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Posts Tagged ‘Barcode Soho’
July 1, 2011 | 
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Bitter Sweet Soiree Swansong
We look back over the last three years, having seen a myriad of club nights, events & other occasions come & go, while for those that remain, as well as those newcomers making their mark, we can count on one hand the clubs that have had a meaningful impression upon us, one in particular very much responsible for our existence and one that can boast having formed & cemented some of our firmest friendships. Industri, having been launched back in January 2008, quickly established itself as a splendid social soiree, indeed the innovator of the modern day week night gathering, a mantle very much taken up by newer clubs Room Service & Gigolo. With a unique selling point in the form of a formidable threesome, social scenestress Minty & her boys Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron, the early days saw a succession of prolific parties at its original week night slot & home, Thursdays at Barcode Vauxhall.
However, with mixed fortunes after the one year itch making the host venue management team take an uncommitted stance, thus breaking up the back-to-back magic, followed by a switch from Vauxhall to Soho as well from a Thursday to a Wednesday, the writing was pretty much on the wall. So, with the added nail into the Industri coffin coming with the announcement that Barcode Soho had been sold to the highest bidder, a subsequent power struggle ensued over the rights to Industri as a brand, leaving us in the knowledge that “The Last Dance” was an inevitable conclusion to what had been, in our view, a six month slide in this splendid social soiree following the venue switch, the sad day arriving with a sudden announcement that left us catching our breath. But rather than being melancholy about the curtain call on Minty’s marvel, with the bit between our teeth to drum up support for this final fling, we rallied support & made plans to brush our recent injuries aside and strike a pose at what was sadly to turn out as a bitter sweet soiree swansong.
Minty & Her Boys
Arriving at Barcode’s doors at just shy of 9.30 p.m. a good half an hour intro proceedings, we were somewhat surprised to find it virtually empty, the lights still blazing & a district lack of music, the duo of Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron struggling to get the anarchic sound system working, the walls of the bar having been stripped of branding & the place looking pretty sorry for itself. Finding a spot out of harm’s way so as to avoid irritating our repairing bones, we waited patiently as a smattering of Industri faithful began to arrive, clubbing pal Stephen aka Miss Cougar, quickly followed by fabulous friend Tom Fuller, other Industri originals including Chris Wilcox, Kym Oliver, Jeremy Moeder, & David Robins, all making their homage to this last dance affair. And with the crowd beginning to swell to a reasonable size, we content in our corner, resting our iron lung, while The Candyman’s delivery seemed to be going down well, Industri in these pseudo Barcode Soho surroundings was feeling much more like the good old days, especially with both Brent & Paul playing back-to-back, a succession of superb sounds bringing back so many good memories, even the more recent Industri faithful additions revelling in the rapture of this curtain call to this social soiree splendour.
With Barcode now buzzing and we comfortable with our lot, not least being in the captivating company & conversation with the tip top Tom Fuller, it was down to the music to also do some of the talking, the proverbial fat lady singing as Mr Nicholls astounding us with one unbelievable remix after the next, Abba’s “Lay All Your Love On Me” quickly followed by Elvis Presley’s “Blue Suede Shoes”, we declaring to Tom that it could only be Industri. And with Minty strutting her stuff in a-typical style, we were tempted to invoke an improtu “Doing The Disco Matt” session, although preferred the comfort of our stool as a wave of familiar faces popped across to say hello, clubber Miss Cougar now enacting her trademark moves that always leave us is hysterics, this occasion being no exception, But back to the music & with Paul back in control, we sank into a succession of sublime sounds, not least the pulsating “Pressure” and then the truly terrific 2011 take on the classic “You’ve Got The Love”, his final spins hitting our musical mark magnificently, while a marshmallow missile also hit its intended mark, striking us while our back was turned towards the bar, a prank that proved a bitter end to this sweet soiree swansong, not quite the memory of Industri we were expecting to walk away with, “Bitch Lady” seemingly the most appropriate track to end with, not least describing our feelings towards the missile throwing madman.
Onto Pastures New
Wending our way home to reflect on a milestone in our lives passed, there is no doubt that Industri’s influence on our clubbing cavorting will go down in history, so many exceptional events enjoyed, so many fabulous friends found & so many magical memories mustered. Yet, while this “Last Dance” affair had much more of the terrific trappings of Industri of old, we cannot escape the fact that moving it from Vauxhall to Soho and disbanding the fabulous formula of the D.J. back-to-back format, were two major contributors to the clubs undoing, the lack of commitment on the part of Barcode inevitably sinking the final nail into the Industri coffin. While the brand may now be dead & buried, the trio of Minty, Paul & Brent are promising to be back with something similar but under another name, so only time will tell whether the Industri magic we savoured over the last 3 years can live on under this diferent guise & direction. However, with Room Service & Gigolo now standing squarely under the scene spotlight, there is a new era in the life of the splendid social soiree, meaning Minty & co have their work cut out to once again make their mark, but with the right backing & the right formula there is no reason to believe that they won’t succeed and we will certainly be there to witness their ressurection. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reviews | 
Tags: Barcode Soho, Brent Nicholls, Hrh Minty, Industri, Paul Heron | 
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The Last Dance
We can count ourselves lucky to have been part of one of the world’s most vibrant clubbing scenes for close on 20 years now and yes, we can hear you say, “…you don’t look old enough…”, but botox & facelift jokes aside, it was 1991 when we made our first steps on a London scene which was, during that decade, dominated by the likes of Trade, Love Muscle & towards the end of the millennium, by Crash. But times they have changed, the current clubbing landscape very much headed up by Beyond, with a list longer than our arm of those clubs that have come & gone during our time treading the dancefloor boards. Yet as much as many of them had an influence on our clubbing life, Action, Factor 25 & Crash perhaps more than many, we find ourselves having to wave a final & fond farewell to another club that ranks as highly as all those mentioned, not least as it was where we (Disco Matt) were born.
We are of course taking about Industri, the club come splendid social soiree that was born just over three years ago and has seen us not only cement already solid friendships, but build new ones, not to mention mark that Disco Matt birth for which Industri will forever live in our memories. The brainchild of the threesome that was Brent Nicholls, Paul Heron & scentress Minty, during its three years of weekly socialising splendour, Industri has made an not inconsidarble impression on the social scene, having seen some pretty prolific parties, more often than not down in its original & natural home, Barcode Vauxhall. However, Soho did have its say in January when this glorious gathering celebrated its third and what now seems its final birthday, Industri having just a month before traded its south of the river home for what was then seen as new beginnings for Minty Paul & Brent. But with Barcode Soho sold to competitor company Freedom and a wrangle over the ownership of Industri as a brand bringing its three year run to an end, we find ourselves in yet another one of those periods of change as Minty’s marvel graces its exit from our clubbing calendar.
Birthday Beats
But rather than dwelling on its demise, come this Wednesday (29th June), Industri’s “Last Dance” event will be a pure & unadulterated celebration of everything that was great about this social soiree splendour. Clearly the music played an important part in proceedings across Industri’s stay in the scene spotlight, the duo of Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron occasionally joined by others for special celebration parties. Indeed on Paul’s birthday two years ago, a dozen D.J.’s played under the arches of Barcode Vauxhall, the likes of Alan X, Guy Williams, Jamie Head, Rob Sykes, Severino Oliver M & Alessandro taking turns to spin scores of sounds, while Easter Industri last year saw Paul Coals go back-to-back with Brent. And when Industri celebrated that third birthday, Brent & Paul were joined by Chris Brogan, Oliver Mohns & Alessandro Londra, a special two hour mix recorded to mark the occasion still available to download at http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/2011/01/26/podcast-industri-3rd-birthday/, while the club has been responsible for another nine compilations in our considerable collection.
But the music aside, Industri has been all about the people, so we are hoping that Wednesday will see many faces from the club’s history come to celebrate everything that was splendid about this social soiree. And whilst we cannot guarantee the go-go’s that were a feature of early Industri’s, a handful of delectable dancers supplying plentiful eye candy, even we trading moves with Dilmar on the small but perfectly formed podiums, we probably cannot promise the hoards that used to pack out both front room & back on special Easter & New Year Industri parties in Vauxhall, we also unable to report on a possible successor to this social splendour as it graces it’s farewell. However, we can confirm that Minty will be holding court with her infamous shots, the likes of Sassy Bitches & Slippery Nipples complementing the Tequila & Sambuca, while The Candyman will also be making his delivery, this Industri tradition having been a feature of both Vauxhall & Soho for a fair chunk of the clubs history. Plus, we are hoping fabulous photographer Chris Wilcox will be on hand with the many volumes of pictures he has creatively put together and we are sure a whole load of snaps will be taken by him and by tip top clubbing website SeenQueen.
So, to the detail and this “Last Dance” industry event will be taking place at Barcode Soho this coming Wednesday (29th June), with free entry doors opening at 9 p.m. and the final & fond farewell to Industri running through to a planned 1 a.m. Given that it is the very last Industri, please make sure you come early so as to get pole position for The Candyman’s delivery and those Minty shots, while we will be on review duty all night & out to mention as many as possible in this final Industri fling. So come join in the fun and say bye bye to, in the words of its promotions team, was “…the social soiree that rocked Barcode Vauxhall and seduced Barcode Soho…”, leaving us to simply say “”Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Alessandro Londra, Barcode Soho, Brent Nicholls, Chris Brogan, Hrh Minty, Industri, Minty, Oliver M, Paul Heron, SeenQueen | No Comments »
Nibble Sized Review Tweets
Welcome to yet another “Preview The Review” (PTR) report, a series that is proving increasingly popular due not just to their bite sized nature, but that they hit our pages & the wider world before any other reviews in magazines & on-line. And continuing that tradition is our latest fresh felt reflection, but a very special one, as it captures not one, two, but three captivating club nights, moreover three that we find in the gay mecca of a village that is Soho, each one pitched on a different night, but each that have come to form such a special place on our cavorting calendar. Plus, given just how emotionally attached we have become to each of the clubs & the people involved, we thought we would combine them in a special review entitled “Soho Society Social Soiree Showdown”, this being our prologue PTR to that full review. In addition, having launched our live review commentary via Twitter last Sunday at Beyond vs La Demence, it has gained considerable following already and naturally, we were tweeting at all three of these Soho soiree’s, so if you have been following our tweets (now called our “live nibble sized review tweets”) then see how the feature in both this PTR & the full review, while you can check our tweets at http://twitter.com/discomatt. But, enough of all that, let’s get on with the task in hand and check out our first foray.
