Since 2006 when Matinee braved our shores, the term Spanish Armada has once again come into regular use here in good old blightly, the original meaning the masses of ships sported by Spain in their onslaught on England in 1588, while five centuries on it was a term much more affectionately used to represent the influx of clubs like Space, SuperMartXe, La Troya and the latest protagonist to the Armada armoury being WE, which launched to incredible accolade & fanfare back in December, amidst somewhat of a Spanish backlash in the clubbing world. So, as SuperMartXe faced the fury of clubbers who had been made to queue for hours, suffer dreadful treatment by security and be demanded of identity simply to access their beloved Spanish brand in the capital, and Matinee’s massive appeal had slowly waned away, even despite the huge success that its inaugural “Open Air Summer Party” was back in July, it was all systems go for WE as it hit the ground running at The Coronet and on the riding high success it had achieved back home.
Building on the brilliant launch was a key objective of the team behind this awesome outfit that was as much about the incredible visual displays from huge electronic erections, as it was from the eye catching dancers and the magnificent music, WE proving back in December that it had all the credentials to delight & wow where its predecessors had failed to maintain, we being simply blown away by the effects and the whole WE package that had us wanting for more. Yet, as good as the launch party was, there were many that had failed to brave the unseasonably cold weather and WE in London was also absent of SuperMartXe supporters who had either wanted to remain faithful to their brand or who had become so disenfranchised with clubbing following the calamities at Debut, although with the prospect of a New Year weekend encompassing four days of partying, fitting WE into the schedule was met with little or no competition, paving the way for a floodgate attendance & interest, especially given the buzz that the party a month previously had developed, the question remaining, did it deliver to this expectation and is the WE armada invasion complete or is there still more to do?
Having suitably rested after the second leg of our mammoth New Year escapes schedule, we were fighting fit and ready to land of The Coronet in Elephant & Castle for this second WE instalment of London, like the title, we ready to attack WE in true Disco Matt style, arriving at a very busy entrance just turned midnight, the magnificent Minty spotting us as we sauntered up to meet & greet our social & clubbing scenetress supreme, although with pleasurable greetings over we assumed our place in the mounting queue, although being spotted by the ever engaging Dave Cross, were waved round and in through the entrance, catching a brief hello with the lovely Ben Kaye before disappearing through the security checks & then into the club proper. With just the formality of dropping off our coat left, we headed for the outside facility, bumping to Steve Pitron & our beaut of a Brazilian, Celso Moura, so having dropped off our bits & bobs, we caught up with the duo on our naughtiness on NYE and then compared notes on the breathtaking Beyond, before heading in from the cold of the Coronet’s outside space to the warming action inside.
Heading for the bar, we grabbed some energy boosting refreshments, the top area already quite busy & buzzing with a mix of scene faces, club kids & party girls, all eager for this WE Attacks event to get its head of steam, indeed hot steam would definitely have helped down on the dancefloor, which was distinctly chilly, not from the hot & heavenly house been served up by a jubilant Jamie Head, playing at WE for the first time & clearly revelling in the experience, but from the cold that had consumed this huge theatre of a venue, a chill hanging in the air, meaning the usual sea of stripped down torso’s was markedly absent. However, with The Coronet’s main space filling reasonably rapidly, all eyes were towards the stage & the action due to take place, the array of huge LED lighting displays yet to fire up, although with Steve Pitron assuming controls of the decks, the music was definitely doing the talking, his usual euphoric & enthralling house hits sparking life into a rather lack-lustre crowd, we doing our bit in what was quickly becoming our favoured spot in The Coronet (and we like a spot you know), not surprisingly to the left hand side of the stage, a place where we could get a good view of the shows & the screens, as well as still being right in the thick of the dancing action. And with the floor filling nicely, we moved & grooved to Steve’s terrific tunes, Celso & Sophie in close quarters, our new found Salvation door hosts also trading ducks & dives with us and even the adorable Naomi Ruiz aka Jiggy, gracing our presence, a huge surprise & a pleasant one at that.
