Posts Tagged ‘Industri’
July 4, 2011 | 
Author 
Avoiding Alfresco Antics
Having been consumed in all things Pride, we find ourselves in catch up mode and looking back on the previous week which proved another quiet one in Disco Matt land while we continued to rest & mend our broken bones, although with Wimbledon dominating our airwaves, we had much to keep us amused while our eyes & ears were checking out the movers & shakers on the scene, including a new international entry that made a superb splash out in Ibiza.
- Nathan & Jamie In The Gigolo House
So let’s get straight to it and look back to Thursday 23rd July, Gigolo entertaining a considerable crowd with two Lo-Profile favourites, Nathan Six & Jamie Head on the decks, Nathan kicking off with some superb uplifting & disco tipped sounds, while Mr Head turned up the house heat with a brilliant blend of classic disco heaven with tougher tech that really hit the spot. With both David & L.A. keeping the offer really fresh, transforming the host venue to give it an individual & refreshing feel, Gigolo has very much earned its place on the clubbing calendar and with Nathan back for more this week (Thurs 7th July) along with the cute yet capable Zach Burns, this is a “Fever” frolic you won’t want to miss, DM there to report on it all & more details on Gigolo available at http://gigolodisco.com
Ibiza Send Off Smash
Onto the other big Thursday hitter, Room Service, Jodie Harsh & co very much in Ibiza mood with a warm up session for their launch on the white isle (more on that in a mo), legendary D.J.’s Fat Tony & Ariel very much doing the business with bags of brilliant beats to give Jodie, Kris & co the best “Ibiza Send Off” they could have wished for, while the Manhunt men provided plenty of eye candy as well as stacks of super give-aways, even the Room Service crew getting in on the act with special Ibiza t-shirts (where’s ours?!?!) along with more of the spectacular same social soiree splendour that has become a trademark of this magnificent weekly meet. And having been there to report on Room Service’s “WE Heroes Pre-Party” last Thursday, watch this space for DM’s Bite Size review “Pitron Posse Pack A Punch”, out shortly, while tonight (Monday 4th July) Kris Di Angelis heads up the 2nd Ibiza outing at Aura, then Thursday seeing Jodie host a “Go-Go” inspired party in London, Severino & Dmitry Struigen serving up the sound, more info on these & future Room Service events a click away at http://clubroomservice.com.
Society Soho Soiree
Onto Friday and it seemed that the quietist one of the month was proving to be just that, “Society” at Lo-Profile reporting average attendance, although both Nick Evans & “Society” new boy Zach Burns certainly impressed with scores of superb sounds, the team behind this Soho smash, upping the ante just last weekend with a Brazilian themed party, while we enjoyed our own slice of Sao Paulo, as one of Brazil’s best exports, Junior Moura made his Profile (that’s upstairs) debut, the second of our weekend reviews, this one titled “I Want My Porridge”, including Junior’s pulsating performance here. As for this Friday?, well it looks like being hot, hot hot, as Beyond boy Steve Pitron & the cute yet capable Zack Burns both make a welcome return, DM out for the 2nd night in a row to report on it all, while more info on Lo-Profile can be found on their fab website at http://lo-profile.com
Other movers & shakers on Friday were very much on the alternative circuit, as “Marvellous” ended up a manic mash-up with a packed out Royal Vauxhall Tavern seeing Joan Dairy Queen host a hip hop happening, the D.J. duo of Jonny Slut & Dawn Right Nasty mixing the music into a wash of punk, soul, rock, disco & funk, the midnight strip show popping plenty of eyeballs, while over in Dalston, the Superstore boys welcoming new night “Breed” with energetic electronic the name of the music genre game, deck duties performed by the creative combo Rufus & Bambi, along with promoter Rex The Dog (say no more!). However, with many eyes on alfresco antics the following day, it was The Two brewers in Clapham that showed the way, Manager Jimmy Smith (is he still going?!) reporting a huge turnout for the “Drag Idol” final hosted by the one & only Titti La Camp & sporting one of the strongest contestant line-ups in years.
Squeezing Onto SW4 Street
So we move to Saturday and with the weather improving by the hour, come 3 p.m. the sun had definitely got his hat on in time for the “7th Annual Clapham Street Party”, the queue to get a squashed up spot on Edgerley Street next to Kazbar, stretching right up towards The Two Brewers, who themselves had sealed off the street next to the pub which was also packed. With the world & his wife on the London gay scene descending on SW4, those who were wise enough to arrive early, or lucky enough to get in, enjoyed the best in cabaret & entertainment from scene stars including Maisie Trollette, Lola Lasagne, Dave Lynn & Rose Garden, while Loose Women’s stars Sherrie Hewson & Carol McGiffen provided some celebrity clout, this spectacular street shindig hosted with the incomparable Sandra, Drag Idol winner, Son Of Tutu made a impressive start to her cabaret career. However, with this prolific party seemingly getting bigger & bigger every year, we are hopeful that the organisers have similar plans to accommodate the numbers next time, as many, ourselves included, came away without gaining entry.
Prolific Pre-Pride Party
With so many clubbers having landed in south London, there was a wonderful winner as a result, many moving in on Vauxhall & Fire for their “Pride Pre-Party”, news hitting our desks pretty quickly that the club enjoyed one of its best Saturday turnouts in many a month, close on 1000 revellers packing out the two rooms of fun, the likes of Mikey D, Fat Tony & Leandro Kloppel rocking the main room, while the delectable DouGuim sorted the sounds in the Ku-Bar lounge, also pulling in the punters with a prolific performance that makes him one of our D.J.’s of the moment. Having played on the “free” theme for a second time, it seems this formula is working, while we know the team have a few plans for Saturday’s up their sleeves, so watch this space for news on those, And with Fire having hosted the “official” post Pride party, Liberation, this last Saturday (2nd July), this coming weekend sees A:M return to its rightful slot, while Alex Erfan takes over the club for the welcome return of Lovechild to the clubbing circuit with their exceptional event “Super Lovers”, DM giving it the full Weekend Focus exposure within his special preview post “From Fire To Fever”. More information on all events at Fire can be found at http://fireclub.co.uk.
Beyond On the Radio
With Sunday seemingly dominated by more alfresco antics as the mercury zoomed close to 30 degrees, Beyond remained reasonably buoyant, though resting our repairing bones meant we could tune into the “Beyond On The Radio” show, savouring the sets we had missed the previous weekend, not least a precision perfect Pitron performance that included tracks, “Offshore”, “Bitch Lady”, You’ve Got The Love”, Music In My Soul”, “Waiting For You” & the Pitron/DM anthem “Stronger”, leaving us in as much of an emotional state as we would have been on our spot, there being no better was to savour a slice of this awesome afterhours, either as a warm up for the real thing, or as a look in on the brilliant Beyond beats, by tuning in every Sunday morning from zero o’clock to 7 a.m., at http://gaydarradio.com. However, we were back at beyond just yesterday (Sunday 3rd July) for their “Super Pride” event and managed plenty of our “Doing The Disco Matt” moves, as well as a number of Nibble Size review tweets, our Full Size Review, “Rapturous Return Erupts Emotions” due out a little later this week.