Disco Matt In The Industri League
Having moved up from Vauxhall to Soho as well as from a Thursday to a Wednesday, it would be fair to say that it took us a fair while to get used to the change, the fabulous feel of this social soiree splendour not quite the same north of the river as it was south, although like most things in life, getting used to the new style was worth the wait as Industri seems to have found it feet again. Yet while the faithful visits to this terrific turn are fewer and further between, even our visits plummeting since the switch, the last few weeks has seen us grace its doors more often again, even making it straight from our Barcelona trip, travel bags & all, perhaps in the knowledge that Industri’s life could be coming to an end, due mainly to the fact that its Soho spot will shortly be changing hands, putting into question its continuance. So, with the feeling that we needed to make the most of our favourite (or was) week night foray, despite weary bones from a hectic double Bank Holiday weekend, we put best foot forward & headed to Archer Street for what would prove another outstanding outing in the hands of hostess with the mostest Minty and beat master Brent, although arriving at just turned 9.30, it was clear it was going to be a slow start, although we cared not a jot at it gave us a chance to catch up with the duo ahead of any expected rush. And with the Candyman having delivered, the new sweet options going down a storm, we soon sank into this splendour, a whole host of colossal classic house hits served up by Mr Nicholls, memories of Crash & other clubs coming rushing back, when first cougar clubber pal Stephen arrived, dressed to dare but looking more like the latest Soho pimp, then the final jigsaw in the Industri original team, Paul Heron, graced the party with his presence. So, we knew we would be in for a rip roaring time, we suddenly feeling out emotional rollercoaster accelerating as “Here” Comes The Rain” got airplay, although closing our eyes transported us to Beyond & the magical musical hands of the maestro mixer, yet with all this captivating company & music to match, we found it easy to declare our delight on this latest Industri outing.
The Week Night Place To Be
With our next stop in this special “Soho Society Social Soiree Showdown” being Room Service the following evening, we could already feel ourselves heading into yet another emotional rollercoaster ride, not least as the man in charge of the music, for the first half at least, was Steve Pitron, was already well into the swing of what would prove to be a sparkling set. Arriving at the early (ish) time 0f 10.30 (ish) we were feeling a bit ish!, especially given the gravity of some upsetting sequence of events just hours before, so seeing Steve in his Room Service slot, sent our emotions racing immediately and we had to find solace in a quiet corner to bring them back into check. But that we did, weaving back through the already considerable crowd, the turnout quite considerable already, not least given the after effects of two in a row Bank Holiday weekends and with Mr Pitron beckoning us to come close, we found a neat little spot just shy of the D.J. booth to delight in his dance devotions. So, with some special songs spilling out from his set, “Offshore”, “Bitch Lady”, & “Catch You” hitting the mark, we felt right at home & content with our lot, but then feeling especially touched when he dug out a Howard Jones classic that had been inspired from a earlier tune into what has become the favourite radio station, Absolute 80’s, for both Steve & us. With Diu now quite packed by not overtly so, Steve stint was coming to an end, Kris Di Angelis taking over & laying down some serious, as we call them, Shoreditch styled sounds, we took a few moments to catch up with Steve and the posse around, including Naomi Ruiz & Suzana Quentin, before eventually hanging up our boots at just shy of 3 a.m., Room Service yet again proving just how popular it is & that it remains THE week night place to be seen on the scene, hats off to Jodie Harsh & her team, not least the charming & obliging Jack on the door.
Society Steve
So to our third Soho soiree in as many days, this time the night aptly called “Society”, as arriving at host venue Lo-Profile after a longer than expected disco nap, the Soho society set were shinning, a considerable queue already having formed at the door, but our graceful entrance aided by our lovely lady door hostess, who waved us through with an endearing smile. And not three steps into “Society” and who did we see but the music mixing maestro Steve Pitron, just like the previous night in full swing with a colossal collection of scintillating sounds, our arrival invoking the new calling card shout, “MAAAAATTT!!” from the man behind the decks, the also expected flood of emotions & that rollercoaster ride that we now find ourselves on in his hands every time, without fail, about to start. However, before all that were all sorts of liaison’s with that Soho society set, including fierce partner Lexi & pals, the marvellous Minty, international playboy D.J. Paul Heron, Steve significant other, our Brazilian beaut Celso Moura and the jewel in our jiving crown, Andrea Drudikova with (no surprise) a gorge looking man in tow. With all these fabulous friends around us, sinking into the spills & thrills of “Society” came with consummate ease, not least from the magnificent music in the making, “Offshore” heading a whole load of terrific tunes that had us spinning on our spot by the D.J. booth, the constant calls from the main man, along with continual invocations of tearful reactions setting off our water works through absolute joy & pleasure. And it terms of pleasure, of the eye candy sort, the two go-go boys were attracting plenty of attention, one leaving us totally drooling with his drop dead gorgeous looks, our camera clicking into ogling overdrive, while, back in our spot, Miss Andrea was proving every bit as entertaining with her extrovert antics, Steve’s superb sounds leaving us in no doubt that “Society” was THE place to be, we being in Pitron performance pleasure, especially when he pulled out “Here Comes The Rain” from all his other resplendent raptures, the truly tremendous reaction it got forcing us to step outside for a moment as it had become “Here Come The Tears” again.
Superb Soho Shindig
With Steve’s set done, it was just a few moments with us outside that then saw him & Celso melt into the night, while Andrea was not letting up on her outrageous antics, first labelling in as “blue trash” that had us in fits of laughter, then, while our back was turned, had “Society” in shock as she snogged Paul Heron, meaning it was all happening here, even a gyrating guy “Doing The Disco Matt” with us. And this was no surprise as Tony English was now in charge of the tunes, delivering one of the best sets we had heard him play anywhere, pitching his performance perfectly to match the surroundings & the style of “Society”, that sexy go-go dancer back on is podium to please, we felt our night going into hyperdrive, especially when Tony treated us to a second showing of one of our most favourite tunes of now “Offshore”, he being the man responsible for bringing it to our attention, yet Steve taking up the mantle with the remixed version that had hit our heart strings so heavenly at Beyond just weeks before, Mr English now also choosing this updated edition to enthral us once again. So, with the energy oozing out of “Society”, especially with the Tony tunes erupting the dancefloor in ecstasy, our energy was pretty much spent, we being able to leave Lo-Profile in the knowledge that we had definitely savoured another superb stint in our “Soho Society Social Soiree Showdown” short series, leaving us with just one decision to make, who made it to the top slot of this terrific trio of triumphs, the result of which will soon become clear as it’s now “…ready, steady, go for the review…”. (DISCO MATT)
Postscript
Given the gravity of the effect of these three superb Soho soiree’s on us, combined with the huge amount of emotions we have endured, not least over the last few weeks, but moreover in the last few days, we issued the following note on Facebook, entitled “Three Days Of Exceptional Emotions”, which we felt appropriate to share with you right here….
…. Having spent the last few weeks consumed with exceptional emotions, from our trips to Paris, Brussels & Antwerp, then those unforgettable weeks in South Africa, to Delice Dream in Barcelona and then the magic clubbing we have consumed back in London, those last few weeks have seen some amazing highs, some terrific lows, some great news, some very bad & sad news, meaning we have been on the most exceptional emotional rollercoaster ride of our life. Yet, the last three days have seen our biggest emotions EVER!, from a truly terrific time with someone who we considered as a great friend, then onto Room Service on Thursday when another true & genuine friend treated us tremendously with both his support & his sounds. And completing the trio days was “Society” at Lo-Profile last night, when the man who did it for us at Room Service, did it again in bucket loads, not just playing tunes that drew on our emotional heart strings, in a brilliant way, but was “right there waiting” for us when we needed it the most. Plus, with so many other wonderful friends in attendance, last night was just the tonic we needed to lift our sagged spirits & restore our crushed confidence. But through it all, our thoughts still remain with two important links in our life that are miles away, and one who, despite the trauma, may remain the important link he has been for so long, so this post goes to those three as much as all the rest. Yes, we have spilled plenty of tears over the last three days, some in absolute joy (not least at Room Service & Society) but more away from the clubs for not such joyful reasons & responses, but we wouldn’t be what we are today without our exceptional emotions along with a real passion for what we do. So, with the spring back in our step, we will be forging forward with all our reviews, previews, recommends, reports, music, & other writing, first stop being our Preview The Review of those three days, which we have called our “Soho Society Social Soiree Showdown” (SSSSS). But before all that, huge thanks have to go to the following people, in no particular order, but all who made our SSSSS so special, on Wednesday, Minty, Brent Nicholls, Paul Heron, Stephen Davies, The Polish Boys, Dutch, and Jeremy Precelton & The BCS team, on Thursday Steve Pitron & his girls, Naomi Ruiz, Suzana Quentin, Kris Di Angelis and the fabulous Jack & the Room Service team, then on Friday, Steve Pitron again (MAAAAATT!!), Celso Moura, Andrea Drudikova & her boys, Paul Heron, Minty, Lexi, Tony English & his posse and Paul Beardshaw & the Lo-Profile team, plus everyone else that came & said hi.
Posted in Previews, Reports | Tags: Barcode Soho, Brent Nicholls, Industri, Jodie Harsh, Kris Di Angelis, Lo-Profile, Minty, Paul Beardshaw, Paul Heron, Room Service, Society, Steve Pitron, Tony English | No Comments »
Its definitely feeling like a short month compared to January, as we already find ourselves at the penultimate weekend of February and one that will see us running around in final preparations for our three week trip to South Africa, with more of that international reporting that is figuring in our lifestyle right now. Now, while we will be indulging in a just little bit of bar hopping & clubbing activity before heading to Heathrow, there is plenty on offer to tempt you all out this weekend, so let’s crack on with our choices of where to be & been seen in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere.
Soho get’s our attention to start and Profile/Lo-Profile our first Best Bite, as it is without doubt becoming a firm favourite on the scene, Profile particularly finding very busy legs of late, tonight (Fri 18th) looking like a packed out affair as Nathan Six returns to the bar’s decks to rev up your weekend with some rip roaring beats, while on Saturday the cheeky Craig Daniels sorts the sounds. With a full-on American diner style food offering & that new Sunday roast option that launched last week & proved a sell-out, Profile is definitely the place to eat, drink & socialise, more details out at http://profilesoho.com, especially as its clubbing sister is just below, Lo-Profile turning up the dancefloor heat this weekend with a terrific line up. On Friday, it’s the friendly duo of Nick Evans & Paul Heron, both sure to pack out the place, while on Saturday D’Johnny & Alessandro have their musical say and with the revised & improved laser & LED lighting, along with the cream of the Soho scene choosing this hip & happening hangout as their destination, Lo-Profile is a winner, with more info available by going to http://loprofile.com.
