It was just last weekend that we took a serious look at our Weekend Recommendations newsletter, our format of “Best Bites & Short Shouts” having been running for close on six months, although the concept behind it for much longer. However, as we detailed in our report, “Best Bites On A Break” (direct link http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/reports-best-bites-on-a-break-weekend-recommends-newsletter-review-saturday-23rd-july/), we questioned the possible favouritism we were adopting by choosing certain bars, clubs & events over others and in so doing decided that, for this newsletter at least, we would trial a new look & a new direction, as our title here suggest, making it less exclusive & more inclusive, covering more by mentioning less & setting aside our preferences for other posts like our Weekend Focus & Extra Bites reports.
As a result, the new, or should we say, trial newsletter is here, our “Bar Bites & Club Cuts” aimed at running you through what’s on offer across Soho Vauxhall & elsewhere, but in the Short Shout rather than the Best Bite format, yet still retaining that element of where we think you should be & be seen on the scene. So, let’s crack on, although with the format as new to us as it is to you, hold on tight as we whistle-stop tour you through the highlights of what’s on offer this weekend.
Wardour St Wonders
To Soho first & Profile Bar, always a good way to start your weekend, this one being no exception as tomorrow night (Fri 29th) Jamie Hammond makes a welcome return to the scene, warming up your weekend from 8 p.m., while on Saturday its scene stalwart Rob Sykes’s turn to do the same. Now, don’t forget the happy hour, which runs daily from 4 p.m. till 7 (all night on Monday), while their food offer just has to be sampled, full details of the menu & other offerings available via their website at http://profilesho.com.
Downstairs at Lo-Profile it’s another “Society” Friday, the team welcoming Nathan Six & D’Johnny to the decks, so expect plenty of beefy beats to match these music making men’s physique’s, while the go-go dancers will also pop your eyes out (maybe something else too!), while on Saturday we hear cheeky Czech, Andrea Drudikova, is playing hostess with the moistest, sorry mostest, the club having a real Beyond flavour to it with Gonzalo Rivas & Mikey D on the decks., so surely a night not to be missed. With doors opening both nights at 11 p.m. & the club running through till 4 a.m., entrance is £8, while more details on these & other events can be found at http://loprofile.com.
To Rupert Street and having celebrated their 15th birthday last weekend, its business as usual this, D.J. duties going to main resident Alessandro Londra which picks up both Friday (29th) & Sunday (31st), while he is sandwiched by Brent Nicholls on Saturday night, both Friday & Saturday’s kicking off from 9 p.m. through till midnight, whereas Sunday is a little earlier from 7.30 p.m. till 10.30 p.m. With food served during the day, every day, plus a tasty champagne offer from 5 p.m. till 8 p.m., it’s worth starting early, more details out at http://rupertstreet.com.
Cute Ku
Down to Ku-Bar, the Lisle St one, and the weekend highlight is once again tomorrow night (Fri 29th) as resident The Very Miss Dusty O hosts another heat of their “D.J. Quest 2011” competition, this being the right same place that the delectable DouGuim came to fame. Revving up the rhythms from 10 p.m. through till 3 a.m. expects plenty of cute lads & their admirers, while Sunday’s “Hit Factory” with Lady Lloyd is also worth a look in, as it Lisle St’s dinky little sister bar on Frith St is attracting quite a following, not least as they have the most gorge set of barmen around, as well as D.J.’s on duty right across the weekend. Check out http://ku-bar.co.uk for more info.
Now to The Shadow Lounge, which re-opened on Monday following an extensive re-ft in time for its 10th birthday bash which takes place tonight (Thurs 28th), this being the official re-opening and sure to attract the scene glitterati as well as a host of special VIP celebrity guests & the lion’s share of the press (although not us sadly!). With Friday (29th) seeing the return of regular night “Therapy” and the ever popular “Inferno” on Saturday (30th) with Andrew Elmore back too, Sunday (31st) sees a new east meets west night kicking off from 6 p.m. & running through till midnight, so plenty going on in the new era of Shadow Lounge, details of which are out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
What Do You Wear To Bed?