Last Dance Lamenting
With the usual suspects ending the weekend, Orange sending party heads deep into Monday morning, Monday night saw “Citric” at Ku-Bar & “Popcorn” at Heaven show the scene that it simply doesn’t stop, while our week was fast forwarded to Wednesday, as we gave our night away to social soiree splendour Industri, as it bowed out of the clubbing circuit with its “Last Dance” event, this curtain call on this three fabulous years attracting many of faithful to toast it a fond farewell. And with Minty in charge of the hosting, while the duo of Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron were back together, treating us to a ton of terrific tracks in a back-to-back set to savour, this last ever Industri event in Soho had the feel of Vauxhall days of old, we sitting & quietly observing the shenanigans from the sidelines & then reporting on it all in a Bite Size review reflection, out via direct link http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/reviews-bitter-sweet-soiree-swansong-industri-the-last-dance-wednesday-29th-june-bite-size-review/. With Minty Brent & Paul promising to be back with a successor soon, it seems the new breed of social soirees, Room Service & Gigolo, will be hogging much of the limelight for now, kind of bringing us full circle on this weekly round-up.
Shoreditch Summer Show
Now to some news and to two alfresco antics that we definitely won’t be avoiding, the first being “Summer Rites Remixed” which takes place this coming Sunday (10th July) in Shoreditch Park from midday till 10 p.m. With over 12 bars & clubs involved including Salvation, XXL, Popstarz, Trannyshack, Meat & Gutterslut, this outdoor event looks to re-emulate those halcyon days when Pride park events were all the rage & Summer Rites itself shone superbly, paving the way for other outings such as “Purple In the Park”. And this “Remixed” affair looks like a corker, all set in the relative intimacy of Shoreditch park in Hoxton, but sporting seven separate dance/entertainment tents, along with a “Bootylicious Bus”, dodgems rides & the usual bar & refreshment facilities, making this “…the latest gay festival to hit the UK, but seeing London’s original boutique clubbing festivals return after more than a decade of never having been bettered, all set in one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in the capital…”. Now, while that’s what is says on the tin, we will bringing you our own take on this terrific turn, devoting a Weekend Focus recommends post to the event, although in the meantime, to grab your tickets & for more information now, go now to http://summer-rites.co.uk.
Superb Sunny Sunday Session
Then the following weekend, the focus moves across to Victoria Park as “Lovebox” rolls into town for a three day festival that takes outdoor music eventing to a new level, the gay perspective very much being on the Sunday (17th July) when both Horse Meat Disco & Circus fill fabulous slots in the schedule, but with our eyes also on the main stage as The Scissor Sisters, Blondie, Robyn, Kelis, & Marc Almond star, while Jonny Woo also makes his presence felt. Now, tickets for Sunday are still available via the official Lovebox website, http://lovebox.net, although be warned that the prices are creeping up all the time, standard tickets now at close on £50 while VIP ones are nearly double, but well worth the spend as you get fast track entry, a bespoke VIP area with a cocktail, wine & spirits bar, luxurious (in park perms) lavatory facilities, a dining area selling fast foods from Jamie Oliver’s “Fabulous Feasts” brand & a dedicated music programme thrown in, not to mention preferential seating in the main arena, so very much a bargain in our books. Indeed having booked our place, DM will be there on the Sunday, along with the Pitron posse to report on it all, while a Weekend Focus post will be out sometime this coming weekend.
Right to our moment, our track & our tweet of the week, much of our own action concentrated on the Wednesday night at Industri, although the moment coming from the comfort of our study when we tuned into that Beyond radio show & heard the succession of superb sounds from Steve Pitron’s set, very much erupting us into a pool of tearful emotions, as if we had been right there on our spot, while our tweet of the week came from Industri & the last ever tweet for the club, as we lamented, “…Disco Matt can feel the tears about to erupt as Industri “The Last Dance” plays its last ever record, so now we have to be “Stronger”…”, not forgetting you can follow all our live Nibble Size review tweets at http://twitter.com/discomatt.
Nibble Size Review Tweets
As for our track of the week?, well it simply had to go to the heavenly “You’ve Got The Love” which featured large, not just in that Steve set, but at Industri’s “Last Dance” during Paul Heron’s majestic final minutes of magnificent music, as well as throughout the week & during the creation of our special Beyond inspired music newsletter. Having been given the 2011 treatment by Mark Knight, this classic track is getting airplay on dancefloors here, there & everywhere & has featured in our “Summer Scorcher” top ten list, the full 8 minute version having been released on Beatport just over two weeks ago, but available to view at http://youtube.com/watch?v=QY3rrKnZ58k.
Disco Matt
So, that’s it for another weekly round-up report, with the next one hot on its heels and due out before this weekend, when we will pick up on Room Service’s “WE Party pre-party, Profile Bar, Barcode Vauxhall, The Fire Dance Stage & Beyond “Super Pride” among a host of other bars, clubs & events, reminding you that that if you want us to shout out for your favourite bar, club or event that rocked & rolled in the coming week, then link into us via our main Facebook page at http://facebook.com/discomattlondon and plaster our wall with your details or then drop us a line now at matt@discomatt.com. (DISCO MATT)
Weekly Round Up Wrapped Up
Posted in Reports, Reviews | 
Tags: Beyond, Fire, Gigolo, Industri, Kazbar, Ku Bar, Lo-Profile, Marvellous, Popcorn, Room Service, Society, The Clapham Street Part, The Dalston Superstore, The Two Brewers, You've Got The Love | 
No Comments »
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 | 1 Comment »
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 »
Bye Bye "Preview The Reviews"
If there is one place where we find the most inspiration & then come with our ideas, it is the clubbing dancefloor, this morning being no exception, as we pondered over the continuance of our “Preview The Review” (PTR) reports. Now, while they have proven really popular and have also given us a vehicle where we can report on our clubbing cavorting much more swiftly than we did with our full reviews, the last two months have seen these PTR’s take the place of our full length versions, which have somewhat fallen by the wayside. Mind you, this is no surprise, as life in Disco Matt land has become incredibly busy in the last few months, the demands on our time stretching substantially, meaning that certain parts of our activity have suffered under the strain, our full length reviews one such area.
