With Saturday & Sunday seemingly being all about Steve, Steve & Steven, Disco Matt steps out of the scene shadow in what already looks like a whirlwind weekend of amazing action from start to finish, picking out his top of the tree choices of where to be & be seen in Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch.
As we approach another wonderful weekend on the capitals clubbing circuit scene, it seems there is an unstoppable wave of enthusiasm for extending exceptional events into the path of party goers that simply will not let the word austerity into their dance diary dictionaries. And while there has been a host of heavyweight happenings over the last handful of weeks, the scene certainly is pausing for breath on this third February Friday, Saturday & Sunday, we go in-depth on a trio of towering turns (well four actually) that are floating our boat & should be floating yours too.
Profile Bar Boy Beauts
So first we head into Soho and to our favourite hip & happening hangout in this part of town, the creative combo that is Profile & Lo-Profile on Wardour St, these un-identical twins going from strength to strength, week on week and like all the best in the business, is far from resting on its laurels. And looking at Profile first, while the weekend format continues along the same winning formula line, tonight (Fri 17th) seeing one of our protégé player’s, Junior (aka Celso) Moura warm up the start to your weekend & get into the Casa groove from 8.30 till 11.30 p.m., this on the back of an appearance for “Society” last week, his uplifting vocal house along with a blend of Brazilian beats ticking all the boxes. Then on Saturday (that’s tomorrow) it’s the turn of scene stalwart Rob Sykes to sort the sounds, while we cannot escape mentioning the gorgeous bar team (especially one!) who are enough to pull any crowd with their charming & attentive service, that including a happy hour each day when its 2 for 1 on standard spirits & mixers & £2 a pint Stella, plus cocktail pitchers for just £14. Add to that the week day evening meal offers, now including “Masala Monday’s” when its £10 for two Indian curry dishes, while Tuesday’s is steak night & Wednesday’s mark another 2 for 1 offer, this time of Profile’s brilliant burgers. Now we would say, pop onto the net & check out their website at http://profilesoho.com for more details, although it appears to be a tad out of date, so we will have a word when we swing by tonight.
Porn-tastic Playtime
Onto downstairs and it’s another busy weekend for Lo-Profile with house brand’s “Playtime” & “ClubNation” taking up residence on tonight & tomorrow respectively, Jay Roberts having his hands full with a bevy of porn stars come escorts as Hustlaball’s Jeffrey Davids rolls into town to oversee the London leg of the “Mr Hookies 2012” competition which last year was held at Ku Bar, the team finding it a little compact & bijou for the boys to bare their assets for all to see. So, choosing “Playtime” as the place this year is a terrific tie in, as the theme’s of both events run in tandem. And Mr Roberts is upping the ante with his porn-tastic party, telling us that we should “…get your harness fitted (tick), polish up your leather boots (tick), grow out that stubble (tricky) & leave off the cologne (please no!)...” adding that “…these are commands not requests (yes sir), as Playtime gets XXXtra dirty with hardcore hunks Spencer Reed & Scott Hunter, their bedroom manner more like the farmyard & the demands for your attentiveness knowing no bounds, all meaning that the podium action should be every bit as hot as the banging in Jay’s backroom boudoir. And banging out the beats will be the dynamic duo of D’Johnny & Steve Artis, the Berlin based Swede & the London based German sure to drench the dancefloor with loads of deep & tech house, all making for an XXXtra pron-tastci night to remember down Wardour Street way. Then, fast forwarding to Saturday (18th Feb), it’s just a little calmer in the hands of ClubNation, the new night that launched last weekend and this week sports two towering talents on the capitals clubbing scene, Mikey D & Jamie Head, both going back-to-back in an extended set from start to finish, although with Mikey’s services required south of the river at some point, he will be juggling ClubNation with Casa Latina, but a double dose of Dower definitely helps the musical medicine go down, details of all these happenings & more available at http://loprofile.com.
Terrific & Superb Steve Thomas
Onward to Vauxhall and it pretty much goes without saying that the Orange Group once again tops our tower of tips, a whole host of parties to choose from beginning with Onyx & ending in Orange, although it is the filling in the multi layered sandwich that we concentrate on here, A:M the first and one that kicks off a littler earlier than usual at 3 a.m. tomorrow morning (Sat 17th Feb) at Fire, the “Headliners” theme continuing as promoter Steven Sharp welcomes back Trade original Steve Thomas to the decks, he who kicked off this season of headliners back in September, Mr Sharp remarking of a fellow tremendous talent, “…Steve recently guested on the Main Floor at Beyond to rapturous applause, so come and see why this Saturday morning…” while we would add that having captivated us week in week out in the Turnmills days of Trade, Steve continues to cut a significant stride on the scene, whether it be on the dancefloor or in the recording studio, a long list of releases with fellow Trade man Nick Tcherniak, hitting the high notes on worldwide download charts, while his appearance for Trade on Christmas day was one of our huge highlights. So, with Steve in the driving seat, the cast of supporting musical artists include Fat Tony, Jamie Head & D’Johnny, all in a main room that will surely rock from start to finish, while if you fancy it a little more deep & RAW, then the lounge space sports David Jimenez, this on top of host Danny Boyce pandering to your every whim and the marvellous Minty meeting & greeting you in her inimitable yet loveable fashion. With A:M Headliners sending you deep into Saturday, the event running to a planned 10 a.m. finish, entry is just £8 before 5 a.m. with a flyer, ad or Facebook invite, or £12 otherwise, further details available direct from the event page at http://facebook.com/events/299624366764277/.
