were savouring the brilliant atmosphere. Then, to add to the gathering, D.J. pal Alessandro arrived, ahead of his set in the main room, lingering a while before heading off for duty.

We really wanted Danny's set to continue on & on, but all great things tend to come to an end all too soon, this being no exception, so having congratulated him on his performance, we pointed ourselves bak in the direction of the main room, where Alessandro was now in control, bumping into a number of familar faces on our way, including the lovely Guilleme from The Box, Rob from Clone Zone, Mark M Forns with Nik Ripley, Ian "Pieers" Lewis, and fellow clubber Cliff Jackson, who was very flattering with his remarks on our work. Indeed it was very touching to be recognised by so many other people, giving it a really friendly feel with a real sense of family. With a superb atmosphere still in evident as Alessandro pumped our some fabulous Lationo & Electro sounds, it was clear that Matinee's music was really hitting the spot. And it continued, as Brent Nicholls arrived, taking over the middle room, spinning some magical mixes, a delightful combination of funky, electro, uplifting house, intermixed with disco hits rehashed and up-to-date floor fillers, to round off a senstational musical experience, as the middle room was packed way past dawn, party goers literally dancing on the bar and us frantically grooving right until the 8 a.m. finish.

So, what did we think of the latest Matinee outing, it's second at Cable? Well, one of our phrases really sums it up for us, "music is the answer" and it certainly was as every D.J. across all three rooms performed magnificiently. With such a strong D.J. line up, even missing the likes of Pier Morrocco, Pagano & Paul Heron, it would be unfair to single out any one person this time round as Guy Willams' set in the main room was superb, Jonny M got the third room well and truly rocking, the combo of Stevie B & Fat Tony remains the most inspired choice Matinee has made for a long time, Alessandro's first full set in the main room went down really well, even Spanish resident G-Martin put up a credible performance. But it has to be said, the two real stars of the party were Danny Verde and Brent Nicholls, each in their own way truly captivating their audiences with incredible music selections & lively sets.

As for Cable, well it clearly offers something fresh compared with Colosseum, much more grown up clubbing, which was reflective of the crowd it attracted this time round, still the classic mix of gorgeous Latino lovelives, muscle queens as well as plenty of scene faces and party boys & girls out for a good time, but with nearly double attending than on the last outing, at one stage being one-in one-out, who could deny that both the venue and Matinee was a very popular choice. Yes the production was a litlle sedate, some saying they missed the extravagant shows, the coatcheck issues were dissapointing with yet another example of something quite simple detracting from the experience, but everyone we spoke to loved the venue and had an amazing time. With the promoters promissing a major ramp up on production for the next party, the third birthday no less and with then venue looking closely at its coatcheck operation, the only way is up and we truly believe that Matinee in London will go from strength to strength. We will certainly be there on 26th September and recommend you are aswell. (DISCO MATT)