Hello "Bite Size Reviews"
So with an overdue list stretching back to Barcelona in April, we thought it was high time to take some action by re-adjusting the balance of our review reporting, thus changing the angle of our PTR style reports to make them more like our full length versions but in mini form and what we will now term as “Bite Size Reviews”. Now, if you have been keeping in touch with our PTR’s, which were devised in February, the bite size phrase will be a familiar one to you and one which we feel ties in well with our nibble size reviews, delivered via Twitter tweets, another invention (thanks to a dear D.J. friend) which has really taken off since we launched it in Beyond on 2nd May. Plus with that full reflection backlog growing by the day, we thought it was high time we gave the bars, clubs & events we cover a little more justice in our fresh felt reflections, rather than having them wait for the full review, a wait which has become far too long for some.
Welcome "Full Size Reviews"
That said, we will be continuing with our traditional length reflections, which we will now term as “Full Size Reviews”, proper service on these being restored as soon as possible, although, as demand dictates, we may need to pick & choose which bars, clubs & events get this full size review coverage, thus the need to up the ante with re-styling our PTR’s. In the meantime, we are committed to delivering the following overdue ones to you, although they will most likely be simple extensions of our existing PTR’s to include those all important intro & outro paragraphs, not least to speed through the delivery of this now considerable backlog.
Delice Dream Festival – “Captivating Clubbing In Calella – 16th to 20th April (feature length)
As One – “Sound Spoils The Show” – 23rd April
Beyond – “All About Steve” – 24th April
Orange Ascension – “Sweet Dreams Of Citric Bliss” – 25th April
Later – “Afternoon Appreciation Times Two” – 25th April & 2nd May (feature length)
Booster – “Braving The Bash” – 25th April
Beyond vs La Demence – “Blended Brilliance” – 1st May
Downtown – “East End Boys Meet West End Girls”– 1st May
WE Broadway – “Wow Factor Wandered” – 1st May
Beyond – “Waiting For You” – 8th May
Meat – “Monumental Mash-up” – 14th May
Gigolo – “Brilliant Burns Beats” – 19th May
Muccassassina – “Rapture In Rome” – 27th May
WE Candy – “Where Were We” – 28th May
Beyond Supersize – “Huge Holiday Highlight” – 29th May
Salvation The Future – “Stunning Stage Sparkles” – 29th May
As One – “Banking Branded Brilliance” – 30th May
Room Service – “Delightful Delectations At Diu – 2nd June
Plus we have two special reviews to still ring you, firstly our full size review of Roger Waters in concert at The O2 Arena from 15th May, plus a feature length full size review of our three day sortie around Soho during the first week of May, this one to be titled “Soho Society Social Soiree Showdown”.
Continuing "Nibble Size Reviews"
So, we definitely have our review work cut out, this being no better a time to address the backlog, plus re-adjust our reflections and make the flow much more smoother, that flow henceforth being from nibble size, to bite size, to full size, all meaning that our review coverage will be as complete & conformist as can be. And having nibble size review tweeted our way through Beyond this morning, where the inspiration for this change came from, what better way to kick off than with our new style bite size review of Beyond’s “Summer Season Launch” which, like all our reviews from now on, can/will be found in our “Review” section ONLY (makes sense we think). Plus, as if we need to remind you, don’t forget you can follow our nibble size review tweets by going to http://twitter.com/discomatt and tuning in live or even becoming a full on follower & checking at your leisure, leaving us to simply say, make sure to “Go There! Be There! tweet tweet!!! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports, Reviews | Tags: As One, Beyond, Booster, Delice, Delice Dream, Downtown, Gigolo, Industri, Later, Lo-Profile, Meat, Muccassassina, Orange, Room Service, Salvation, Society, WE Party, WE Party London | No Comments »
That Was The Spring Bank Holiday That Was
Well here it is, our first weekly roundup report, “That Was The Week That Was”, and what a week to choose, the fourth bank holiday of the year proving a real corker for us and surely for you too, especially if you took advantage of the myriad of magical meets that we covered in our special Recommends post, not to mention the host of others on offer.
SMX success
So, where did it all start?, well with a bit of a clash of the titans on Thursday (26th May) as new Soho society social soiree Gigolo was back for more after a lavish launch a week ago, although what a difference a week made, as numbers were nowhere near as buoyant as the launch, perhaps to be expected. Across the other side of Soho, Room Service entertained SuperMartXe for the first of three pre-parties, Jodie Harsh’s established Thursday night foray still packing in the party goers, this week being no different & just the start to the weekend SMX’s Logan Schmitz was praying for.
Both will be back for more this week, Gigolo “getting harder”, while Room Service entertain French porn star import Francois Sagat, both well worth a look in to be honest. Check out http://gigolodisco.com & http://clubroomservice.com for more info.
Society stars
Friday dawned for us with a trip across to Rome for the magnificent Muccassassina which was the first major highlight of our spring bank holiday weekend, while here in the capital Lo-Profile’s “Society” rocked to the Spanish influenced SuperMartXe sounds, Nathan Six & Tony English bringing home the bacon (or should that be chorizo) for Logan & his Schmitzels, while round the corner in Rupert Street, the sweetest of sounds were served by Brent Nicholls on behalf of WE “Candy” who held their own pre-party, with gorge go-go’s & plenty of sugar coated splendour masterminded by promotions duo Tom Fuller & Paul Vlad. Down in Vauxhall, it was win win for the Orange group, with healthy numbers reported through both Onyx & A:M, while slightly further afield, The Brixton Clubhouse kicked off their launch weekend with a tepid response, but with much brighter things to come on both Saturday & Sunday. Aternative’s out east, the Dalston Superstore & East Bloc’s “Disco Fag Bar” reported good turnouts, while back in Rome, Mucca proved magnificent & packed to the rafters from superb start to fantastic finish, both Danny Verde & Micky Galliano nailing spectacular sets.
“Society” is back this week to show Soho how it’s done, more info available at http://loprofile.com, while Onyx starts a weekend trend in Orange Group circles of free parties/plenty of discounted offers, more info out at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
Sweet Scorcher
To Saturday and it was clear that two players were likely to dominate proceedings & leave others in their wake, although as it turned out, the sweet smell of success went to WE “Candy”, host venue The Coronet in E&C absolutely rammo, in fact never as busy. With the stunning stage shows back to where the brilliantly belonged, superb sets by all the D.J.’s sparkling, especially Paul Heron’s as even WE resident Carlos Gallardo was caught bowing at his feet in adoration, while PA Peyton put up another prolific performance and not one person we spoke to walked away disappointed, quite the opposite. Faced with all this, SuperMartXe was always going to come off second best, but they certainly did their “Moulin Rouge” best, making the most of what they had, although with the world & his wife at WE, numbers did suffer. And that was the case for others too, Lo-Profile reporting a quiet night as did both Barcode’s, but the niche & alternative nights did well, both Gutterslut at East Bloc & Queer Nation at Area heralding highly successful happenings, the usual bearish bravado taking place at The Arches in Southwark as XXL reigned supreme.
Now, it seems the WE party machine is not resting on its laurels, their next incarnation “Barbie & Ken” already sweeping across Europe, while London’s Gay Pride on 2nd July will see WE “Force” take centre stage again, more details already out at http://weparty.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-07/02/we-party-london-we-force.