Our other Best Bite goes to The Shadow Lounge and its Friday that seems to be getting much focus at the mo, last week’s Delice Dream’s pre-party, followed this week by a special shindig for the Miami Winter Party Festival, welcoming rising star D.J. Sonathaq to the decks who joins regular Miswhite, playing plenty of vocal house & pop remixes. With a special comp draw to win gold passes to Miami’s biggest gay party, plus exclusive Winter Party t-shirt giveaways, as well as free Attitude Magazine’s to every entrant, this looks like being a brilliant bash and well worth a visit, while Saturday is just as hot, as Inferno returns with the equally hot Andrew Elmore on the decks. Now, just a quick mention for Thursday’s as Glitz & Glamour now has The Very Miss Dusty O in charge and with Mark Bambach also on the decks, this looks like yet another night to hail the return of Soho as THE place to be & be seen on the scene, more details of this and all of Shadow Lounge’s events available by going to http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Now for some Short Shouts and Rupert Street is a worthwhile call-in with D.J.’s on from Friday to Sunday, Minx on duty tonight (Fri 18th), while Alessandro double heads on Saturday & Sunday, more info on this brilliant bar available at http://rupertstrett.com., while Ku-Bar tips the other end of the Soho scale, a good choice for the young set, Saturday’s the busiest with D.J’s P & Sharif dishing up dance disco to delight, but with a full week of activity & details a mere click away at http://ku-bar.co.uk
Barcode is also a great place to pop in & pop out, Friday’s as good early as late, especially with the dynamic duo of Joe Publik & Dilmar Brito on rotational residency, while Industri on Wednesday’s is finding its Soho feet, Minty always attracting a crowd & boys Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron switching sound selection duties each week, further details on this captivating club/bar out at http://bar-code.co.uk.
Onward to Vauxhall and The Orange Group gets our sole Best Bite pick, not least as it sports all the major clubbing events in town this weekend, from Gravity on Thursday to Orange on Monday morning & much in between. Of the nine offerings, two get our attention, Megawoof finding a new slot in the calendar, tomorrow (Sat 19th) to be exact, promoters Daz & Diddy now using Fire as the host home for the muscle-bear bravado of a bash, this latest affair looking like being a packed out one, with the new “Hardware” theme getting a second showing & the legendary Tom Stephan (aka Superchumbo) ruling the roost in the main room, with a supporting cast of Tim Mcloone, Daz Saund, Rob & Massimo across two spaces of sound. Then, Beyond continues the party action deep into Sunday, with a special “Erotica” themed event which should serve up plenty of sexual spice, with scintillating sounds to match, Steve Pitron confirmed in the main room line-up along with special guest D.J. Paul Heron, while Alan K completes the magnificence here, another special guest, D.J. Hawthorne figuring in proceedings, we suspect in The Chapel Room. Add to that Queer Nation in Area on Saturday night running straight into Beyond and “Erotica” will definitely be the place to be, while Onyx, A:M, Later, Booster & Orange will also get their say , further details out at http://fireclub.co.uk/fire-nightclub-london-gay-parties.php.
So to some Short Shouts and first The Eagle, Tonker tonight (Fri 18th) and Horse Meat Disco on Sunday the bread & butter in the sandwich, Luke Howard providing the filling on Saturday as he is welcomed as guest D.J., more info on this horny hangout’s happenings available at http://eaglelondon.com.
The RVT have plenty to tempt you in this weekend, S.L.A.G.S/Chill-out on Sunday spearheading a line-up that also includes Duckie on Saturday, as well as something quite special tonight (Fri 18th) as “Anthem” returns with the Love Muscle-esque might of Marc Andrews, Sean Sirrs & Rich B rolling back time with musical memories from those Halcyon days at the Fridge, details this exceptional event & much more to be found by going to http://thervt.org.uk
Two final Short Shouts go to Barcode which always proves a hotbed of activity, particularly on Saturday’s, info on the action available at http://bar-code.co.uk, while Union is a great alternative to the Orange Group outings, with plenty of action right through the weekend, Epic on Saturday’s headlining their extensive offerings, details out at http://clubunion/co/uk.
So to our alternative antics and The Dalston Superstore (DSS) tops of Best Bite pile this weekend, with a scorcher of a schedule, as tonight (Fri 18th) sees one on the biggest D.J. line-ups anywhere with a massive eight on duty across two floors of frenetic fun, “Back To Back” the event and electro/techno the name of the musical game, special guest John Roman flying in from Toronto to start his UK tour in the heart of the DSS action, while another notable inclusion in the eight is Caligula’s Sigmund Kraftwerk, the back-to-back nature of the D.J. sets serving up stacks of surprises for sure. Then tomorrow (Sat 19th) sees the ever popular “Body Talk” return, keeping it, as the boys say, “…oh so real…”, special guest Dave Kendrick of Macho City delving into plenty of Nu Disco, & 80’s/80’s groove & soul remixed, along with DSS’s own Rokk D.J., while “Oh So Real” residents Marky Mark & Tristan Reed do the business upstairs. Add to all that a new Sunday nighter called “Paris’ Acid Ball”, with Hannah Holland, Dan Beaumont & D.J. Squeaky serving up loads of NYC house, DSS is definitely the place to be out East this weekend, full details of all these events & more a click away at http://dalstonsuperstore.com.
Now to some alternative Short Shouts and to East Bloc first who have both “Disco Fag Bar” on tonight, then new night, “The House Of Fun” tomorrow (Sat 19th) on offer, the latter sporting the fabulous Smokin Jo in the D.J. line up, ore info on East Bloc & its events available at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
While in Shoreditch, you may want to check out Friday night frolic “Haute Vs Shabba Dabba” at Concrete on the High St. there, D.J.’s on duty including Erol Sabadosh, Jim Warboy & Larry tee, plus Shoreditch’s original son, Kris Di Angelis, so the music should be top draw, more details on the venue out via their website at http://concretespace.co.uk/.
Right, well that pretty much about it in this slim-line Best Bites & Short Shouts for another weekend and with our trip to the southern hemisphere kicking off on Sunday, we may well be off-line for the next week or so, re-surfacing in Cape Town at the beginning of March. So, while we are out of reach, the best place to see what’s hot & happening is by going to London’s clubbing bible SeenQueen, who have plenty of events listed & lots of options up to take you to the end of the month & beyond, a whole load of more features, music, pics, video & other links well worth checking out at http://seenqueen.com.
That said and just before we go, here are a selection of our what would be our Best Bite picks for next weekend, WE Party returning to London with their “Paparazzi” offering at the Coronet in E&C on Sat (26th Feb), this being the first of a trio of Orange Group outings , Beyond hosting the “official” afterparty, then Later celebrating its 8th birthday on Sunday afternoon (27th Feb), all three well worth a visit. Then, for the fetish in you, Hard On! at Hidden is a must, this monthly event taking place next Saturday, while another real alternative & another birthday to boot, comes your way courtesy of Gutterslut at The Rhythm Factory in Whitechapel, again next Saturday (26th Feb) and will be a packed out affair for sure.
So, that’s it from us, whatever apart from saying if you are out & about in the scene, you may well catch us hopping around Soho for a while tonight, over in Angel for SuperMartXe’s pre-party “Saturday Night Love’s London t Lola’s”, and then at Beyond “Erotica” on Sunday morning, all which will definitely leave us shouting “get us to the plane on time”. So, if you see us out come say hi, but whatever you are up to and wherever you may be, have a fantastic weekend and as we always say “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Barcode Soho, Barcode Vauxhall, Beyond, Booster, Dalston Superstore, East Bloc, Ku Bar, Later, Lo-Profile, Megawoof, Onyx, Orange, Profile Bar, Queer Nation, Rupert St, The Eagle, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Union | No Comments »
Having gotten caught up in the raptures and romance of Paris last week, the run up to our weekend was full with sightseeing & socialising, meaning that precious little time was available to share our usual Best Bite shouts back here in the capital, although judging by pictures in the press, it was a reasonably sedate start to the shortest month of the year. However, with Valentine’s Day on our doorsteps, this weekend should prove that love is in the air & clubbing takes charge, with some special parties coming up. So, in our “more choice & less chat” style of Best Bites, as well as new addition, Short Shouts, let’s take a look at what’s on offer across Soho, Vauxhall and elsewhere.
To Soho first and Profile/Lo-Profile the winning combo on Wardour Street, Profile the ideal spot to start with socialising splendour, tomorrow (Fri 11th) seeing rising star Zach Burns spin the sounds, while favourite tearaway Craig Daniels dishes up the delectable dance & house hits on Saturday, the revised layout of Profile going down a treat & the place getting busier by the week. With a fabulous food offer, including a new roasts option launching this Sunday & drinks selections to match, not to mention probably THE friendliest team around, Profile is our popular pick, with more info on this bright & beautiful bar at http://profilesoho.com/. Downstairs in Lo-Profile, it’s all systems go this weekend with a true Beyond flavour to it, why? well all four D.J’s rank in the clubs heavenly history, current Beyond main rooms stars Steve Pitron & Mikey D sure to be a huge hits tomorrow, while on Saturday, Beyond original Brent Nicholls takes the early slot, followed by our favourite (are we allowed?!) Jamie Head, making for a quad of stars that prove an unbeatable combination in our books, more details at http://loprofile.com.
Over at The Shadow Lounge it is very much a “Weekend Of Love”, as Friday sees a special party as the drop dead gorgeous Delice Boys (yum yum) land in London and play host to a special pre-party for their very own “Dream Festival” which takes place in Barcelona in April. So, expect plenty of eye candy & the sweetest of sounds to match, while on Saturday, the equally appealing Andrew Elmore delves into his dance & pop collection to inspire a real “Inferno”. And as part of this “Weekend Of Love” the team are loving you with each night offering 100 free entry offers those first on the guest list, with free entry until 11 p.m. then £5 thereafter for the rest, now that is what we call spreading the love. More details on Shadow Lounge can be found at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/
Our other Best Bite in Soho goes to Ku Bar on Lisle St, which is very much rocking & rolling the scene & one of the places to be seen this weekend, not least tomorrow (Fri 11th) as they host the “Mr London Escort Of The Year” comp, as NYC outfit Rentboy.com chose the hottest hunk to represent the capital in the big final back in New York later in the year, sounds selected by Alessandro Londra & Dusty O. Then on Saturday resident D.J’s P & Shariff select the pop-tastic tunes downstairs in Ku Klub, while we spill over into Monday (oops!) as the team celebrate four years in Lisle St with a Ku Club Citrus Valentine’s special, Brazilian dream DougUim on the decks. With goodie bags & Valentines shots a-plenty, more info on this event & other at Ku Bar can be found at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Short Shouts in Soho go to Barcode on Friday’s with The Cave & co, upstairs proving just as much a hot as downstairs with Jo Publik on the ground floor decks, details on this Soho award winner at http://bar-code.co.uk, while Rupert St serve up a roving residency D.J. team on Friday & Saturday, with Alessandro steering your Sunday, more info on the bar at http://rupertstreet.com. One other short shout has to go to Lucky Bitches (remember French & Saunders?!) at No 5 Club on Cavendish Sq, with legendary Tasty Tim playing big 80’s hits & the equally legendary Hazel Dean the special PA, more info on this club & event available at http://no5ltd.com/.
Moving on to Vauxhall and love is definitely in the air at The Orange Group, who have a foursome to fall in love with, the pick of the bunch for us being Lovechild which celebrates its 2nd Birthday at Fire this Saturday, all the detail & much more out in our Focus Special “Second Season Of Love” at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/02/dm-recommends-second-season-of-love-lovechild-the-birthday-saturday-12th-febraury-weekend-focus-special/. Preceding that is Onyx, who go a little anti-valentine (boo hoo!) tomorrow (Fri 11th) with the likes of Dusty O, Lisa German & Ariel Jc Christopher & Jonny M dropping a range of house from dance & uplifting through tech & progressive, across three rooms of fun. Plus with live shows, Gaydar promo goodies and hostess Chrissy Darling dishing out free shots, Onyx entry is the deal of the century at £1 before midnight & £6 thereafter, terms & guest list inclusions available at http://gayguestlists.com/onyx.
