Not a month since our favourite social soiree upped sticks from its original home in Vauxhall, moving across to Soho, at the same time switching from a Thursday to a Wednesday, we once again find ourselves exerting our energies into a review of this cherished club night in our calendar, the history of Minty’s marvel having had plaudits poured all over it in a score or more reports of ours since it started life three years ago. But such is the importance of this incarnation in our lives that we find it easy to express our views and find just as much enjoyment in thrusting it into the limelight, as there has always been something quite magical about its music, splendid about its sociability & infectious about its ingenuity. But when the thought of not just it celebrating a birthday, but two of its core representatives also marking the occasion of theirs, it was a foregone conclusion we would be there to join in the festivities.

Industri, like no other club night in our memory, has marked some real step changes in our lives, many having been documented on more than one occasion, but more than that & those, this is a club that has those elements of music, sociability & ingenuity we hinted at, running  deep through its veins, so much so that we would go to any lengths in its support & defence, push that extra mile to see it succeed, revel in its glory when it does, or stand by its side when it doesn’t. So, you could call Industri a true friend of ours, as these are all expressions & actions that, for us, are reflected in a friendship verging on companionship, traits that we would laud on & expect from those very near & dear to us. Indeed as the people intrinsically linked with this social splendour, have come to mean so much to us, we always feel incredibly guilty when we don’t pitch for a party or arrive for an outing, all this adding up to the fact that, with its hostess Minty, its resident D.J. Paul Heron & the club itself all celebrating birthdays, this Industri more than any other in the year required that extra effort & push on our part.

So with the big day upon us and having already started celebrations with Minty on the Monday (her actual birthday), despite our continuing & frustrating ear infection, we were all systems go for this birthday bonanza of a bash, planning an early arrival into town to organise cakes, presents & the like, this having become quite a tradition for us, Industri always a melting pot for peoples special celebrations & cakes very much the order of the day, even the Candyman having been relegated to second spot for this, a fulsome threesome of an event. Mind you, on the organisational front, it seemed simply one-way traffic, our bemusement on just how ill equipped host venue Barcode was, turning into downright annoyance that we had made the extra effort, yet they had hardly lifted a finger. Plus, given that this was no run of the mill Industri, rather a celebration of the clubs third year in existence, we were flabbergasted by the lacklustre support from the venue & top management to boot.

But nothing was going to deter us from having a great time, indeed with our mood distinctly cheered up by an unexpected rendezvous with a rather amorous Brazilian named Roberto, we were in fine fettle come 9 p.m. when both resident Industri D.J.’s Brent Nicholls & birthday boy Paul Heron arrived, Brent choosing to take up the first stint behind the decks, which, in the early days of Industri, would have been a full-on back-to-back performance by the duo, although was resigned to a weekly rotation, in some ways robbing us of a magical ingredient that had made Industri so popular back then. However, at least for this special birthday bash, we would be treated to both on the same night, but not just the duo, as special guests Oliver M & Chris Brogan were lined up and as the evening began to unfold and a whole host of off duty scene workers, club kids & top notch D.J.’s arrived, we would be in for extra treats from both Alessandro Londra & Nick Evans, thus creating a sextet of superb sound spinning stars to send us into house music heaven. Indeed, despite their distinctly different styles, each of the six actually blended really well, making for one of the best marriages of musical minds we had seen in quite some time, leaving us wondering, just where else on the London scene would you get such notable names together for a four hour session spectacular, as this very much turned out to be.

But back to the social splendour & birthday bash celebrations and with main madame Minty arrived and holding court, it was then down to a cast of colourful characters from Industri’s past, present & (hopefully) future, to help her, Paul & the club on its birthday way, a long list of lovelies making the presence felt including Industri stalwarts Stephen, Chris, Terry & Paul, surprise appearances from originals Kim, Jeremy & David adding to our delight. But with a seemingly never-ending stream of familiar faces joining in on the merriment, this was turning out to be a right royal rumpus, adoring appearances including TTD’s Billy Richard & Greg Mitchell, the face of London gAylist clubbing, Romano Hendry, Polish boys & party heads Mariusz & Norbert, the cute & charming Rob Adams, plus a stream of Soho sophisticates that had connections with Minty, all packing out Barcode & creating a real buzz that we hadn’t seen here in a long time. But when the fabulous Glendora arrived, squeezing her way through the madding crowd to make her presence felt by the D.J. booth, our larger than life lady in full costume diving into an impromptu break-dance displays that received whoops & cheers from onlookers, the delectable dye on this scintillating social splendour of a birthday bash was cast and nothing was going to stop us from having heaps of fun.

