While we may not be there each & every week, it is pretty much a certainty that when Steve Pitron is playing, we will be right on our spot savouring the enormity of our favourite afterhours, this Sunday having been one such occasion when a terrific two hours of heavenly house music & audacious antics simply had to be review recorded for playful posterity.
There is little doubt in our minds that this has been a desolate year for reviews, our minds having been occupied with all sorts of other matters, both family & personally, meaning our focus on both clubbing & reporting on it, has ground to a virtual stop. Indeed, our stepping out on the scene in 2012 has not been a patch on the previous year (and year’s) although there has been one constant, if not quite so frequent, being a brand that seemingly continues to ride a wonderful wave crest compared with others who have come crashing into shore during this period of austerity we find ourselves within. So, while there has been much doom & gloom to distract us from our duties, come a Sunday in the hands of our favourite clubbing colossus, combined with the music magnificence of the master of this morning make-out, we have been able to escape the entrapments of our woes & worries, sinking ourselves into the brilliance of Beyond and the splendours of a Steve Pitron set on more than a few occasions this year. Plus, with our weekend already having been dominated by horrific happenings just days before, it was definitely time for some enthralling escapism of the dancing dervish kind, this awesome afterhours having outstandingly obliged before and was set to do just that again.
Having missed out on a Friday frolic at The Roof Gardens & a Saturday shindig at Fire, with us sleeping through a similar amount of alarms, it was looking like we were about to make it three, although something stirred us both physically & emotionally to step into Sunday with a sense of satisfaction, knowing that the winning formula of Beyond & Steve Pitron was the lift we were looking for, especially after a nightmare ridden three days of sleep that had left us feeling languid & lacklustre. Plus, with Steve taking the six till eight slot in the main room, we were always going to feel it too tempting a prospect to resists, this on top of a handful of heavenly new house tracks which we were dying to hear play out in Beyond, having witnessed their wonder just the previous Friday at Play>Time, while the gagging order on the details of these dance devotions was strictly in force meaning we would have to be quite guarded with our usual enthusiastic nibble size tweets. But, while we were initially planning to remain incognito, our arrival was greeted by a number of familiar faces, not least Peter & Fabio to took it on themselves to tag our presence, the proverbial cat now very much out of the bag, a further flood of familiar faces including Craig Elder, Ben Kaye, Tom Fuller
However, the one face we were not expecting to see, plus the guy we had let down with our previous club outing absences, was Zach Burns, his arrival on our spot at Beyond catching us a little by surprise, although pleasantly so, his playful antics set to be a big part of our terrific two hours even if there would be one other that would dominate this department. So, with a pitstop for refreshments over & done with, our return was welcomed by Peter who had been summoned by Steve to act as a search party, we seemingly already missed on our spot, even though it was mere minutes. But with the status quo restored & Zach in playful mood, pinning us into the corner, an inadvertent spillage left a considerable puddle to wade through, we remaking that it seemed our waters had broken, perhaps producing twins of the REC kind (you had to be there), while further excitement erupted our emotions as the greeting swung into action and to top it all the much anticipated appearance of the “lady in the loft” left us laughing & splitting our sides, Steve the only one to put two & two together. But it was the music that was to carry us to new & heavenly heights, Mr Pitron in fabulous form, choosing those tunes we had hoped he would, the ace in his pack of playing tricks reducing us to joyful tears, head in hands as its enormity erupted our emotions. But with plenty more on offer, not least the marvellous “My World”, the stupendous “Sun Rising Up” in 2012 remix form, & the hypnotic “Heat Of The Night”, we were certainly being treated to a pseudo Steve “Summer 2012” rundown, although it would be the stunning “Sotto” with its exploding horn effects that would really tip our scales.
Time was now absolutely flying by, such was the terrific time we were having, loads more familiar faces showing themselves on our spot, including the adorable Alfie as well as the D.J.’ing duo of Alan K & Paulo Moreno, both playing straight after Steve, although it was Mr Pitron that was grabbing most of our attention, a barrage of cups & other objects being playfully lobbed over the Beyond main room D.J. booth in our direction, even Peter & Fabio looking surprised at all the tom foolery. Mind you, with screams of MAAAATTTT also coming in our direction, & Bel’s boisterousness overflowing, we were having a wail of a time, even Zach joining in on the fun, grabbing us in an impromptu waltzing dance hold & spinning us around on our spot as the main room master selected the marvellous “My World”, this Taito Tikaro dream of a dancing devotion receiving a rapturous reception, as had the whole of Steve’s set, the lighting in the hands of Smalls at its brilliant best & even a barrel load of exploding effects making this feel much more like the Beyond of old. But like all the best things in life, this terrific two hours came to an end all too soon, Messrs Adams & Moreno taking Beyond on a more intense & full-on banging beats direction, Alan’s new track selections floating our boat for a while, but the Moreno influence not a patch on Mr Pitron’s pulsating performance, meaning it wasn’t long before we called it a day, retiring to the rest & relaxation of our bolt hole home to reflect on yet another magnificent morning in the hands of one of Beyond’s best.
In a year where we have seen plenty of downs & not near enough ups, there is one certainty that is sure to make us feel good about ourselves, at least for a while and it is the brilliance of Beyond and while the club has had its fair share of knocks this year, it continues to lead the way on the capitals clubbing circuit as the most popular & successful brand by a long shot. And in the hands of new promoter Ben Kaye, we look forward to promising times ahead for our most favourite of clubs, the linking up with Deviate just gone & a big bank holiday to come, while Beyond continues to make an impact overseas, having played its part at The Circuit festival in Barcelona & climaxes XLsior in Mykonos this weekend. But its back here in London that Beyond seems at its best and, despite the doom & gloom of the economy, this colossal club continues to pull in the punters, the winning formula that is the magnificent music in the hands of the dream team of D.J.’s, while having been meddled with more than we would like, is still the best of any club we know. With key players that include The Sharp Boys, Paul Christian, Alan K & Fat Tony, Ben has an enormous amount of experience to draw upon, we hoping that the likes of Hifi Sean, The Oli & Jamie Head will once again become the permanent resident fixtures they always were & should be. However, there can be no denying that, regardless of a handful of also ran’s in the weekly line-up, Steve Pitron is one of the most formidable forces to be reckoned with, the crowds reactions to his scintillating sets speaking for themselves, while he never fails to tip our emotional, physical & mental scales superbly, the entertainment he emits enthralling & the feel good factor fabulous, meaning that two more terrific hours, just like the ones this week, we couldn’t ever wish for. (DISCO MATT)