Looking at the other half of the foursome, naturally Beyond had to be in the package with their “I Love…” party and it continues the dream package with the likes of Mikey D, Gonzalo Rivas & Alan K (where’s Steve P?!) in the main room, while hard edged sounds are on offer courtesy of Hifi Sean, Paul Christian & D’Johnny across both The Chapel & Sunrise Terrace rooms, the gorge DouGuim kicking everything off in rip roaring fashion. Beyond is sure to be packed & pumping, meaning, save for a treasured discount pass, advance tickets are advisable from http://clubtickets.com. Then Orange go all out later on Sunday, well Monday more like, with their “Language Of Love” party, D.J.’s including Paul Martin, The Oli, Fat Tony & The Sharp Boys in the main room, while RAW residents David Jimenez, Hifi Sean & Gonzalo Rivas rip up the Mirrorarch space with a truck load of tough tech tunes. Offering their very popular “2 People 4 £10” entry before 1 a.m. (single customers £5), love is definitely in mind at this citric splendour.
Forging the foursome together is a special “Love Ticket” offer and one well worth grabbing as it gives you entry to Onyx, Lovechild, Beyond & Orange for just £25, a great deal and one available at http://clubtickets.com/gb/2011-02/11/the-love-ticket while other parties in The Orange Group stable include Gravity (Thurs), A:M (Sat Morning), and Later & Booster (Sun), more details on all eight can be found at to http://fireclub.co.uk/fire-nightclub-london-gay-parties.php.
So, with all that happening we have room for just one other Best Bite in Vauxhall and it is The Eagle, who on Saturday celebrate their 7th birthday with a special “Valentine Ball”, welcoming back the love him or hate him Liverpudlian, who will perform (surely outrageously?!) live, while D.J. Martyn Fitzgerald & Johnny Kalifornia will make sure the atmosphere of magical mayhem that always exists in this homo haunt should exceed expectations. Add to that the usual doses of Tonker tomorrow (Fri 11th), the hanky panky of Horse Meat Disco on Sunday and The Eagle proves a brilliant alternative to the big club options, so is well worth a look in, more details available at http://eaglelondon.com.
As for our Short Shouts, well it’s all change in top management at Barcode Vauxhall, although the magnificent music & brilliant bar/club feel is just the same, Saturday the scorcher, more details out at http://bar-code.co.uk, while The RVT never fails to delight with Kimono Krush on Friday, Duckie on Saturday & S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out on Sunday, no more needing to be said apart from heading to http://thervt.org.uk for details Finally, Union gets its say with the very ladish Fitladz on Friday & Epic on Saturday, two highlights in a full weekend of frolicking, with more info at http://clubunion/co/uk.
Looking elsewhere and out East to be precise, our first Best Bite has to be the fantastic East Bloc, which continues to create a real stir on the scene, this hip & happening hangout very much the place to be and be seen. And like last Saturday, this (12th Feb) looks hot, hot, hot, as out of this world, The Men Who Fell To Earth crew land on City Rd and open up an extra second room for their “Boy” version for Valentine’s, where you can bring your boyfriend or leave him at home, hosts The Forget Me Knots looking after you regardless. With dirty disco & remixed rock ‘n’ roll from the MWFTE men in the main room, as well as a special PA from Ireland export Bitches With Wolves, this is one alternative & audacious action fest you won’t want to miss, Friday’s illustrious Disco Fag Bar a sure fire certainly too, both combining to make East Bloc a brilliant choice to step out of the norm, more details on what’s occurring available at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
For our other alternative, we head up the road and to The Dalston Superstore (DSS), in, yes you guessed it, Dalston, Dan, Matt & the gang serving which have the usual hot bed of manic madness from Friday through Sunday, this weekend being no exception. So, Feel My Bicep is first up tomorrow (Fri 11th), this monthly popular party back for more with guest D.J. Neville Watson joining regulars John & On and Nasty McQuaid, brining funk, disco & Chicago house to this corner of London. Then on Saturday the hip hop Happy Shopper (a Dale Winton free zone!) outing stands under the DSS spotlight, with the likes of Prince Nelly, Ma Butcher & the Sink The Pink D.J’s in the house, meaning that literally anything goes in this madcap melay or a meet, while Tutti Frutti seals the deal on a whacky weekend, with D.J. Squeaky sorting the sounds on Sunday. And with news that the boys have a new website for all the info on this jewel in the Dalston crown, go check out all the DSS details at http://dalstonsuperstore.com.
As for our alternative Short Shouts, well we don’t actually have any for this week, but there must be some out there, along with more for Soho & Vauxhall, so if you want your bar, club or event included here or even as a Best Bite, then get emailing us at matt@discomatt.com or find us on Facebook via http://facebook.com/discomattlondon &/or http://facebook.com/pages/Disco-Matt/112730602119746 where you can plaster our wall(s) or pop us a message and we will do our best to include you.
Right , nearly it, save for our usual mention for clubbing website SeenQueen, who have plenty of their own recommendations for where to be and be seen on the scene, watching out for their “just seen” posts on Facebook and grabbing music & video links, interviews & features plus a whole load more by going to http://seenqueen.com,
So, with Valentine’s day on Monday, but with much more to look forward to before, whatever you are up to and wherever it finds you (maybe finding love – who knows), we wish you a wonderful weekend when hopefully love is in the air, leaving us to say, “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Alan K, Alessandro Londra, Andrew Elmore Delice Boys, Barcode Soho, Barcode Vauxhall, Beyond, Booster, Brent Nicholls, Craig Daniels, D'Johnny, David Jimenez, DouGuim, Dusty O, East Bloc, Fat Tony, Gonzalo Rivas, Gravity, Hifi Sean, Jamier Head, Joe Publik, Ku Bar, Later, Lo-Profile, Lovechild, Mikey D, Onyx, Orange, Paul Christian, Paul Martin, Profile, Rupert St, Steve Pitron, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagele, The Oli, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, The Sharp Boys, Zach Burns | 1 Comment »
Since arriving & settling in London umpteen years ago, we have always been attracted to the charms or otherwise of Soho, the history of this once salubrious district of the West End very much painted with porn, vice & well, sex, even when we landed in the capital, not a street corner without a drug dealer, a pimp or a hooker, with shops a-plenty selling sex in various guises, whether it be pornographic film or the real thing. So, given this, the emergence of Soho as a gay district was not that strange, yet as the streets & shops have been cleaned up, sex being replaced with more style, so the quality of gay bars, clubs & restaurants has improved, sitting nicely as bed fellows with straight run businesses, that have come to make Soho as cosmopolitan as any area we know, very much a magnet for socialites of all persuasions.
So, it comes as no surprise that we often find ourselves drawn into the temptations of this gay hub, particularly on a Friday night and given the start we have had to 2011, we were definitely in the mood to make up for the parties we had missed out on during the month. With a nasty ear infection confining us to our four walls for much of January, our usual fevered activity across clubland was heavily restricted, only the most essential of visits, yet while our hearing had hardly improved in this time and all common sense pointed to staying in for yet another weekend, we threw caution to the wind and decided to roll & romp around Soho, capturing as many hip & happening hangouts as we could, all making for a vibrant village visit, Soho recognised & labelled as THE gay village of the capital.
As is quite typical, plans for a early(ish) start were laid pretty much to waste from the off, meaning it was close on 9 p.m. when we eventually landed in amongst the buzz of central London, wending our way into the western edge of Soho and a first port of call that would see us in Barcode on Archer Street. Indeed this was a bit of a tactical ploigh as we were hoping to catch up with Andrea & her Czech crew, a veritable feast of birthday celebrations having been rolled into one and Barcode the recipient of their partying. However, wending our way into the ground floor bar, it was clear they had upped sticks & moved on, although our disappointment at their disappearance was quickly turned to joy when we spotted the beaming & beautiful Joe Publik behind the D.J. decks, waving us across to his spot, he greeting us with open arms & a smile to savour.
With our belongings neatly stored behind the booth, our attention was grabbed to two familiar faces from our days at The Birdcage & The Pennyfarthing, two venerable gay bars that had formed fantastic periods in our life, it being a thrill to catch up with them, even if it made us feel more like our age than we would have preferred. With the need for refreshments, we made our excuses and headed for the bar, although were stopped in our tracks by a very welcoming Jeremy Precelton who seemed on much better form than when we had seen him last, we congratulating him on Barcode lifting the SeenQueen crown for best bar of 2010. Then, to add to our feel good factor, we got a huge hug from our favourite Barcode boy behind the bar, our smashing Spaniard as pleased to see us as we him, after all it had been quite a while, our regular Saturday trips having been curtailed following a drastic change in our alcohol consumption a few months before.
Back next to the side of Joe and with our Penny pals having headed off, it was time to catch up properly with this delightful D.J. while he selected the most sumptuous of sounds, vocal uplifting house heaven that befitted the occasion perfectly, happy house the order of the day and Joe the perfect person to deliver it in droves. With news of fellow D.J.’s & pals Wayne G & Stewart Who sealed, as well as plenty more gossip on goings on since we had last seen our pint sized pal, matters turned to Barcode and the action downstairs, although it was getting pretty busy where we were standing, such was the deluge of drinkers, that we ended up pinned & confined to the D.J. booth itself, perching next to our music man and surveying all around. But, as comfortable we had become and as good a time we were having with Joe, his music definitely hitting our sweet spots, a glance our clock signalled it was time to make our next port of call, leaving Joe & his brilliant beats in Barcode behind.
So, where next?, well, with time literally racing and a planned Profile & then Lo-Profile plunge an absolute must, or options were limited, time very much against our side, intended visits to Ku Bar for The Week pre-party and a vader in Village completely curtailed in favour a fleeting foray into Rupert St and a meet with Minx, the D.J. that had always done it for us in the delirious days of The Box in Covent Garden, a bar like so many, no more and sadly missed by Soho’s stylish socialisers. So, catching up with Sam was all too brief, her usual sophisticated sounds not quite matched by the eclectic crowd, Rupert St another venue to have dipped in dervishes of ours of late, although there is no doubting its continued popularity, although considering it was effectively pay day weekend, the bar wasn’t quite as packed as expected. However, it certainly wasn’t down to the music, as Minx was playing some storming sounds, not least our top hit of 2010, “Stereo Love”. With our brief catch-up over & Sam engrossed in her duties, we checked the time, Profile very much calling, so we waved farewell to what was a short refreshment stop at Rupert St and headed up towards our next stylish encounter.