With everyone having such a terrific time and the place well & truly packed out, it was becoming tricky just when to time the bringing out of the birthday cake, a relatively small affair, more for ceremony than anything else, although with midnight about the strike, the proverbial iron was hot, so we dived upstairs with Barcode’s brilliant manager, the charming Mikhael, prepared for the procession. And as he zoomed back downstairs to dim the lights, we carried the cake high above our heads through the packed bar, wending our way towards the D.J. booth and in the direction of both Minty & Paul, to cheers & choruses of “Happy Birthday To You”, the candles still alight when we reached our destination, Minty & Paul completing the ceremonial duty of blowing out the birthday beacons, to yet further cheers & cry’s. Then with an extra large & sharp looking knife in her hand, Minty sliced through the cake, devouring a chunky slice, as cameras clicked & chocolate coated lips & faces were caught on film for posterity.

Now it was a case of party, party party, the music from Brent, Paul, Oliver & co hitting home heavenly, the audacious action continuing unabated, with many ducking & diving in dancing delirium inside, while other opted for the outside and a special fire-eating display that certainly wowed & made an impact. However, we chose to stick to our spot by the D.J. booth, where at least we could hear the music with our good ear & save the embarrassment of keeling over, our still dodgy balance affecting our ability to even walk in a straight line (we weren’t drunk, honest guv!) let alone dance in the disco matt style (we did try once or twice though). So this was where we saw out the rest of our stay at this special Industri outing, the final piece in the jubilant jigsaw being the presentation of both Minty’s & Paul’s special birthday gifts rounding off the night perfectly, allowing us to pack ourselves off home and reflect on one outstanding outing that ranks with the best that this brilliant brand has served up in its three year history.

Well that neatly sums up this enthralling &  enjoyable evening to a T really, T very much standing for terrific, tremendous, treasured & triumphant, this monumental Minty birthday bash, amounting to a fulsome threesome that actually made five, as both Chris Brogan & Industri regular Terry were birthday boys too. With so many people making an effort & such a fantastic collection of faces, especially given it was a Wednesday, made up for all the shortcomings of the venue, although it has to be said that the duty manager Mikhael & his tight knit team on the night, also have to be praised for their hard work. As for the rest of the cast, well the music in the hands of Brent, Paul, Oliver, Nick, Alessandro & Chris was spot on and with such a superb set of people, we couldn’t have wished for a better way to celebrate the collection of birthdays as we did, Industri once again proving its social splendour credentials that have seen it find a true friend in us. Let’s hope that Barcode throws its own weight behind this brilliant brand, so we can see it celebrate its fourth birthday in just as much style. (DISCO MATT)

Postscript – 26^th Jan 2011

To mark the occasion of the sextet of D.J.’s performing at this brilliant birthday bash, a special 2 hour recording has been put together by Industri resident D.J. Brent Nicholls, gelling together the musical choices & mixes that he, fellow resident Paul Heron (birthday boy) along with billed guests Oliver M & Chris Brogan selected through the night. This special mix also includes contributions & additions by Alessandro Londra & Nick Evans, who both stepped behind the decks during the four hour foray full of fantastic funky, chunky & cheerful vocal drenched tunes. The result is a compilation that has truly unique feel to it, blending the talents of the six superbly and is available to download now direct from Brent’s website at http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/2011/01/26/podcast-industri-3rd-birthday/ and as Brent explains of the mix “…it is a unique podcast featuring eclectic genres from funky disco house to a more electronic tech sound…”, he adding that “…each D.J. added his personal style to create one outstanding mix…” . So, with all these talents under one roof being a real rarity, this mix is a must for your collection, whether an Industri faithful or not.

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