"One Massive Festival, One Massive Weekend, One Massive Run-Up" - LGDF Prelude Events - Special Review

"ONE MASSIVE FESTIVAL, ONE MASSIVE WEEKEND,
ONE MASSIVE RUN-UP”
THE LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL - PRELUDE EVENTS
FRIDAY 28TH TO SUNDAY 30TH MAY
SPECIAL REVIEW


Never in the relatively short time that we have been writing about this most prolific gAylist/land London scene that we find ourselves wrapped within, has one event dominated our lives like The London Global Dance Festival (LGDF) has, and as news began to filter through as to exactly when & where this massive festival would take place, we began not only to prepare ourselves for a hectic weekend of clubbing activity, soaking up a veritable feast of international D.J. talent flying into London especially, but also began to map out in our minds quite how we would report on each party that would go on to make up THE biggest weekend of clubbing we have experienced in a long time.

Therefore, to match the massive scale of this amazing festival, our aftermath reflection has drawn us to posting this special review, focussing on the parties leading up to the main event, each section giving you a feel for not just the influence LGDF had over these established club nights, but also giving justice to each of them in their own right. Whilst each section of this review is slightly briefer than our usual reports, it nevertheless makes for on massive review to reflect the massive run-up to the main event on the Sunday. But, before we go on, we have to thank both Alex Erfan & Craig Elder, without whom LGDF would have been a mere pipe dream. And with music being the central theme of the festival, watch out as we break with tradition, giving you links to some specially commissioned mix compilations.

So, where did this massive festival weekend start? Well, at the Friday night phenomenon Onyx of course, the club hailed as the newcomer hit of 2009 by tip top clubbing website Seen Queen (link http://seenqueen.com) which also seems to be going from strength to strength under the new direction of incumbent promoter Jonny Marsh and definitely THE place to start any weekend of audacity. With this LGDF “Onyx” Opening Party, the feel was distinctly European with La Demence & Rapido resident D.J. Dikky Vendetta headlining the band of disc meisters, as well as the usual explosive ingredients of angle grind & fire eating performers together with the incredible lighting & pyrotechnic effects that have made host venue Area one of the capital’s most popular & favoured dance hangouts. Add to all that a brilliant P.A. and D.J. regulars Phil Marriot, Jamie Hammond, Lee Harris, Lisa German, Ariel & special addition The Very Miss Dusty O and, on paper at least, this had all the makings of a thrilling curtain raiser to the LGDF weekend.

Arriving at just after midnight, we caught a departing Jamie Hammond, we disappointed having missed his set, this young talent certainly making musical waves on the scene, although on weaving our way through the Terrace Bar where Lisa German was ripping up the room with her tech & electro infused beats, then parading through the Blackbox middle room, set aside for the more pop inspired enthusiasts, Lee Harris demonstrating his diversity behind the decks, it was clear that this was going to be one hell of a party. But it was to get even better on arriving in the main room, already in full flow with that amazing lighting & effects we had talked about, plus with some very sexy looking go-go dancers on the podiums, the whole space was pulsating with action, aided & abetted by the mesmerising music D.J. Phil Marriot was serving up, none of your pop or commercial sounds here, but deep & progressive beats yet with uplifting tones that had us spinning on our favourite spot just shy of the booth in an instant. And here we got a brilliant view of the expanse of the room, dominated by a huge & glittering “London Global Dance Festival” sign at one end shouting a statement, along with the subsequent PA performance and the fire eaters, the heat of the flames distinctly noticeable even from our distance.

As much as we were enjoying Phil’s sounds, the direction in his music then took a slightly lighter direction, which was then to signal the arrival of International D.J. star Dikky Vendetta, who took to the decks and immediately pumped the mood with a succession of dancefloor fillers, including the massive “Release Me” which sent us and all around into stratospheric delight, the lighting at full tilt, the dancers dipping up & down into moves on the podiums and the atmosphere truly electric (take a glimpse at this video clip for a taste of the fantastic feel Dikky was creating; http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=629611276&ref=ts#!/video/video.php?v=401723246276&ref=mf). So, while the rest of the club deserved some of our attention, so good was Dikky’s performance, that we were going absolutely nowhere, rather consuming record after record that clearly demonstrated why this man is so popular at La Demence & particularly Rapido in Amsterdam and a real highlight for the start of our LGDF weekend.

The call of the next in the chain of eight events eventually tore us away from Dikky & his delightful dance music, as we were A.M. bound and into the welcoming arms of hostess Naomi, looking as glamorous as ever, yet warming up for her own podium prancing along with the enthralling Elektra & Enrique, all who were to provide the eye catching entertainment, helped along with the musical magnificence of resident D.J.’s D’Johnny, Gonzalo & Alan K in the main room, while over in the “Vinyl” lounge, proceedings would be perfected by Jamie Head & Terry Bryan, this afterhours action given the LGDF influence & treatment by inbound Spanish superstar D.J. Luque (of Sunday’s at Heaven fame), a household name in his home country and a real coup for the organisers of this massive London festival of dance.

And right from the off, we were in mesmeric mood, as D’Johnny infected us with his truly funky electro & tech infused beats that has is in a dancing dervish in our hard fought spot next to the D.J. booth and in prime position to see Elektra & co do their thing on the podiums. Mr Johnny was certainly laying down some serious sounds and got the room absolutely rocking with his rapturous renditions, leaving us breathless with his brilliance & craving for more, we losing count the amount of occasions where he has hit our musical sweet spot with his selections (why not get your fill of his prolific performance by checking out his specially dedicated compilation at http://soundcloud.com/djohnny/sets/am-2010-05-29) and this was no exception, he lifting our flagging energy levels to match our mood & touching us with every track, creating a heaven of his own.

With Johnny’s set over and Gonzalo Rivas taking to the decks, we shimmied through to the Vinyl lounge and wandered up to the D.J. booth to find Jamie Head standing proud and playing out some delightful disco tinged house music tracks, very evocative of the Hed Kandi style of sounds that we adore, so it was here that we held station for a while, lapping up the joyful Jamie jamboree, this intimate lounge space having steadily grown on us since venturing back to Fire full time just months before, the lighter beats & the more informal atmosphere the perfect retreat from the machinations of the main room. And our venture back into the activity of A.M.’s premier space was delayed further when ace D.J. delight Terry Bryan assumed to decks, continuing where Jamie had left off, delivering some delicious dance drenched beats that had this flamboyant fashioned space pumping in adoration, even star of the opening party Dikky Vendetta, lapping up Terry’s tunes and remarking to us just how fabulous the feel of the place was compared with his hometown offerings.

But with D.J. Luque due behind the main room decks, this was where we headed for our final fling, soaking up the remaining minutes of Gonzalo’s performance, trademark tech & progressive beats mixed in with the occasional uplifting house hit that very much paved the way for fellow Spaniard Luque, who took to the place perfectly and certainly showed his experience spinning sounds, with a glorious collection of chunky house that kept the dancefloor filled with feverish frenzy deep into Saturday morning and the eventual clutches of Alan K & his multi mixing magic that lifted the atmosphere even further, inspiring our legs to carry us cavorting right to the end of this “international” A.M. outing in the lap of luxury to our ears, the roar of Dennis Christopher’s remix of “No More Lies” one among many memories of this master at work.

With Saturday turning into Sunday, our attention was diverted to Elephant & Castle for SuperMartXe’s latest offering “Hot Wheels”, we missed out on the third LGDF party which was set aside for the turn of Patrick Lilley’s cool club, Queer Nation, to take centre stage at Fire, bringing an altogether East Coast America style theme to proceedings, with guest D.J. Robert Owens jetting in from Chicago and superb P.A. & singer diva Barbara Tucker touching down from New York, to inject her powerful vocals & huge stage presence on the event. Joining the usual Queer Nation resident D.J.’s was be Guy Williams, who was reported to have rocked the Mirrorarch room with his tech & euro house, while Alan X went much more delectably disco on the crowd in the lounge space, the whole party a super success, not least from the prolific P.A, performance by Barbara who bashed out some stupendous songs to steal the show.