So that’s our bar bites for Soho, what about our club cuts?, well it would be fair to say Soho is no longer renowned for full on clubbing, although just on the edge at Cafe De Paris, Jodie Harsh’s “Circus” roils into town for its annual pyjama party and one looking every bit as outrageously fabulous as last year. With Kris Di Angelis, Jim Warboy & Jodie herself providing the slumber styled soundtrack, expect the followers of fashion to dress down into their bedroom wear which could even mean the odd naked torso or two, while hosts aplenty will make sure all your dreams come true tomorrow night (Fri 29th), more info on this exceptional event out at http://thisiscircus.com.
Right down to Vauxhall and there’s lots happening this weekend, not least some new nights & special events to grab your attention. So let’s head to Barcode first who have first bite at the new cherry with the launch of “React Now”, an old skool, nu skool party with a D.J. line up of superhero’s that includes icons Blu Peter, Princess Julia, Rich B, Jon Dennis, Mark Westhenry & Jo Publik among many more. Plus, with the launch tomorrow night (Fr1 29th) being free entry, this should see Barcode back packed & pumping, while Saturday’s remain as popular as ever, this week seeing Micky Galliano, Steve Artis, Elliot J Brown & Mattias masterminding the music, so plenty of great names to conjure with, more info on this Vauxhall watering hole come club out at http://bar-code.co.uk.
Now to the Orange Group and as usual they have a breathtaking schedule of parties right across the weekend, for us kicking off with Onyx tomorrow night (Fri 29th) when they hold the 2nd part of their birthday “Double Bill”, this one seeing Area transformed into a beach oasis, welcoming party goers to dress in swimwear & the like, the hot, hot, hot go-go’s definitely leading the way in that department. Music wise, special guest Gonzalo Rivas takes to the main room decks, supported by lee Harris & Jc Christopher, while its tech in the terrace & pop in the chapel. With doors opening at 10 p.m. & free entry until midnight (grab a flyer though), not to mention special drinks offers, it seems birthdays don’t get better, more info out at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
Double Whammy Delight
Onward and to Sunday morning when Beyond have their double say, holding a “Double Whammy” party which basically rolls entry to this awesome afterhours in with Later afterwards, which has its usual session at Fire on Sunday afternoon. Back to beyond and you can expect the lion’s share of the clubs all-star D.J. residents, including The Sharp Boys, Mike D, Paul Christian, The Oil & Fat Tony, while main man Steve Pitron rests up before his return the following weekend. Advance tickets are definitely the way to go if you don’t want to queue or burn a huge hole in your pocket, as they come in at just £10 from with http://clubtickets.com or from the usual Soho outlets, while make sure you get that stamp for Later afterwards as the forecast for Sunday is looking sun, sun, sun all the way.
But hang on we hear you say, we though Later was hitting the high seas? Well, yes it is, as The Later “Summer Boat Party” takes place too, this more of an exclusive offering as the good ship Fire has a limited capacity of just 250. Now we covered this special event in an Extra Bites post (out at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/recommends-setting-sail-on-sunday-later-summer-boat-party-sunday-31st-july-weekend-extra-bites/) but suffice to say, with The Thames looking like a mill pond on Sunday, you won’t need strong sea legs to cope with this club cruise with a difference, so best you get your hands on one of the last remaining tickets at http://clubtickets.com/gb/2011-07/31/later-boat-party and join host Mauricio Ortiz along with D.J.’s Jamie Head & Junior as this will definitely be a summer highlight not to miss.
Sunday Service
Then when the good ship Fire disembarks, its straight back to Vauxhall for new club night launch “Blessed” which takes the place of Booster at Area. Aimed at a slightly more upmarket crowd, Area will see the terrace bar transformed into a relaxing chill-out zone with table service, great quality drinks & that all important link to the outside space, while the music worshipping will take place in the aptly named chapel room, D.J.’s Fat Tony, Mikey D & DouGuim head up a residency team that includes Booster’s Ferno & Matt King. Having covered to detail in our post “New Times Two” at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/recommends-new-times-two-blessed-le-boy-sunday-31st-july-friday-5th-august-weekend-focus-special/, suffice to say, all Later party goers (boat & terra firmer included) get free entry to “Blessed” , which runs from 7 p.m. till midnight, leading neatly to Orange afterwards.
