Across a scene that is scattered with successful clubbing brands, some more successful than others, there are a mere handful that reach the high five status of our favourites list (yes we do have favourites), Lovechild being one such brand that has not only attracted attention from us since it cut its first stride in the capital just over two years ago, but of all the remaining Saturday night sessions (and there aren’t many), it seems to do it for us more than any other and that includes SuperMartXe. Yet, while we had a great time at the birthday party a month ago, resident D.J. Brent Nicholls stealing the show with a storming set in host venue Fire’s mirrorarch room, there seemed to something a little lacking. Then, when news came through that the planned tour of South Africa by this loveable brand of promoter Alex Erfan, a tour to coincide with our trip to the southern hemisphere, was cancelled, our love affair with Lovechild seemed to be falling off the rails. However, with a one-off move to Area for their latest event, we returned to London with much excitement & anticipation of a re-kindled relationship plus with expectation of an exceptional event in one of our favourite capital clubbing venues. The question is, did that rekindling materialise and how did Lovechild fair in its temporary new home?
If we had been less well prepared for a clubbing outing, it was this one, the Lovechild “Presents Muscle” team having gone to press on the detail while we were out of the country, so trying to hit the ground running after a three week vacation in unforgettable & sunny South Africa was always going to be a hard task. In attempting to get up to spped in advance of our arrival, it seemed that Lovechild’s latest incarnation, “Muscle” (have they done this before?1?) appeared to be a last minute shift from its latest & recognised home Fire, to sister club Area. And this witch was to prove a notable nemesis, not least as right from the off, everything felt a bit on the back foot, none of the familiar faces at the door, although that said we joined a considerable queue that didn’t really look as though it was moving, perhaps another inkling to the confusion around. So, a quick call to promoter Alex Erfan saw us fished out of the line and straight into the club, although not before engaging with the ever calm & professional Simon Patrick, a welcome familiar face & reassurance that the organisation wouldn’t be quite as bad as we were dreading.
Inside and with our coats safely stored away, we were into the first of three rooms, two of which were open and attracting plenty of attention, the Terrace space sporting superb new star, D.J. Savin, spinning some serious sounds, a mixture of uplifting beats & more tech toned tunes that had the place pumping. However, bumping into pals Roni & Danny detracted us from dancing for a few moments, as we headed to the bar & straight into a confrontation with a bar team member, who seemingly was refusing to accept any of our complimentary drinks ticket vouchers, not that we were too fused as we would have quite happily paid hard cash, although this individual seemed to make such a deal of it, only a radio message from Simon Patrick was enough to sort it. So, with Roni twitching, Danny already over it and we intent on getting some serious dancing in, it was the second room where we headed, this space known as The Chapel room in Beyond set up, in the hands of D.J. Marco Gee a talent we had not come across before, indeed didn’t recognise. Mind you we did recognise Tom Marchant, Nick Tcherniak’s other half, who was in the company of another cutie, the young man immediately seeking, grabbing & clutching to our attention.
But we digress from the task in hand (head in our pants again!), the task being some serious dancing and the cause being of a show stopping set from the new to Lovechild, Marco Gee, who had The Chapel Room (yes we know that’s a Beyond phrase!) packed & pumping with a glorious collection of new tunes & older tracks rehashed (very vogue!), he looking right at home with his lot and as though he had been playing for Alex’s club for ages. Indeed his neat selections between new, old, re-modelled & re-made hit complete resonance with the cavorting crowd, some atop of the podiums in partying delight, while others like us were happy to spin in serenade to his superb sounds. And the experience was made all the more pleasant by the company of his Marco’s boyf & Tom Marchant, the excitement only getting better when the man, Nick Tcherniak, arrived, which always spells trouble if not plenty of hilarity. So, he wasn’t going to disappoint in this respect, remarking “oh I get the theme, Muscle, now”, as we starred at testosterone & steroid pumped men who had now assumed their starring spots on the podiums, this innocent remark reducing us to fits of laughter which then laid siege, Nick equally hilariously remarking, “…right I’m off!…”, a line that was to feature with each & every encounter between us thereafter.
But we were keen to see exactly how Lovechild would fit into the hallowed turf that is Area’s main room, a space that is usual preserved in our minds for the brilliance of Beyond, even trips to Onyx not feeling quite the same. And interestingly, it was this main space that was the last of the three rooms for Lovechild to open, rather than the other way round, incumbent D.J., the cute & cuddly Phil Hewson, keen to prove his worth in his debut in this special space. So, as he took to the decks and the party people began to pour in, there was a sense that Lovechild would fit here, although when we assumed our spot (you know the one left of the D.J. booth), somehow it just didn’t feel right. Not only did the lighting feel a little lack-lustre, the production was quite minimal and the effects pretty nonexistent, no pyrotechnics to speak of and certainly none of that amazing atmosphere that Area is most renowned for.
So, with Phil doing his best and actually pulling out a reasonably credible performance, it was now down to P.A. for this “Muscle” inspired event to take up the mantle & ring out some rapture from the crowd, Lizzie it has to be said, one of the most prolific P.A.’s we know, certainly the best we have seen at Lovechild and throughout last year, second only to the phenomenal Peyton, who completely wowed us at WE. But as good as Miss France’s performance was, her three song show including the new hit by Tom Marchant (yes Mr Tcherniak’s boyf!), it wasn’t great, partly due to the strange inclusion of a male vocalist for the first part of the first song, then a less than spot on sound & mic system that required Lizzie to pull out every inch of her professionalism & skill to seam the cracks, leaving the half full room a little bamboozled with all this being in Area rather than Fire.
That said, with the show over, D.J. Mattias then assumed the decks and took the party to a new dimension, mixing progressive beats with uplifting tones, a two hour set that ended up being three & a half, but may goodness what a 3 ½ they were, the man pulling out some real corkers and clearly revelling in it all. And, re-assuming our spot, having waved farewell to Tom & Nick, Mr T this time able to say with real conviction “…right, I’m off!…”, we actually began to find our stride and slot into our comfort zone, perhaps in the knowledge that the blending into Beyond was very much upon us. Indeed with the other two rooms being given over to this awesome afterhours, the remaining Lovechilder’s were shepherded into Area’s main space, for once in the whole evening elevating the atmosphere to something near we have come to expect from the brand, Mattias continuing to entertain us right up to the arrival of superstar Steve Pitron, which very much signalled goodbye Lovechild, hello Beyond.
So, what did we think of this Lovechild “Muscle” event and the switch to Area? Well, it probably seems quite evident that it all seemed a bit strange, not just to the brand’s clubbing customers, but to the organisers themselves. What on paper looked like a marriage in heaven, ended up being an engagement that was broken off before it started. Yes there were some highlights, Marco gee’s superb set in The Chapel room, Mattias’s magnificent music in the main room and, naturally, the company we held, Nick and his “…right I’m off…” line really making our night. However, when you consider that Lovechild was not only competing with Megawoof, who had their now usual slot in Fire, but a private party also in Fire, these two events surely taking custom away from Alex & his team. But add in the amount of people that pitched to Fire in expectation of Lovechild being there and the result was confusion & ultimately a muddled meet, somewhat leaving us in our own muddle as to how Lovechild will move on from this, we suspect fine, especially given Mr Erfan’s influence & experience, so, naturally, we will be looking on with interest. (DISCO MATT)