For us, the best was yet to come in the run up to the main LGDF event, as Beyond then took centre stage for its “Universe” party and was always going to be a roadblock event, not least as it is the place where the masses from SuperMartXe always like to continue the party, but with it being a Bank Holiday weekend too, Sunday morning has become the new Saturday night and in this legendary afterhours, it couldn’t be more perfect. And with the impeccable line-up of resident D.J.’s that included Mikey D, Steve Pitron, & Alan K, in the main room, Hifi Sean, D’Johnny, & Terry Bryan in the Terrace while David Jimenez & Gonzalo Rivas looked after the Blackbox, the LGDF influence was to come from the gorgeous German, Chris Bekker, joining the dream team of Mikey, Steve & Alan in the Beyond main room.

Arriving from SuperMartXe at just before 6 a.m. and being greeted by a busy yet in control master of the door, Tom, who was impressively managing the massive queue of people that stretched as far as our bleary eyes could see (and that was far enough!). we were advanced to the head of the guestlist gathering and yet again the welcoming grasp of Naomi, herself fresh from her SuperMartXe exploits yet ready to party on with the best of us. And from the minute we stepped into Area’s doors we felt it was going to be a busy Beyond, although hadn’t quite prepared ourselves for just how packed it would be, safely negotiating the Terrace room, although not before saying our hello’s to Terry Bryan behind the decks, then squeezing our way through the Blackbox room, full with revellers soaking up the hard house sounds of a resplendent David Jimenez, back to Beyond where he definitely belongs, after a stay of absence and clearly pleased to be in the thick of the action.

But we were main room bound to savour the dynamic duo of Mikey D & Steve Pitron going back-to-back in a special three hour set warm up, to find the whole place hot rather than warm as well as packed with hoards of hedonists clearly intent on matching the magnificent music with their demonstrative dancing, even in the more tightly packed dancefloor. And such was the sheer volume of bodies, half naked muscular torso’s vying for a slice of space with an eclectic mix of beaming boys & glitzy girls gyrating gloriously to the bombastic beats, that our usual spot, just left of the D.J. booth was full, leaving us to find enough room to move & groove in the corridor behind, grabbing the casting gazes of the toilet attendants with our extravert dancing that has become a trademark of our Beyond boisterousness like no other club we know. This was no surprise, the Dower & Pitron combo enriched the electric energy running through the veins of the main room with his stupendous selections, rushing the blood round our bodies at an ever increasing rate, our heart struggling to keep up, especially with the added eye candy attraction of this gorgeous tall guy whom we had remarked on with a pal when we spotted him behind the bar at Profile just days before.

Only momentary trips to the outside space for some air tore us away from the terrific tunes being delivered by the duo, our retreats allowing us to catch up on the Terrace takings from Hifi Sean, who’s deep yet funky filled records kept us from dashing back to the main room for a while, although with an incumbent Chris Bekker about to start, we had to return to the scene of our earlier dancing dervishness, still unable to actually dance on the main floor, rather relenting to others in favour of sufficient space to spin to the sounds. Mr Bekker’s beats were brilliant and well deserved of his headlining position in this “Universe” labelled Beyond bash, but our excitement was to erupt even further with the arrival of Alan K who, like us, was truly amazed with the numbers in the club, definitely the busiest we have seen Area ever and probably a little too busy for comfort. But that wasn’t going to put us off, as Mr mixing maestro took to the decks and within minutes had treated us to mind-blowing multi mixes of “Release Me”, “Underground” & “Downpipe” that set the tone for the remaining couple of hours of our stay, Alan thriving on the amorous atmosphere and rounding off a Beyond party to remember in scintillating style (check out his specially dedicated LGDF mix at http://djalank.podomatic.com/ that gives you an essence of just how good his set was).

With our legs very much worn out and the incredible heat, first succumbed in SuperMartXe and then dancing in that corridor in Beyond, no energy boosting liquid was going to get is to Later and their “Global Edition” party, which if we had of done so, may well have sidelined us from the main LGDF event. But with news of South African guest D.J. Leroy Tayler stamping his authority on the party and the sunny afternoon filling the all improved Later Garden to capacity coming through, we had instead headed home to reflect on 30 hours of clubbing over two days that was our own “massive run-up”, safe in the knowledge that we had savoured some very special international D.J’s on duty, that in collaboration with the various London residents that had all delivered the best combination of dance music we had heard in a long time.

So, what did we think of the first few instalments of this London Global Dance Festival? And what were the real highlights for us? Well, having got used to the idea that the whole festival would be spread between just two venues in Vauxhall, encapsulating the regular weekend parties in the run up to the main LGDF event, we were actually quite impressed with the effort that had clearly gone in to make each party feel that little bit more international. Each of the three overseas D.J.’s we witnessed in action very much played their part making more of a global mark on these London based club outings, but in doing so, also highlighted just how much tremendous talent we have right on our doorstep. Picking out four from the bunch of bravado’s was tricky, but D’Johnny’s set in the main room at A.M., then that prolific back-to-back performance by Mikey D & Steve Pitron, rounded off by a awe inspiring showing from Alan K in Beyond served as real highlights, although our hats go off to the rest of the London based jocks, as well as D.J’s Lugue, Chris Bekker & especially Dikky Vendetta, who proved that he can hold his own with the best of the brits and pull out a pulsating performance. All in all, with Onyx, A.M. & then Beyond, we were unquestionably put in the LGDF mood, our appetite well & truly whet for the activity which lay ahead. (DISCO MATT)

Revving Up The Rhythm - SuperMartXe "Hot Wheels" - Club Review

“REVVING UP THE RHYTHM”
SUPERMARTXE - HOT WHEELS
SATURDAY 29TH MAY
CLUB REVIEW


Looking back across the tides of time that encapsulate our clubbing career, there a many varied parties that have caught our imagination, most only for brief moments in our life, but a few that really grab our attention and stand out in our memories, some stretching back to those first few illustrious steps me made onto the dancefloors in the capital, others more recent additions to our memorabilia banks, each of these elite clubbing experiences having their own impact yet all with the one common theme, which we often describe as “breathtakingly brilliant”. And the advent of one club just eighteen months ago has done just that and through a spectacular series of prolific parties that have sported some of the most stunning stage shows we have seen, have placed this extravagant experience right up with the best of them and has definitely put the “A” back into gAylist clubbing.

SuperMartXe, brought to London back in November 2008 by Logan Schmitz, promised a lot at the time and delivered in so many respects, capturing the imagination and serving up a colossal combination of music, dance & showmanship in the theatrically huge Coronet in Elephant & Castle, attracting massive crowds & attention to match, which saw it go on to dominate Saturday night clubbing and even make a considerable splash on Bank Holiday weekends, commissioning specialist parties on both New Years Day and over Easter, at alternative venue the O2 Academy in Brixton, allowing Logan & his team to stretch their production legs & showcase the best that SuperMartXe London has to offer. But having missed out on these big bashes & indeed not having graced its doors since the 1st Anniversary event back in November, we thought it was high time we got our fill of this Schmitz spectacle once again.