Profile has very much become one of our favourite spots in Soho, indeed during the last twelve months, we have really developed strong associations with the bar, particularly on a Friday, when then resident Phil Marriott used really fast track our Friday’s with bags of brilliant beats & captivating company to boot. However, with it being a all change on the Friday front at least, we arrived to a packed bar, rocking to the rapturous resonance of Nathan Six, the man on top form selecting one euphoric & uplifting beat after the next, clearly the crowded house lapping up his superb selections, many dancing delightfully, others with enjoyment written all over their faces. Grabbing some refreshments at the bar and having been spotted by Chris Geary & his partner who came up to say hi, we then turned to head for our usual spot, finding Industri pal Chris Wilcox in attendance, he very much lapping up Nathan’s magical music choices, we indulging in ducking & diving dance moves with him, especially when on old favourite grabbed us, the superb Warren Clarke remix of “Drama” by Soul Theory, a classic from our Hed Kandi days, but yet still sounding so fresh. And so good was Nathan’s performance, that we didn’t want it to end, a congratulatory catch up with the man rounding off a superb sixty or so minutes in his hands.
Now there was nothing stopping us, so in full flow we headed downstairs, monetarily paused in our quest for more of the same action, by a smiling & joking Lee Freeman, who had caught our attention earlier, although with a spring in our step, we were down the stairs, past the usual friendly door greeting and into Lo-Profile. Resplendent behind the decks, Brent Nicholls spotted us as we entered, he immediately starting where he had left off the last time we saw him, by parodying our lack of hearing in hilarious fashion, we faking a couple of “Hopkins” walkouts before settling in our spot to savour his set. And like Nathan upstairs, Mr Nicholls had us satisfied in seconds, with each selection hitting our sweet spots superbly, a whole mixture of Brent beats mixed in magnificently, funky, chunky & tough neatly blended with uplifting vocal infused & heavenly house hits new & old, all seeing us doing the Disco Matt in no time at all. Plus with a captivating crowd of familiar & friendly faces, Lo-Profile was yet again proving to be a fantastic Friday frolic and certainly one of our favourites for sure. With Brent’s barnstorming beats giving way to Gonzalo’s gigantic gems, we continued to dance the night away, spinning on our spot, a now off duty Mr Nicholls also indulging in a little ducking & diving dance delirium with us. However, with an early start for our trip to Brighton before us, an earlier than expected curtain call was inevitable, we waving farewell to all around and heading home to savour the splendour that Soho had to share with us once again.
It is true to say that in terms of full-on clubbing, it takes a lot to beat the offerings in Vauxhall, which always tend to attract our attention more than elsewhere, although that said, Soho certainly knocks on Vauxhall’s doors in lots of respects, both Barcode & Lo-Profile giving more than a club or two a run for their money. Plus in Soho, with a choice of hip & happening hangouts that is unrivalled anywhere, if one doesn’t quite fit the bill, then be sure that there is one round the corner that will, this being reflective in our latest outing around the capitals premier gay village. In Barcode we had the perfect start to our evening, D.J. Jo Publik delivering delightfully and while Rupert Street may have been a little off form, Profile & Lo-Profile made up in an instant, getting the biggest thumbs up, not least due to stunning sets from Nathan Six, Brent Nicholls & Gonzalo Rivas. So, if you find yourselves in need of a boost, searching for some social splendour, or even up for a boogie to brilliant beats, Soho certainly serves up all these in bucket loads and for us definitely proved to be another vibrant village visit. (DISCO MATT)
Postscript
We couldn’t rersist sharing the link to that classic Hed Kandi inspired track which, whilst taking us back to 2005, still remains as frersh as ever, six years on and if ever there was a stand-out tune in our “Vibrant Viillage Visit”, this is it, Warren’s Clarke’s remix of Soul Theroy’s “Drama” , enjoy!! http://youtube.com/watch?v=KZnMhKFZGwo
Posted in Reviews | Tags: Barcode Soho, Brent Nicholls, D.J.Minx, Gonzalo Rivas, Joe Publik, Lo-Profile, Nathan Six, Profile Bar, Rupert St | No Comments »
Well, what a month it has been in Disco Matt land, first the flu & then a nasty ear infection that has left us most out of sorts, although it hasn’t stopped us getting out & about on the scene, and when we haven’t, recommending the places to be & be seen. So as the first month of 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to once again look at what’s on offer in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere to tempt you out on what is (for many we suspect) the first payday of the month.
So, spotlighting Soho, Profile & Lo-Profile get our first shout, another wonderful weekend in prospect that takes off upstairs tomorrow (Fri 28th Jan) in Profile from 7 p.m. with Nathan Six on the decks, while down in Lo-Profile, Brent Nicholls serves up the funky & Latin flavoured fun from 10 p.m., followed by Latino Gonzalo Rivas, who takes you deep into Saturday morning, till 4 a.m. Then on Saturday, Profile gets going with the grooves, courtesy of Craig Daniels, while downstairs the duo of Jamie Head & Alessandro Londra should ensure two sets full of stupendous sounds, percussionist David H adding his own spice to this Saturday shindig. Now, in our books, both Profile & Lo-Profile still sit as the best package in Soho for a complete evening of socialising & clubbing, plus môn-congrats to Profile for their runner up slot in the SeenQueen (SQ) Best Bar poll category, more details of both venues available at http://profileshoho.com & http://loprofile.com.
Down at The Shadow Lounge, news is still brewing of a new night, our ears (at least our good one) still close to the ground, while the weekend winning format currently stays the same, Friday seeing another “Therapy” session with the boy girl combo of Miswhite & Paul Heron spinning the dance worthy discs, while on Saturday, the ever popular & adorable Andrew Elmore injects a whole load of “Inferno” into the occasion, pop-tastic tunes being the order of the day. Now, just a quick couple of dates for your diaries, next Thurs (3rd Feb) seeing the return of house hit “Hola” with Terry Vietheer & Bodytalk’s DJ Rokk, while the following Friday (11th Feb) it’s the Delice Dream pre-party (more details right here next week). Further info on these & all other events can be found by going to http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/ or connecting with their group at http://facebook.com/theshadowlounge.
Now a furtherl Soho shout for Barcode, who must surely be in celebratory mood, having scooped the crown for Best Bar in the SQ “Your Disco Needs You” poll, Friday (28th) kick starting the celebrations with another “The Cave” club night downstairs, special guest Hifi Sean selecting the sounds, , while regulars Dilmar Brito & Jo Publik pick the hits upstairs. Plus, don’t forget Industri, which now has its residency here in Soho & takes place at Barcode each & every Wednesday, D.J.’s Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron on weekly rotation, but Minty always there to steer this social splendour in the right direction. More details of happenings at Barcode can be found by going to http://bar-code.co.uk.
Rupert St & Ku Bar are our last best bites, Rupert St seeing D.J. Minx mastermind the music on Friday, while on Saturday, the legend that is Fat Tony makes his indelible impression of this Soho sophisticate, info on the bar available at http://rupertstreet.com. Over at Ku Bar & Club on Lisle St, its Brazilian beats a-plenty, as they host the “official “The Week” pre-party tomorrow (Fri 28th), with the delectable DouGuim on the decks & a carival collective sure to gather, more news on Ku available at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Right moving over the river and south to Vauxhall, we capture another weekend of jam packed activity at Fire & Area, The Orange Group cast of clubs & highlights including Onyx, who hold a stylish “Burlesque Ball” this tomorrow (Fri 28th) which includes contemporary choreographed dance performances & a special P.A. performance, the team clearly keen to pack out the place as there is an inflation busting entry offer of just £1 before midnight with a flyer, ad or concession g/list entry. Following that is afterhours A:M, another SQ award winner, clinching second spot in Best Weekly Club category, so Oliver & the team will be in party mood, welcoming guest D.J. Paul Heron to the decks. Back over at Area & probably the biggest celebration will be at Beyond this Sunday (30th), as they lifted the big SQ crown as Best Overall, as well as adding another SQ Best Weekly Club award to their trophy cabinet. Add to that their “The Week” afterparty with the likes of D’Johnny, Steve Pitron & Alan K, and this will be THE place to be for sure. With a clubbing cast that also includes Gravity, Later, Booster & Orange , you can literally party from Thursday right through till Monday, bouncing between both venues, although The Coronet will surely be a diversion on Sat (29th) when Brazil’s best is back, The Week landing back in London (more in a min). For more info on All Things Orange, go to http://fireclub.co.uk/fire-nightclub-london-gay-parties.php, while guest list inclusions can be sorted by going to http://gayguestlits.com/.
With a Weekend Focus Extra coming up on fetish club Hard On! which will be the other Vauxhall victor on the club scene this Saturday, we wind up our shouts in the Soho of the south, with two quick mentions, first for The RVT, who have a fabulous threesome, Friday seeing the return fabulous night “Marvellous”, while the ever popular “Duckie” stands proud on Saturday & then no Sunday would be the same without a S.LA.G.S./Chill-out session with the majesty that is The Dame Edna Experience. Details of these & other events at this legendary boozer can be found by going to http://thervt.org.uk.
Our other shout goes to two new clubs from ex Onyx promoter Steve Geller, who is now firmly in bed with the team at Union (formerly Crash) and sets this Saturday (29th Jan) alight with new club night, “Epic”, Mr G being joined in the main room by D.J. Daniel Stone, while Barbara Bush & Robbie Keats pop it up in room 2. Then on Tuesday, Steven is back for more, this time an afterhours style event called “Desire” which kicks off at 4 a.m. with our the multi mixing Steven taking charge & thrilling with four decks at once. More details of both events & more can be found by going to http://clubunion/co/uk.
Moving onto all things elsewhere, our first best bite goes to The Week which, whilst an a-typical big club choice, does fall outside the premise of Vauxhall, as the London team have chosen to move it from Fire to The Coronet in Elephant & Castle, & having spoken with the teams head poncho, he explained of the move “…we are stepping up the pace to & increasing the space to showcase the best Brazilian carnival feel to the London crowd…” further adding that “…The Coronet will allow us to display the extravagant production and the array of dancers &performers to their absolute best…” And with costumes finalised, the stage settings complete & the choreography crafted, The Week is ready to take London by storm again, this 2nd event taking place on Sat (29th Jan), full details avaiable in our Weekend Focus post via direct link http://discomatt.com/web/2011/01/dm-recommends-brazils-best-is-back-the-week-saturday-29th-january-weekend-focus/.
As for our real alternatives, The Dalston Superstore (DSS) takes our top choice slot, their weekend starting with the return of night “Revive Her” this Fri (28th Jann) with a cast of D.J.’s that include Lovefingers, Jonny Nash, Minkioni, Dan Hill & Nicholas Fee, all mixing up classic house sounds with future dosco & much more, surely making for bucket loads thumping fun, although Saturday looks like being even better, as “Phat Bitch” takes DSS by storm, hosted by the iconic Tasty Tim, who welcomes an array of guests to share the decks downstairs, while the sweet sounds of Eka Browdny & Scott Webster steer the satisfying sounds upstairs. And with no weekend complete without a “Tutti Frutti” session on Sunday, Dalston & the DSS is the hip happening place, with more details out via their Facebook page or by following the boys at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore.