Looking slightly further afield and another new night launches on Saturday (30th), this time at The Eagle, who host “Frisky”, a concept brought to the scene by the peeps behind Megawoof & Funkarama (that will be Daz & Diddy then), this new venture serving up sounds akin to Chicago house & NYC old skool, as well as more modern tech by the likes of Leonardo Glovibes, Nico de Ceglia & Astroboy, the Eagle crew throwing in a free bbq for good measure. With “Frisky” framed by regular nights Tonker on Friday (29th) & Horse meat Disco on Sunday (31st), check out their website at http://eaglelondon.co.uk for more details.
No Vauxhall coverage would be complete without mentioning the venerable institution that is The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), who have another classic weekend in store, not least as their “Anthem Old Skool Renuion” takes place tomorrow (Fri 29th), with Wayne G, Porl Young & Steve B turning out uplifting NRG, trance & heavenly house hits that made this club a Saturday must in the late 90’s & early 00’s, while “Duckie” takes over on Saturday, followed by S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out on Sunday (31st), more info out at http://thervt.org.uk.
East Bloc Excess
Right to our alternative choices and first to Shoreditch at The East Bloc who have a massive weekend in store, its star player being Gutterslut, who return to this Shoreditch spot on Saturday (30th), resplendent from their superb showing at Summer Rites three weeks ago, with a prolific party that will see favourites Per Q.X., Nic Fisher & Miss MC Crystal joined by special guests Musisclove Makers in the rave room, while GS’s Ralf Obergal will also feature alongside James Phillips & Will Viper in the second space, so a definitely must for way out wackiness followers. Add to that, another new night on the scene, as East Bloc brings “May’s Buckled Up & Ready For Something Dirty” tomorrow (Fri 29th) along with “Ponystep” which takes up residency at East Bloc on Sunday (31st) and this vibrant venue to certainly proving the place to be out east at the moment, more details of the weekly happenings available at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Heading south and The Brixton Clubhouse are creating a bit of a stir on the scene and with the weather perking up this weekend look like coming into their own with that terrific two tiered outside terrace space that is its usp. And with Steven Geller’s “Bodyshakers” having chosen to hang its hat here on Friday’s, tomorrow (29th) will see it return with guests Steve Thomas & Daniel Stone joining Mr Geller on the decks, while on Saturday (30th) the man returns with Daniel for another late night/early morning session called “Crunch”. However, it’s Sunday (31st) that will steal much of the spotlight, as the scene sees the return of club promoter Logan Schmitz, who holds the first of his summer private parties, “Up” returning to the venue that was Dex when it was last held, Per QX included in the D.J. line up which will also see Tony English spin selective sounds. Now, this is strictly invite only, so make sure you check your e-mail inbox, details of all other happenings at The Brixton Clubhouse available at http://thebrixtonclubhouse.com.
Magic Mag
Now, in the spirit of the “inclusive nature of this new style newsletter, here are some short shouts for other offerings across the scene in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere, very much depicting what a diverse yet dynamic scene we find ourselves within. So, other options for Friday (29th) include Popstarz at The Den, G.A.Y’s “Camp Attack” at Heaven, A:M at Fire, , “Discolicious” at Village, “Disco 3000” at Escape, & “Addiction” at The Edge, then on Saturday (30th) G.A.Y.is back at Heaven with a special “Wii” inspired party, while other options include “Fabulous” at Ku Bar, “Wig Out” at Ghetto Factory, “Adamix” at Village, & “Kitsch Karaoke” at Escape Bar, while further afield, West 5 celebrate their lucky for some 13th birthday. As for Sunday, well cabaret seems to rule the waves, The Two Brewers, 79 CXR, Halfway To heaven, The Stage, The Cambria, Molly Moggs & The Black Cap doing the business, details of all these options available by going online to http://boyz.co.uk.
Right, that’s about it for this new look “Bar Bites & Club Cuts” newsletter and as we get used to the new look we hope you will too. So, it’s just left for us to wish you a wonderful weekend wherever it finds you & whatever you get up to. As for us, it’s Onyx tonight for the 2nd half of their birthday “Double Bill”, then looks like we are on strict orders to make it to Beyond, having been missing last week, that followed by Later’s “Summer Boat Party” & the “Blessed” launch. So, if you see us out come say hi, but remember, to be & be seen on the scene you need to “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)