Splendid Sunday Sunshine Soiree - Matinee "Open Air Summer" Party - Club Review

“SPLENDID SUNDAY SUNSHINE SOIREE”
MATINEE “OPEN AIR SUMMER” PARTY – SUNDAY 11TH JULY
CLUB REVIEW


When the Barcelona big brass decided to inject London with a huge syringe full of Matinee potion back in 2006 at Area, they clearly wanted this Spanish superclub to make a considerable impact on the capitals gAylist scene. And it certainly did, further moves first to Fabric in Farringdon, then to Colosseum back in Vauxhall hitting some real high notes & gAylisting moments, although the fateful conclusion for the then promoter at Cable in London Bridge, saw Matinee by this stage, chasing its competitors for plaudits as the best offering in town. Having witnessed some truly amazing events in the brand s history here in Britannia, the early days of Area stand out in a myriad of also ran parties, especially in recent times, when Matinee in London has been struggling to find its true identity, while rival offers like SuperMartXe & Beyond have gone from strength to strength. But when the news came through that Logan Schmitz was taking over this London Latino franchise back on NYD, we always thought something quite spectacular was in store for this, our favourite clubbing brand by far, a construction period leading to what can only be described as a summer sizzler of an event. So what made this Matinee so special? And what is the future for this brilliant brand in Britain?

With the weather forecast of sumptuous sunshine pretty much guaranteed and us wanting to look our Matinee best, we donned a classic 2009 inspired t-shirt, admittedly a little tighter than we would have liked, then hot footed it to Elephant & Castle to arrive at host venue Ministry Of Sound’s doors not long after 1.30 p.m. Immediately our body compass pointed us in the direction of the outside terrace where Paul Heron was laying down heaps of funky chunky outdoor inspired musical mainstream, his choices immediately hitting resonance with the developing crowd, our attempts at avoiding the marauds of Matinee lovers falling at the first hurdle as a poke in our back signalled a smiling & saucy Per Q.X. who, along with his pals, we were well into their sashaying stride, lapping up the bountiful beats of a lively Mr Heron and his energetic, pumping & pulsating musical pace. Indeed, the atmosphere out on this superb sun trap of a space was already spot on, the blue sky contrasting the multicoloured Matinee & other signage below, while the artificial green turf made dancing on the concrete floor much more comfortable & completed the scene, well except for the odd plane flying overhead, we convincing ourselves that one had "Logan Presents" splashed down the side, just like the advertising slogan for this major Matinee party.

But we wanted to check out Bello Alessandro inside, who was treating us to a right royal rousing rendition of hot & happening house, a very uplifting string of sounds contrasting to Paul’s more progressive beats outside. Early naked numbers of Matinee admirers & followers turned into a full on dinner suit selective of gAylist hob nobs of the luxury chocolate coated kind, our unapologetic plaudits of most notable scene faces going to & including off duty D.J.’s Steve Pitron, Jamie Head, Mikey D, Eduardo De La Torre & Nick Tcherniak, delectable dancers Naomi Cruz & Dilmar Brito, press people Chris Jepson, Chris Geary & Cliff Joannou and clubbing collectives Marky B Barrett, Dorin Andrei, Simon Patrick, James Brewer, Roni Inan, & Danny Shubert, an exhaustible list of familiar faces craving for a quick nod and wink in acknowledgement of our presence. Then, as if this glorified gathering wasn't enough for us, an endless chorus line of cavorters were doing their best to get their own slice of our attention, pal Rob, Rupert St boy Oli & even our hairdresser Luis, all succumbing to this outside area which was now full to brimming with people intent on making this a party to remember rather than to forget and anyone who was anyone, cramming onto MOS’s terrace to take in this tremendous Matinee trip of a lifetime.

So the focus was now on partying in prolific alfresco style, the sun beating down on the terrace, Paul Heron’s music choices the perfect recipe for this altogether Ibiza inspired event, the additions of ice cannons & the nifty air horn that played a massive part in the SuperMartXe “Hot Wheels” outing, doing their bit in projecting the pulsating party vibe right across this amazing outdoor space, an excitable Alessandro making the most of both implements to the delight of all around. With photographer extraordinaire Chris Jepson pointing his lens where it didn’t belong (our direction) and the dancing mercury hitting boiling point, the lovely Mauricio’s Matinee fans were a welcome relief from the summer sunrays, although with the space close on bursting point by now, the last thing on our mind was sun protection, rather alfresco dancing audacity with the now late arrival Taito Tikaro rousing our emotions with some truly uplifting tracks that included our favourite “Release Me”, which got its usual hands -in-the-air reaction and sending the atmosphere into enjoyment overdrive. Mind you, it was helped along by the delectable dancers who ascended the podiums astride of the D.J. booth, one of the foursome a perfect specimen of a man, each of his many muscles shimmering in the sunlight and his taught torso tantalising a truck load of looks, Luke Baden-Barnsley being the epitomy of everything that was hot & horny about this Matinee eye catching event, this gorgeous go-go even lavishing attention on us with leading lines of questions that made for our million dollar Matinee moment.

By now we were in absolute wonder of one of the best parties of the year unfolding before our eyes, the atmosphere on this terrific terrace tipping the temperature scales and Spanish resident Taito Tikaro in seventh heaven with his huge house hits that had a hypnotic quality to them. That said, indoors was also getting its say, MOS’s main room now in the charge & direction of Italian stallion Pagano, who was ready to create plenty of drama on the dancefloor with a succession of smash progressive & tech fuelled tunes, very much classic Francesco, that saw more than a handful of hopefuls sink into his sounds, choosing the inside over the outside to fulfil their dancing desires. And despite the football being shown on the selection of screens around this main space, much more attention was directed to the dance tracks being selected, one trademark Pagano track after the next seeing the space swell with swarms of sophisticated scene gAylisters lapping up Francesco’s fabulous & magical music.

But, sinking back into the temptations of the terrace, as being outdoor at this Matinee summer smash was very much the vogue, the summer sunshine gave way to a dimming dusk, prompting the massive terrace florescent lights to illuinate the scene and with dancer/D.J. Marco Da Silva’s soundtrack of scintillating & uplifting inclusions igniting the already amazing atmosphere, we were content in seeing the remainder of our stay at this Matinee magnificence of an extravagant event out on the terrace. Mr Da Silva was certainly pumping up the volume, his dancing pedigree & dexterity showing through in his performance behind the decks, the tunes he was selecting equalling the energy & vitality he was displaying, added to even further by an impromptu advance onto the podium next to the D.J. booth, Logan himself taking up the challenge & ascending the other, much to the delight of their audience of admirers, beeps on the horn & pulses from the ice cannons accentuating their dancing deliveries.

And to be honest, we didn’t want our experience to end, as the music had been so magnificent, the go-go dancers delightful and the party people a perfect complement to this incredible outing so full of the Matinee magic that had been missing from many an event before it. But with 10 p.m. come & gone, eventually Marco gave in to the venues calls to halt this pulsating party, although in truth it could have gone on well into the early hours of Monday morning, such was the enthusiasm for this mesmeric Matinee at MOS. So, we said our farewells to our crowd of cavorting collectives on the terrace, catching those words with the lovely Luke, before sliding into the normality of the surrounding streets and an onward rendezvous with pals Joel & Julian, seeing us waxing lyrically about this magnificent 9 hours of clubbing splendour, in what was sinking in as being not only the best Matinee of the year, but the best party of any we had enjoyed in 2010 so far.