Disco Dynamite
As for our other sandwich filler, well it could only be one and that is Beyond, the awesome afterhours that has been at the top of its game for over a decade now and shows no sign of slowing down. However, with an unhealthy handful of “Midnight” events filling the clubbing calendar so far this year, we are pleased to say that our favourite club of all time returns to a more regular timing for this “Official Casa Latina Afterparty” party, well to a slightly earlier than normal 4 a.m. in what has been called an “Early Disco Doors” event this Sunday morning (19th Feb). So, while many will still be cavorting at Casa (more on that in a mo), across Vauxhall, this awesome afterhours will be stoking up a head of steam that will see all three rooms swing into action virtually simultaneously, the “Beyond Da Disco” terrace space in the healthy hands of Jonny M, The Oli & Jamie Head, while further in and the “Beyond RAW” Chapel will feature deep house hard hitters Paul Christian, D’Johnny & Hifi Sean, our discoballs dude fresh from a short season stint down under but is jet lag free & ready to rock. However, it’s the main room that will surely get the lion’s share of devotions, as The Sharp Boys & Alan K do their own sound sandwiching, the man in the middle being all star resident Steve Pitron who rolls out an extended two & a half hour set and one sure to see us jump on that emotional rollercoaster ride from our spot, whether it be down on the dancefloor or that new privileged position next to the master at work. Add to that the prolific podium prancers headed up by Elektra Paris & Shaun Capewell and, while the doors times may be a little different, the magic of Beyond as we know it well will surely be the same. And talking of those doors, a reminder that (did we make it clear enough?!) that they open at 4 a.m., the club running through to a planned midday finish, your exceptional entry in the hands of the marvellous Minty & inside, Danny Boyce hosting as only he knows best. In terms of tickets, you can grab your online at http://orangenation.co.uk or via the usual Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & 50, priced at just £10, while more will be available on the door but expect to pay more (£15 to be precise), we leaving it to the superb Steven Sharp to say “…the whole team are proud that Beyond rocks London like no other afterhours in the city or indeed the UK! The past few weeks have been so busy and we thank you all for your incredible support…”, and we second that emotion, enough said!!!
Catwalk Celebration
Right, to our third gay mecca on the capitals clubbing circuit, Shoreditch, the spot on City Road getting our Best Bite focus this week, East Bloc like the others we have chosen, riding a wonderful wave crest of popularity at present, not least with brands such as Gutterslut, Meat, TheMenWhoFell2Earth, & SOS propelling that popularity much further than the venue’s promoter Wayne Shires could ever have wished for when East Bloc opened just over 2 years ago. And it is SOS. that takes centre stage this Saturday (18th Feb), celebrating the upcoming London Fashion Week with, in the words of head honcho Jim Warboy, “…kicks it’s high heels into full pace, gathering all fashion mavericks, unfashionable trendsetters and head-turning traffic stoppers to experience another underworld party where style is definitely not over substance…” he adding that you should “…dress up, dress down, dress to express, or even undress – it’s your call…” all very much hinting towards the SOS philosophy of all styles suit, how do they put it, shoe gazing muses, earth-shaking booties, stargazing musos, trans twisted beauties, that’s SOS. And that extends to the music too, as the team welcome special guest D.J. Neville Watson to the decks, bringing with him a blend of raw deep & pumping house that has seen him hit the heights with numerous influential genre labels including Clone, Dissident and Mule, while the underground element of East Bloc should suit him well, having played at the world renowned Twilo, Berghain & Panorama Bar. Then, joining Mr Watson on the main room “Catwalk” will be Jim Warboy (naturally) and rising star of Shoredtich Ilona International, while Andy Blake, who has been busy launching his new label “In Plain Sight”, will be there too, all these SOS stars turning up the tech & acid house heat. But with the “Dupes Den” sporting El Moreno & Niyi Maximus Crown turning out RnB hits, while Jacqui Potato (AKA fashion expert, Julian J Smith) & Jonathan Bestley will be picking pop, showtunes & tranny mash, this is definitely a musical mix for all seasons & scenesters. Then, with Doghouse, who made an impact in the early days of SOS with their vivacious vogueing will be taking to the catwalk to give away a limited number of tote bags full of Doghouse goodies., while these SOS doors at East Bloc will be opening at 10 p.m. with entry a mere £6 Before midnight, £10 after that and then, for late arrivals, its just £5 after 4 a.m., the club running v late, host Scottee making sure you have a wayout & whacky time, living up to the reputation that this is “…one of the capital’s most outrageous and brilliant parties…”, more info, should you need it, available at http://sosnow.co.uk.
Well, that’s our Best Bite choices of where to be & be seen on the scene, although with time against us, our planned Short Shouts part of this newsletter will not be making it o press this week. However, with a reputable reference & equally large listing, we highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this week’s Boyz Magazine, or better still go online to http://boyz.co.uk where you can still cast your vote in their “20th Anniversary” scene awards, as your vote for your favourite bar, club, event, business, D.J. & more, really does count. So, safe in the knowledge that you have all the armoury to make an informed decision on who, where & when to lay your clubbing come socialising hat this weekend, we wish you an enjoyable one. As for us, well, it seems that, after an unforeseen circumstances absence from the scene, we will be back this weekend, planned trips to Profile & Lo-Profile tonight, followed by Casa Latina tomorrow & Beyond on Sunday morning, may also include A:M. So, if you see us out, come say hi, if not try follow our live nibble size review tweets at http://twitter.com/discomatt, but most importantly, make sure you Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)