With love and resurrection very much in the air this Valentine’s weekend, we follow on from our preview “Speeding Out Of The Sidings” with a further detailed look at new clubbing collaborative combo, This Is Prohibition, which makes its first sidings showtime splash on the scene this Saturday with its “Love Resurrection” event.
After what can only be described as a lack lustre January on the capitals clubbing circuit, it seems February has really sprung into life and while the weather may not be reminiscent of spring, the new clubbing seeds & shoots are certainly injecting life into a scene that has been crying out for a change to the same old same old. Indeed with new club Baked, now BakeBox, leading the way, Swallow & Butch quickly following and even Deelooded shaking up the scene with a move out east, there has been plenty for party goers to get their teeth into, while it seems that this new blood has awakened experienced hands too, although the very idea of propelling & promoting a new proposition that has the names “Manic & “Panic” in them seems, to us at least, quite preposterous. However, we can be gratified with the much more palatable prospect of a new clubbing combo that brings together a bevy of brilliant brands under one roof, echoing the excellence of previous projects such as Famous Five, Universe and even As One, the new kid on the collaborative clubbing block very much a resurrection of familiars of old making for a compelling new combination that breathes equally new life into a concept that never fails to captivate clubbers.
This Is Prohibition is the brainchild of one Alex Erfan, the man behind brands such as Salvation & Lovechild and who was intrinsically involved in bringing the now massive WE Party to London, Alex’s achievements over the years speak for themselves, a host of other international parties playing out here in the capital due in no part to his involvement, Hustlaball probably the most notable of all. However, in terms of clubbing combo’s Alex can be credited with launching & driving what was a soaring success story that was As One while he was the driving force behind the massive London Global Dance Festival that, in a string of showings over one weekend back in 2010, captivated the capital, boasting international brands & D.J.’s galore, the mere mention of clubs Muccassassina, Propaganda, This Is Ibiza, Delice, Scream, Infinita, & Nightkomm, along with D.J.’s Danny Verde, Phil Romano, Steven Redant, Ana Paula, Ben Manson, Ian Gomez, & Chris Bekker speaking volumes of their own but testament to the contact & networking skills that Mr Erfan has built his reputation on over the years. Indeed, with his connections many international outings, including Delice Dream & The European Gay Ski Week, as well as having toured both Salvation & Lovechild across Europe & beyond, bring brands and being at the centre of collaborations seems to be in his blood, hence is desire to breathe new life into a concept which, with the faltering of As One, seemed to be hitting the buffers.
So let’s recap on The Is Prohibition, both as a concept and as a collaboration, the name itself coming from the period of time in the US during the 1920’s/30’s when there was a national ban on the production, transportation and sale of alcohol, although come Saturday it will be a prohibition of a different kind, the only prohibition being on extortionate drinks prices, as Alex neatly puts it, “…for those seeking alcohol, it will be free flowing on the night, but at what we like to call fair “prohibition” style prices…”. Indeed, while prohibition is the name, it’s very much not the game in terms of restriction on the male or female mix, Mr Erfan keen to stress that “…all the gay tribes are welcome from bear to muscle boys with their best girlfriends to homo thugs and fans of New York house, all with the right love of clubbing attitude…” also saying “…it’s going to be social, sexy, beery and we will dance till dawn…”. And when you take a look at the brands & clubs Alex has brought together, you will see that this will be one pulsating party that has pretty much something for everyone, the fulsome foursome that is Lovechild, Bear Necessity, Queer Nation & Butch sure to each add their own sparkle on the combinative spotlight that will shine bright on this “Love Resurrection” event this Saturday. As for each individual element, well Lovechild makes a welcome return to London on the back of a season of Saturday’s that scored a number of successes over its three year history, while its European excursions have been equally impressive, the combination of seductiveness & showtime simply superb, while Patrick Lilley’s Queer Nation pretty much speaks for itself, reigning an alternative supreme for well over ten years, serving up a heady music mixture of house, rnb, pop & hip hop to a fervent fan base of followers & more. Then, with Bear Necessity, the international brand that once again makes its mark on London, together with new clubbing boy Butch, we have the macho male element to balance against the other two, this combo sure to pull in a marvellous mixture of men & women all looking to party at Prohibition with no inhibitions or indeed prohibitions.
