Without doubt, the clubbing scene in the capital has taken quite a beating over the last few months, even some of the biggest brands not being impervious to the ravages of the tough trading climate that businesses see themselves within, so attracting the numbers through their doors that used to be a given, is becoming the single most demanding challenge. However, one brand has quietly & consistently performed where others have either failed, its regular monthly outings never breaking the bank, but filling a much needed gap in the Saturday market that, for reasons beyond us, has become one of the most difficult nights of any weekend. And it was this Saturday slot that seemed to be the making of the brand, its promoter, Alex Erfan, quickly switching from the original Sunday tea-dance format early into its history, also very much bucking the trend that, when you move a club from one venue to another, it generally it signals the end or at least the fall-out of favour, this brand, rather than failing, actually going from strength to strength.

Lovechild has very much become one of the sole Saturday survivors in a market that has seen the demise of some massive brands over the last twelve months, Juicy having had the rug pulled from beneath its feet, Matinee, which had suffered in numbers during 2009 following a fateful move of venues, losing its focus & direction further, while even the might of SuperMartXe has encountered problems, although more due to bad organisation rather than a drop in popularity. So, through all this, Lovechild has forged its own path, continuing to keep its offer as fresh as possible, with imaginatively themed events, coupled with the influx of international D.J. talent to attract, thus giving it the longevity it has developed, the brand also successfully touring around the world, from as far as Australia, to as close as Amsterdam, indeed with this weekend looking one of their busiest, parties in the Dutch capital, as well as in Rome & back here in the capital, we can safely say that the Lovechild story is one of success for sure.

So, with a last minute impromptu visit to Italy quashed, wild horses were not going to keep us away from Fire, even though we were feeling distinctly under the weather, our determination to make it to this latest Lovechild party, spurred on by the arrival of French fancy and friend Leomeo, who was due to headline the sparkling D.J. line up across the three rooms. Mind you, we were also keen to see the new look main space of host venue Fire, as well as supported Nhamo Ball & the “official” launch of his new Mirrorballs website, this Lovechild event having further meaning for us, as it signalled the brands continual support for The National AIDS Trust, a cause & concern close to our hearts. Therefore, it was a given we would be at the “Mirrorballs” party, making plans to meet up with pals Stephen & Benoit beforehand, a liaison at local hostillery Barcode, seeing us arrive at Fire’s doors not long after midnight.

Being greeted by Lovechild’s organisational guru, Andrew Jones, we left our pals to their own devices, while Andrew gave us a guided tour of the new main entrance as well as the upstairs VIP room and the new bar space below, we being immediately taken aback by just how much more modern that changes had made the place feel, adding a smart & sophisticated edge to what had always struck us as a bit council house in complexion, the sleek new brick work, the superbly stated lighting the exuberant VIP space, the brilliant new bar & the modernistic feel helped along by banks of flat screens, on this night projecting Lovechild visuals for all to see. And turning to face the D.J. booth down the other end, we immediately acknowledged that this main room at Fire has definitely come of age, a little tweaking still necessary (more speakers by the bar please!), but the whole new look space a vast improvement on the old & unrecognisable from the original space back in 2001.

But we digress and with friends in two & having been surprised by main man Alex Erfan who caught us gazing down the dancefloor, we moved close to the stage to find our spot, Fire’s main room as yet not yielding a favoured position, although just left of the stage & D.J. booth behind seemed the best option. And from our vantage point, we were close enough to the action, yet able to spot the flood of familiar faces passing us by, like us deciding where to lay their hat at this Mirrorball event, our gaze being caught by incumbent D.J’s Nick Wolanski & Sharon O Love, as well as hostess with the mostest, Chrissy Darling, who was certainly cutting a stride & attracting the camera clicking crowd with her cavorting. However, eyes were now on the stage as the first of a series sex fuelled stage shows began, four fulsome fellows strutting their stuff & flexing their massive muscles to the rapturous reception of the now cramped main room space, a flood of people pouring in from the “love” lounge space where Gabriele Cutrano was masterminding the music.