So, having warmed up for this latest SuperMartXe adventure with a trip into Soho and a little social shoulder rubbing at Profile Bar with fabulous door host & fierce partner in crime Lexi, as well as with the D.J. delight that is Brent Nicholls, the place where just over a week before we had sampled a bit of pre-party “Hot Wheels” warm up, we headed down to SE1 and The Coronet to soak up our first SuperMartXe party of the year. Greeted at the door by Logan’s other half Michael, who gave us a warming smile & hug, we were strapped with an unexpected yet appreciative VIP band and headed straight into the club to drop off our summer style mini bag of belongings in the coatcheck. This much maligned cause for complaint at SuperMartXe’s of old, was this time anything but, as it was immediately clear that, even with the warmer weather (well it wasn’t that warm!) cutting down on the traffic a little, Logan and his team were ready and, with hardly any wait at all, we were released to throw ourselves into the festivities.

And we were to find our groove very quickly, first wandering through the busy & packed bar area, bumping into a host of familiar & scene faces, including the enigmatic Jonny Hooley, dressed to delight & looking stunning with it, who caught our attention & stopped us in our tracks for a brief while to catch up on news both old & new, elevating our already excited mood further. But it wasn’t long before we were heading down onto the expanse of The Coronet main floor, normally by now (midnight turned) packed with revellers and whilst it was pretty busy, a handful of gaps were noticeable, although our attention was much more on the stage & the D.J. booth, where the terrific Nick Tcherniak was treating us to some tremendous tech infused house tunes that had us dancing in an instant and what turned out to be yet another phenomenally prolific performance. Mind you, our eyes were also drawn to the pristine white vintage Harley Davidson stretched wheel roadster, very evocative of the “Hot Wheels” theme & making a striking statement as to the intentions of the show that was to come. Soaking up the superb sounds that Nick was delivering, kept us gyrating on our spot and in no time at all, the floor was full with dancing doters, many emulating the glitz & glamour that these SuperMartXe parties have become renowned for, handsome hunks of muscular men, delectably dressed dolly birds and everything in between cavorting cheerily, we also soon finding ourselves surrounded by chums that included JC Christopher, Lee Yeomans & beau, Jason Gardiner and the man without any brace wearing outing of ours would be complete, the cheeky yet fun-filled Tom, who immediately made a bee-line for us and gave our elastic accessories a hearty twang.

All attention was now towards the stage, as the curtains were rippling with activity and the usually packed right hand aisle was cleared of revellers in preparation for the real wow of the evening, when prolific P.A. for the evening, Belle was transported from the top of the aisle, down and round & then up a specially prepared ramp onto the stage itself, riding resplendently on the back of a motorcycle steered by a very fetching & butch rider in arms. With exploding pyrotechnics on her arrival, she then stepped off and straight into a pulsating performance, surrounded by an impressive band of gorgeous go-go dancers, all dressed in slithers of leather & even more revealing underwear, specially commissioned by swanky clothes designer Ed Hardy who was supporting the event and showcasing some of his latest designs within the myriad of costumes on show. Add to that the impressive stage set up that included layers of scaffolding to compliment the heavy metal rock theme of the show, an eye catching drum kit sporting a SuperMartXe sign and many of the model dancers resplendent with hair-raising extensions that made a real impact, some also sporting guitars to add to the rock theme, all in all making for a very hot wheeled affair indeed. With Belle bashing out a rendition re-make of “Empire Of The Mind”, we were totally absorbed in the now awesome atmosphere, that shooted us into the stratosphere when the massive neon lighting panel at the back of the stage fired up, displaying incredible images to match the song & lyrics.

With Belle’s first performance over, it was down to the dancers to provide the entertainment to our eyes, while our ears were in the very capable hands of the very tasty AB Garcia, a SuperMartXe Spain resident who performed brilliantly, adding his own espaniol magic to the merriment and manipulating our musical sweet spots superbly with a heady string of scintillating sounds, more euro-style in their beat, but with drenches of electro & tech that had the dancefloor delirious in response. We were reluctant to move from our now very precious small dancing space down by the stage, but the call of nature took its toll and we retreated to relieve ourselves only to bump into Roni Inan and Danny Shubert, who took us on an impromptu tour of the club, first stopping off on the first floor, where Lisa German was treating a select crowd to a turbo boosted tech fuelled set, we pausing to grab refreshments before heading further up into as yet unvisited territory in our SuperMartXe history, the amazing intact upper seating gallery, from which we soaked up the amazing bird’s eye view of proceedings below. But with our need of some fresh air, it was back downstairs and outside for a while, fitting in that trip to powder our nose, before joining Roni, Danny & a whole host of others on the VIP balcony, which allowed us to capture our second wind for the rest of Mr Garcia’s set.

But before we could resume our spot down on the dancefloor, Tony English’s arrival stalled our advance, we engaging in some brief conversation about the party proceedings thus far and with the nod that he was about to dash down to position himself for the start of his stint, we made our way down to see out the rest of our stay in the hands of this stupendous SuperMartXe, Tony delivering one track after the next that had our legs lapping up each tune with all the energy and vigour they had displayed at the start of the evening, we even being treated to yet another stage arrival & performance by P.A. Belle, surrounded by Logan’s delicious dancers that included Elektra & Enrique, Leandro & Sandro and Jasmine & Yasmin, all continuing to cut an impressive stride. However, like all great things, our stay at SuperMartXe was going to end, we eventually bowing to the demands & draw of the next party in our mammoth weekend of clubbing back across in Vauxhall. So, saying farewell to friends, not least Nick and Tom who were still in the thick of activity on the dancefloor, we collected our belongings and waved goodbye to this “Hot Wheels” event that heated our body to boiling point and left us hot under the collar with delight.

To say that we were immensely impressed with this latest SuperMartXe showing is an absolute understatement. From the minute we stepped inside The Coronet we sampled not a single piece of negativity or disappointment, rather our expectations were exceeded step after step and minute after minute with every sight & sound we encountered. To single any one aspect out would do injustice to the others and believe us, there were lorry loads of awe inspiring segments to what was, without doubt, THE best SuperMartXe we have been to. Why? well surely we have answered that question already, but to make our point once more, “Hot Wheels” had the best production, the best PA, the best music, the best stage set-up, the best atmosphere & the best overall experience of any yet. Logan really pulled off something special and our hats go off to him & his team, the D.J’s and the performers for truly tickling our fancies in every way. (DISCO MATT)

Postscript

If you missed out on this incredible event, why not get a glimpse of the action at http://.youtube.com/watch?v=_FP1HeW7DJw and a feel for the music in a live recording of Tony English’s set, available at http://tonyenglish.podomatic.com.

"From Typsy To Sober In One Week" - Soho To Vauxhall - Special Bar Review

“FROM TYPSY TO SOBER IN ONE WEEK”
SOHO TO VAUXHALL – FRIDAY 14TH TO SUNDAY 23RD MAY SPECIAL BAR REVIEW


We definitely lead quite a hectic life, balancing work and play very delicately, although in the pursuit of our passion for clubbing & reporting on the most diverse and prolific gAylist scene we find ourselves within, the “bread & butter” end of our socialising, the bars, sometimes get overlooked. Indeed in recent weeks & months our devotions to clubbing events often see us fail to cover the tireless contribution that a whole host of venues make to our socialising scene in both the gay village hotspots in the capital, Soho & Vauxhall. Therefore, in a slight break in tradition, we take you through a week in our lives encompassing some of these special social hip hangouts, in what was to prove a considerable shift & change in our perspective on a major aspect of our life, that for too long had dominated our social activity and only during this dramatic week of realisation, steered us in a new found & wholesome direction, this review as much a personal reflection as anything else.

