Recommends – “Tasty Turn Turns One” – DISH “The First Birthday” – Saturday 12th January – Weekend Focus

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First there was MEAT and then came DISH, both the brainchild of Superchumbo, better known in London as Tom Stephan, the D.J./Producer who has successfully turned his hand to club promoting too. And as DISH turns one this Saturday (12th Jan), we thought it just & proper to parcel up our own birthday present in the form of a focus fanfare, looking at the club, some of its key players & what main’s sides & dessert to expect on Saturday.

When we look back across our times clubbing here in the capital, there are a few familiar faces that were around when we first made it big, we are talking the nineties darling, a period when Trade reigned supreme on a Sunday, Love Muscle still scored highly on a Saturday & Soho was a hot bed of activity, Substation one of THE places to be & be seen (or sometimes not depending on where in the club you were) on the scene. But the big clubbing news back then was the launch of the now legendary club Crash which was, justifiably so, the forefather of the scene that we see today down in Vauxhall, this brilliant brand’s promoter, Wayne Shires, bringing many notable names to the eyes & ears of clubbers, Steve Pitron, Jamie Head, Tasty Tim, Brent Nicholls & many more emerging stars of that time, while from day one, this underground giant sported the towering talents of one Tom Stephan, the two forming a friendship which has remained as strong some fifteen years down the line as it was around the time of Crash’s opening. And while our beloved club is no more, much other water having flown under the proverbial bridge that saw Wayne & Tom up Vauxhall sticks & head east, what they have managed to retain from those halcyon Crash days, is the sense of clubbing intrigue, excitement & anticipation, along with a cutting edge style that was the prolific package we called “Underground” back then.

 

So while Vauxhall under the auspices of Orange Nation has taken clubbing to a different level, heading out east to the Old Street area of Shoreditch and what you will find is a slice of south of the river nostalgia, not quite the Crash that we knew then and still look back on with fabulous fondness now, but a set up pretty similar, nowhere near the size or scale of its predecessor, but with all the enthralling elements that made Crash loved & adored by so many. And this slice of nostalgia?, Well its East Bloc of course, the compact, bijou & uber trendy underground venue on City Road which, from the outside looks pretty unassuming, yet, once down the stairs, opens out into a labyrinth of rooms & passageways that transport you from the stark city life outside, into a seductive set of spaces that intrigue & excite, the off the wall decor speaking its own statement and echoing those memories of Crash old but now very much East Bloc new. And with a family of club brands having made the place their home, despite its small size, Wayne Shires has created a club venue that had made a big impact, one very much at the core of the Shoreditch movement which gathered steams a couple of years ago and now pulls in crowds not too far removed from Room Service, Circus, & Lo-Profile (as was), while even elements of the Vauxhall crowd now make it across, the likes of Gutterslut, SOS, Songs Of Praise, & Super Electro Party Machine attracting them over.

 

And within all this has been the endured friendship & working relationship between Wayne & Tom Stephan, the first real step in a clubbing brand concept being Disco Fag Bar, which kind of started the whole East Bloc movement off, although it would be MEAT that would propel Tom in the club promotions spotlight, at the time he running the club alongside former studio partner, a fellow D.J./Producer & club promoter, our Shoreditch son, Kris Di Angelis, the off-shoot special, Downtown, pulling in Jodie Harsh. Yet while MEAT was hugely successful, it barely ran past its first anniversary, Tom & Kris going their separate ways, Mr Stephan sticking with the winning formula that made MEAT so successful, but switching the name to DISH,  a club & concept that has been running since January last year and so, naturally, this coming Saturday (11th Jan), celebrates its 1st birthday. Indeed, we know Tom & fellow DISH promoter, Borja Pena, are excitedly expectant of an even hotter looking crowd than usual, the club having gained a ravenous reputation for pulling in stunning looking lads who are up for more than just one course of cavorting, rather taking in DISH’s scrumptious starters, marvellous mains & delicious desserts, aka the three rooms of fun that the club serves in on a prolific party platter each & every month. Plus, with the stylish west end set mixing with the east end trendies, DISH is a magnificent melting pot of a meet that marries men & music in a menu of madcap melays that has much much more, while don’t be put off with our play with words as this is not a men only club, not at all, plenty of gorge girls diving into DISH too.