Our memories of Matinee in London are probably some of our most treasured and it can be said that we have witnessed some incredible parties, “Knockout” & “Viva” being right up there, although there was always a comparison to the first forays at Area that, for us, showed the brand in its Saturday best. However, in deciding to take the club back to its Barcelona afterhours origins was a brave yet inspired move by Logan, the idea of linking it all in with an Ibiza styled alfresco outing, proving to be Matinee’s making in London. In doing so, not only has Logan given the brand a new & exciting identity, distinguishing it clearly apart from former competitor in the capital, SuperMartXe, but it has injected much needed vitality into a precariously stale & faltering clubbing scene full of the same old same old. Sunday afternoon clubbing has once again come of age, Matinee spearheading this momentum and gAylist gatherings in the capital courtesy of Mr Schmitz & his superb schmitzels are very much alive & kicking. As the soundtrack to this scintilating summer soiree shouts, we are well & truly "Addicted" to the new style of our favouite clubbing brand, so move over Beyond, the 2010 plaudits will surely be heading Matinee’s way and we cannot wait for the next party, which you must not miss for anything. (DISCO MATT)

Postscript

If you were unfortunate to miss out on this magnanimous Matinee, you can get a slice of the superb sounds, as resident D.J. and star of Sunday’s party, Alessandro Londra, has laid down two compilations which are perfect sovenirs of this smash hit of an event. Part One is a nod towards the tougher side of Matinee’s music, while part two very much mirrors Alessandro’s set on Sunday, both worthy additions to your collection, which you can play/download at http://soundcloud.com/djalessandrolondra.

"Fabulous Froliking Funfair" - Later Gay Pride Special - Club Review

“FABULOUS FROLIKING FUNFAIR”
LATER GAY PRIDE SPECIAL – SUNDAY 4TH JULY
CLUB REVIEW


Since the launch of a club back in 2003, Sunday afternoons have never really been the same, all for good reasons of course, as our dancing shoes on Saturday night along with our unstoppable energies would easily carry us onto the inevitability of a barnstorming & brilliant Beyond (when isn’t it?!), meaning come midday on Sunday we always felt the need to continue the partying, ignoring the normality of general society, rather revelling in the decadent & debaucherous feel that results from dancing deep into what is considered the holy day of the week. Yes, Later has definitely become an institution in daytime clubbing and whilst its fortunes have pitched & yawed over the years, it continues to satisfy the insatiable appetite for many to keep pressing the accelerator in their partying weekend, savouring both the social splendour & the dancing dervishness that Later provides in bucket loads. Add into the mix, a special party in celebration of gay pride and the writing was very much on the wall, shouting that this was going to be a massive success from the start plus a huge draw. So, how did Later fair this time round? And t it meet fulfil the promise on paper?

Well, we were certainly in full throttle as we made our way across from the boiling point that was a brilliant Beyond bash at Area, the short ramble from one side of Vauxhall to the other with pal Benoit finding us at Fire’s entrance at not long before 1 a.m., ready to dance on deep into Sunday afternoon with Jay Sharp Vokins' special Funfair themed party, no doubt indulging in our fair share of alfresco action to boot. So, with no real queue to negotiate we were soon through Fire’s front entrance and into the main room, which was already pumping with action, plenty of revellers soaking up the dance dish being served up by D.J. & Later resident Paul Martin, his uplifting, chunky & funky house hitting resonance with the petrol fuelled party heads intent on burning up the dancefloor. Having dropped our bits & bobs off in the coatcheck and then arming ourselves with refreshments, we were keen to investigate the infamous Later garden, which we anticipated would look more like a mini fairground, although on stepping out into the sun, the team were not quite ready for the reveal and had restricted us to a small square space to soak up the warm Vauxhall afternoon sunshine.

With numbers outside swelling past comfort levels and it being evident that Jay & his merry men were still preparing the funfair, we decided to retreat back indoors onto Fire’s main room dancefloor to delight in the ever increasing atmosphere & crowd to match, giving this latest Later outing a feel of those heady days a few years back when this main arena would be packed to the rafters with post Beyond hedonists pouring in from Colosseum to continue their cavorting. And just like those delightful days, with Beyond at Area emptying out, many were choosing this special Later party as their next port of call, hoards streaming past us, swelling the numbers dramatically. With the dancefloor already pretty much full, it was evident that the continual line of people passing us by were going somewhere, so we peeled off the main room in search of satisfying our curiosity.

Finding ourselves outside again, the whole extent of Jay’s funfair fantastic was before our eyes, the skyline dominated by a huge helter skelter which looked pretty daunting from where we were standing, but soon proved to be the hit of the afternoon, as one screaming queen after the next climbed to the top and then slid down & round, ending up in a heap at the bottom to continual applause from the hoards of onlookers. For the less brave, there was a camp coconut shy, a few walking away with prizes in their hands, pal Dorin clutching a cute cuddly toy and one guy with an actual coconut which he was close to breaking open on his own head, much to the dismay of his friends. But while these playful activities added some real spice to the Later garden proceedings, many were just kicking back & lapping up the glorious sunshine, some dipping into the hot tub, others just relaxing on the plentiful seating. And it was here where we caught up with Industri pal Chris, a welcome addition to our mini fold of followers, who was to the mood to move & groove. So, back inside we went, although we both decided to stop off in the Mirrorarch room, which had been given away to the massive bucking bronco, a whole load of people braving it, holding on for dear life and eventually coming flying off to rapturous laughter & applause by the audience of onlookers.

With our bad back on our minds, we decided to give that option a wide berth, rather heading into Fire’s main space with Chris to boogie to the beats of Mikey D, who was mashing up the dancefloor with some truly hard hitting house tunes, much tougher than we had witnessed during his back-to-back set with Steve Pitron at Beyond, his diversity & ability to play to his audience shining through like the incredible D.J. that he is. Looking around the room, it very much had the feel of those heady days back close to Later’s launch, when the room would be brimming with hedonistic dancing extraordinaire and Mikey was definitely contributing to that electric feel with his fulsome tracks. With pal Chris in full flow, the transition between Mr Dower on the decks and D’Johnny was a smooth as a baby’s bottom, hardly altering the pace of our gyration on our select spot in this now pulsating main room of madness, all thoughts of the outside antics far away from our minds.

But the inevitability of the outside was going to draw us away from the dancing, especially as our legs were now a good 30 hours into their rest free activity. So, finding a comfortable spot to lay our lallies for a while, we watched the world go by, including a whole host of familiar faces & scene party heads, including Rob Ferguson, Romain Lopez, Heidi Liscious, Graham Mellors, and a resplendent Jay loving his funfair creation & rightly so, as well as that cheeky photographer Chris Jepson, who caught us in more than one embarrassing pose, our back giving no quarter to a dodging move from his lens, but probably safe in the knowledge that his fleeting shot of our nether regions would not make it into the popular gay press. With the sun beating down on our now tender head & joints, we didn’t really want to move anywhere, instead deciding to soak up the brilliant atmosphere & audacious funfair antics that were making this one very special Later party.

