While the curtains on another year in clubland capital may be drawing to a close, as the final month that is December begins to fizzle out, one thing is for sure, the magical memories from WE’s anniversary earlier this month have certainly not fizzled out in any way at all, as Disco Matt recalls on the delight that was “Disco”, a dynamic draw that definitely delivered, but to what exceptional extent?

Towering Tech Triumph

Over the scores of years that we have been treading the capitals clubbing circuit boards, we have seen many brands come & go, so leaving an indelible impression on our minds, others fading into the background of our thoughts. We can recall plenty that opened with huge fanfare, like the first rocket in a firework display, then continuing to wow & wonder with every event explosion, while a host of others in our time stepped into to scene spotlight, shining as bright as a button, but soon fading like a bicycle light running out of its Duracell bunny juice. We have seen home grown clubs & events rise to the top of the tree, some stay right up there like a star atop a fir, while plenty of international protagonists have stormed the scene with big & bold intentions only to be cast aside like a toy that has outlived the play life of its demanding owner. But we can say, quite unequivocally, that the brand that did that scene storming just twelve months ago, finding itself wading through a freezing cold & snow capped capital, could never be compared to the toy cast off analogy, or the battery juice starved bunny, rather we can definitely relate to that huge fanfare reference,  we can certainly see event explosions as part of this brands prolific package and we could even be as bold to suggest that it has won over the hearts of even its staunchest critics, making it one of the biggest & best on the capitals clubbing calendar.

We Love WE

There is no doubt that Spanish superclub brand WE captured the imagination of clubbers from the minute it was launched from its home in Madrid, London part of the success story pretty much from the start too, last year’s launch very much impressing on all levels, the huge LED (and we are talking gigantic here) superbly stunning, the production as prolific as we have seen at any time in our considerable clubbing career and the music matching these other elements with every brilliant beat. Yet while London was immediately rated by WE’s top cheese, Victor Pallas, as second only to Madrid in terms of all these qualities, as 2011 kicked off in “Attack” mode, expectations were high, although P.A. Peyton delivered like a dream, while mainstay resident D.J. Carlos Gallardo has been a constant that has seen successive parties continue were to first left off, incarnations “Heroes”, “Prison Of Love” but particularly “Candy” breaking the brilliance bank and in doing so, assuring WE’s future for at least the time being in the minds of the fickle clubbing crowd that is so much a part of the capitals scene. And while we doubted the intentions of the last “I Love” party, others did not, as the place (like virtually every other event before it) was simply packed, very much paving the way for WE to celebrate its 1^st Anniversary in London in the knowledge that it would command a captive audience both amply & admirably. 

Exceptional Event

So it was to The Coronet in Elephant & Castle that we headed, saying to ourselves that what a difference a year makes, those freezing cold conditions we endured back then a stark contrast to the more mild weather we were warming to as we arrived at the venues doors, the considerable queue stretching much further than the eye could see, although with the crowd management maestro in charge, who else but Tom Fuller, it was already apparent that non-one was going to wait that long to get in. Mind you with the scrum that was amazing around the brilliant Ben Kaye, we could hardly grab his attention, Tom peeling off from his duties for a minute to say hi & catch up, Aaron Elder also arriving and stepping in for Ben by getting us fast tracked through the entrance formalities, the standard security search the only element he couldn’t help us avoid, close pal Steve Pitron already inside & awaiting our arrival with his usual expectant intent. But before we could make contact with him, with his beau Celso & the beautiful Brazilian babe Bel, we had to dispose of our coat, a formality that took mere moments which was immediately followed by us falling directly into the path of our party people pals, Steve greeting us with the usual “MAAATTTT” call, Bel following suit, while the hugging embrace from Celso was as warm a welcome as we could ever imagine. With the mood already magnificent, an arriving Andrea was only going to elevate it further, her trademark hilarious greeting “…you can f** right off yaaaah…” sending us into fits of laughter, the fun erupting even further when the close quarter quintet we found ourselves within, made it down to the front of The Coronet’s massive main room dancefloor, both Steve & Bel chasing us up & down like school kids in a playground, our shrills & screams attracting amassing attention, incumbent D.J. Jamie Head then grabbing ours as we got a grip of our already excitable emotions.