Huge Holiday Hit
So Sunday dawned & it seemed at all roads led to Beyond, those people that hadn’t yet started their spring bank holiday certainly doing so here. Having recharged our Rome batteries, we arrived to find the unison with Barcode brimming with bodies, the Beyond crew reporting probably THE busiest ever. And the extra outside space as well as additional dancefloors worked really well, although, inevitably, it was the three Area rooms that saw most of the action & chalked up huge holiday highlights for us (more on that in a bit). Later followed & was equally as successful, dampening the start of Downtown at The Brixton Clubhouse, although this Meat & Room Service combo was well & truly rocking by 8 p.m. Salvation swung open its doors & dazzled with some of the most stunning stage displays we have seen, lighting, lasers & the 22nd century theme hitting the mark, even if the numbers through Koko didn’t quite match the spectacular Salvation shows & effects which were a resounding success. Other hot spots included Fusion at the prolific Pulse & a whole host of Soho hip & happening hangouts, Rupert Street reporting on of their best Sunday’s in a long time. But the big surpirse was Booster, who teamed up with Barcode, pre As One, reports coming in that it was “one in, one out” and the most amazing atmosphere, this second unity in as many hours working like a dream.
Now, we have some exciting news on the Salvation front, although have been sworn to secrecy right now, but will spill the beans just as soon as we can, while this weekend Beyond continues to ride the wave crest they are on, with two parties, Paris’ Scream hosting on Saturday night, while back in London they kick off their summer season in style, more info on Beyond available at http://jonny-m.co.uk/beyond.
Brand Combo Back With A Bang
With Monday arriving quickly on the horizon but with so many amazing parties very much weighting the weekend differently to previous bank holiday’s, there was a feel that the scene was flagging a little, although, like Beyond the previous morning, it seemed all roads led to As One, Fire’s three main spaces packed to the rafters until well gone dawn, Orange, Cafe Ole, Lovechild, Megawoof & KuBar combining to put this collaborative colossus back on the clubbing map, although as the sun peaked through, outside rather than in was the order of the day, the main room, neverthless, rocking right up till the midday finish. Other prolific parties included Later’s second spring bank holiday helping, this time at Area, The RVT also getting their own second bite at the cherry with the ever popular “S.LA.G.S/Chill-out”, despite the weather turning damp late afternoon & emptying the grassy knoll, while Popcorn at Heaven made hay too, with an extra busy bash as its student populous were on a short spring break from their studies, all very much letting their hair down.
Now, if you haven’t been to a S.L.A.G.S/Chill-out session yet, then it’s high time you did, this Sunday soiree every bit the smash it was when it launched well over 10 years ago, more details on this & other RVT happenings available at http://thervt.org.uk
Now onto some news & we have to sadly report that new social society soiree “G&T” has seemingly faltered at its first hurdle, this Tuesday night gathering having been pulled from Dui just three weeks in, its future not looking that bright, although we are told the team are looking to Green carnation to try & breathe new life into this brave new brand.
Similarily, Industri, the social soiree splendour that had a successful running at Barcode Vauxhall for close on three years, looks like bowing out gracefully when current home, Barcode Soho changes hands sometime this month. However, with the new owners of this Archer St hangout promising to keep some of the old, but bring in much more new, we suspect Minty, Paul & Brent will be back with a new “SoHO” concept.
Down in Vauxhall & it’s all change at Union, Factory taking advantage as Steven Geller’s clubs “Bodyshakers” & “Desire” switch camps, joining Suzie Kruegar’s “Hard On!” that moved there for Hidden a couple of months ago. Plus, Factory have a new night this coming Friday (3rd June), as Gaydar Radio’s Phil Marriott launches “Club I”, an inspirational independant & iconic invent, so watch this space for more news in an upcoming Weekend Focus.
So, that was the spring bank holiday weekend that was, the two towering triumphs very much being WE “Candy” & Beyond “Supersize”, but what about our moment, our track & our tweet of the week? Well to the moment first and a difficult choice as there
Oustanding "Offshore" Our Track of The Week
were so many, from Mucca in Rome to Salvation in Camden, but weeding out a collection of classic’s, courtesy of one man, our most magical moment has to be being up in the Beyond D.J. booth with superstar Steve Pitron, not once or twice, but three times & very much a “Supersize” treat for us.
As for the track of the week, well it has to be the outstanding “Offshore” by Rebeka Brown which featured large throughout our weekend & many of the previous ones to be honest and while we are still struggling to find a link to this latest version of Ms Brown’s 2010 original, you can find it on Steve Pitron’s new podcast “Summer 2011 Vol 1”, available for download at http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com.
Then to our Tweet of the week and like the moments, with so many to choose from it was tough, but one rose to the top of our tree, inspired by fabulous friend Andrea, which read like this “…is in As One hysterics as having misplaced Andrea, her trademark call has affirmed she is in close vicinity. It goes “…f**k off!…”, priceless!! Plus to join the revolution that is our nibble sized review tweeting, why not follow us at http://twitter.com/discomatt and maybe even get a mention of your own.
nibble sized tweets
Right, that’s it for our first “That Was The Week That Was” report, but don’t forget, if you want us to shout out for your favourite bar, club or event that rocked & rolled, then drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com or link into us via our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/discomattlondon. Now, as we look forward to a new week that will include Room Service, Tonker & Beyond for us, we hope this coming week is a good one for you, so make sure you have a brilliant one and that you “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports | Tags: As One, Beyond, Downtown, G&T, Gigolo, Gutterslut, Industri, Later, Lo-Porfile, Meat, Muccassassina, Onyx A:M, Popcorn, Queer Nation, Room Service, Rupert Street, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, Salvation, Society, SuperMartXe, The Brixton Clubhouse, The RVT, WE Party London | 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 »
Some of our best ideas tend to come to us on the dancefloor and this latest one was no exception, in fact it was the recent dynamic & deletable Delice Dream Festival that fermented this latest in our Recommends family of posts, it being high time we extended our picks of where to be seen on the scene both beyond the weekend and beyond London. So, shortening our shouts but expanding the events, our “Weeklong Winning Wishlist” will be just that, a list of winning events across the week not to be missed. With one liner’s hinting towards what’s happening & links to the required detailed info, this new report will complement our full on Focus reports and our Best Bites & Short Shouts posts, all combined to produce a most comprehensive set of references to the outings that get our vote.
So let’s get on by looking at what’s coming this week and by golly is there a lot, some old favourites intermixed with some new stars to sink into, our day-by-day recommendations going like this
Society At Lo-Profile
Friday 22nd April
Lo-Profile – New night “Society” storms into Soho with D.J.’s Nick Evans & Paul Heron on the decks. Doors open at 10 p.m. with the club running through till 5 a.m. Entrance offers at £5 before midnight, more info at http://loprofile.com
Rupert Street – Hip & happening boozing bar in Soho with Brent Nicholls spinning the Good Friday funk from 9 p.m. Entry is free & alfresco drinking also an option. Check out http://rupertstreet.com for more details, although extended midnight opening applies.