One last dive onto the dancefloor was the most we could muster now, as the toll of our pride partying was now beginning to tell, although with D’Johnny stirring plenty of emotions & much more besides with his breathtaking tech infused & funky beats, we could hardly resist indulging in what would prove to be our final moving & grooving of the weekend, his magical music & hard hitting house the perfect curtain call to our weekend of clubbing and partying activity, a brilliant Beyond set of his earlier in the day equalled by his lavish Later showing spectacle that was well deserved of the packed out place he was playing to, everyone around us seemingly having the energy & vitality to see this special pride devoted party through to the finish at 8 p.m. However, our weary legs were never going to carry us that far, and as a result our proverbial towel was thrown in on proceedings at just turn 5 p.m., although we were safe in the knowledge that we had savoured all the brilliance of this latest Later outing, one of the best for us in a long while.

Having been bitten by the Later bug a few times in recent weeks now, especially as an audacious antic of a party following the afterhours bash to end them all, Beyond, it was never going to take much for us to extend our already lengthy weekend outing in the hands of Jay & his team this time round. Having said that, the special funfair theme was very much an attraction and given the fact that so much effort had gone in to laying on all this extra entertainment, it made for a fabulous froliking funfair of a party. For those that braved the helter skelter, many were caught in photographic or video pose, for those that bucked the bronco, they had plenty of fun and for the hoards of hedonists that chose to dance their Sunday afternoon away in the hands of Paul Martin, Mikey D, D’Johnny & then The Oli (sorry missed your set), there is absolutely no doubt that the magic of Later parties in bygone years was more than re-captured. We loved every minute of our stay and, for us, this special outing was as good if not better than the Beyond before it, so the only way to conclude is by saying “Jay & your terrific team, keep up the good work”. (DISCO MATT)

"Brilliant Beats At Boiling Point" - Beyond Gay Pride - Club Review

“BRILLIANT BEATS AT BOILING POINT”
BEYOND GAY PRIDE – SUNDAY 4TH JULY
CLUB REVIEW


There seems to be hardly a week that goes by these days when we fail to find ourselves being sucked into the temptations of a Sunday morning of audacious dancefloor activity, generally either bouncing across to the cause of all this mayhem from previous club events, either close by or further afield. Indeed no weekend ever seems complete without a trip to Beyond and in some ways prior parties sometimes simply feel like an overture, a prelude or a curtain raiser to what was born as a mere afterhours gathering but has grown into a full-on club in its own right, not just a reason to continue the weekend fun, but more the pinnacle of partying that many other clubs can only dream of achieving. But add in the extra element of a Bank Holiday or a special celebration, like in this case Gay Pride, and you can pretty much guarantee that Beyond, like the M25 on a Friday, will be a complete roadblock, although even this inevitability wasn’t going to put us off, meaning that wild horses weren’t going to keep us away this Sunday.

With well over 12 hours of partying already under our belt, we were still raring to go as we approached the borders of Area in Vauxhall, having hot footed it from SuperMartXe’s “Wizard of Oz” fabulous fantasy, coming a little bit back to clubbing basics but very much looking forward to our next gay pride club outing in the hands of Beyond. Not surprisingly, the queue was already considerable, although our arrival couldn’t have been timed any better as we came across pal Benoit waiting patiently, ticket in hand. With so many people assembling to get their slice of this afterhours magic, it was clear inside was going to be jam packed and a usually chatty Tom very much had his hands full orchestrating everyone’s smooth entry into the club. So, we left him to his devices, rather taking our place in the small but none moving guest list queue, while ticket holders & paying party goers filed into Area, much to our friends dismay, although it wasn’t long before we too were inside Beyond’s doors, ready to dig deep & delve into the delights of this exuberant event.

Yet another brilliant piece of timing saw us grab some refreshments at the bar literally as the main room dancefloor was opened, masses of cavorters pouring into the space to soak up the bountiful beats from Beyond occasional The Oli, his rousing yet funky filled set of sounds immediate striking a chord with us and many around and having quickly found our usual spot next the D.J. booth, we were soon surrounded by a swarm of club kids, muscled latino’s and their female admirers. With the temperature in Area’s main room already soaring, not least for the hot house sounds The Oli was serving up, his choices very much more uplifting than those we had left behind in SuperMartXe and all going down an absolute treat, making for the best start to a Beyond we can remember, our friend sought space further round to find his own stride in amongst the sea of half naked bodies moving & grooving yet clearly melting in the searing heat, while Area’s magnificent lighting, pyrotechnics & effects were at full tilt already, making for one of the best starts to a Beyond party we have savoured in long time.

Given the amount of people now in the club and the gold mine status of our little spot at the end of the main room, we were reluctant to leave our space for anything, although a brief call of nature then refreshment refuelling found us checking out the Chapel space which was well and truly pumping to the tech & electro beats of guest D.J. Ariel, while Paul, Christian was holding sway in the Blacbox, his harder hedged house finding favour with enough revellers to fill out the space. Further up in the Terrace room, we came across D’Johnny, pumping out some pulsating funky chunky tunes and with a little more room to gyrate than in our squeeze spot on the main room, so we decided to soak up his sounds for a while, the doors from the terrace room to the outside space swung open & hoards of revellers seeking solace from the mercury bursting temperatures inside. Johnny was really into his stride, hitting plenty of our musical sweet spots, one track after the next seeing us spin in a delightful dancing dervish, our painful back distant from our thoughts and the sweat shimmering on our shitless torso evidence of our extravert activity.

However, the main room was calling and for good reason as we were once again to be treated to a terrific back-to-back performance behind the decks from stellar Beyond residents Mikey D and Steve Pitron, both arriving simultaneously to take over from The Oli, sending the atmosphere skyward and the beats to boiling point with one classic Beyond tune after the next, each four to five minute stint between the two seeing huge house hits being traded and anthems a plenty pouring out to an adoring audience, packing out the podiums, craving for every last inch of space to soak up the scintillating set by both Steve & Mikey. Returning from his foray in the middle of the dancefloor, Benoit joined us for a while, although the heat was clearly too much for him, others continually passing us by in search of some cooling air in the new outside area behind, even promoter James Brewer, the delectable Dorin & a melting Mikey remarking to us how hot it was.

But the heat was going to be turned up further, as special PA guest Kaysee took to the stage, not once but twice, injecting her unstoppable energy on proceedings, certainly making an impact, although for us, interrupted our momentum somewhat, Steve restoring the stratospheric status quo with one of our favourite tracks of now “Stereo Love” as well as turning out what is very much a Pitron anthem “Here Comes The Rain”. Add to that the ticker tape explosions & pyrotechnic rockets as well as the unrivalled Area lighting and there was no doubting the magical feel of this truly incredible afterhours experience. So good was the main room, only short dives for refreshments were distractions, although once again the Terrace room grabbed our attention for a while, this time Jamie Head taking his turn to tempt us with some tremendous turbocharged tech fuelled tunes, the space pumping & pulsating to his mesmeric music, although thoughts were turning to the arrival of final main room resident Alan K and his promise to treat us to two very special dance devotions.

So braving the heat, we dived back into Area’s main space, just in time to see Alan arrive, his cheeky grin hinting towards the massive multi mixing magical music to come and within seconds we were back in full flow as he turned out his latest rendition of “Release Me”, the inclusion of percussion & tribal beats adding extra strands of dynamic dimension to this amazing dance track that, over fifteen months after first being played, still gets the same explosive reaction. But is wasn’t going to stop there, as this incredible D.J. had, since his Leicester Square stormer of a set, worked on a specially commissioned mix of Kelis’s “Acapella”, soon sharing the fruits of his labour with us and a still packed main room, his prolific production getting a similar reaction to Zoe Baldwin’s classic, hands shooting into the air in sheer delight, we tearing up our spot in adoration of this amazing version and touched that he had gone to so much trouble to deliver on our request.