So how did this direction change come about? Well, to give you the full flavour of our enlightenment, we have to take you back to the second weekend of May, when the ensuing “Love Weekend” was set to tempt us into all five of its club happenings, as well as a special pre-party at host bar Rupert Street, although with plans to head home straight after work to change, in advance of our weekend of love activity, laid to waste, we were instead pointed in the direction of Soho and what was to become a booze driven bounce around three of our favourite bars. First stop was that pre-party host hangout Rupert Street, a venue that holds dear memories for us and is always generally our anchor watering hole in the west end socialising splendour that is Soho, arriving, on this occasion, not long before 7 p.m., in expectation of the start of the “Love Weekend”. However, with the usual decoration & production absent, coupled with the lack of information as to the D.J. that would be spinning the sounds, 7 p.m. became 8 p.m. became 9 p.m. without anything remotely pre-partying in fashion or mood occurring.

Having changed our plans to encompass this pre-party, we were more that disgruntled with the lack of activity, instead choosing to swap our bar allegiances for the more palatable offering that was Profile Bar on Wardour Street and the splendid sounds of Friday resident, Gaydar radio’s very own Phil Marriot, who was to considerably brighten our evening with both delightful conversation and tremendous tunes, not least a magnificent remix of a favourite track of ours “Disco Electrique”, which had first been brought to our attention by Brent Nicholls and a tune that continues to dominate our personal playlists over nine months down the line. It is fair to say that Profile Bar has become a real favourite of ours and particularly on a Friday when it proves to be the perfect curtain raiser to any weekend, although it would be fair to say that generally ours tends to start on a Thursday in the hands of Minty & co at Industri. However, the sophistication of Profile Bar always strikes resonance with us and certainly gets a thumbs up recommendation.

With our night now back on track, we headed across to Covent Garden hostelry, The Box Bar, where the magnificent D.J. Minx was mastering the music, playing a whole host of our favourite tracks to tempt us to stay the distance. And with the refreshments flowing, we were certainly getting in the mood, sinking more than a jar or two, yet delighting in the amazing atmosphere in this very gAylist gathering of a place, the crowd always extremely pleasing to the eye and exuding the kind of quality seen rarely anywhere else. And that quality also extends to the gorgeous bar staff, who always make us feel so welcome, this Friday frolic being no exception and were it not for the draw on the impending “Love Weekend” of main events, we would have definitely seen out the rest of our night in the hands of The Box & D.J. Minx behind the decks.

But back it was across to Rupert Street we headed, in search of our belongings and prepare to trek home to start our weekend of clubbing proper, although upon arriving back to our Soho base, we were delighted to see Lovechild resident D.J. Phi Hewson behind the decks, serving up a vocal drenched collection of scintillating sounds that certainly extended our stay way past our plans, but so good was Phil’s performance & the atmosphere in Rupert Street under his direction, that we simply couldn’t resist, even if we were unsteady on our feet from over exuberant liquid consumption, not entirely sure we were stringing sentences together smoothly. Then, in an instant, we were Vauxhall bound & heading for a rendezvous with Micky Galliano, we by now very much worse for wear yet ravenous for audacious & outlandish activity, not just in the clutches of Barcode, but next door in “Love Weekend” opener Onyx, savouring the necessary snippets of both before heading home.

But our week of bar bravado was only just beginning, as more jaunts between Soho & Vauxhall were to ensue, first on the Sunday, courtesy of Rupert Street and a lively Alessandro who treated us to an evening of magical music and in the company of the beautiful bar staff that included the lovely Luca, the sexy Sylvester & the ravenous Remi, which all but rounded off our superb “Love Weekend”, even if a D.J. pal of ours had us agonising over an Abba lyric test, which had us treading tip of the tongue tantalisations in pursuit of the answer, our anguish receiving strange looks by Remi & co. With our lyrical test unresolved, a trip south of the river back to Barcode & the “Sunday’s” special night, with saucy Steve Artis spinning the sounds, was an unplanned stop although the exploits of four clubs & too much indulgence was taking its toll on our alertness and sense of mind.

Then, the very much sealing of our fateful yet fulfilling change in perspective was an unplanned & extraordinary expedition into Soho, the following Tuesday with clubbing pal Joel, an innocent drink turning into a veritable feast of frivolous refreshment fuelled activity, encompassing trips to Rupert Street, Profile Bar, Freedom & eventually Barcode, our night ending in relative sobriety but encountering a few bumps along the way that began to make us think carefully about the drive behind our bar hopping socialising and the evils that it can sometimes turn up. And it was after a few words of observation on our weekly homage to tip top social splendour Industri, in the hands of Minty in masterful control and Brent Nicholls bashing out the beats, that our reflection on the few days just gone resulted in a revelation & reassessment of an element of our lifestyle.

So, our next weekend of socialising was on us once more and a return to the circuit bar hopping that has become so characteristic of our Friday, but with that refreshing new look to our exploits and what & crisp clean & clear direction it was that we had made, enjoying everything that we had done before, although with the pleasure of remembering each & every delectable moment from start to finish. It all kicked off in style at Rupert Street in the hands of the best bar crew around, we benefitting from exemplary service in swish & striking surroundings that are hard to beat, but always being up for a challenge, once again in the space of seven days, we were Profile Bar bound, where Logan Schmitz & his troupe of SuperMartXe-ites were holding their “Hot Wheels” pre-party event. And by gosh do these guys know how to hold a great warm up event, not only festooning the venue with profuse production, but pulling out plenty of stops with drop dead gorgeous dancers & glorious give-aways to ignite interest in its events, attracting quality crowds & press alike, this evening being no exception, especially when fab photographer Chris Jepson appeared clicking his camera naughtily in our direction. In fact everything about the evening at Profile was perfect, Phil Marriot’s music, Logan’s Michael’s & Mauricio’s hospitality, Elektra’s & Enrique’s cutting of a considerable dancing stride, all fantastic, but the for exorbitant pricing for our soft option of lime & soda that would probably drive anyone to drink.

But no Friday would be complete with a trip into The Box and yet again the delightful D.J. Minx was spinning the sounds, our sobriety virtually intact right the way through, meaning our trip home via Vauxhall was as safe as can be and dropping in on Barcode was an absolute breeze, the team were turning out, along with mega international D.J. come club promoter Wayne G, the new venture “Bump”, serving up 70’s, 80’s & 90’s pop inspired music intermixed with more uplifting & commercial house that saw the space well & truly rocking. And it was Barcode that was to also end our weekend of revelation, firstly in the hands of Brent Nicholls in Soho and then Ellliot J Brown in Vauxhall, we enjoying each visit just as much sober as otherwise.

So, you may ask, what is the reason for this review? Well, for us not only does it highlight some of our favourite bar hangouts that carry our full recommendation, whether it be the vibrancy & superb service at Rupert Street, the sophisticated & swish surroundings as well as tip top music offer at Profile Bar, the gAylisting crowd that Covent Garden venue The Box attracts, especially on a Friday when alfresco drinking can rarely be bettered, back across in Soho where Saturday clubbing warm ups reign supreme in the hands of Barcode, or down Vauxhall where bigger sister delivers social splendour excellence from Thursday’s Industri through to their Sunday special. Yes, we cannot praise these venues enough and we just love enjoying each & every one of these bars with our new found outlook on life, our sobriety and all the benefits it brings, as true enlightenment and praise thanks to the perspective provided by a pal. (DISCO MATT)

"Amazing Alternative" - Reverse Sunrise - Club Review

“AMAZING ALTERNATIVE”
REVERSE SUNRISE – SATURDAY 22ND MAY
CLUB REVIEW


We are occasionally accused of devoting too much time to the big clubbing events that often dominate the clubbing calendar and in doing so, overlook some of the alternative offerings that deserve a little attention, so breaking out of these clutches we decided to answer our critics by taking a look at something very different to our norm and venturing away from the trappings of Vauxhall to savour a metrosexually driven concept that would prove to be a most satisfying one, not least for the incredible & diverse crowd, but for a very different yet fresh music offering in truly lofty surroundings, that resulted in one of the most spectacular views we have seen in any club ever. What are we talking about? Well, Reverse, a clubbing concept that was born just 12 months ago, hitting the capital to critical acclaim & the brainchild of one Guy Williams, a real pioneer in the metrosexual market, keen & passionate to bring something different to a sometimes monotone & mundane scene, a series of parties in London & Manchester throughout 2009 doing just that and paving the way for other new clubbing projects.