One Word Wonder

With this “Disco” delight of an anniversary now well under way and the dancefloor filling out with fervent WE followers before our eyes, we assumed our spot, well a position here at the Coronet better known as “The Brazilian bunch & Andrea corner”, although not before a plethora of party animals passed us by, including the amazing Altina Ha, dressed provocatively for the occasion, although it was the priceless look on Bel’s face that stole this (one of many) magical moment. But while the continual cheeky surprises by the dastardly duo of Mr Steve & Miss Sbardelotto saw us scurrying screaming & embarrassed as we bumped into more surprised familiar faces, we also were determined to delve into dives of “Doing The Disco Matt” moves, Jamie making the task all the more easier with his colossal choices, not least the brilliant “You Better”, which definitely hit the mark. Mind you, the Brazilian bunch were helping us along too, the endearing Eduardo particularly so, the stage showing still yet to ignite into LED & delectable dancer action, although it was already displaying plenty “Disco” delights leaving us in the expectation that we would be suitably stunned, while  our excitable bubbles were bursting boisterously & bountifully, D’Johnny adding to the amazing action as he assumed control of the WE Anniversary D.J. decks, delivering as dynamically as he had done of so many Coronet occasions in the past.  

Dynamic Displays

Now a brief respite for all this audacious action was required, not least to keep our iron lung from imploding, so we took our temporary leave of the WE main auditorium to ascend up into the Room Service space, soon succumbing to the rapturous reception of Jodie Harsh & Kris Di Angelis, our pal of many years playing a storming electro twisted set that had us spinning in an instant, reports coming in that Fat Tony followed in his footsteps flaunting a fantastic set that kept this select space swinging. But, the WE wonderment downstairs was drawing us back, although not before stairwell encounters with foxy female Emma “Miswhite” White who was to later impart on us her pretty vocal views on the quality of the main room music, with the handsome & hunky Nick Ripley, as well as super Spaniard Louis and a dashing but soon departing Mr Pitron who was retiring home to prepare for another brilliant Beyond pitch perfect performance (but that’s for another review!). However, with that expectant stage reveal already complete, we quickly found ourselves in our VIP vantage point, taking in the towering tech triumph that were those WE trademark LED displays, discoball effects, WE sliding signage & plenty more besides captivating us with their colourful castings, the dancers doing their bit to make this stage showing quite stunning, D’Johnny in the zone with a scintillating set that included his own re-work of one of our tunes of 2011, “You Will Remember”, while when he bowed out to WE Spain resident Manuel De Diego, our usual disappointment with his delectations was replaced with applause as he picked on Avicii’s “Levels” to start his stint, before dipping into deeper more euro-beat music melodies that, unlike his previous performance, was very much hitting the mark.

Breathtaking Brilliance

But besides all this, we were wondering what birthday surprises this anniversary event would have in store, although this was soon answered with the surprise arrival of prolific P.A. Peyton, whose appearance caught us a little off guard, the usual electricity of his presence a little lacking compared to that awesome “Attacks” amazement that had left us well & truly breathless in admiration, perhaps the absence of Carlos Gallardo accounting for Mr Christopher’s out of character orations. And from there onwards we found ourselves simply attempting to stay the pace of this “Disco” devoted party, encounters with Room Service’s JJ, doing a sterling job hosting both spaces, while Tom Fuller & Aaron kept us equally occupied & engrossed in what was, in fairness, another fabulous WE foray fantastique, the host of familiar faces making the magical memories on this occasion, a final fling on the dancefloor encouraged by the enigmatic Eduardo, whose invite to join him was a temptation no one could resist. However, we an eye towards the official WE anniversary afterparty and being under strict Steve starting orders, we graced our exit of this exceptional event, waving our goodbye’s to the Brazilian bunch, to Bel & Tom, heading home for a brief respite before succumbing to that pulsating Pitron performance.

Greatness For Granted

So what was our verdict on this WE 1^st anniversary event? Did it meet expectations? or were we expecting too much?, Well, we cannot deny that it has firmly established itself as the premier international clubbing brand in the capital, totally outstripping both SuperMartXe & Matinee which have floundered in the WE wake, yet we cannot escape the fact that, having established this primary position, there is a nagging concern of a touch of complacency creeping in. Yes the LED displays were simply stunning, yes the music was up there with the best we have seen in any WE party, yes The Coronet as a host venue continues to deliver in many respects and yes, you cannot argue with the numbers & footfall that festooned what we have already described as a fabulous foray, so all things considered perhaps we were expecting a bit too much, after all, the host of people we spoke to following the event remarked just how good it was. Plus, we certainly has our fair share of fun, our close companions Steve, Celso, Bel & Eduardo making for magical memories that certainly made this showing stand-out, but we still have a question in our mind that “Disco” fell slightly short of the anniversary accolade audacity we were looking for, perhaps we taking WE’s greatness a little too much for granted or that the “Candy” event earlier in the year was so spectacular that we are being hyper critical as a result. That said, we are sure that WE will be drawing us back very soon and once again showing the capitals clubbing crowd that is can throw one of the most prolific parties in town. (DISCO MATT)