Next we hone in on Saturday night (29th Jan) as there is something quite special going on at East Bloc, Wayne Shires & Laurent Chaumet’s Shoreditch hangout that is making many waves in this part of the world, their event “Meat” sure to do that & much more. Billed as “…The sexiest party to hit East London ever…”, this all out underground man fest welcomes the might of internationally renowned D.J./Producer Tom Stephan (aka Superchumbo), the original underground rocker of Wayne’s first clubbing love, Crash, Tom being backed up by Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis, who has been strutting it in the studio with Tom of late, so we are expecting them to share the fruits of their labour with us. With plenty more besides, this is going to be one major mash-up, the team having extended the opening hours until a brave 6 a.m., more details of this & other events (incl. the fab Disco Fag Bar on Friday’s) out at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Our other alternative is new venture The Sunday Club takes which place this, yes you guessed it, Sunday (30th Jan) at The Kings Cross Social, a new venue on Britannia St, the Farringdon end of this trendy & rejuvenated area of London. Headed up by the legendary Trade D.J. Steve (Janet) Thomas, The Sunday Club is sure to sport plenty of brilliant beats in the tech & progressive style, the emphasis as much on the chat as the tunes, and as Steve aptly puts it, “pop in, unwind, kick back, chit chat, boogie down, drink up, then…….”. Joining Steve on the decks will be a selection of special guests (rumour has it Nick Tcherniak may take his turn too), the club kicking off at 4 p.m. & running through until 10 p.m., entry free until 6, then £5 thereafter and if you fancy a sneak preview, check out their video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=HBmA3CzQZNY, while venue details are available at http://kingscrosssocialclub.com.
Right thats it, our best bites choices up for another week, just leaving us time to point you in the direction of tip top clubbing website, SeenQueen, who have their own hot & happening tips for the places to be seen on the scene, plus much more besides. Indeed, why not go check out how your favourite bar, club or event faired in their “Your Disco Needs You” poll, this & a whole load more available a mere click away at http://seenqueen.com.
Back to http://discomatt.com and watch this space for that focus on Hard On!, plus a feature on the re-launch of Open as well as Gravity Gold, before we hit the European trail next week, this upcoming weekend seeing us get away from it all in Brighton, as Danny Verde flies in for a gig and then Nick Tcherniak, Steve Thomas & Lizzie France star in a special music Industryparty, all seeing us do a bit of DM networking.
However, here in London it definitely looks like being a carnival collective of a weekend as The Week dominates with that pre-party at Ku, the main event at The Coronet & the afterparty at Beyond, so if you are going Brazilian & shaking those samba moves, have a brilliant time, but, wherever you are & whatever you are up to, have a wonderful weekend and as we always say, “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Alessandro Londra, Barcode Soho, Beyond, Brent Nicholls, Dalston Superstore, Danny Verde, East Bloc, Fat Tony DouGuim, Gonzalo Rivas, Gravity, Hifi Sean, Jamoe Head, Kris Di Angelis, Ku Bar, Later, Lo-Profile, Minx, MisWhite, Nathan Six, Nick Tcherniak, Onyx, Open, Orange, Paul Heron, Profile Bar, Rupert St, Shadow Lounge, Steve Thomas, The RVT, The Sunday Club, Tom Stephan | No Comments »
After a full-on eight weeks of activity, the SeenQueen 2010 annual clubbing poll came to a close last Thursday (20th January), since when, the votes have been verified, the spam’s sorted, the counts collated and the tally’s totalled, concluding what has proven to be, in the words of of SQ’s main man Brent Nicholls, “…a fantastic club poll where peoples willingness to respect the rules, along with the fun & anticipation factor, helped us create a poll that truly reflects the choices made by you, the voters…”. Indeed, having watched the voting unfold & comparing the trends to what actually happened in 2010, the results definitely give praise to those that deserved it and to the clubs, bars & events that truly rocked London & the gAylist globe.
So, the results are out and already filtering through the fingers of club owners, promoters, scene works, D.J.’s and the like, with no doubt a veritable feast of Facebook wall posts plastering the good news for all to see, imminent & expected over the comings days & weeks. However, THE place to get the results & see the full extent of this, clubbing’s best run & respected poll, is to go to SeenQueen direct, http://seenquen.com (or the direct link http://seenqueen.com/web/2011/club-poll-2010-and-the-winner-is/), where you will find the winners & runners up in categories that include, Best Weekly Club, Best Bar, Best Club Monthly, Best Event, Best Newcomer & Best International , plus not forgetting the biggie, Best Overall, this probably the most coveted crown of the lot. But more than that, our friends at SeenQueen give you their analysis of the results, as well as a special extra report on a promoter & venue that made a big difference to clubbing in 2010, concluding their “And The Winner Is” report with the full results in what was the fairest run, yet tightest of contests we have seen yet.
That said, we couldn’t let this momentous moment in the clubbing scene pass by without our own reflection of the results, as well as focussing on some of the winners, some of the runners up, & comparing SQ’s lofty lifters with those that topped the charts in our “A Yardstick Year” & “Charting A Yardstick Year” reports, both worth a glance right here at http://discomatt.com (direct links http://discomatt.com/web/2010/12/dm-reports-a-yardstick-year-barclubevent-highlights-of-2010-special-reviewreport-31st-december/ & http://discomatt.com/web/2011/01/dm-reports-charting-a-yardstick-year-disco-matts-bar-club-event-music-charts-special-report-8th-january/). Then we share a few statistics of just how close it came between winning, coming second or indeed third and how your vote counted towards the club, bar or event lifting that all important SQ crown.
So to the first winner, Beyond not only landing the Best Weekly Club award, but also Best Overall, a real indication to the amazing year the club had and just how popular this brilliant brand remains. With so many spectacular parties to have been honoured to report on in 2010, we continued to hold this club in the highest regard throughout the year, indeed in its “Tokyo” event, nearly scooped our accolade for Best Individual Event, yet the club managed to top our pile in three of our own categories, more than ANY other brand. With prolific parties not just in London, but Brighton, Birmingham & Manchester too, 2010 also saw Beyond extend its arm internationally, Paris, Amsterdam & Mykonos all feeling the might of this amazing afterhours, while back home, concepts like “Future”, “Belief” & “Back To” (runner up SQ New Brand), cemented its reputation & position as the capitals favourite club by far. In the SQ poll, as the team summed up, “…Beyond was the clear favourite from the start, its margin increasing as the poll went on, eventually winning by a clear 60 votes & claiming both crowns for the second year in a row…”, So, well done Beyond and congratulations on winning from pole position to SQ poll crown, well deserved and surely well received.
Then we come to Best Monthly Club in the SQ poll, Lovechild lifting this particular crown over runner up SuperMartXe, two clubs with poles apart fortunes in 2010 you couldn’t have chosen. So, whilst SuperMartXe’s year was a rollercoaster ride that ended off the rails, Lovechild’s went from strength to strength, particularly internationally, where it spread its wings to include destinations Amsterdam, Istanbul, Paris, Rome & Sydney, but also Antwerp, the trip in December making a huge difference & delight to our Christmas. Back in London and Lovechild was the one constant in an ever changing Saturday scene, prolific parties including its “Wet”, Makin Hay” & “Hot Tropicana” events, while it was an intrinsic part in one of 2010’s true success stories, As One, was a cornerstone for the “Love Weekend” back in June and linked up with Brighton’s brilliant brand, Wild Fruit, on three occasions throughout the year. So reaching the pinnacle of Best Monthly Club, as it did in our chart, hearty congrats go to the truly hard working Alex Erfan & his team on this SQ award, another one well deserved & surely well received.
Turning to the other results and Barcode Soho hit the high notes, passing the winning post first in the Best Bar category, beating our personal favourite of 2010, Profile, into second place, while Rupert Street ran in third, the poll certainly reflecting that Soho is still the capitals hot spot for hip & happening bars. In terms of Best Event & Best New Brand, the SQ crowns & plaudits went to WE, the Spanish import which certainly took up where SuperMartXe left off, a single launch party in December clearly capturing the imagination as well as the votes of clubbers, even pushing SuperMartXe into sixth place overall. Mind you, we were pleased that The Week, the Brazilian brand that made an impressive impact in London back in September, got a look in, coming third in the Best Newcomer category, although its seems you didn’t consider As One as a newcomer, even though its first party was the very first day of 2010, but it did make SQ’s 7th overall as well as second in their Best Event category, justifiably so as it topped our year end chart as Best Newcomer. The final SQ crown went to The Circuit Festival, grabbing the Best International award, a broad category that encapsulated best party, club & event, Circuit a clear favourite of yours, romping home against La Demence & Rapido.
Of the others in this superb SQ poll, Hard On! did well, grabbing 8th slot overall, pushing Steven React Sharp’s Orange into 9th place, this nevertheless a reflection of how popular both brands remain with clubbers, but bars equally having their say, Barcode Soho’s year certainly finishing well, having attained 2nd overall, while Profile managed 10th place and starts 2011 even more popular than before. Hiding within the results is Onyx, which fell a little from grace in this 2010 poll compared to its award winning year in 2009, although actually stood up well in the overall standings, while The London Global Dance Festival was so close to reaching third spot in the Best Newcomer catagory, indeed one vote would have made the difference, this an example of how close the voting was. Other’s that called it close in their own race to an SQ crown were Megawoof & Lo-Profile who carded the same votes, Matinee, Shadow Lounge & The Edge ending up equal, while neither The Wig Party or Sydney Mardi Gras could be separated. Plus with an amazing 49 different clubs, bars & events registering in the poll, Beyond apart, the spread between 2nd & 10th overall was a mere 31 votes, while four more votes would have seen A:M grab that 2nd overall spot, rather than what it attained, our last mention going to this afterhours outing, which under the steership of new promoter Oliver M, did get 2nd spot in Best Weekly Club, as well as 4th place overall, not just hinting that the afterhours concept was probably your favourite, but moreover ended Oliver’s year much better than it started.
So, another “Your Disco Needs You” year is over and with much celebrating for the likes of Beyond, Lovechild, Barcode, WE & more to do, we are sure plenty of glasses will be raised, plenty of plaudits poured and much shaking of hands exchanged. However, winners & runners up aside, what this poll reflects in its broad range of entrants, is just how alive the clubbing scene remains & despite the global gloom, that 2010 was actually a yardstick year. As for SeenQueen & its SQ poll, we want to be the first to congratulate them on a resounding set of results that well & truly celebrates the clubbing world we feel so proud to be part of, so more of the same in 2011 please and long live this clubbing website & the support it gives this spectacular scene. (DISCO MATT)
Postscript – 26/01/11
Having shred our report with the SeenQueen team, it soon transpired that a re-count on the Best Newcomer standings was required, As One having been overlooked in this category. So, with a suitable re-adjustment made, we are pleased to confirm As One as runner up as SQ’s Best Newcomer of 2010, thus pushing Beyond B2B into third & relegating The Week to a more accurately reported joint fourth with LGDF.