With the party now in full swing and guest Sharon O Love in situ, the music took on a truly uplifting pace to match the elevated atmosphere, momentarily driven in another direction by new all-Male group Elixir Burlesque, who certainly made a statement with their extrovert yet elegant dancing displays, craftily choreographed by industry star Marcos White, the variety show feel to their performance in stark contrast to the all our pornographic displays of Thiago Drewery’s dancers come strippers, yet this very variety giving Lovechild’s latest outing a new and interesting dimension. With a short break for refreshments over, we were back in the main room and standing right next to our French fancy, Leomeo having arrived to take up his duties behind the decks, the amazing act of Miss O Love a tough one to follow, although if there was anyone to take the music on a tribal, tech & funky filled jubilant journey, it was our man Mr Carandang, his string of selections hitting immediate approval with us and the main room revellers that were lapping up every tasty morsel of Leomeo’s magnificent music.

Venturing for a moment of two into the now opened Mirrorarch room, it was clear Nick Wolanski was stirring up a storm with his superb sounds, tough tech & full on euro-style house that was certainly drawing a crowd, although we felt the pull of our Frenchman in the main room, arriving back in our spot in time for one of the sexiest model strippers we had seen anywhere, slowly peeling off his army clothing & taunting the crowd with his alluring moves, all making for one of the most erotic shows we had seen at any Lovechild party we had witnessed to date. But matching this muscular man fest, was Leomeo with his music, working the crowd like the pure professional he is, mixing in plenty of dance anthems with his trademark tribal & tech beats that had the room pumping to his precision perfect performance. And such was the enthralling extent of this fantastic Frenchman’s magnificent music, that, despite feeling very much under the weather with crippling stomach cramps, we still managed to dance in our usual dervishness for the remainder of his scintillating set, banishing all thoughts of our tumble dry like tummy, rather spinning on our spot in recognition of his brilliant beats.

With Leomeo’s love-in at Lovechild over, we joined our French fancy for a breather outside to make plans for a further liaison during his stay in the capital, before waving farewell to him & companion Franc, we returning to the main room action & Lee Harris now in charge, very much gearing up the pace for Beyond afterwards, plenty of euphoric euro-beats intermixed with heavenly house hits that had the place well & truly pumping, even the might of Pagano struggling to hold a crowd in the Mirrorarch, although our Italian stallion was certainly waving his magical wand as we sped in to say hello, a far from empty room lapping up his progressive & tech tunes with gusto. But, such was our stomach rumblings that we had to grace our leave of this latest Lovechild party, saying our farewells to those that we could find, both Simon Patrick & Andrew Jones seeing us safely out of the club & on our journey home to muster some strength to face a foray to Beyond.

Having been regular visitors to Lovechild parties since they were launched in London, we have seen our fair share of successes and despite the Saturday slot being a difficult one of late, Alex Erfan & his team have to be commended for keeping the brand as fresh as possible and offering up alternative entertainment & themes at every turn. Whilst the numbers weren’t quite a buoyant as the best turnouts, there were certainly plenty of people to go around two of the three rooms, although there is a train of thought that errs towards two rather than three as the best format. That said, the stage shows were certainly superb, the strippers going down extremely well, as did the burlesque performance that added suitable variety to the night. But as is usual for us, the music shone the most and Leomeo’s performance did particularly, he crafting his choices to cater for the crowd and hitting our sweet spot with his selections from start to finish, he finding favour, as we did, with the new look main room at Fire, which is a marked improvement on the old. And, with news that our French Fancy will be back for more in March, we will definitely be there for that, although with Antwerp on our doorstep & then more Lovechild lusciousness at As One on NYD, our affair with Alex Erfan’s outing looks set to continue unabated & we love it. (DISCO MATT)

Postcript

If you happened to miss out on this latest Lovechild with Leomeo, fear not as our Parisian pal has laid down a special compilation to mark his guest slot set, which is a collection crammed full of tech, tribal & funky inspired dance tunes that had us hooked from the off & will you too we are sure. So to grab your copy of this magnificent mix which includes tracks fromDanny Teneglia, David Penn, Shazz & much more, go to http://soundclound.com/djleomeo.

Plus, why not go check out the new Mirrorballs website at http://mirrorballs.tv, as well as sister site http://mirroballs.info for a full taste of what Nhamo & this terrific team have to offer.