Now our Beyond pride experience was now pretty much complete, although there was yet more magical minutes & moments to come from Alan, but by now the boiling heat was getting a little too much and we needed to beat a retreat outside, bumping into a boisterous Tom along the way who was now thoroughly enjoying his own Beyond experience and well deservedly so, having worked so hard to make sure everyone got into the club smoothly & safely. With the sun shining bright and the fresh air cooling our overheated body, friend Benoit found us and hinted towards a move to our next pride clubbing instalment, Later’s Funfair party across Vauxhall at Fire, a final foray first into the Terrace bar and then on to the main room signalling an end to our stay at Area. So, grabbing our belongs we waved goodbye to an amazingly brilliant Beyond, our stay from start to finish filled with magnificent music, delightful dancing & all in an awesome atmosphere that once again confirmed this afterhours outing’s award winning status.

There was no doubting that this Beyond was going to be somewhat of a roadblock of an event and in that respect it failed to disappoint, Area being even busier than back at the end of May when we could hardly squeeze onto the main room dancefloor. However, in truth Beyond on this gay pride Sunday failed to disappoint in any respects (well maybe except the PA who was surplus to requirements in our view), the music being majestic, the atmosphere awesome & the people in our company perfect. To see both the Chapel & the Blackbox busy was testament to the numbers taking advantage of this afterhours activity right across the venue, even the Terrace was packed from start to finish and hardly an inch was unoccupied outside. Yes, it was fair to say that it was incredibly hot in the main room and at times we struggled to spread our dancing wings within the confines of our usual spot, but even given this, so good were The Oli Mikey D, Steve Pitron & Alan K, that we managed well enough, walking away to reflect on a morning of brilliant beats at boiling point and asking ourselves, how can this club can get any better?! (DISCO MATT)

"Disco Matt Or Disco Dorothy?" - SuperMartXe "The Wizard of Oz" - Club Review

“DISCO MATT OR DISCO DOROTHY?”
SUPERMARTXE “THE WIZARD OF OZ” GAY PRIDE SPECIAL
SATURDAY 3RD JULY
CLUB REVIEW


There is certainly no doubting Logan Schmitz’s passion for putting on prolific parties, whether you look back as far as those massive stage shows he was responsible for in the Fabric days of Matinee London, or to the more recent SuperMartXe smashes both at favoured home The Coronet or over at the O2 Academy in Brixton, he seemingly having an incredible knack of attracting a colossal captive audience full of gAylisting clubbers that can spot a god thing when they see it, his reputation for lavishing his outings with prolific P.A.’s some of the top scene D.J.’s and some of the best costumes, production & effects we have seen at any time during our considerable & lengthy time clubbing in the capital. So when news came our way of yet another extravagantly themed event, our expectations for a repeat of recent pulsating parties, not least the last “Hot Wheels” SuperMartXe success, were high. So, with all thoughts turning to Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow & co, did this “Wizard Of Oz” inspired gay pride special meet those expectations of ours? and how did it compare to Logan’s best event yet?

With our post pride celebrations already in full swing courtesy of a brilliant performance from Alessandro at Rupert Street, our arrival at the doors of The Coronet in Elephant & Castle, marking our so called trip down Logan’s yellow brick road in advance our “Wizard Of Oz” experience in SuperMartXe style, was a little later than planned. Having been ticked off the list and efficiently managed through the considerable security checks, our journey towards the emerald city that was the main room was complete by not long turned midnight, finding ourselves down on the main room dancefloor, which was beginning to fill with post pride revellers. Resident D.J. Tony English was rousing the atmosphere with a collection of tough tech inspired tunes with funky infusions that had plenty around us dancing like merry munchkins, our eyes diverting towards the stage front, sporting the famed yellow brick road extending out into the dancefloor at its start and disappearing behind the massive curtain which was shrouding the majority of the stage and very much deluding to the “Wizard of Oz” theme to this latest SuperMartXe instalment.

We were keen to grab refreshments and fuel ourselves for the partying ahead, still conscious of our tender back which was being suitably numbed with painkilling prescription, so headed for the bar area, which was considerably busier than the dancefloor below, it being evident that many were still peeling off from the previous pride celebrations, making it down to this prolific party later than usual. However, by the time we were back down on the dancefloor, all the previous gaps we had spotted had been filled, everyone clearly anticipating the spectacular stage show to come, a few familiar faces floating by, including D.J. Lee Yeomans, and clubbing pal extraordinaire Romano who was clearly surprised to see us sporting a SuperMartXe t-shirt, but like us soaking up the ever building atmosphere & anticipation of the party performance ahead. With Mr English very much in the zone, still pumping out those tech filled & funky beats, we decided to take a quick look at the second room upstairs, being hosted for this special gay pride gathering by alternative club happening “Circus”.

Arriving up in this select space, we were pleasantly surprised to see so many savouring the alternative antics, promoter Jodie Harsh doing her bit behind the decks, but soon handing over to Kris Di Angelis, to take up the mantle and serve up a very much more funky & electro inspired set of tunes which certainly grabbed our attention for a while, as did a beaming Mr Di Angelis, who was thrilled to see us partying before his eyes and marked our second liaison with a matter of hours. But with the incumbent stage show back in the main room on our minds, we soon found ourselves stationed back where we started, just shy of the yellow brick road extension and in time to see the massive spots of lighting swing into action, signalling the start of the much anticipated performance. With a sudden change in the music, very much an “over the rainbow” styled soundtrack, the stage curtains peel back revealing a most elaborate scene including many of the elements of “The Wizard Of Oz” story, Dorothy’s house was there, the winding yellow brick road leading up to the famed emerald city there & much in between, this probably the most eye catching stage dressing we had seen at any SuperMartXe yet.

With a burst of pyrotechnic plumes each side of her, P.A. Abigail Bailey took centre stage & blasted out her massive new club hit “Touch Me”, our eyes filled with Logan’s dancers, all dressed extravagantly in Oz themed costumes. And each dancer was playing their part, Naomi there as the wicked witch, Dilmar as the Scarecrow, the cowardly lion prancing around and even the tin man standing proud on one of the huge elevations. With plenty of others playing their part, not as schmitzels this time but as muchkins, the scene was very much set, while the brilliant beats & towering performance from Abigail was tremendous, she taking the part of Dorothy and suitably clothed in a blue & white check dress as well as sporting those iconic red shoes, By now every single space on the dancefloor was full, each aisle lined with revellers and even the space up by the bar teaming with party goers, all intent on savouring every minute of this SuperMartXe “Wizard of Oz” spectacle, beating off the incredible heat with a field of fans handed out to cool & control their rising temperatures

We wanted to get a better view of this magnificent stage stetting, so retreated from our spot on the main floor & up behind the massive lighting & effects control balcony behind, this vantage point allowing us to take in the full extent of the show which was unfolding before our eyes, all the dancers still very much in position and contributing to the incredible display that was the focal point for our attention. But our view of proceedings was to get even more select, as a very welcoming Svetlana Queen invited us onto her VIP balcony, which had hurriedly been organised following an embarrassing oversight by the venue, this spot not only allowing us to savour the show which extended right throughout the whole event, a further appearance by Abigail later on in proceedings, one of many highlights of the night. And this exclusive spot allowed us to indulge, not just in superb social activity with Svetlana & her select invitees, which included a gaggle of gorgeous latino’s (one very much getting our devotions) lapping up everything before them, but our standpoint was perfect for dancing to the delightful euro styled & funky tunes that main man Hugo Sanchez was treating us to, a shaky start to his set soon seeing him find his stride, delivering close on three hours of funky chunky & tech infused tracks that had us spinning on our spot in adoration.