Posted in Reports | Tags: A:M, As One, Barcode Soho, Beyond, LGDF, Lovechild, Matinee, Orange, Profile, Rupert St, SeenQueen, Shadow Lounge, SuperMartXe, The Week, The Wig Party, WE Party | No Comments »
Not a month since our favourite social soiree upped sticks from its original home in Vauxhall, moving across to Soho, at the same time switching from a Thursday to a Wednesday, we once again find ourselves exerting our energies into a review of this cherished club night in our calendar, the history of Minty’s marvel having had plaudits poured all over it in a score or more reports of ours since it started life three years ago. But such is the importance of this incarnation in our lives that we find it easy to express our views and find just as much enjoyment in thrusting it into the limelight, as there has always been something quite magical about its music, splendid about its sociability & infectious about its ingenuity. But when the thought of not just it celebrating a birthday, but two of its core representatives also marking the occasion of theirs, it was a foregone conclusion we would be there to join in the festivities.
Industri, like no other club night in our memory, has marked some real step changes in our lives, many having been documented on more than one occasion, but more than that & those, this is a club that has those elements of music, sociability & ingenuity we hinted at, running deep through its veins, so much so that we would go to any lengths in its support & defence, push that extra mile to see it succeed, revel in its glory when it does, or stand by its side when it doesn’t. So, you could call Industri a true friend of ours, as these are all expressions & actions that, for us, are reflected in a friendship verging on companionship, traits that we would laud on & expect from those very near & dear to us. Indeed as the people intrinsically linked with this social splendour, have come to mean so much to us, we always feel incredibly guilty when we don’t pitch for a party or arrive for an outing, all this adding up to the fact that, with its hostess Minty, its resident D.J. Paul Heron & the club itself all celebrating birthdays, this Industri more than any other in the year required that extra effort & push on our part.
So with the big day upon us and having already started celebrations with Minty on the Monday (her actual birthday), despite our continuing & frustrating ear infection, we were all systems go for this birthday bonanza of a bash, planning an early arrival into town to organise cakes, presents & the like, this having become quite a tradition for us, Industri always a melting pot for peoples special celebrations & cakes very much the order of the day, even the Candyman having been relegated to second spot for this, a fulsome threesome of an event. Mind you, on the organisational front, it seemed simply one-way traffic, our bemusement on just how ill equipped host venue Barcode was, turning into downright annoyance that we had made the extra effort, yet they had hardly lifted a finger. Plus, given that this was no run of the mill Industri, rather a celebration of the clubs third year in existence, we were flabbergasted by the lacklustre support from the venue & top management to boot.
But nothing was going to deter us from having a great time, indeed with our mood distinctly cheered up by an unexpected rendezvous with a rather amorous Brazilian named Roberto, we were in fine fettle come 9 p.m. when both resident Industri D.J.’s Brent Nicholls & birthday boy Paul Heron arrived, Brent choosing to take up the first stint behind the decks, which, in the early days of Industri, would have been a full-on back-to-back performance by the duo, although was resigned to a weekly rotation, in some ways robbing us of a magical ingredient that had made Industri so popular back then. However, at least for this special birthday bash, we would be treated to both on the same night, but not just the duo, as special guests Oliver M & Chris Brogan were lined up and as the evening began to unfold and a whole host of off duty scene workers, club kids & top notch D.J.’s arrived, we would be in for extra treats from both Alessandro Londra & Nick Evans, thus creating a sextet of superb sound spinning stars to send us into house music heaven. Indeed, despite their distinctly different styles, each of the six actually blended really well, making for one of the best marriages of musical minds we had seen in quite some time, leaving us wondering, just where else on the London scene would you get such notable names together for a four hour session spectacular, as this very much turned out to be.
But back to the social splendour & birthday bash celebrations and with main madame Minty arrived and holding court, it was then down to a cast of colourful characters from Industri’s past, present & (hopefully) future, to help her, Paul & the club on its birthday way, a long list of lovelies making the presence felt including Industri stalwarts Stephen, Chris, Terry & Paul, surprise appearances from originals Kim, Jeremy & David adding to our delight. But with a seemingly never-ending stream of familiar faces joining in on the merriment, this was turning out to be a right royal rumpus, adoring appearances including TTD’s Billy Richard & Greg Mitchell, the face of London gAylist clubbing, Romano Hendry, Polish boys & party heads Mariusz & Norbert, the cute & charming Rob Adams, plus a stream of Soho sophisticates that had connections with Minty, all packing out Barcode & creating a real buzz that we hadn’t seen here in a long time. But when the fabulous Glendora arrived, squeezing her way through the madding crowd to make her presence felt by the D.J. booth, our larger than life lady in full costume diving into an impromptu break-dance displays that received whoops & cheers from onlookers, the delectable dye on this scintillating social splendour of a birthday bash was cast and nothing was going to stop us from having heaps of fun.
With everyone having such a terrific time and the place well & truly packed out, it was becoming tricky just when to time the bringing out of the birthday cake, a relatively small affair, more for ceremony than anything else, although with midnight about the strike, the proverbial iron was hot, so we dived upstairs with Barcode’s brilliant manager, the charming Mikhael, prepared for the procession. And as he zoomed back downstairs to dim the lights, we carried the cake high above our heads through the packed bar, wending our way towards the D.J. booth and in the direction of both Minty & Paul, to cheers & choruses of “Happy Birthday To You”, the candles still alight when we reached our destination, Minty & Paul completing the ceremonial duty of blowing out the birthday beacons, to yet further cheers & cry’s. Then with an extra large & sharp looking knife in her hand, Minty sliced through the cake, devouring a chunky slice, as cameras clicked & chocolate coated lips & faces were caught on film for posterity.
Now it was a case of party, party party, the music from Brent, Paul, Oliver & co hitting home heavenly, the audacious action continuing unabated, with many ducking & diving in dancing delirium inside, while other opted for the outside and a special fire-eating display that certainly wowed & made an impact. However, we chose to stick to our spot by the D.J. booth, where at least we could hear the music with our good ear & save the embarrassment of keeling over, our still dodgy balance affecting our ability to even walk in a straight line (we weren’t drunk, honest guv!) let alone dance in the disco matt style (we did try once or twice though). So this was where we saw out the rest of our stay at this special Industri outing, the final piece in the jubilant jigsaw being the presentation of both Minty’s & Paul’s special birthday gifts rounding off the night perfectly, allowing us to pack ourselves off home and reflect on one outstanding outing that ranks with the best that this brilliant brand has served up in its three year history.
Well that neatly sums up this enthralling & enjoyable evening to a T really, T very much standing for terrific, tremendous, treasured & triumphant, this monumental Minty birthday bash, amounting to a fulsome threesome that actually made five, as both Chris Brogan & Industri regular Terry were birthday boys too. With so many people making an effort & such a fantastic collection of faces, especially given it was a Wednesday, made up for all the shortcomings of the venue, although it has to be said that the duty manager Mikhael & his tight knit team on the night, also have to be praised for their hard work. As for the rest of the cast, well the music in the hands of Brent, Paul, Oliver, Nick, Alessandro & Chris was spot on and with such a superb set of people, we couldn’t have wished for a better way to celebrate the collection of birthdays as we did, Industri once again proving its social splendour credentials that have seen it find a true friend in us. Let’s hope that Barcode throws its own weight behind this brilliant brand, so we can see it celebrate its fourth birthday in just as much style. (DISCO MATT)
Postscript – 26th Jan 2011
To mark the occasion of the sextet of D.J.’s performing at this brilliant birthday bash, a special 2 hour recording has been put together by Industri resident D.J. Brent Nicholls, gelling together the musical choices & mixes that he, fellow resident Paul Heron (birthday boy) along with billed guests Oliver M & Chris Brogan selected through the night. This special mix also includes contributions & additions by Alessandro Londra & Nick Evans, who both stepped behind the decks during the four hour foray full of fantastic funky, chunky & cheerful vocal drenched tunes. The result is a compilation that has truly unique feel to it, blending the talents of the six superbly and is available to download now direct from Brent’s website at http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/2011/01/26/podcast-industri-3rd-birthday/ and as Brent explains of the mix “…it is a unique podcast featuring eclectic genres from funky disco house to a more electronic tech sound…”, he adding that “…each D.J. added his personal style to create one outstanding mix…” . So, with all these talents under one roof being a real rarity, this mix is a must for your collection, whether an Industri faithful or not.
Posted in Reviews | Tags: Alessandro Londra, Barcode Soho, Brent Nicholls, Chris Brogan, Industri, Minty, Nick Evans, Oliver M, Paul Heron | No Comments »
Well, January is speeding along at a right old pace, although having been laid low since day three, we haven’t been indulging quite as much as we should or could have done anyway, although with Wednesday just gone was one of a few outings for us , plus an occurrence standing for B, on this occasion, birthday’s, as we indulged at Industri, joining in a right old knees up & good time for Minty’s, Paul Heron’s & Industri’s birthday(s), plus it seems regular Terry’s & guest D.J. Chris Brogan’s too. But with that enthralling event under our belts, but our ear infection yet to be banished, we once again tackle our Best Bites post at the 11th hour, bringing you our top choices in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere, extending our choices a little & equalling out the exposure too.
Starting with Soho, we get straight to the point, Profile & Lo-Profile topping out pile, Friday (21st Jan) seeing an influx of new blood upstairs, as Room Services & up-coming hot shot Zack Black takes to the decks, firing up your Friday in full-on fashion from 7 p.m, while downstairs in Lo-Profile, Nathan Six makes a welcome return, kicking the macho & muscular music, while espaniol lover Tony English sets you steaming into Saturday with a storming selection of sounds. Talking of which, Saturday sees main Profile man Craig Daniels start off the night, then it’s another Beyond pre-party in Lo-Profile, with Nick Evans & D’Johnny trading up the tunes, while fab hostess Chrissy Darling tempts & woos you to Vauxhall with those sort after discount entry vouchers. With fantastic food upstairs & to die for drinks downstairs, Profile & Lo-Profile offer a weekend package that takes a lot of beating, further details available at http://profilesho.com & http://loprofile.com.
Over at the Shadow Lounge, its busy weekend business as usual, the discounted entry for guests on the list still operating, that means if you’re on the list it’s a fiver to get in, but if you’re OFF the list its as much as £10, maybe even more. So, before we tell you what’s on, go join their Facebook group at http://facebook.com/theshadowlounge & message Angel with your details. Now as for tonight (Fri 21st), it’s another “Therapy” sesh, with D.J.’s Minx & Mis-White mixing up classic hits with the latest sounds, while the ever popular “Inferno” takes hold on Saturday, resident D.J. & popular playboy (musically of course) Andrew Elmore selecting the pop-tastic tunes. Plus, having had our ears to the ground, it seems the team at this select spot in Soho have a new night up their sleeves, so with our finger on the pulse, watch this space for more news, although if it’s current Shadow Lounge news you need, then log onto their website, http://theshadowlounge.co.uk for details of these events & much more.