Onyx “Crucifixion” – Vauxhall’s biggest Friday night sensation continues to pack them in, this special Easter event headlined by prolific P.A. Peyton on stage around 1 a.m., while doors open at 11 p.m. with discounted entry of £2 till midnight & £8 thereafter (discounts available). More info at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties/onyx.
Other Options – Barcode Vauxhall, Tonker @ The Eagle, “Disco Fag Bar vs Gossip” @ East Bloc, “Boy Dem @ Dalston Superstore (DSS). Check our Best Bites & Short Shouts for more details & links.
Saturday 23rd April
As One Easter Spectacular
As One “Easter Spectacular” – the colossus of a combo returns having been the party smash hit of New Year, with a mammoth mix of no less than eight brands across as many rooms, including Lovechild, Lo-Profile, Megawoof, Trannyshack, CasaLatina, A:M, Orange RAW, & Queer Nation. Watch this space for our special Extra Bites post for full details which you can also catch at http://alexerfan.com
Lo-Profile – If you fancy it a little more low key yet still as hot, then check out this Soho sophisticate that has the equally hot Nathan Six on the decks, followed by D’Johnny. Plus it’s the “official” Beyond pre-party. Doors open at 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. More details at http://loprofile.com
“The Face” @ East Bloc – For the very alternative in you, this is a MUST. Icon Steve Strange welcomes the weird & wonderful with special guest Kevin Rowland (of Dexy’s Midnight Runners fame) to the decks. Kicks off at 9 p.m. running till 4 a.m. More info at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Wild Fruit “Queens” – Brighton’s best hits the Honeyclub for this Bank Holiday bash but pulls on London based Fat Tony & Jonny M for the D.J. duties. Expect prolific production & an up for it crowd of cavorters. Doors open at 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. & then on to Rebel for the afterparty. Details out at http://aeonevents.co.uk
Other Options – A;M @ Fire, Barcode Vauxhall, Eagle Saturday’s, Ku-Bar “St George’s Day Special”, “Hot Boy Dancing Spot” @ DSS – Check our Best Bites & Short Shouts for more details & links.
Sunday 24th April (Easter Day)
Beyond – Back to its plain & simple formula, no labels no frills just unadulterated & awesome afterhours audacity with star D.J.’s on duty including Steve Pitron, Mikey D, Paul Christian, D’Johnny, Jamie Head & more. This will be a roadblock event, so go grab a ticket now at http://clubtickets.com as door availability which opens at 6 a.m. will be strictly limited.
Gay City Rollers - Royal Wedding Special
Gay City Rollers “Royal Wedding Special” – If its fun & laughter on four wheels you are after, look no further. Kicking off at 6 p.m. at the Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall, with special guest Michael Farley from Starlight Express, this Xanadu style production is set to spin superbly. More details at http://alexerfan.com
SuperMartXe “Blast Off” – Logan & his team return to kick ass at new club Pulse with another explosive event, D.J.’s on duty include Tony English, Jamie Hammond & special guest Vitti, along with powerhouse vocalist Nayla. Expect huge production, massive effects & the best looking dancers & crowd in town. Doors open at 10.30 p.m., with more info at http://loganpresents.com.
Circus “Religion” – Jodie Harsh comes at ya with another hedonistic happening 31 floors up at Paramount with D.J. delights French-Soler, Kris Di Angelis & Joshyou Are, Jodie also spinning some sounds, while Scottee lies in state & sidekick Angel Rose adds to this funeral frolic of a show. It doesn’t come more alternative yet amazing than this, Doors opening at 11 p.m, running through till 5 a.m., the lowdown up at http://thisiscircus.com.
Matinee “La-Leche” Paris – Fancy a French frolic with a superb Spanish twist? Well look no further Le Showcase @ Sous La Pont in Paris, this amazing venue right on the Seine sporting Matinee at its brilliant best, resident D.J.’s J Louis & Taito Tikaro joining our own Parisian pal Leomeo on the decks & Vanessa Klein headlining a stunning show, this will be the talk of Europe for sure. Check out more details at http://matineegroup.com.
Other Options – Later @ Fire, Scandal @Shadow Lounge, Horse Meat Disco @ the Eagle, “United” at Barcode Vauxhall – Check our Best Bites & Short Shouts for more details & links.
Monday 25th April
Orange Ascension "The Back-To-Back Edition"
Orange “Ascension” – Looking like the hit of the weekend, Steve’s Sharp’s citric splendour takes over Area in Vauxhall with the a stunning line up of D.J.’s going back-to-back, including Boy George & Fat Tony, David Jimenez & D’Johnny, Hifi Sean & Severino, Steve Pitron, the Sharp Boys, Mikey D & Jamie Head, enough said!! Doors open at 6 a.m. running till 2 p.m. wow! More info at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
Booster “1st Birthday” – Romain Lopez’s Sunday soiree moves to Monday and welcomes back Miss Crazy D to the decks, along with regulars Sharon O Love & Ferno to fuel your partying into Tuesday morning. Doors open at 8 p.m. running through till 3 a.m. Check out http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties for details.
Other Option’s – “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out @ The RVT (http://thervt.org.uk), “Citrus” @ Ku-Bar (http://ku-bar.co.uk).
Tuesday 26th April
“Glamour & Trash” @ Diu – New night hosted by “Salon” original Aubrey Dobson along with London’s hippest hostess, Hrh Minty with majestic music from D.J. Brent Nicholls who brings weekly guests to spin some sounds. Expecting to attract an ever increasing crowd of gorgeous guys & gals at THE most happening venue in town, watch this space for a special focus & check out the detail now at http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/2011/04/22/clubs-glamour-trash/. Doors open at 9 p.m., running through till 2 a.m.
“Ashley Ryder’s Strip Academy @ The Eagle – Another new night for blokes into baring their assets to amaze, the saucy Mr Ryder on hand to give them a hand (if you know what we mean!!) With a £100 prize up for grabs every week, if you have got it & want to flaunt it you know where to be. More info at http://eaglelondon.com
Wednesday 27th April
“Industri” at Barcode Soho – Well this looks like the last ever Industri as BCS closes it’s doors just two days later, so Hrh Minty will be calling all her faithful to give this superb social soiree a right royal send off & just in time for the wedding too! D.J. Paul Heron will be masterminding the music & doors open at 9 p.m. running till 1 .am. Check http://seenqueen.com/web/clubs for more info.
“Work” @ Hidden – Patrick Lilley’s award winning wonderment returns for another weekly whirl, a club night for those either into men & women of colour or are men & women of coulour themselves. D.J.’s including Big John Freeman, Philly & Biggy C spin R&B, soul, old skool classics & vogue pop. Check out http://hiddenclub.co.uk for venue info.