So good had this SuperMartXe party become and so much were we enjoying our company with Svetlana & co, not to mention the virtually continuous stage show, all plans to move onto to check out the competition, in the form of “The Best of British” party at Fire were extinguished from our thoughts. Then when incumbent D.J. the Italian stallion himself Pagano spotted us on our elevated position, swinging by to say hello before revving up the rhythm behind the decks, our mind was made up and we were going nowhere, rather seeing out the remaining of this dramatic yet scintillating SuperMartXe spectacle. With Mr Francesco playing his part in rounding off our enjoyment, a cheery collection of chunky funky track devotions, he precluding a progressive journey of beats with an uplifting & updated version of the Dead Or Alive classic “You Spin Me Round”, then serving up plenty of drama on the dancefloor, not least from the tribal tainted version of his very own track single of the same name, it was in his hands that we saw out the remainder of our trip down Logan’s yellow brick road & this “Wizard of Oz” fantastic frolic.

Reflecting on this latest SuperMartXe instalment, there is no doubt in our minds that many of our expectations of the event were fulfilled and in some ways were exceeded. It was clear from the remarkable stage production that the centre piece of the party made the biggest impact & impression, the dancers costumes, the displays & all the effects playing out the “Wizard Of Oz” performance perfectly and was very much testament to the hard work that had clearly gone in to laying on this most lavish of shows. On top of that, we thought that Abigail’s PA performance was amazing, her presence & vitality on the stage proving a real highlight of the evening, in some ways overshadowing the D.J.’s and their music, although this takes nothing away from Tony English, Hugo Sanchez & Pagano, each three playing their part in this prolific party.

The only question remains is how did it compared with Logan’s best event? Well, if we are honest, for all the glory of the stage show and how it played out on proceedings, for the fact that from our special vantage point & select spot we couldn’t have been in a better place to enjoy the full extent of the “Wizard Of Oz” spectacle, the previous outstanding “Hot Wheels” party was always going to be a hard act to follow and, as good as this latest instalment was (and believe us, it is was brilliant) it didn’t quite reach dizzy heights of the last outing. That said we thoroughly enjoyed our experience & trip down the yellow brick road, beating off the incredible heat within The Coronet as we did, coming away delighted in the fact that we had witnessed yet another superb SuperMartXe party that, for the stunning stage show more than anything else, will live in our memories for a long time to come. We await the next party with interest & excitable anticipation. (DISCO MATT)

"Proud To Be Pride" - Pride London 2010 - Special Event Review

“PROUD TO BE PRIDE”
PRIDE LONDON 2010 – FRIDAY/SATURDAY 2ND/3RD JULY
SPECIAL EVENT REVIEW


Now, in years gone by we have always attempted to throw ourselves into the pride spirit, in fact back in the 90’s we absolutely adored our times both partying & working at the massive post parade (we don’t like the analogy march) park gatherings, special memories of Kennington, Brockwell & Finsbury Park parties, as well as Clapham Common, still clear in our minds, although the turn of the century saw other work commitments get in the way, limited our pride devotions to special clubbing events. However, 2010 was set to be completely different, as not only were we enthused by the whole Pride London activity, but we were keen to absorb as much of the goings on as possible, well we were until an untimely accident lay us low with a bad back (but you know all about that). Mind you, plenty of rest followed by lots of determination saw us not just savour the before & the after, but plenty of the in between too. So sit back as we take you though our escapades from Friday to Saturday night, signalling our celebratory return to Pride partying & being. "proud to be pride".

So where do we start? Well at the beginning is a good place and with one of the busiest weekends on our doorstep and wishing to look out best, it was off into Soho to get our golden locks (well grey bits actually) trimmed in time for the following day, our Friday jaunt into town then finding us in the capable & hilarious hands of D.J. pal Brent Nicholls, who was spinning the sounds at Profile Bar, but like us was struggling with conflicts to his body, we being a right pair, him with his summery allergies and us with our crippling back pain. However, braving each other’s health ridden storms, we laughed & giggled our way through the evening, the backdrop of fabulously funky music, not to mention plenty of eye candy in the form of a scantily dressed young barman certainly sent plenty of healing waves our way and got the weekend off to the best possible start. But as no great party really starts without a pre-party these days, our evening’s entertainment was to end in the hands of Onyx down in Vauxhall, venue Area positively buzzing with pre-pride activity and magical music aplenty, superb performances from both Jamie Hammond & Phil Marriot more than satisfying our tastebuds, the ever attentive Tom ensuring our smooth entry to the club & our early(ish) retirement, so as not to ruin the marathon road of activity ahead.

With pride day dawning to warming sunshine, we were ready for our first foray into Central London to savour Pride London 2010 in all its glory, indeed our first full on pride experience for close on ten years. Being much more organised than usual and with our back seemingly much better after all our therapeutic laughing the previous night, we arrived at the head of the traffic diversions in Parliament Square just before 1 p.m., a good thirty minutes before the parade was due to start across the other side of the west end in Baker Street, so plenty of time to position ourselves in our favoured viewing spot by Piccadilly Circus, or so you would think. However, having decided to take a quick look at the dance stage setting in Leicester Square on the way, what can only be described as the rudest & surliest security guard, who treated us with a most unwelcome amount of distain when we enquired whether the stage was open, forced an immediate detour to vent our frustrations & them calm our fraying nerves, calling on pals in Rupert Street & arming ourselves with cooling liquid refreshments.

With 2 p.m. fast approaching, we began to hot foot it across the short distance to Piccadilly Circus, although were soon stopped in our tracks by a chatty Micky Galliano & Andrew Harris, both soaking up the warm summer sunshine beating down onto Archer Street, we picking up on hilarious anecdotes with both Micky & Andrew, recalling on recent clubbing experiences & dancefloor moments, the intensity of the conversation & yet more of that therapeutic laughter detaining us from our parade watching duties longer than we had expected, meaning it was close on 2.30 before we got anywhere near the parade, which seemed to have been diverted away from its usual route. Making it to Piccadilly Circus, we managed to catch the last ten minutes or so of this colourful cacophony of gay liberation celebrators, flags flying, whistles blowing & waves of people parading past this ionic London landmark of a spot, very much being proud to be pride, large floats making a splendid splash, although we managed to miss the “Best Of Brits” mini we were so looking forward to seeing.

So, with the last of the parade trail gone, we turned tail and headed for the dance stage in Leicester Square, which we were sure would be in full flow by now, arriving at just turned 3 p.m. and making our way to stage front, suitably impressed by the set up, given the short notice nature of arrangements, the usual site of the dance stage in Soho Square having been prohibited by Westminster council on grounds of safety, but an 11th hour reprieve handed to Craig Elder & his team to use Leicester Square instead. Mind you, with no drinks stalls of any kind within the arena and alcohol banned from the square, the atmosphere, to begin with, was a little subdued, although D’Johnny was definitely doing a fantastic job behind the decks, rousing the audience with a whole collection of funky chunky tunes, very much in the style of his brilliant Beyond inspired beats we love so much. Catching Tom Fuller’s attention, our passage to the select VIP area behind the stage was secure, following which a whole host of friendly faces appeared to say hello, including clubbing pals, Jason, Ross & the huggable Rob, not to mention D.J. chums Jamie Head, Mikey D, Steven Sharp & Nick Evans, the square filling with pride party goers before our very eyes and the atmosphere building by the minute.