So, with the anniversary of the Reverse beginning on our doorsteps, we booked a slot in our diary, reassuring promoter Guy Williams that we would be there, hook or by crook, come rain or shine, although with the forecast looking simply amazing we knew we were going to be in for a special treat as we headed into town to warm up our night as we so often have done, in the hands of Brent Nicholls at Barcode Soho, but with an eye on the clock so as not to arrive at this Reverse happening too late. Tearing ourselves away from what was developing into another bountiful Barcode experience in the hands of Brent, we arrived at Guy’s happening which was once again being held 31 floors up at the top of Centrepoint in the club space Paramount, the loftiest venue we know in the whole capital, providing stunning & breathtaking panoramic views across London in every direction and the backdrop for the theme of the party “Sunrise” which would see us witness the awe inspiring picturesque sight of the orange globe that enlightens our lives every time it shines, rising relentlessly into the sky.

However, with it being just beyond midnight, our attentions were to the club itself, as we were zoomed from ground level to the dizzy heights of this special space, a clean and clinical area which, even after three visits, still reminded us more of an office rather than a club, but had, in the expanse of windows each side, the undeniably sensational scenery spread before our eyes, the whole of London light up in sparkling splendour stretching to each horizon in front of our eyes. Grabbing some refreshments, we headed round onto the eastern side of the venue, set aside as the dancefloor and with suitable disco lighting & lasers illuminating the space, moving in time with the musical beats being pumped out by Reverse promoter & accomplished D.J. Guy Williams, who was pleased to see that we had made his event. And what of the music? Well, it was definitely a departure from the usual house genres we tend to get attracted to, rather a glorious collection of what Guy and a whole host of enthusiasts call “nu- disco”, very much a nod to the sounds of the disco jiving 70’s & 90’s, but also with nineties style “Hed Kandi” influences, as well as more up to date remixes of classics, giving this slant of sounds a fresh & funky feel. And Guy’s choices were definitely hitting the spot, as the building crowd were swapping their view gazes for the dancefloor & delighting in the disco frenzy that was developing.

Feeling a little out of our comfort zone with a distinctly more metrosexual audience, we were soon to become more at ease and elevate our enjoyment with the arrival of friends Tamsin Roberts & Clington Forbes, who also introduced us to a bunch of their friends who were most inviting, making us feel much more at home in the alternative offering that was Reverse and as the club filled out further, more familiar scene faces appeared to balance out the crowd, making for quite a delightfully eclectic mix of homo’s & hetro’s, all with the intent of having a great time in the disco-tastic hands of Guy and his resident band of D.J.’s. Indeed when Serge Santiago took over the decks, we began to really relax into the vibe he was creating, with all thoughts of our usual Vauxhall happenings a distant memory, well at least for this night anyway.

Now our attention was fully grabbed and with Tamsin in close quarters, keeping us highly amused with her cute & doggie daschund shaped handbag, as well as a cavorting Clington moving to the disco beats, the speed of the music increased a further few notches, when special guest stars, Faze Action took to the decks and a whole myriad of memories of some brilliant Hed Kandi moments were played out in our minds & in front of our eyes, as the boys picked some terrific tunes to keep us tripping the light fantastic, gyrating and swinging to the sounds in unison with many around us, only briefly departing to powder our noses & recharge with liquid refreshments. But little else could keep us away from these cosmotic disco beats, so evocative of those sampled from their amazing album “Stratus Energy”, which just like the live set they were laying down for our delectation, is drenched in total new age disco and confirming their groundbreaking status in this “nu-disco” following we found ourselves within.

But the night was far from over and about to get even better, as Pete Herbert then took his turn behind the decks, turning the pace up a little further, lifting the atmosphere higher and treating us to some stupefyingly spectacular selections that had us rocking & rolling even more than before, our occasional glances across to the D.J. booth spotting him pouring a whole load of energy into his set, which was going down an absolute storm. However, as good as Pete’s set was, the sight which many had come up these 31 floors to see, was beginning to develop, as the skyline was slowly changing from black to blue, as the dawning of a new day was about to unfold and first a very thin line of orange skimmed the buildings in our eyes sight and the then soon to emerge sun began to lighten the London scene in breathtaking fashion. Pete, undeterred by all the gazing action, continued to pour out one magnificent mix after the next, which was always going to be a hard act to follow, but one we had been looking forward to all night, as the legend that is Severino arrived to assume the decks & take us on a much more funkier & fulsome Italio influenced electro music madness.

By now the sun itself was appearing & breaking the capital’s horizon like we had never seen before and unlike the first Reverse outing a year ago, when rain clouds shrouded the view, the sun was beaming in all its glory, this incredible orange globe turning a more brighter yellow as it grew higher in the sky, casting its beams right across the Paramount dancefloor and illuminating Severino in his masterful delivery of a whole string of pulsating & pumping beats. And what a funky feast of new & exciting sounds it was, that saw us dance our way right through the rest of his fantastic set, all with the awe inspiring backdrop of the supreme sunrise view that we have never witnessed in such splendour before, save for those special times jetting around the world, in some ways the moments & minutes we watched the dramatic night to day transformation through the Reverse windows, emulating the feeling that we were flying high in the sky.

With the sun now quite high in the sky, our latest Reverse clubbing experience was almost at an end, but not before Guy Williams once again took to the decks and played us out with some brilliant disco renditions, including the fabulous & timeless classic “Illusion” by 80’s band Imagination, which rounded off a most enjoyable alternative experience, leaving us to sink back down 31 floors to terra firmer, to then wend our way home in the bright & warm Sunday morning sunlight. We even decided against a post Reverse return to the temptations of Vauxhall & Beyond, rather opting to keep all those disco tunes running through our heads and hold the memories of a great alternative evening fresh in our minds.

Well, in summing up this Reverse outing, it goes without saying that we had a fabulous time from start to finish. Despite being considerably removed from our comfort zone of regular house music, we delighted in the disco directed sounds served up by Guy, Serge, Robin, Simon, Pete & Severino, which made for a refreshing change to the normality. Plus the mixed & metrosexual crowd were really up for the experience, the event getting better & better by the minute, the venue also proving to be the perfect host for this prolific party, but whilst the music, the atmosphere & the crowd were top drawer, top marks have to go to the backdrop that was that stunning & spectacular sunrise. We are certainly glad we stayed to witness what was without doubt the most incredible climax to a night of clubbing we have ever seen & seeing that sun pop up over the London skyline & then rise high into the sky was worth every second. Reverse “Sunrise” you were scintillating. (DISCO MATT)

"Bowled Over & Breathless" - Beyond - Club Review

“BOWLED OVER & BREATHLESS”
BEYOND @ THE LOVE WEEKEND – SUNDAY 16TH MAY
CLUB REVIEW


There are a mere handful of clubs that has made a massive impact on us over the years, some which have sadly fallen by the wayside as the gAylist scene has developed, changed & moved on, while others have survived to continuingly influence our weekends and draw us out to party, as mega pop legend Prince said in his song “like it’s 1999” and by golly did we party back in those days. But just three years after, one club was launched that sees us doing just that virtually every Sunday and as such gets virtually unrivalled attention and for good reason, so, it was inevitable that we would once again be gracing the doors of Beyond in an all encompassing “Love Weekend” which saw even our aging disco legs make it through four out of the five events, this mega Sunday morning afterhours playing its part. But how did it turn out? And what was our verdict on this clubbing experience extra-ordinare under the direction of its new promoter?