Thursday 28th April
Room Service
“Room Service” @ Diu – Without doubt THE place to be, not just on a Thursday but any day of the week, Jodie Harsh’s cavorting creation going from strength to strength. With a rotating D.J. line up that includes Steve Pitron, Mikey D, Fat Tony, Severino, & Kris Di Angelis, lits Mikey & Kris that do the business this week. Doors open at 10.30 p.m. so if you want to get in be there then! More info at http://clubroomservice.com
“Best Of British” @ Fire – Prowess of production Edna takes on promotional duties again as this very British bash returns for another outing ahead of the biggest British day of the year, welcoming the likes of Paul Heron, Fat Tony, Guy Williams, Nick Tcherniak, Hifi Sean & heaps more to the decks, while the incomparable Chrissy Darling hosts, no doubt decked in union jack splendour! Doors open at 10 p.m. running through till 5 a.m. with more info at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
“The Shack” @ East Bloc – A new night looking to grip the east end for sure as instigator Guy Williams draws in the talents of Faze Action, DRW, Severino, Ben Jamin & Ronnie King over two rooms of fun. Expect bucket loads of future house mixed in with classic tunes rehashed, with doors opening at 10.30 p.m. Check out http://eastbloc.com for more details.
Other Options – “Glitz & Glamour @ Shadow Lounge (http://theshadowlounge.co.uk), Gravity @ Fire (http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties).
Now for some “Winning Wish-listers To Watch” coming up in the next few days & weeks, well worth noting in your diaries
Friday 29th April – Onyx “Rockstar” – Pagano’s birthday bash,
Saturday 30th April – A:M “Kings & Queens” – with Lizzat & Voltaxx (A MUST!)
Saturday 30th April – Lovechild @ Red & Blue Antwerp – A Queen’s Day special
Sunday 1st May – Beyond meets La Demence – guests Ben Manson & Phil Romano.
Sunday 1st May – Lovelife @ Cafe De Paris – Alex Erfan’s Europride pre-party VIP smash
Sunday 1st May – WE “Broadway” – Victor Pallas’ Spanish sensation returns
Monday 2nd May – Orange Trade “Royal Rumble” – the dynamic afterhours duo reform.
Sunday 29th May – As One – this colossal combo returns to pole Sunday position.
Saturday 11th June – Hustlaball – this horny happening returns to London & to a new home.
Right, that’s our rundown of those weekly winners hitting our wish-list and parties that should be making yours too and as this new post in our “Recommends” family takes shape, we hope to include more options for you. So, calling all promoters, bar managers etc, should you want your club event or outing mentioned, then drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com, or check us out on Facebook at either http://facebook.com/discomattlondon or via our page & group there (links http://facebook.com/pages/Disco-Matt/112730602119746 & http://facebook.com/group.php?gid=96540615424) and if you want us to feature you as a Best Bite or even a full on Focus, get those press releases onto our mailing list. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: As One, Beyond, Booster, East Bloc, Gay City Rollers, Glamour & Trash, Industri, Later, Lo-Profile, Onyx, Orange, Room Service, Rupert St, SuperMartXe, The Dalston Superstore, The Shadow Lounge, 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 »
Over the years (and it has been more than a few!) we have been very fortunate to have met & be-friended a whole host of D.J.’s, some encounters stretching back to the early days of Trade, when we first hit the clubbing capital, others nurtured during the magical years when Crash ruled the underground club scene, but many more in recent times, predominately through our journalist duties, not least from D.J. focuses & music posts, but also our reviews & previews, as D.J.’s are very much the proverbial meat on the bone of clubbing & the scene in general. Yet, whilst we can count ourselves lucky in knowing a D.J. cast that extends into treble figures, we can count on just one hand, those that have the incredible skill of making us smile (and I mean really smile) on the dancefloor through their music, where their billing will guarantee our appearance & their absence not, where their mixing skills & record choices on studio works leave us breathless in admiration (again attracting those huge smiles) and, more than anything else, have carved an extra special place in our musical minds & souls, having been a constant in our now lengthy musical clubbing journey, while continuing to float our musical boat.
Brent Nicholls is one such individual on that hand count, a talent that first caught our eye at the infamous Salvation afterparty PSP, although at that stage very much a distant one, more close quarter encounters being a feature of our regular weekly homage’s to Wayne Shires’ amazing creation, Crash, which was the founder of the clubbing movement & scene we now know simply as Vauxhall. However, it would be fair to say that Mr Nicholls has very much been hot property since he arrived in London from his native Sydney, his good looks & impressive physique certainly an attraction for some, although it was his skills as a D.J. that got him quickly noticed by many and not a week went by without him being in the thick of the action at clubs like (yes), Action, Beyond, Crash (already mentioned), Heaven, and plenty more besides (the list is endless actually).
But it would be fair to say the Brent has been busy for the last umpteen years now, chalking up club brands over & above those already mentioned, that include Matinee, Lovechild, Hard On!, Trade, Juicy & Hustlaball, while he is a regular feature at hip hop hangouts Barcode, Rupert Street & Profile/Lo-Profile in Soho, he also holding down a regular monthly gig at Soho Gyms in Camden, and plays out at the sports fetish club (wonder why!) “Sweat”, all examples of his broad talent & still very much in demand D.J’ing. His services are called upon beyond London too and his career has seen him jet around the globe, touching on South Africa, Canada, Brazil & most parts of Europe, as well as returning to his native Australia. In fact Brent is still very well known & respected back home and has been a regular feature of the massive Sydney Mardi Gras festival, while festivals generally have attracted his services, London’s Pride events, Soho’s outdoor parties & the recent London Global Dance gathering craving for his talent, just three of a whole collection where he has featured.
Away from the live D.J.’ing, this intelligent & articulate man is busy 24/7, with his own, “Brent Nicholls” work, recording regular compilations of which there were a staggering twenty two in 2010 alone, as well as writing his own blogs, but also designing & developing a whole host of websites under the label “Unique Cliques”. However, Brent’s unrivalled attention is towards the administration of one of the most successful clubbing websites we know, SeenQueen (http://seenqueen.com/), a pioneering site that was launched ten or so years ago as a hobby and has now become a full time occupation, not a day going by when updates are required & posts issues. Plus, we were reliably informed that it recently broke into the top million websites in the world, no mean feat when you consider that the worldwide web figures run into the 10’s of millions (probably more), indeed, this is a very busy time for our engaging Aussie, as the final few days of the SQ “Your Disco Needs You” poll is upon the SeenQueen team, and when you consider what attention & importance the poll attracts, Brent has a heavy weight on his shoulders, as all eyes will be on the results, club promoters & owners biting their nails in anticipation as we speak.