We were keen to check out proceedings down on Trafalgar Square, although the streets leading up to it were swarming with people who had either peeled off from the earlier parade or had decided to venture in search of Soho, our arrival at our destination confirming our fears that the whole area would be packed to the rafters. Finding what seemed the only reasonable space to stand, we had a good view of the square below, although being so far away, the performers on the stage were hardly visible, save from the massive screen next to it, which made for easy viewing, even if the show at the time, Tight Fit (a real blast from the past), wasn’t that inspiring. With the dance stage calling us loud & clear, we headed back to Leicester Square just in time to capture the bulk of Jamie & Mikey’s back-to-back set performance, a brilliant collection of hands in the air anthems, mixed in with characteristic vocal electro & tech inspired tunes that set the scene for The Oli & Paul Martin to follow.

By now Soho was awash with alfresco drinkers & socialites intent on making the whole area a street party like never seen before, hardly a spot unoccupied, a space unfilled, so much so our foray onto Rupert Street saw us soon retreat to the relative comfort of Barcode, first bumping into the lovely Jeremy Precelton & partner Tim Banham, then head poncho Kerry Chapman. Having caught up on news we dived inside to say our hello’s to longstanding pal Kris Di Angelis, who was warming up the Barcode pride party with some soothing sounds, he being thrilled to see us, bounding out from behind the booth to give us a big hug, gripping our back a little harder than we would have liked, although the liaison did bring a huge smile to our face, memories of our Soho frolics in years gone by, streaming back in our minds. However, as joyous as the meet up with Kris was, the dance stage was once again calling us back, we rounding the corner into Leicester Square just in time to catch the last few beats of Alan K’s latest rendition of our favourite track “Release Me” and by the time we were stationed within the VIP area, we could see he had really captured the audience’s attention & imagination, the atmosphere having increased considerably, hoards of revellers soaking up Alan’s monumental music with gusto. So it was here that we stayed, seeing out the remaining two hours of activity, our occasional dancing dervishes intermixed with social schmoozing & chit chat with both Elder brothers, photographer Chris Jepson (subsequent evidence confirming he caught in pose with his camera, the sneaky man!), club promoter Romain Lopez & a resplendent Naomi, we being pleased as punch to get our slice of Jiggy magic on this special day. With Peyton putting up a prolific PA performance & The Sharp Boys rounding off this brilliant outdoor event in the hands of the dance stage in Leicester Square with a rip roaring set, the 8 p.m. finish came all too quickly but signalled our retreat back into Soho to continue to pride party activity deep into the night.

As good as the music was in the square we had left behind, it was set to get even better, as entering our favourite bar hangout Rupert St, we spotted a resplendent Alessandro Londra through the crowd, already spinning some scintillating & uplifting beats to a packed out place. Finding a sacred spot next to the D.J. booth, we immediately found our stride, soaking up Ale’s tremendous tunes, his whole performance very much with pride in mind, not least with a truly uplifting Lady Ga Ga mix, plenty of the funky euro/italio style sounds that have become his trademark, as well as a special dedication to us of that record again, “Release Me” getting a rapturous reaction from all around us. With the party atmosphere ramping up by the minute & plenty of familiar faces floating, Alessandro was revelling in the moment, his music hitting all our high notes, making for one of those truly memorable performances that he always seems to deliver within the walls of this Soho sophisticate of a bar.

Not much could have torn us away from the amazing Alessandro & his music, although a quick trip up to Profile Bar, weaving our way around the packed & crowed streets, saw a return to the spot where our Pride weekend had started just over 24 hours before, as Nick Evans was banging out some brilliant beats to an up for it funky collection of party heads, we delighting in seeing the venue so full of fun once again, in some ways completing the circle of our proud to be pride inspired central London antics. However, with our mind now set of the chain of clubbing parties ahead of us, it was back to Rupert St to soak up yet more of that Londra lambasting, rubbing shoulders with an angel-tastic Svetlana Queen, before changing into our SuperMartXe gear for our trip down Logan’s yellow brick road to The Coronet & his “The Wizard Of Oz” gay party extraordinaire.

So that was our pride trip, but what did we think of Pride London 2010? Well, there was no doubt that we felt much more enthused about the whole affair this year compared with last and with the dance stage being secured in Leicester Square, rather than being pushed into its usual Soho corner, it seemed to pull proceedings together much better, rather than creating the feel of celebrations being somewhat separate, the dance stage acting as a real linch pin to the party activity between Trafalgar Square & Soho. However, it was clear that facilities in Leicester Square were a bit “last minute.com”, no fault of The Orange Group of course, but the resounding cries of lack of refreshments dominated discussions, as did the rather unfriendly security staff & their idiosyncratic decision to restrict numbers, despite plenty of space being available each side of the stage front. However, those issues aside, all the D.J.’s performances more than made up for these issues and the whole afternoon was, without doubt, the most enjoyable outdoor event we had savoured since the spectacular Soho Pride of two years ago, so big thanks go to Craig, Aaron, Daniel, Tom, Steven, George, Johnny, Jamie, Mikey, & especially Alan, without whom none of this splendour would have been possible, Leicester Square very much the plentiful filling in our pride celebration sandwich.

And as for Soho, thank goodness the authorities decided to relax restrictions on the streets so as to allow the pride partying to go ahead, although we remain bemused by their decision not to allow any outside stalls or the like, which would have made that subtle difference between this gayest of villages streets feeling more like a proper pride celebration, rather than hoards simply taking advantage of the traffic free roads to drink decadently outside. However, you get a sense that London as city casts a critical look at giving its spaces away to gay celebration, rather than embracing it like Madrid, Cologne & many other worldwide metropolises do, the mere fact that our own mayor was unwilling to take to the stage for fear of being heckled, a perfect example of elements of intolerance that still seems to grip our society. However, we send a massive thank you to Rupert St & Profile for playing their part in our brilliant before & after as well everything combining to ensure that we were definitely "proud to be pride" in 2010. (DISCO MATT)

"Bitesize Bel Ami Arousal" - Lookbetternaked - Club Review

“BITESIZE BEL AMI AROUSAL”
LOOKBETTERNAKED – SATURDAY 26th JUNE
CLUB REVIEW


In the dynamic & diverse scene we find ourselves within, you can imagine the amount of events that cross our bows in any given week and the decisions we have to make in showing our support or committing to covering as broad a spectrum of happenings, meaning that a whole host of invites or party pointers simply miss our radar or fail to inspire us enough to make them a feature of our review work. And to be fair, when we saw the initial advertising & event posting for Lookbetternaked, it seemed that this would be another one of the parties that would pass us by, after all, in our advancing years we have kind of been there & done that when it comes to getting up close & personal with near naked bodily beauties, whether they be the American style of horny hunks or the more lithe yet erotic eastern European form of young men that were the central theme to this new to London look-in. Moreover, our desires now point far more towards music than muscle, party than porn & dancing than drooling, but having overlooked that initial invitation, subsequent bombardments of postings our way couldn’t avert our eyes from the event, so what do you think ended up happening?