In reality no weekend would be complete these days in Disco Matt land, without us including Beyond, the club that relentlessly ticks virtually every box in our criteria for providing the truly perfect clubbing experience and one that was very much on our radar following our “love in” with Lovechild, making up the third out of four clubbing exploits over this special weekend. And arriving at the doors just shy of 7 a.m., we were greeted, as usual by doorman extra-ordinare Tom & hostess Naomi, both who week in week out make sure of our smooth & speedy entry into what is, without doubt, our favourite club & venue, this occasion being no different as we were inside in a trice and upstairs depositing our belongings in the coatcheck ready to hit the club proper. And that we did running, as entering the Terrace room, the atmosphere was already buzzing as we witnessed the welcome return of The Sharp Boys, both George & Steven treating us to some stupendous sounds that had the space well & truly rocking, very much like the old days of Beyond at Area, people up on the dance platform gyrating to the magical music & the whole space alight with audacious activity.

Inevitably, we wanted to get a feel of the other parts of the club and moving down into the Blackbox room, Paul Christian was definitely holding his own, with a select crowd craving for his harder edged tunes, the phased opening of the club always ensuring that this middle space gets its fair share of devotion from the masses that pour into Area each Sunday morning. But it was the main room where we headed and which had not long fired up in the hands of rapturous resident Gonzalo Rivas, who set about truly delighting us with a dream collection of hedonistic house hits which injected incredible vitality to a an already packed dancefloor and it was in our usual spot just shy of the D.J. booth in what has become our most favourite spot of any club in the capital and one we feel most at home spinning to the special sounds that Beyond delivers on every visit.

And this latest adventure was to be no different as we found our stride within minutes, moving in motion to the magnificent music, the tech infused yet uplifting notes that Gonzalo was delivering hitting the mark with every twist & turn we were trading with those around us, which included a collection of faithfull’s positioning themselves for the incumbent Steve Pitron who was due to take over the reins from Gonzalo in his now regular slot of 9 a.m. Seeing these familiar faces gathering signalled a respite before what would become an all consuming two hours of fever pitch paced & dizzy dancing dervishness to the mixing maestro at work, as we headed out back to where our experience stared, the Terrace room, where the Sharp Boys were right in the middle of handing over to the house hero Hifi Sean, whose stints in this special space always prove a real hit and were sure to do the same yet again. Plus having been promised that the doors onto the outside space would be swung open, we weren’t to be disappointed, as new Beyond promoter James Brewer, ensured our wishes were his command, especially as by now the sun was shining and the magical feel of alfresco dancing on the tables as well as throngs of party goers mingling to soak up the incredible atmosphere only served to spur Sean on, who treated us to some wonderfully wax lyrical tunes that had us burning up our spot in satisfying showmanship style dance steps.

But it wasn’t long before we found ourselves back in our favoured position on the main floor with Steve Pitron now in charge of the decks and Logan’s gorgeous dancers poised on the podiums ready to impress with the energetic & striking moves to the musical mastery that was unfolding. And what an awe inspiring selection of sounds were we then treated to as a whole string of terrific tunes were played to please over the next mesmeric two hours of dance delirium, including massive dance floor hits “Release Me”, “Acapella”, “Here Comes The Rain Again” & “Downpipe”, all receiving rapturous whoops & cheers from a crowd that nevertheless seemed different & somewhat strange to the usual incredibly enthusiastic bunch we have come to expect at Beyond. Undeterred, Steve continued to pour out track after track that had us moving magnificently and to the surprise & gaze of those around us, emulating the moves of the gorgeous go-go muscle hunks shimmering under the incredible Area lighting and effects, which included ticker tape explosions and ceiling height whizzing rockets, all released in time with the crescendo moments of Steve’s superb selections that also featured one of favourite records of now, Dave Ramone’s brilliant mix treatment of Edward Maya’s “Stereo Love”, which is fast becoming one of those Pitron anthems that are so trademark of the vitality & energy that he creates behind the decks like no other.

Our morning was now in full swing and our enthusiasm for this breathtakingly brilliant Beyond at dizzy heights, especially when the star resident jock that would see us into Sunday afternoon arrived, Alan K popping his head above the D.J. booth parapet, spotting us and then jaunting out to say hello with the look of pure excitement on his face and ready to increase the pace of our already chanter pumping heart with his unique and skilful multi mixing, which on this occasion had the added dimension of a D.J. pal (the name escapes us) going back-to back with him during what was a totally fun filled & frenetic remaining two hours of our stay at Area. Not only were we treated to some wonderful Alan renditions of hands in the air floor fillers, mixed in with new versions of old classics from his partner in D.J. crime, but when yet another new & incredible mix version of Zoe Baldwin’s huge hit was lined up, the whole main room once again exploded in roars & cheers to what has become probably the most prolific & popular tune that, in over twelve months since its release, still captures the imagination and invokes the biggest reaction of any record we know, “Release Me” hitting our sweet spot every time and one which we never become bored of being all the more brilliant in the hands of the mixing master that is Mr K.

With Alan steering us way past midday and with no real respite in the atmosphere, our stay at Beyond was destined to see us dance right through until the final moments, a rarity for us but nevertheless a culmination of over six hours of scintillating sounds served up by some of the best D.J.’s on the gAylist London circuit and left us more than satisfied with our lot. So, collecting our belongings we eventually tore ourselves away from Area to sink into a restful Sunday afternoon, although upon trying to escape the clutches of this audacious afterhours, we were spotted by a lively Tom, whom we had traded chit chats on the outside space during the brief moments we escaped the prolific proceedings inside, who without too much arm twisting, persuaded us to continue of “Love Weekend” of activity across Vauxhall at Later, turning up at Fire to the welcoming yet amazed arms of Naomi, Steve, Paul Heron & Mikey D, all who had partied hard themselves at Area beforehand.

Reflecting as we have, over two weeks since this bountiful Beyond as part of the special “Love Weekend”, memories of outing are still crystal clear in our mind and despite the somewhat strange feel to the crowd, yet again all the D.J.’s delivered impeccably and entertaining us impressively from start to finish. Not only were we delighted to see the old feel of the Terrace room recaptured, courtesy of the doors being swung open, but were equally impressed with new promoter James Brewer’s attentiveness right across the club throughout the whole morning and it seems that Beyond is definitely in safe hands under his control, James picking up the intact & incredible legacy left behind by the super Steven Sharp. Yes it is fair to say that Beyond has a readymade captive audience, but in no way is it resting on its laurels, moreover continuing to strive to deliver the very best experience that sees it remain at the top of its game, plus is still ours and many people’s top choice clubbing destination. Bravo Beyond, we were definitely “bowled over & breathless”. (DISCO MATT)

"Loving The Love-In" - Lovechild @ The Love Weekend - Club Review

“LOVING THE LOVE IN”
LOVECHILD @ THE LOVE WEEKEND – SATURDAY 15TH MAY
CLUB REVIEW


With a weekend that had “love” central to its theme, it came as no surprise that the clubbing brand that was bang slap in the middle of the line up was Alex Erfan’s Lovechild, the brand that hit the capital back in February 2009 as a Sunday t-dance style event at Pacha in Victoria, but found new legs south of the river in the capable hands of latest host venue Fire, which certainly added the oomph required, also giving the team the flexibility required to re-position the club as a Saturday night offering. And despite the ravages of recent tough economic trading conditions that have even impacted on the erstwhile unaffected pink pound market, Lovechild has certainly held its own, with some exceptional outings that have included the Fire launch back in November, the follow up party in December & the “Wet” affair just last month, but how would this latest party in the Lovechild chain of events fare? Was success tripping off the tongue? Or did it got lost in translation?