However, for us Brent is an individual that has very much influenced our lives, particularly in the last four/five years, from those special Sunday’s at Barcode Vauxhall, through to the launch of the life changing social soiree Industri, life changing as it was at this club Disco Matt was born, so has pretty much transformed us as a person & a persona. Having said that, our magical memories of Mr Nicholls & his music stretch back much further, not least to those halcyon days at Beyond in Colosseum, when he ruled the VIP room waves with partner in D.J.’ing crime, Paul Heron, a partnership which, along with social scenestress Minty, survives to this day. So, pretty much from the off, we have connected with Brent’s style of music, funky, latin infused, disco tinged, hard edged & tech toned, the variety of genres he plays & is comfortable with, reflecting in the variety of clubs that he still D.J.’s in. Indeed, Mr Nicholls has a knack of being able to spot a trend in advance of most, cut a stride in a new style and mix in all these genres with brilliant & breathtaking results, whether it be packing out a dancefloor or pinning it down in a podcast, meaning that he well & truly deserves his place on that hand of ours, plus, in truth, there is probably only one other that matches him on all those stakes, that’s how highly we rate him among even his equals, let alone the rest of our treble figured talents.
So, when he kindly offered to compile a special compilation to mark the completion of our year end music review and the selection of our top 40 tracks within that review, we were not just honoured, but filled with gratitude with this amazing offer. Yet, given our similarities in musical tastes, it was very much a die-cast disco duo in the making, or as Brent aptly put it, “…a collaboration made in disco heaven…”, although, from the off, this most skilful of mixers was faced with the tricky task of tailoring a compilation that flowed, given the occasional chalk & cheese choices that made it to our top 40. Indeed he explained to us that “…what started as a top 40 turned into a top 30 which is now a top 20…” stating that “…These aren’t his top 20 of the year, but are tracks extracted from his original top 40…” also adding that “…some tracks, after all, just don’t go together no matter how hard you scrunch, munch, filter and glue…”. But glue he did, and to amazing effect, in fact we cannot wait to get our right hand hearing back, so we can listen to this special 152 minute mix in full stereo glory.
Simply called “Disco Matt’s Dance-tastic Top 20” mix, Brent’s brilliant piece of work combines all our favourite tunes of the year 2010, ones that have special meaning, others that rocked us in clubs & elsewhere, although what it is not, is a reflection of the big dancefloor sounds (there are a couple in there), rather as our man from Oz puts it “…Matt’s eclectic taste is reflected…creating some interesting but succesful moments by the fusing of different genres….” he also admitting that “..it quite obvious that many of Matt’s favourites were also my favourites, which I guess defines the word popularity…but this mix could easily be considered MMX volume 3…The Disco Matt Mix..”, Brent, of course, having rounded up his musical year with a double volume of tracks titled “MMX”, which are both available at http://djbrentnicholls.com/music, and are, may we add, very worthy additions to your collection.
As for our special mix, well you can listen or download it in a number of ways. First & foremost, you can visit Brent’s website (as above), where you will (currently) find it at the top of his home page, or within the “music” section together with download options & a full playlist. Secondly, you can go to the link at the foot of this post, a link that will also appear on our website in a separate short report, but is obviously here too, while lastly, we have added it to our soundcloud site (http://soundcloud.com/discomatt) & our podcast page (http://discomattlondon.podomatic.com/). So for a slice of collaborative disco heaven & a dollop of this die-cast disco duo, go grab this exclusive mix and immerse yourselves into a dance-tastic dream, as there can only be one way to round off this special report, and that’s by saying, “Music, Brent Nicholls style, is definitely the answer”. (DISCO MATT)
To download & listen, plus post to your Facebook wall, share the link or even tweet about it, CLICK HERE
Posted in Music | Tags: Barcode, Brent Nicholls, Hard On!, Hustlaball, Industri, Lo-Profile, Lovechild, Matinee, Minty, Paul Heron, Profile, Trade, Wayne Shires | No Comments »
Now you should know by now that we love a bit of a birthday bash, indeed it hardly seems a month (well it isn’t quite yet actually) since we were celebrating our very own at Beyond, although with ours wrapped up in pre Christmas partying, we have come to expect that the emphasis is more on festive thoughts rather than birthday greetings. However, with Christmas well & truly over & NY to boot, there will be no such worry come Wednesday (19th Jan), when a veritable feast of birthday celebrations loom, very much belying the phrase “…two’s company, three’s a crowd…”, although this celebration crowd is likely to attract scores more, making it, we highly suspect, the biggest birthday bash in a long time. So, what’s it all about Alfie?, well first and foremost, it is the queen of social splendour’s birthday, then a globetrotting D.J. lands back in London to mark his own yearly anniversary which he celebrated on the day itself while down under, then to cap it all, the protagonist of the lot, celebrates three years in euphoric existence and at its new location and timing too.
So, while the “official “ billing is Minty’s birthday, and why not, she is the main mover at Industri, well the figure head at least (and what a figure head!), in actual fact the combined birthdays of Paul Heron & Industri itself should make for one truly amazing concoction & a celebration crowd like Barcode Soho has NEVER seen before. But that said, clearly leading the way is our Minty, this dynamic dame having strutted her social stuff around the scene for well over 10 years (we daren’t say how many more) and has pretty much been the face of clubbing in the capital throughout that time, especially at clubs such as Crash, Beyond (The Colosseum days), Matinee, A:M, & Salon, the sophisticate at the Shadow Lounge which ruled supreme on Tuesdays for years under her helm. Indeed, while Vauxhall has played a big part in the Minty story, it is Soho where she is known just as well, if not better, we realising just how much, when an impromptu evening in December with this hippest of hostesses, along with our French fancy pal Leomeo, landed us in the thick of her patch, hardly a minute going by when she wasn’t recognised, stopped in the street, acknowledged at the bar & treated royally in the restaurant, such is the extent of her popularity & notoriety.
But whilst all this familiarity & (dare we say it) fame has elevated Minty to incredible highs in the echelons of the well known across the scene, a more down to earth, honest & kind hearted person would couldn’t wish to meet. From the first day we did, way back when Crash started, we have always held her in high regard and she has paid us back in bucket loads, a distant friendship becoming quite close when Industri was launched and a companionship that has since then, gone from strength to strength. And, this whole persona is Minty, you only have to ask anyone that knows her, yes the fierce & strict side comes out when she is on door duty, although for very good reason, as Minty is quite majestic in managing a queue, a list or picking out the chaff from the wheat, hence the fact she has gained the huge amount of respect she has, but resoundingly, it is the kind & considerate Minty that everyone remembers.. So with a pedigree like that, it is a foregone conclusion that we will be right by her side come Wednesday, celebrating in style and no doubt joined by a cast of treble figures (that’s 100 plus), all landing on Barcode Soho to toast the celebration of the social scenestress, and just take a look at this amazing video viral of the dame in action, which should be persuasion enough, http://facebook.com/video.php?v=489737478228.