Mind you, had it not been for our sustained back injury, Lookbetternaked would have undoubtedly come & gone without event in our world, for many of the reasons above, although when focussing on it in a special recommendation aimed at those into all things Bel Ami etc, we uncovered some enticing morsels of information that made the prospect of a trip to Fire in Vauxhall much more tempting, the rather un-appealing original D.J. line up being boosted by some of our favourite London boys and a glance at the press photo’s of some of those Bel Ami beauts definitely raising our blood & other bodily pressures somewhat. Indeed, despite our untimely back injuries, further boost to our inevitable arrival at this Prague invasion of London, came in the form of rallying calls during the day itself, having been spotted out & about and then when we found ourselves within a stone’s through of South Lambeth Road while braving our bruised & bashed back at Barcode’s birthday bash, our trip to Fire became a foregone conclusion. So, how did our walk on the LookBetterNaked wild side fair? & what were the real highlights of this horny happening?

Well, having resigned ourselves to a relatively early bath compared to our usual escapades around Vauxhall on any given weekend, our retreat from Barcode’s birthday bash was met by a liaison with doorman & club promotions machine master, Tom Fuller, who in his inimitable way, persuaded us that a drop in on proceedings across at Fire would be received warmly. So, with our mind telling us one thing, but our heart another, we made a steady course for this Lookbetternaked erotic event, being greeted on the door by an inviting Romain Lopez who ticked us off his list, releasing us into Fire to fulfil our erotic intentions. Mind you having been out for most of the afternoon & evening, we felt a little underdressed for the occasion, jeans shorts & a t-shirt the extent of our attire, although with no extra belongings to store away, we were released to investigate this Prague inspired party without any real delay. Now, before we go on, can we mention that the concept of LookBetterNaked coming to the capital was very much the brainchild of one Alex Erfan, the man behind Lovechild, LGDF and a handful of other clubbing events beside, his penchant for providing a truly different clubbing experience evident with this, his latest concept, mixing things up & injecting his passion for partying prolification.

And it was evident that lots of effort had gone in to the production for the event, Fire’s main room knee deep in special Lookbetternaked signage & ceiling hung mobiles, the screens lighting up the place with their dedicated visuals, adding to the atmosphere created by the venue’s renowned lighting & lasers, as well as the music masterminded by opening D.J. Mike Mikalis. But we were Lounge room bound, for this party transformed into a “Hot Stud” space, the mere name hinting to plenty of horny happenings and we weren’t to be disappointed, as rounding the corner & entering the space, not only was there a delightful drop dead gorgeous go-go spinning around on a specially implemented pole dancing podium but the whole space had the feel of erotic expectation. Being virtually immediately spotted by pals Roni Inan & Danny Shubert, who introduced us to their entourage, we knew in an instant that our planned brief visit was going to be anything but, refreshments thrust our way & an impromptu guided tour instigated, aided by the arrival of the man himself, Alex Erfan, who was keen to introduce us to some of those Bel Ami boys, backstage in the Mirrorarch room.

Despite having seen preliminary photo’s, nothing could have prepared us the eye candy feast Alex was treating us to, as the twelve or so bronzed & perfectly formed Bel Ami boys were a sight to behold, dressed in tight white jeans to exaggerate their taught torso’s & shimmering smiles, we doing our best to hide our blood rushing excitement and jaw dropping movements as we gazed in pure delight at these male delectations before our eyes. Such was the extent of our excitement, we were forced to beat a hasty retreat to slow our racing heart, but returning to the main room for what we thought was the breather we needed, we bumped right into a further bevy of beauties, this time three muscled dancing hunks on the podiums in front of the D.J. booth, the sounds now being served up my Jonny M. However, our eyes were firmly fixed on the male meat in front of us, this gorgeous form of a man recognisable as the one that had done it for us at Lovechild over the love weekend, he once again sending us stratospheric with his stunning strides on the podium, reconfirming our thoughts the he was the best looking go-go we have seen, ever!

But as if that wasn’t enough to satisfy our desires, Alex came through, grabbed our arm and led us into the lounge, where a naked Bel Ami boy was lying on the bar, his torso and crotch covered in strawberries, signalling some of that forbidden fruit we had talked about in post party analysis, with a line of hopefuls taking turns to lift the juicy bits of fruit from the boy’s body with their teeth, resplendent hostess Elektra making sure nothing to naughty was going on, but clearly acting like the mistress of dominance that she clearly was, her look & attire adding to the illusion she was creating. Then, with the fruit consumed (not by our lips you understand) yet more erotic delights were to come our way in the Mirrorarch, as the remaining Bel Ami arousers hit the stage to perform erotic kissing & other moves, an excited audience looking on in amazement of their overt acts, while Prague D.J. incumbent Michael Burian, also of Amnesia & Space Ibiza fame, delivered a bountiful backdrop of mesmeric music, including a version of “Disco Electrique” that was simply stunning, all this activity leaving us more than impressed with this Lookbetternaked display of eroticism.

There was just one thing to round off our evening of delight in the hands of Alex Erfan’s latest string to his bow and that was the arrival of D.J. pal and chief leader astray Nick Tcherniak, whom we had conversed with earlier in the day, not sure whether we would see before his birthday & trip to Madrid, although we seemed as surprised as each other with the unplanned encounter. Catching up on bits of news was all to brief however, as the demands of the D.J. decks drew him away, leaving us to lap up his tech & funky fuelled terrific tunes, swinging on our spot next to the booth although unable to throw ourselves into full dancing display as our now sore & sensitive back was stopping us in our stride. So it was this that saw our brain take charge, the sensible vibes rubbing off on our legs, which soon carried us away from Nick, those gorgeous Bel Ami boys and out into a Vauxhall dawn to make the short journey home, reflecting on an impromptu visit that ended up being an impressive adventure.

Well, we have pretty much said all we can say about this Lookbetternaked outing, although summing up & answering the questions we posed earlier, given its initial lack of appeal to us, it ended up more than proving its worth, both in terms of its erotic intentions and eye candy offerings, elements of the music also playing their part in an event that we are sure has some legs in it for future forays at Fire. Yes, it is fair to say that the numbers through the door were not great, but when you consider influences like the hot weather, the birthday bash across the other side of Vauxhall, plus the overriding fact that many were probably saving themselves for Pride the following weekend, the team didn’t do half bad in attracting the audience they did. And those that made it were certainly treated to some spectacular sights, the boy on the Hot Stud Lounge bar one particular highlight for us, as was that drop dead gorgeous go-go dancer in the main room, making our “Bitesize Bel Ami Arousal” extra special. So, with the promise of at least a repeat next time round, we say bring back Lookbetternaked which was a worthy contender to our affections. (DISCO MATT)

"South London Swamped" - The Clapham Street Party & Barcode Vauxhall 4th Birthday - Special Review

“SOUTH LONDON SWAMPED”
THE CLAPHAM STREET PARTY &
BARCODE VAIXHALL 4TH BIRTHDAY-
SATURDAY 26TH JUNE
SPECIAL REVIEW


Waking up on Saturday morning with the prospect of not one but two special celebrations ahead would, in any usual circumstances, have provoked a serious spring in our step, although for a small handful of reasons and one rather large factor, we were unable to muster anything close, rather writhing in agony and constant pain from a serious accident that had resulted in severe damage to muscles & ribs in a part of our back that had left us unable to carry out the most basic of bodily movements. As such plans for what was supposed to be a hectic weekend of activity were not just put on hold, but shelved, a shame as the summer had definitely arrived & even the sun had got his hat on, meaning that two of the big events of the weekend were destined to be busy affairs indeed. But there is a lot to be said for our determination, although given the extent of damage to our back, some would call it more our foolhardiness in attempting to face, first a packed street party in Clapham & then an equally busy birthday bash in Vauxhall, but then we are known as “London’s original party boy”, so it was always going to take hospitalisation or something similar to keep us from grabbing at least a snippet of the action.

