Having firmly established itself as the brightest shining star on the spurning Shoreditch scene, a bevy of brilliant brands choosing it as their heavenly home, we take an in-depth look at the excellence that is East Bloc, from its lowly beginnings to the trendsetting turn it has become and what lies in store for this hotspot on the clubbing circuit & soiree scene
In the bygone years of our clubbing when we were still fresh faced & bushy tailed, much of the action centred around Soho & the west end, a whole host of venues such as Heaven, The Hippodrome, Cafe de Paris, & Hanover Grand, sporting brands such as Salvation, Factor 25, & Sherbert, while a plethora of parties peppered the area, the likes of Substation, Fuct & DTPM all within walking distance of Compton St, the then main gay drag. But the two biggies on the scene were Love Muscle at The Fridge in Brixton which sorted Saturday’s, while Trade at Turnmills in Farringdon was the real ground breaker and has since attained near legendary status, no Sunday morning of ours quite the same unless were treading its dancefloor boards. That said, an underground revolution was about to shift the spotlight from both Trade & its central London clubbing compatriots, even Love Muscle’s nose being pushed out of joint with the launch of Crash in the then little known Vauxhall, while the history books on this originally scruffy suburb as the new epicentre of clubbing, burgeoning brands such as Beyond, Orange, Later & Gravity, would record plenty of rollercoaster ups & downs, some venues & promoters locking horns, others working & dovetailing together, leaving what was the hub of the capitals clubbing scene dominated by one particular player, whose destructive demeanour, particularly in recent years, has damaged both businesses & individuals beyond belief.
So it comes a no surprise that a sizable proportion of those individuals, businesses &, moreover, club promoters affected by the strong arm tactics we have hinted towards, have run for the hills from the previous honey pot trappings & then vibrancy of Vauxhall, licking their wounds that have seen, in some cases, the cessation of clubs, Crash without doubt the biggest casualty, a crying shame given that it was this brilliant brand that put Vauxhall on the clubbing map in the first place. However, the saying goes that you can’t keep a good man down, the good man in this equation being one Wayne Shires, the plucky promoter whose vision for bringing a sense of NYC underground to London in his creation Crash was nearly as groundbreaking for Saturday nights as Trade was for Sunday mornings. However, while those wonderful days have long gone, the world of Wayne Shires making waves on the capitals clubbing circuit hasn’t, as, in vacating Vauxhall, he searched out what was then a much more secluded spot & alternative area that has now become a sizzling scene hotspot, Shoreditch firmly on the map, due in no part to Mr Shires & his gem of a venue on Old Street. And the wily old fox Wayne (less of the old we hear him say) & his fabulous foresight has short of made history repeat itself, as the revolution in clubbing that was Crash has manifested itself in the equally umber underground, East Bloc, a venue of real vitality with a creative collection of cutting edge clubbing brands.
With that prolific initial picture painted, let’s delve deeper into the enthrallingly exceptional East Bloc, a relatively unassuming place from the outside, indeed, the first time we sent ourselves on a sortie to this superb Shoreditch spot, we missed it completely, although being the daytime it was no wonder, as the venue does, from its street level entrance, blend into its surroundings unless you know exactly what you are looking for. However, at night East Bloc is pretty unmissable, as even the outside area is a hive of activity, not least the hoards of people that flock to the place, while just like Dr Who’s tardis, once you have descended the entrance stairs to this uber cool underground club, it opens out into the kind of space that, for us, truly evokes everything about Wayne’s Crash style clubbing vision that clearly remains alive & kicking in East Bloc, that vision being a place where people meet, socialise, dance, & listen to great groundbreaking music, all with a decadent, debaucherous yet clubbing collective feel, where everyone is part of something quite special & selective, the crowds East Bloc attracts evoking this at each & every event. And this has manifested itself in some of the most cutting edge brands on the capitals clubbing circuit, choosing East Bloc as their base, DISH, Gutterslut & WAR three of its big hitter, while Friday night frolic, Super Electro Party Machine is certainly proving the scene sensation of 2013, others joining the East Bloc underground & alternative revolution including Queer Nation, Bootylicious, Songs Of Praise, TheMenWhoFell2Earth & Trannyshack.
But all this comes after lots are hard work in developing East Bloc, the early days of Disco Fag Bar seeing Mr Shires & this Shoreditch spot make its first splash on the scene and while there was only measured success at this stage, in MEAT, the team had a brand that really helped put them on the map, even the might of extended Beyond’s failing in their quest to quell the popularity of this party, the linking up with Room Service for the infamous “Downtown” events only serving to strengthen Shoreditch’s appeal as the fresh faced & forward thinking place to be & be seen. Then you add to the mix, the terrific team Wayne has built around him, names from Crash days of old such as Tom Stephan, Princess Julia & Severino, Factor 25 & DTPM man, Laurent Chaumet is also a regular warming & welcoming face on East Bloc’s front door, others names that have recently thrown their support in both performing & promotions terms including Kris Di Angelis, QBoy, Tony Fletcher, Patrick Lilley, Manu Cartenegro & Jeffrey Hinton, while the is a significant scene swell of young blood such as Mark Ashley Dupe, JoshYouAre, Kane Luke & La Peqena, who are pulling in their fervent followers, the youth of today but the seasoned clubbers of tomorrow, all combining to make East Bloc a real torre de force to be reckoned with. Add to that the re-introduction of the now iconic Summer Rites festival, this year’s celebration looking like the biggest yet.
And we couldn’t think of a batter way to wrap up this special feature than pointing the way to our upcoming preview of Summer Rites, while with an East Bloc run-up to this exceptional event of equally enthralling expeditions, the spotlight is very much shining on Shoreditch & the superb Shires schedule of shindigs at this sizzling mover & shaker on the scene, as the future is definitely bright on this sunny side of town. (DISCO MATT)