 

So that’s DISH in a dinner plate size delectation, but what about this Saturday’s shindig? Well, as we have already hinted, it’s the clubs first birthday, so we highly suspect an extra cake course to add to the other three, the starters very much looked after by Maitre d’s, Laurent & Benoit who will be masterminding your safe & smooth passage through East Bloc’s doors & to your tables of fun, your servers come hosts, La Pequeña, Kane Luke, Melvin & Andrew Moore pandering to your every whim. But DISH’s main course of music is what you will want to tuck into and what a course it is, as the mighty Superchmbo will be serving up an underground house heaven of a set to savour, he joined by Borja Pena’s who’s electro twisted & tech toned house makes for a perfect accompaniment to Tom’s brilliant beats, very much making a delightful DISH of main room music to marvel at. However, no main dish is complete without a couple of portions of sides and so across in East Bloc’s second space the team do just that with Mark-Ashley Dupé & Scott Webster sorting the sounds with two scrumptious sets, while the team tell us to expect a few surprises too, having lamented on DISH, “…we have served you some of the tastiest parties in 2012. One roadblock after another, just stuffing our faces with the hottest boys and the most sweet ass beats London has to offer…” adding that “…on 12th January we celebrate our first birthday and our gift to you is what we’ve all been asking for- MORE!…” in what will surely prove an “…all-you-can-eat feast for your senses!…”. So, with DISH serving from 10.30 p.m. this Saturday (12th Jan) & running till 6 a.m., its just £7 on the door before midnight & then £10 after, while an early arrival is advised to guarantee entry to your table, while wearing a DISH t-shirt will get you in free before 12, further info, should you need it, out on events page http://facebook.com/events/128493743978850/.

 

Well, we certainly need no further convincing to head across to East Bloc & dive into DISH,  meaning this Oliver will be definitely be asking for more, more & more on Saturday, so if you see us, come say hi, of course making sure you “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)



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About discomatt

The History........................................................Created in 2008 after a short period of blogging under his real name, the pseudonym, “Disco Matt”, was born on the back of a reputation for being London’s original party boy having partied and clubbed across the London gay scene since in mid 1990’s.........................................................Through his series of blogs via individual blogging pages which soon morphed into a full blown website (http://discomatt.com), Disco Matt established himself as an independent journalist come columnist who quickly gained a reputation for supporting & promoting one of the world’s most prolific clubbing scenes. He previewed, reviewed & recommended London gay clubs, as well as the diverse gay/metrosexual London club/bar culture, linking to & reviewing the scene top D.J.’s and generally covering the gay scene including international gay events....................................................Regularly reporting on the top events across the scene, Disco Matt’s reviews, over the years, developed a strong following, not just by clubbers, D.J’s, promoters, music producers & scene faces, but people far and wide that were looking for an insight to the incredible scene that was London. He also previewed upcoming events that signalled, either a major change or update of existing clubs, new ventures on the gAylist/metrosexual scene, or where he considered events that deserved more comprehensive coverage to that provided in other posts.............................................However, having pretty much reached the top of his game in his chosen specific field, due to a number of personal predicaments, challenges & changes in his life priorities, Disco Matt parked his writing and operation in February 2014. While the burning desire to continue remained, what this much needed period of inactivity did provide was the time & space to re-think & re-focus his activities on a broader spectrum of media and entertainment............................................................So, following this long two year lay-off, he built up the foundations for this diversification into the areas of film, theatre, radio & television where his reviewing, recommending & reporting was to be replicated & resurrected, also pointing his promotions through more visuals & video's linked to all these areas along with his core activities and passions ................................................................................The Present....................................After another (shorter) period of lay-off from mid 2016, a life changing event reignited his passion and early into 2017, Disco Matt has delivered on his promise for a new, more modern look to his website, shedding the old & tired skin in favour of something far more in keeping with the times and with his blogging roots. And he has waived a fond farewell to his clubbing days, this having also been ditched from his site & activity, rather now just focussing on the genres of film, theatre, radio, television, video and of course, music, in so doing, aiming to broaden his appeal to a much wider audience interested in the latest most cutting edge areas of media & entertainment.............................................................................His aim is to be highly regarded across the industry for his writing in these fields and ultimately become a full time critic in film &/or theatre.