Having risen for our over indulgent slumber, originally intended to be a mere disco nap, we were certainly raring to rev up our weekend and with glad rags on, we headed in the direction of Vauxhall for a rendezvous with Industri pal & cougar extraordinaire (in house joke) Stephen, who had light-footed it from a local stag do, to fit in a small slice of the “Love Weekend” courtesy of Lovechild at Fire. Meeting at the door and being greeted by the engaging Jerry Boston, resplendent in his striking pseudo drag style mohican wig & equally fetching attire, we were inside the club in a trice, although not before saying our hello’s to the ever welcoming Simon Patrick, who was masterminding everyone’s smooth entry to the club as always.

Once inside and having deposited our bits & bobs into the coatcheck, we headed down onto the main room space, refreshments in hand, to investigate this latest Lovechild “love-in” and were immediately struck by the stunning production, not to mention the incredible visuals on the plethora of screens, helping to elevate the atmosphere and draw in the crowd to revel in the superb sounds emanating from the massive speakers. And who was responsible for those superb sounds, who indeed, as we approached the D.J. booth to find Stewart Who? behind the decks, the man that has, over the years, entertained us with his diverse musical tastes, whether it be a nostalgic nod to the disco drenched 70’s & 80’s or the more toughened up-to date house tunes, this man’s repertoire has it all and he really stole the show in the Hustlaball room at the official afterparty back at the beginning of May, treating us to a mesmeric minefield of magical music and rocking the Mirrorarch room to its foundations with his stupendous set. However, finding him in the main room slot, here at Lovechild, was a little surprising, as we had expected him to be taking hold of the Contact room, but were, nevertheless please to see him out in the thick of the action where he belonged.

But, we wanted to continue our foray into this Lovechild “love-in” and headed for the lounge space, to find the room full with funky house hunters, lapping up the sounds being served up by Lovechild newbie Leo T, who was very much in the groove, delighting his audience with a truly uplifting yet funky chain of tunes that has the lounge well & truly pumping. With pal Stephen off to powder his nose (not in that way naughty!), we were back into the main room to lap up the delights of Stewart behind the decks and just in time, as one of the sexiest go-go dancers we have seen, ever, appeared along with his fellow dancers, then to our extreme pleasure took to the podium adjacent to where we were dancing, leaving us gauping in envy at his bronzed and beautiful torso, all the go-go’s dressed in sexy Greco/Roman attire, their faces hidden by black warrior type masks, adding to the truly horny, sexy & seductive vibes they were exuding, particularly our man (well not ours really...we wish!) resplendent on the podium next to us. With Stephen back and now very much in cougar mode (all will be revealed), we were well into our stride and feeling very “loved in” at Lovechild, although with the Contact room opening delayed, it felt more like a walkway where we were standing and a slightly disappointed yet jovial Phil Hewson joined us for a boogie, waiting in anticipation for the space to open and then with D.J. pal Alessandro joining the fray & showing his Sicilian exuberance, stripped the doors to the contact room of their misleading signage, bending us double in hysterics.

But all focus was on the main room and the arrival of Spanish guest D.J. Albert Neve, bringing with him an impressive reputation both in the D.J. and producing game. although with the thought in the back of our minds that in-bound Spanish D.J.’s rarely hit the mark and fulfil their promise. However, from the minute Mr Neve hit the Lovechild decks, we knew we were in for a treat, as one tune after the next elevated the already pumping atmosphere left behind by Stewart Who?, and the room well & truly ignited with magnificent laser lighting & pyrotechnics to compliment the tremendous tunes Albert was serving up, one track after the next, fulsome, flamboyant & fantastic. And talking about those three f’s, that was exactly what the P.A. Kaysee was, taking to the stage in the main room and immediately rousing the audience with her powerful vocal presence and then belting out a rendition of the new smash hit release, “She Won’t Give Up”, as well as “She Loves” (very appropriate), both recorded & produced by Albert and sounding superb in this Fire space, she also treating the now packed main room to her own interesting version of Toca’s “Miracle” which blended a few other lyrics in to keep us on our toes.

With the P.A. over, it wasn’t long before the much anticipated & awaited Contact room opened up and we, along with hoards of others, poured in, Phil Hewson now having his moment (deservedly so) and set about injecting some real pace into this seductive space, laying down some serious sounds that had us dancing in an instant. Settling into our usual spot just shy of the D.J. booth, we soon bumped into Lovechild’ers Roni Inan, Danny Shubert and the toned down Jerry Boston, as well as the man himself, Alex Erfan, who was now relaxing into the night and enjoying himself, while Pal Stephen was also in full stride, effecting his hilarious cougar moves on us, claws prone and his advances & swipes leaving us in fits of laughter (it's a long story!), his vampire inspired t-shirt seemingly all the more fitting with every move (well at least he didn’t draw blood). But antics aside, the room was soon full, many displacing from the main room, but soaking the appealing atmosphere & Phil’s tunes.

But yet more was to come, as international megastar Paul Heron arrived to assume the decks and took the music to new heights, delivering a tech infused yet rapturously hard hitting set, with tinges of more mainstream floor filling sounds like “Downpipe” (there’s a story in that too!) as well as more underground inspired sounds, the man in his element behind the decks, exuding his enthusiasm for his art with characteristic movements in time with the tracks, reflecting the mood in the room, which was nothing short of electric with excitement. Then the surprise of the night unfolded before our eyes as pal Stephen disappeared into the playroom, much to the surprise of both us and Paul Heron, jaws dropped when he re-appeared from the darkened space, the look of naughtiness on his face. But our attention was soon back on the marvellous music Paul was entertaining us with and even the cries of the fourth leg of the “Love Weekend” across Vauxhall couldn’t tear us away, rather seeing out Paul’s set right to the end (and not for the first time this month!), so good it was.

Ending on a superb high, what did we think of this Lovechild “love-in”? and what were the answers to the questions we posed earlier? Well, it would be fair to say that it wasn’t the busiest one we had been to, but with enough to overspill the main room and then the contact space, it worked out reasonably well. But what worked much better were the performances from the D.J.’s, not least guest star Albert Neve who impressed immensely, following up on a stellar set from Stewart Who? But once again, Paul Heron proved just why he is in such demand across the globe, as he proved more than his worth and was our true star of the show, although that was taking nothing away from Phil Hewson, who also hit our sweet spot, as did the brilliant P.A. from Kaysee, she very worthy of her huge billing & reputation. However, the most magical moment has to go to that drop dead gorgeous dancer (one track mind or what!) and he will be one of many reasons why we will be back for more at the next Lovechild outing. (DISCO MATT)

"Oh To Be In Love" - The Love Weekend - Special Club/Event Review/Overview

“OH TO BE IN LOVE”
THE LOVE WEEKEND – FRIDAY 14TH TO SUNDAY 16TH MAY
SPECIAL CLUB/EVENT REVIEW/OVERVIEW


There is something extra special about that feeling of love, not just the rush of emotions running around your head, your heart pumping that extra beat, but the sheer feeling of happiness & euphoria that comes with falling for someone or for something, meaning that the feeling of love is like no other sensation for us, it ignites a real spark & injects unparalleled levels of excitement into our bodies. Whilst they say that the first love is sometimes the deepest, it is fair to say, that in lots of ways, we fall in love nearly every weekend, in love with the amazing variety & brilliance of clubs we have before us in gAylist/land London, in love with the amazing music on offer in our clubs & hot spots, in love with the people that deliver it all, but most of all in love with life and for being party to all this lovely loveness. So when news hit our desks of a weekend dedicated to love, we simply couldn’t resist throwing our heart & soul into it all.