As if that wasn’t enough, Industri resident D.J. Paul Heron will surely still be in birthday celebration mood, afterall his big day was spent on the other side of the world, so he will have much catching up to do when he gets back to blightly in time for Wednesday. But that said, there is no rest & relaxing (well not completely) for Paul, as his D.J. duties will be required, not least as it is the clubs third birthday too (we didn’t ask Paul his age), although Mr Heron loves being behind the decks, well nearly as much as having a J.D & Coke in his hands (we heard about Rome Mr H! – leading poor Danny astray), as we are sure he will have right through the night to celebrate in his inimitable style (get him on early that’s what we say). Now, like Minty, Paul’s youthful looks actually belie just how long he has been cutting a stride on the scene, indeed we remember the Crash & Heaven days and that was before the turn of the century, although while he hasn’t quite earned the reputation as the Peter Pan of the D.J.’ing fraternity, give it a couple of years and you never know Paul. So, reason two why Wednesday (19th Jan) is a MUST in your social diary.
And the third reason?, well Industri itself of course, a club that launched (yes you guessed it) three years ago and immediately made a huge impact on the scene and our lives. Without exception (and we include even Beyond in that), Industri holds a special place in our heart (just check out our review at http://discomatt.com/web/2010/12/special-review-a-shut-open-case-industri-thurs-8thwed-15th-december/), rarely fails to get us out and given the friendships we have formed & bonded in its short history, there can be no better place in our books, to socialise & dance to the best music in town by two of the scene’s biggest D.J. stars, the other being Brent Nicholls, who, we are reliably informed, will be playing at the party on Wednesday (playing being the optimum word!), & if he plays up with us & our poorly ear again this week with his wicked (although hilarious) humour, he will be in for some Disco Matt abuse or even “a Hopkins” (we love it really). But we digress, Industri being the subject here and whilst the move from Vauxhall to Soho & a Thursday to a Wednesday was an initial shock to our system, you know, we are getting used to the change and as Brent has rightfully said, it’s time for the club to re-invent itself, Wednesday being our day one in Industri’s new world, so yet another reason not to miss out.
So, that’s the sentimental s… over with (joking folks!), now to the all important detail and Minty, Paul & Industri, in the inimitable words of its events creator (wonder who that was!?!), “…combines to make the perfect threesome…”, in the celebratory way of course, the further “official” blurb being “…come celebrate at London’s sexiest soiree where gossip, groove, chat & drink at this most social of soirees will be the order of the day…”, although reading between the lines & looking at the current list of attendees, it’s going to be a birthday bash to beat them all and a right royal bender to boot. And on the grove front, Industri boys Brent & Paul will be joined for this special party by A:M’s supremo & downright Deutschland D.J. Oliver M, while the hugely talented Chris Brogan takes to the Industri decks for the first time, no doubt adding his own twist & spice to proceedings, this extrovert & enthralling (well it will be won’t it?!?) event kicking off from 9 p.m. at Barcode Soho, entry being free and the infamous Industri shots of Sambuca (or as we like to call them, Sassy Bitches!) flowing faster than Victoria falls. Plus rumour has it that an Industri regular is also celebrating his birthday & a couple more will be jumping on the bandwagon, all combined with an appearance of off duty D.J.’s, scene workers, club kids & many more besides, meaning that this will be THE place to be & you have NO excuse not to , as we say, Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Previews, Recommends | Tags: Barcode Soho, Brent Nicholls, Chris Brogan, Industri, Minty, Oliver M, Paul Heron | 1 Comment »
-
4 Jul 2011 | 0 Comments
Reviews & Reports – “Avoiding Alfresco Antics” – That Was The Week That Was – Thursday 23rd to Wednesday 29th June
Having been consumed in all things Pride, we find ourselves in catch up mode and looking back on the previous week which proved another quiet one in Disco Matt land while we continued to rest & mend our broken bones, although with Wimbledon dominating our airwaves, we had much to ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
5 Jun 2011 | 0 Comments
Reports – “Reflection Re-Adjustment” – Reviews Overhaul – Sunday 6th June
If there is one place where we find the most inspiration & then come with our ideas, it is the clubbing dancefloor, this morning being no exception, as we pondered over the continuance of our “Preview The Review” (PTR) reports. Now, while they have proven really popular and have also ...
-
2 Jun 2011 | 0 Comments
Reports – “Supersize Sweets” – That Was The Week That Was – Spring Bank Holiday Special – Wednesday 1st June
Well here it is, our first weekly roundup report, “That Was The Week That Was”, and what a week to choose, the fourth bank holiday of the year proving a real corker for us and surely for you too, especially if you took advantage of the myriad of magical meets ...
-
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 ...
-
23 Apr 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Exceptional Easter Events Extended” – Weeklong Winners Wishlist – Friday 22nd to Thursday 28th April
Some of our best ideas tend to come to us on the dancefloor and this latest one was no exception, in fact it was the recent dynamic & deletable Delice Dream Festival that fermented this latest in our Recommends family of posts, it being high time we extended our picks ...
-
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, ...
-
19 Jan 2011 | 0 Comments
Music Is The Answer Special – “Die-Cast Disco Duo” – Brent Nicholls Bio & Disco Matt “Dance-tastic” Mix – Wednesday 19th January
Over the years (and it has been more than a few!) we have been very fortunate to have met & be-friended a whole host of D.J.’s, some encounters stretching back to the early days of Trade, when we first hit the clubbing capital, others nurtured during the magical years when ...
-
16 Jan 2011 | 1 Comment
DM Recomends – “The Celebration Crowd” – Industri “A Birthday Bash Extra-ordinaire” – Wednesday 19th January – Special Focus
Now you should know by now that we love a bit of a birthday bash, indeed it hardly seems a month (well it isn’t quite yet actually) since we were celebrating our very own at Beyond, although with ours wrapped up in pre Christmas partying, we have come to expect ...
Event Review – “Bare Ches… : It would be fair to say that, over the years, we have s...posted on December 22, 2010
Recommends – “The Bel Ami… :
It hardly seems twelve months since we went str...posted on May 5, 2011
Reviews : Here you will find regular reviews of clubs, special ev...posted on October 7, 2010- Previews : Here we preview rather than review clubs & events that ...posted on October 7, 2010
- Music : Here we focus on, review and recommend the latest podca...posted on October 7, 2010
- Recommends : Here you will find recommendations for upcoming events ...posted on November 24, 2010
Reviews – “Eye-Opener Of … : Generally unplanned & unscheduled events in our clubbin...posted on March 2, 2011
Recommends – “Gay Boys In… : When the seeds were first sown on a specialist evening ...posted on April 11, 2011
Recommends – “Shoreditch … :
Having given East Bloc plenty of coverage in our We...posted on May 14, 2011- Reports : Here you will find reports & features on the latest new...posted on November 24, 2010