With our lovely lady clasping our hand, it was up onto the VIP balcony for refreshments & a bit of socialising, much of the Orange top brass out in force, including the Elder brothers & partners, man of the moment Jonny Marsh & Booster’s Romain Lopez, while plenty of other scene faces were enjoying this elevated spot, we grabbing a moment with Trade’s Mark Williams, as well as a gaggle of off duty D.J.’s including Lee Harris, Mikey D, weekend international guest Guy Scheiman & an excitable Alessandro Londra, still riding high on his successful set at Beyond earlier in the day. But with Naomi off on more hostessing duties, it was another foxy female, Svetlana Queen, that grabbed our attention and immediately led us across to her special balcony over the other side of the venue, an exclusive area that gave us the best bird’s eye view of the stage show proceedings, the dancers now all in motion with their out of this world costumes & outfits, the “Mars Attacks” theme of this latest WE party evident for all to see. With Alessandro by our side & Svetlana in typical merry mood, we savoured this select space & the ever increasing atmosphere that was building in this theatre playground, WE resident Carlos Gallardo now in control of the tunes & sending us on a more euro-beat & Spanish style set of sounds journey & direction.
So with this change of sound, it was time for a change of scenery, we heading back down towards the stage & just in time as it turned out, as out came the P.A. for the evening, Peyton, first standing by the D.J. booth as the iconic “WE (Eloise)” Gallardo smash started up, Mr Christopher’s vocals on this tremendous tune more than a match for Bobby Alexander’s, the man treating us to a live vocal rendition of the rhapsody, which the crowd definitely enjoyed, lapping up every lyric as Peyton poured out a delightful delivery. However, it was his second tune & performance that was to take our breath away, the truly terrific “Trapped” his choice and what a fabulous one it was too, this tune having rounded off our 2010, the Danny Verde remix of Pagano & Wayne G’s original, an absolute corker. And with Peyton’s vocals, we were to see a live performance like no other, he taking centre stage & throwing himself into the song with such gusto that the result was as of a quality we had hardly ever seen before in a live P.A., the precision perfect Peyton hitting every note & beat brilliantly, we looking on in absolute awe at this inspiring & prolific playout which we immediately remarked as being the best we had seen, not just here at the Coronet, but anywhere we had been, even topping our best yet, from Lizzie France at Lovechild.
Now, everything else we were to experience at this WE Attacks party was destined to fall short of the dizzy heights of Peyton’s P.A. performance, even the ticker tape & pyrotechnic displays, the amazing LED displays & Carlos’s own superb set, not quite reaching the resonance & rapture of Mr Christopher’s colossal curtain raiser, we getting our change to congratulate him up on the VIP area. And it was here where we saw out the rest of our stay at this second WE instalment, i-London events main man Alex Efra a noticeable absence, although it seemed he had his hands full with masterminding the lighting & other displays, along with all the other elements that made for another standout showing by WE in London. However, with the last leg of our New Year looming & a liaison & chat with the engaging Israeli D.J. Guy Scheiman chalked up, we decided to dip out of The Coronet at just before 6 a.m., choosing a homeward direction for a battery recharge before the WE afterparty at Orange, giving us time to reflect on this Attacks event in the cold light of a New Year Monday morning.
So, what was our reflection? Well, like the launch party, this second instalment carried a heavy weight of expectation on its shoulders, not just in delivering a seamless set of organisational requirements, although like back in December, we could not fault the door & queue management and the cloakroom facilities, which all ran really smoothly. Then, in the whole style of WE, with the truly spectacular LED displays & the quality of the shows, it has to be recognised that this Madrid making has definitely given London something fresh & appealing to add some much needed spice to a same old, same old scene, the more accessible music & the combination of London stars Jamie Head & Steve Pitron with the main man Carlos Gallardo, worked really well on this occasion. However, the chilly climate at the start did detract from the experience, this being a sad inevitability of The Coronet as a venue, although more than making up, was the performance by Peyton, which will live in our memory for a very long time to come and was the outstanding highlight of this WE Attacks event. As for our original question, well the WE armada has certainly reached London’s shores and made an impressive impact, although whether the invasion is complete, we cannot quite say, the next event sure to seal the deal and prove its worth as a potentially best newcomer of 2010 as 2011 advances. (DISCO MATT)
Postscript
In recognition of his double set display at this WE Attacks event, we just had to share with you a rare podcast opportunity & compilation by Jamie Head, this WE devotion a very worthy addition to your collection, highlights for us being a brilliant remix of “Good Life”, Serge Devant’s “D-Train”, that WE (Eloise) track & the Stefano Noferini smash, “Bad Davis”, although don’t take our word for it, go check out Jamie’s magnificent mix by going to http://jamiehead2.podomatic.com and downloading to your delight.