The concept of throwing a whole collection of events into one massive weekend is nothing new, in fact circuit festivalling as it is more commonly known as is an activity that is part of clubbing culture right across the world, a great example being the huge week long party held in Barcelona each August, However, London is not necessarily renowned for this type of clubbing, yes it has held massive warehouse parties in the past, remember Famous Five out at Bagley’s in Kings Cross, it has often combined club brands under one roof, an event like Universe being a good example, but stringing a series of parties together is something we haven’t come across in the capital for a long time, so the thought of one such happening was definitely wetting our appetite for an enormous weekend of clubbing activity and with the clubs in close proximity, it made for an even more palatable prospect.

So, where and when did it kick off?, well as all weekends generally start, the when was on the Friday (mind you ours usually gets going on a Thursday, naughty!) and the where was the club that seems to be the talk of the town at the moment, Onyx at Area, which was launched by Steven Gellar to critical acclaim back in the summer of 2009 and reached award winning status, but just seems to be going from strength to strength under the steership of new promoter kid on the block, Jonny Marsh. And starting the “Love Weekend” here was a perfect choice, not least that its home, Area, has built a reputation not just for its magnificent lighting, pyrotechnics & visuals, but for sporting some truly great parties & club brands, Onyx rightfully taking its place amongst the elite and in many ways transforming Friday clubbing in the capital. With a host of resident D.J.’s including Phil Marriot, Jamie Hammond, Ariel & Lisa German, the three rooms of fun offer an exciting mix of house genres to delight the truly eclectic crowd the night draws in and this Friday was no exception, as we swooped in on Onyx for a brief yet thrilling look at its “Love” offering.

With the Terrace bar room filled with party goers waiting in anticipation for the inbound Lisa German to stoke up the sounds with a tech infused set, we squeezed our way past the mass of bodies that were cramming the corridor into the middle Blackbox room, where an altogether more uplifting & disco tinged musical direction had the space packed. We headed straight for the D.J. booth to find the joyful & smiling Lee Harris behind the decks, treating the masses to some seriously sparkling sounds that also had us dancing in a jiffy. But, as good as Lee’s performance was & as brilliant as the atmosphere was difficult to resist, we were soon main room bound, where returning guest D.J., the Italian stallion himself, Pagano, was in charge of the tunes, delivering an altogether more tantalising & trippier string of sounds, that saw the main room swell to capacity right before our eyes, the trademark Area lighting & effects swinging into action, complimenting the masters work behind the decks. So the scene was set for yet another spectacular Onyx party, taking the huge packed crowd of clubbers deep into Saturday morning and starting the “Love Weekend” off in superb style.

The next instalment was A.M., the Friday afterhours at Fire which has been pulling in punters and then pouring them out into Saturday lunchtime fulfilled with an outrageous & overt experience to match no other. Since A.M. was launched back in 2000, it has, week in week out, provided that niche gap for those that simply want to extend their partying beyond Friday night and the special synchronisation of sounds from resident D.J.’s David Jminez, The Oli, Paul Martin, D’Johnny, Jamie Head & Alan K, have proven irresistible for many and indeed, in the early days, we used to make our weekly homage to Vauxhall especially for this audacious outing and more recently having enjoyed an awesome 9th Birthday celebration that certainly left is wanting more. But in the “Love Weekend”, A.M. was going to be something extra special, as the resident D.J.’s were being joined by no one, but two incredible international stars of the decks, Eduardo De la Torre & Paul Heron. But with all plans laid to waste, a quick trip home to change, found us napping well beyond dawn & missing out on a simply spectacular & stupendous party, with the two guests truly captivating the crowds & adding superbly to the stellar performances of the resident jocks. However, all was not lost as the event was captured in a brilliant video which gives a real feel & insight to just what a terrific party it was, so take a look at http://facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=433480385983&ref=mf

Having recovered from our momentary slumber, we geared ourselves up for the further instalments in this massive weekend of love, first shimmying down to Fire on Saturday night for what turned about to be a very enjoyable Lovechild, with Albert Neve, P.A. Kaysee & Paul Heron huge highlights in an altogether engaging gathering, which was followed by the holy grail style homage to Beyond, this club once again proving why it is such a draw, both parties getting our full review focus and deservedly so. However, as has been the trend of recent times, the club that not only proved to be the most wonderful end to the quintet of “Love Weekend” events, but once again came into its own, delivering delightful debaucherous & decadent deep cuts of action, was Later at Fire, making the most of the Beyond crowd that wanted their weekend of partying to continue unabated, but also drawing in those who had either rested or chose to spice up their Sunday. And this has been very much the ingredient of the club, since its launch some seven years ago, which has seen Later consistently deliver an afternoon of audacious action week in week out.

It was certainly true of this “Love Weekend” too, as we arrived at just turned 1 p.m., accompanied to the door by fabulous friend & companion Tom, who had persuaded us to complete what turned out to be a quartet rather than a quintet of clubs, but nevertheless resulted in an auspicious end to a very enjoyable weekend. Right from the minute we entered Later & the Mirrorarch room, we knew we were in for a treat, being welcomed by the angelic Naomi & the stupendous Steve Pitron, who had delighted us with another stormer of a set back in Beyond. Inquisitive as to whether we had been to bed, a surprised Steve seemed impressed we had not and with refreshing energy boosting drink in hand, we soon sped onto the dancefloor to soak up the scintillating sounds being sent our way by the man behind the decks, Jon Bills, who was treating us to some of our tip top favourite tunes, including a couple of Soul Avergerz’s classics, “Drop The Bomb” & “Shame” causing us to dance deliriously on our spot within a packed out space, soon joined by Steve & co, as well as Paul Heron who, like us, was making the most of this love weekend. But the afternoon was only going to get better, as first guest D.J. Mikey D took to the decks to take up the gauntlet laid down by a departing Mr Bills, taking us to dizzier heights with a delicious & heavenly house music drenched stunner of a set, but was then followed by resident Terry Bryan who rounded off a purple patch & perfect Later to well & truly savour, a gathering that promoter Jay & his team should be proud of.

So, what was our verdict on the “Love Weekend” and what were the real highlights? Well, given the fact that it was the middle of the month and particularly one sandwiched between two bank holidays, the numbers at all five parties were very impressive. Yes, it seemed like a bit of an Orange group love-in, but the theme was very much about “Love” and in offering five fantastic events as one massive party for the phenomenal price of £20, the organisation was definitely spreading the love this weekend. As for the highlights, well Onyx yet again delivered in virtually every department, we were told countless times just how good A.M. was, with Eduardo & Paul delighting the audience and Lovechild had sparks of brilliance, Albert Neve in particular impressing us with his performance.

But as is usually the case, it was all about Sunday for us, as not only did Beyond leave us breathless, but Later saw to it that our weekend finished on a real high note. We can hear some of you say, “...this “Love Weekend” was just about Fire & Area...”, but you know, two better venues you couldn’t have asked for, plus we were impressed by offering from the selection from the cream of the crop of D.J.’s, all that ensured the music offer was top notch. And of those we witnessed, well Pagano was definitely up there, Paul Heron had us moving & grooving like a good-un, Jon Bills hit plenty of our sweet spots, but once again it was those Beyond boys that really did it for us. Not only was Steve’s set surreal, but Alan’s multi mixing was magical and whilst Mikey was in Later territory, he laid down a set that would have been just at home in the main room at Beyond, so good were his track selections. Were we once again in love? you bet ya, loving the music, loving the people, loving the clubbing and loving the weekend!! (DISCO MATT)