Now it its 6th year, The Clapham Street party has firmly established a place on the gAylist clubbing(ish) calendar, but moreover as an event that heralds the start of summer socialising in alfresco celebration, so in many ways a real departure from clubbing per say, yet attracting whole hoards of faces that we bump into, week in week out, during over dancefloor dervishes. Indeed, having lived in relative proximity for half of its history but in the last few months having anchored our bolt hole presence in Clapham Old Town itself, this year signalled significant intentions on our part to engross ourselves in this prolific party, not least as host venue The Kazbar and the adjacent avenue setting Edgeley Street were a mere stone’s throw away (well five blocks in American talk!), meaning it would have been a crime not to commit. But with the formula much unchanged, in fact the cabaret stage line up virtually identical to last year, together with not one D.J. on duty familiar to us, the party was always going to be about the people we mingled with and the friends that circled our company.

For those of you unfamiliar with this annual event, The Clapham Street party is a fusion of music & cabaret entertainment, the thrust of the former more disco than electro, more dance than trance, while the latter was more a display of camp slapstick comedy in drag, rather than a thespian prose played out by theatricals and very much a miniature version of the swarm of pride events that attract huge attention & crowds across the capital cities of the world & beyond. Yet, all this said The Clapham Street party has slowly grown in popularity, so much so that after the third annual event, there were calls for it to be moved to a larger space to accommodate the increasing numbers, a slot on Clapham Common being muted as the solution, although claims of unviableness & permission refusal have meant that the tight squeeze of Edgeley Street remains the host area, attempting to accommodate crowds three, maybe four times its size.

Nevertheless, we were definitely looking forward to savouring our slice of the street action this year until an untimely accident left us in considerable back pain and with calls from those around us to rest, it seemed that the party would be a non event for us. But you can never keep this “original party boy” down, so come the day itself, a scorching hot Saturday in SW4, we were determined to at least show our face, even if it meant finding a quiet corner from which to survey our audience, although even that, as it turned out, was a mere pipe dream, as holding back for cougar loving clubbing pal Stephen’s arrival, our approach to this street splendour at not long turned 3.30 p.m. (it had only been going 2 hours for heaven’s sake!) found a queue to enter stretching right back up Clapham High Street, with little or no chance of getting in. Following furied telephone calls & texts, all bearing no fruit, our liaise with our pal in The Two Brewers was just as disastrous, the overspill leaving the venue swamped and the bar 10 deep in search for refreshments, the street party organisers, the Kazbar & Two Brewers management, indeed all involved in the event seemingly caught by surprise & unprepared for what seemed a mass gay invasion of Clapham for this celebration of camp cabaret & social street schmoozing.

So, resigning ourselves to a low key get together with our posse of pals on the nearby common, then picking up on snippets of news from the lucky few in our extensive social circle that actually made it in, as day turned to night and our disappointment for not being able to report on the street shenanigans sinking in (Craig Maritza & Matt Joshua please note!), we thought better of resting our back, instead heading for the next mecca in this final weekend of June’s machinations, Barcode Vauxhall. By why you ask? Surely it was just another typical Saturday in this south of the river resting spot, but not at all, because this boozer come dance joint was celebrating four years in existence, previous birthday bashes always signalling something special in celebration of this now firmly established watering hole’s stamp on the Vauxhall scene. Indeed photographic evidence of our escapades last year, for their third, showed just what a brilliant birthday it was, the place being festooned with sparkling 3’s even our torso showing them off from time to time.

But this year was always going to be a far more restrained affair, not least for that pain in the back we talked about (our bad back silly!), our early arrival at just before 11 p.m. finding the lion’s share of party goers outside rather than in, although on entering the front bar, there was a considerable crowd cavorting to the terrific tunes of Barcode’s manager come D.J. for the night, Saki, an individual who works tirelessly & sometimes underappreciated for his commitment & passion for the place, the man having toiled all afternoon to give the venue the added production & birthday feel it deserved for this momentous 4th year occasion. And glancing up, we were very impressed by the chunky, quality signage, glittering sliver encrusted Barcode signage & 4th birthday banners spinning over the space, the new(ish) lighting in this front room fab spot setting off the amazing atmosphere superbly. Indeed Mr maestro D.J. was serving up a scintillating string of uplifting, funky & chunky house tunes, very much kick starting the birthday party proceedings in style, meaning this was the place to be, a brief trip down to the dance bar behind, finding it sparsely filled with followers, D.J. Develish selecting his usual eclectic mix of tech turned electro turned uplifting turned progressive beats that had us bamboozled, we cutting a hasty retreat in search of a seat out front to rest our weary back.

Sitting by the front door just shy of proceedings was the best thing we could have done, as not only could we, in the relative comfort & relaxation of our seat, spot the marauds of party people float by, but we got the chance to catch up with Barcode & Industri pals as they swayed through, including Jeremy, Andy, & Steven, although as we saw the streams of socialites pile in, there was a feeling that the immense influx on SW4 earlier had all decided to converge on SE11, this Vauxhall version of the Barcode brand filling to capacity before too long and the queue to get in waxing & waning between one-in, one-out and controlled entry, we being glad to be in our comfort back protection zone. And whilst our discomfort from our injury was beginning to consume our enjoyment of this special evening of birthday entertainment, light relief came our way when the engaging Terry Vietheer arrived, greeting us with a massive smile & delicate hug, before treating us to a veritable feast of terrific tunes that had the front bar bouncing & even us up on our feet in rapturous response. But, as much as we wanted to savour the rest of Terry’s set, even soak up the delights of Mattias & D’Johnny in the dance bar behind, our back was calling halt on our party proceedings, we sinking into the Vauxhall night & a (supposed) journey home to rest our weary joints.

In summing up this twosome of tremendous & prolific parties, we were at least glad we got a sniff of some of the proceedings. Without a doubt Barcode’s 4th birthday bash satisfied us more, but, probably in part due to our back injury, wasn’t really a patch on the party a year ago, although judging by the sheer numbers through the door, will be noted as a superb success. However, much water has run under our Barcode bridge since June 2009 and whilst the brand remains one of our favourite, specialist night Industri in Vauxhall still top of our socialising crown & Saturday’s in Soho never really being the same without a trip down to the club bar depths down Archer Street, there is this overriding feeling in SE11 at least, that horns are being locked between businesses in this Vauxhall gay village hotspot, rather than working together to make it a more fulfilling place to be, so we can only hope that the tide of temperaments change and people are put before politics, in the realisation that all joe public wants to do is party & have a good time.

As for Clapham’s street party, undoubtedly the warm weather played a considerable part in attracting the numbers that this annual event did this year, but speaking to the stewards who were struggling to control the crowds, as well as SW4 being awash with gay revellers like never before, there has to be considerable credence in lobbying the powers that be to at least extend the party to a second street, or as many would see a viable proposition, succumb as slice of the nearly common to celebrate in style, although we guess the issue as always is money & gay businesses are just not willing to cough up. As for this 6th year party, reactions we received afterwards were that the stage shows were a real hit, highlights being Titti La Camp & Sandra, although the inevitable queues for warm can of lager ensued and unless you had a vantage point for the stage; it was just too packed for pleasure. So come on organisers, do something positive for next year, as too many of us walked away disappointed in missing out. (DISCO MATT)