Two other quick mentions go first to Rupert St, who have D.J’s Jc Christopher & Alessandro Londra masterminding the music on Friday & Saturday respectively, while Barcode have another of their hugely successful “The Cave” nights tonight (Fri 21st) downstairs in the club, with Megawoof’s Tim Mcloone on the decks, while upstairs resident new boy Dilmar Brito is joined by the legend that is Jo Publik on the decks, the whole night being free of charge, wow!, as is entry to Rupert St. More details on both bars can be found by going to http://rupertstreet.com & http://bar-code.co.uk
Moving on & down to Vauxhall and its, yet again, another busy weekend for The Orange Group, with theirs already having started with Gravity last night, continues tonight (Fri 21st Jan) at Area with the overhauled Onyx, D.J.’s on duty including Oliver M, Lee Harris, Tasty Tim, & Paul Christian, then switching to Fire for A:M, seeing the return (although as a guest on the main floor), scene favourite D.J. Jamie Head. Saturday & Sunday in the Orange Group world definitely has B as the biggest ingredient, B on Saturday standing for “Birthday”, Queer Nations’ 20th at Fire to be exact, “Bear” as Amsterdam club brand Bear Necessity rolls out at Area, while on Sunday, B stands not just for “Beyond”, but for “Booster” too, Area really taking centre stage for the weekend as both clubs play out there. Now, we have already covered Bear Necessity & Beyond in a special Weekend Focus & our devotion to Queer Nation is coming right up. As for the rest, which also includes Later & Orange, more details are available at, at http://fireclub.co.uk/fire-nightclub-london-gay-parties.php, while guest list inclusions can be sorted by going to http://gayguestlits.com/ & then adding your favoured club after the forward slash, got it?!
Over at The Eagle, it’s a reasonably regular weekend, with Tim Jones & this Tonker tribe are back for more muscular manfest action tonight (Fri 21st), with special guest Alan X turning up the musical volume, while tomorrow (Sat 22nd), the venue takes hold, keeping it simple but saucy, with plenty of men on men marauding but with a fun & friendly feel to it all, music being of the old skool classic variety. Then Sunday sees a right old shindig, as the Horse Meat Disco crew wrap up the weekend with yet more dollops of horsing around action, the dollops not of the manure kind, rather of the mash-up musical sort, with the likes of Jim Stanton, James Hillard & Severino selecting the sounds. Plus, don’t forget that Tim & his Tonker tribe host the second room at Bear Necessity on Saturday, details of Mr Jones’ club available at http://tonker.co.uk while for The Eagle, go to http://eaglelondon.com.
Two other quick Vauxhall mentions go the The RVT for tonight (Fri 21st), when Boogaloo Stu takes over this venerable institution, creating another madcap melay, “Pop Kraft”, as only he knows how, helpers including Sparklemtion & Size Zero Albino (say’s it all), while on Saturday (22nd Jan), Barcode delves into all things “Deviate”, the brand going banana’s on us (literally!), this apparently being their favourite fruit, our Italian stallion, Pagano ruling the musical waves in the main space, while the front bar has Daz Saund along with Bills & Hurr hitting the house heaven. For details on these & other events at the venues, go to http://rvt.org.uk & http://bar-code.co.uk.
Right to our alternatives and first up & back with a bang is The Dalston Superstore (DSS), which hits the ground running tonight (Fri 21st Jan), with the re-launch of “Boy Dem” with D.J’s E-Man, Erol Sabadosh, Oliver Rant & Laurence Matthew, which looks like being a blast, while tomorrow (Sat 21st), Dan, Matt & co have a special night to mark the launch of the SMS (that stands for “Stop Making Sense”) festival in Croatia, which takes place this coming August, the DSS boys starting early (and why not!) with Marcus Wongul, Nadia Ksaiba, Mikki Most & Rokk joining DSS’s Dan Beaumont on the decks, all five a feature of the SMS festival in Petrcane. Then, to polish of the weekend, D.J. Squeaky selects the sounds at the madcap “Tutti Frutti”, on Sunday (23rd Jan) joining the disco dots with a bit of soul & classic house to slide you into next week. Further info on happenings at DSS, can be found by, by following the boys’ tweets at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore, joining their Facebook group, or by dropping them a quick ask at hello@dalstonsuperstore.com.
Back towards Shoreditch, City Road to be exact and it’s the enthralling & entertaining East Bloc that struts its stuff, tonight (Fri 21st) seeing another “Disco Fag Bar” roll into town, the DFB boys very much be ruling the roost as they welcome back both John Sizzle & Luke Howard to the disco decks, the duo being joined by special guest & Gutterslutter, our super Swede Per Q.X., while door hosts Kristoffer Chapman & Diego keep the entrance in order, Wayne Shires & Laurent Chaumet doing the opposite inside (but we like a load of naughtiness Shires style don’t we!?!). Then on Saturday (22nd Jan), it’s monthly night “Dare!”, with resident D.J. guest John Pleased Wimmin & special guest Jon Marsh (he from Beloved) & ASBO’s Alivin C, with a music policy that ensures only “the best new electronic dance sounds alongside those that inspired it”, sounds excitingly electrical in a past, present & future way. With news of a special night next Saturday (29th Jan) which includes the appearance of Shoreditch sons Tom Stephan & Kris De Angelis, both fresh out of the recording studio on a joint production, go check out these & more details about East Bloc at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Finally, a quick alternative attention goes to The Cambria in Camberwell, a typical traditional pub that has been given the classy as opposed to ghastly “Gastro” treatment and plays host to an afternoon of song & socialising with extra entertainment from hostess, the legendary Mz Kimberley & her special guests. Plus, Sunday wouldn’t be Sunday without a roast, the Cambria team serving carvery style between 3 & 5 p.m., with meze style snacks afterwards, making this “Upstairs” alternate affair a successful certainty, more details on the venue to be found at http://thecambrialondon.com/.
Right, with a little less fuss & a few more best bites, that’s just about it for our weekend round-up, but just time to mention our clubbing website friends SeenQueen, who have a hefty weekend weight on their shoulders, as Sunday sees the release of the “Your Disco Needs You Poll”. Now if you are reading this tonight (Fr 21st Jan), then we urge you to check your junk e-mails in case your vote needs verifying, as with the comp as close as can be, your vote could make all the difference. However, if your conscience is clear & you just want to know what’s hot & where to be seen on the scene, check out their new(ish) look website for their choice picks, by going to http://seenqueen.com.
So, all that’s left to say is, have yourselves a wonderful weekend, wherever you are & whatever you are up to, although if you find yourselves at Bear Necessity & Beyond, come say hi, as we plan to be there (ear plug inserted of course) too and as we always say…..”Go There! Be There!”. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Alan X, Andrew Elmore, Barcode Soho, Barcode Vauxhall, Bear Necessity, Beyond, Booster, Craig Daniels, D'Johnny, Dan Beaumont, East Bloc, Horse Meat Disco, James Hillard, Jim Stanton, Later, Laurent Chaumet, Lee Harris, Lo-Profile, Luke Howard, Mis-White, Mix, Nathan Six, Nick Evans, Oliver M, Onyx, Orange, Paul Christian, Profile, Rupert St, Tasty Tim, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Tonker, Tony Englisg, Wayne Shires, Zack Black | No Comments »
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1 Jul 2011 | 1 Comment
Reviews – “Bitter Sweet Soiree Swansong” – Industri “The Last Dance” – Wednesday 29th June – Bite Size Review
We look back over the last three years, having seen a myriad of club nights, events & other occasions come & go, while for those that remain, as well as those newcomers making their mark, we can count on one hand the clubs that have had a meaningful impression upon ...
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25 Jun 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Final & Fond Farewell” – Industri The Last Dance – Wednesday 29th June – Extra Bites Special
We can count ourselves lucky to have been part of one of the world’s most vibrant clubbing scenes for close on 20 years now and yes, we can hear you say, “…you don’t look old enough…”, but botox & facelift jokes aside, it was 1991 when we made our first ...
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8 May 2011 | 0 Comments
Reports – “Soho Society Social Soiree Showdown” – Industri, Room Service & Society – Wed 4th, Thurs 5th & Fri 6th – Preview The Review Special
Welcome to yet another “Preview The Review” (PTR) report, a series that is proving increasingly popular due not just to their bite sized nature, but that they hit our pages & the wider world before any other reviews in magazines & on-line. And continuing that tradition is our latest fresh ...
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18 Feb 2011 | 0 Comments
DM Recomends – “Get Us To The Plane On Time” – Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts” – Fri 18th to Sun 20th February
Its definitely feeling like a short month compared to January, as we already find ourselves at the penultimate weekend of February and one that will see us running around in final preparations for our three week trip to South Africa, with more of that international reporting that is figuring in ...
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10 Feb 2011 | 1 Comment
DM Recommends – “Love Is In The Air” – Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts – Fri 11th to Sun 13th February
Having gotten caught up in the raptures and romance of Paris last week, the run up to our weekend was full with sightseeing & socialising, meaning that precious little time was available to share our usual Best Bite shouts back here in the capital, although judging by pictures in the ...
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6 Feb 2011 | 0 Comments
Special Review – “Vibrant Village Visit” – Soho’s Hip & Happening Hangouts – Barcode, Rupert St & Profile/Lo-Profile – Friday 28th Janaury
Since arriving & settling in London umpteen years ago, we have always been attracted to the charms or otherwise of Soho, the history of this once salubrious district of the West End very much painted with porn, vice & well, sex, even when we landed in the capital, not a ...
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28 Jan 2011 | 0 Comments
DM Recommends – “Carnival Collective” – Weekend Best Bites – Fri 28th to Sun 30th January
Well, what a month it has been in Disco Matt land, first the flu & then a nasty ear infection that has left us most out of sorts, although it hasn’t stopped us getting out & about on the scene, and when we haven’t, recommending the places to be & ...
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25 Jan 2011 | 0 Comments
DM Reports – “Coveted Clubbing Crowns” – SeenQueen “Your Disco Needs You” The Results Special – Tuesday 25th January
After a full-on eight weeks of activity, the SeenQueen 2010 annual clubbing poll came to a close last Thursday (20th January), since when, the votes have been verified, the spam’s sorted, the counts collated and the tally’s totalled, concluding what has proven to be, in the words of of SQ’s ...
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25 Jan 2011 | 0 Comments
Special Review – “Fulsome Threesome Makes Five” – Industri “Birthday Bonanza” – Wednesday 19th January
Not a month since our favourite social soiree upped sticks from its original home in Vauxhall, moving across to Soho, at the same time switching from a Thursday to a Wednesday, we once again find ourselves exerting our energies into a review of this cherished club night in our calendar, ...
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21 Jan 2011 | 0 Comments
DM Recommends – “B Stands For?!…” – Weekend Best Bites – Fri 21st to Sun 23rd January
Well, January is speeding along at a right old pace, although having been laid low since day three, we haven’t been indulging quite as much as we should or could have done anyway, although with Wednesday just gone was one of a few outings for us , plus an occurrence ...
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