To the music now and This Is Prohibition brings together some simply superb talent from across the capitals clubbing circuit, as well as international players landing on London especially for this creative combo, a terrific ten that while be flying their respective flags for the four brands, Alex thrilled to announce the inclusion of Alan K in the line-up, a man whose repertoire has included Beyond, Gravity, A:M and Later, while the mighty monthly Monday meet Trinity is a big part of his playing package too, recent developments down Vauxhall way having seen Alan spearhead a new direction for venue Covert (more to come on that in a spate feature), while who can forget that stunning set for Lovechild a couple of years ago, when he pretty much stole the show. So with Alan spinning for Lovechild, he will join regular residents Alessandro Londra and the two Tony’s, Messrs Bruno & English and special guest Oliver M, making for a Lovechild room of majestic music you won’t want to miss, while Bear Necessity forms the other big space, Micky Galliano & Sharon O Love flying the flag here. As for Queer Nation, well it wouldn’t be the same without Jeffrey Hinton who heads up a team that includes Mista Pierre & special guest Ben Jamin, while a little birdie tells me that promoter Patrick Lilley might even jump on the decks too, hosts Mark-Ashley Dupe & Clington Forbes sure to keep the party pace pumping all night. Then the final combo piece is Butch, who will be hosting the manly Butch Bar for the beer drinking men, promoter Manu Cartagenero sure to have a selection of spinning stars up his sleeve, while the club plays host to the “official” This Is Prohibition pre-party tomorrow night (Thurs 14th Feb), more info on this out at https://facebook.com/events/124661317711579/.
However, the centre piece of this sidings showtime spectacle will be the P.A. performance from Abigail Bailey, a performer that hit the big time back in 2005 with the huge house hit “I Just Can’t Get Enough”, while Chris Lake’s “Changes”, Soul Central’s “Time After Time” and another huge house hit “Something On Your Mind” all have Abigail’s strong vocal influence. And while she is also a respected D.J., having headlined many club events both in the U.K. and internationally, it is her production work that still plays a major part in her life, with no less than thirty single/EP releases to date, “Touch Me” & “Breath Away” from 2009 two of our favourites, while her recent studio work with Nick Tcherniak produced the download chart topping “Sundance”, this on top of releases on labels such as MOS, Defected, Toolroom and Pacha Records, there is no doubting both Abigail’s production pedigree and pulling power. So, having worked in on a new track with Pacha’s own Tony English, This Is Prohibition is thrilled to premiere & showcase the result, the new single, “Love Resurrection”, getting on exclusive live performance airing on Saturday and one we cannot wait to both hear & see, while we are sure she will also treat us to a couple of classics from her hoard of hits. Ms Bailey aside, This Is Prohibition will be rolling out plenty of performance eye candy in the form of a sexy stud troupe from the Alphamale stable, porn star Marco Sessions one of the many macho males on stage both in the Lovechild & Bear Necessity rooms, while we are also promised with a deluge of drop dead gorgeous dancers, special effects & lighting to ignite this warehouse style clubbing combo which takes place at the newly formed venue, The Sidings Warehouse (formerly The Arches), one which has a real clubbing heritage, having been the home to XXL, as well as hosting the legendary 18th & 20th birthday bashes for the mother of clubbing, Trade.
So to the detail and This Is Prohibition “Love Resurrection” event, which brings together brands Lovechild, Bear Necessity, Queer Nation & Butch, takes place this Saturday (16th February) at the Sidings Warehouse in Southwark (51-53 Southwark St., London SE1), doors opening at 11.30 p.m. and this Valentine’s event running through to a planned 6 a.m. finish, advance tickets on sale via Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & Fifty Dean as well as online at http://clubtickets.com/gb/2013-02/16/this-is-prohibition, the early bird tickets now sold out, while the standard £10 options remain extremely good value for money and fit the ethos of This Is Prohibition perfectly and, what’s more, the team will be keeping the door entry price down too, this on top of the extremely reasonable bar prices, coatcheck and other costs that make this exceptional event a true budget busting bash, the team quite rightly boasting that This Is Prohibition is “… going to be social, sexy, beery and we will dance till dawn…” adding “…with Bear Necessity coming out of hibernation and Queer Nation first event in 12 months it really is a club resurrection for love on this night of love…” as well as reaffirming that “…all the gay tribes are welcome from bear to muscle boys with their best girlfriends to homo hip happener’s fans of New York house, all with the right love of clubbing attitude…”. And with a reminder of the official pre-party hosted by Butch at East Bloc starts the This Is Prohibition ball rolling tomorrow night (Thurs 14th Feb), as well as a special guest, pre-party ahead on the event itself on Saturday from 10.30 p.m., more information available via the This Is Prohibition page at https://facebook.com/ThisIsProhibition.
So, as we fight off a nasty viral bug that has derailed our devotions, this marks our own speeding from the sidings and with best foot forward we will be at the centre of this superb sidings showtime spectacle, so if you see us out on Saturday, then come say hi, but regardless of us, we reckon that This Is Prohibition is a must meet meaning you should definitely “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
