Posts Tagged ‘Rupert St’
February 2, 2013 | 
Author With the launch of his new club, Baked, just hours away and with a marvellous music policy that is as scrummy as a Victoria sponge, we have mixed up our own Mary Berry music bonanza, lining our tunes tin, opening the oven and serving up superb slices of the deck duty & studio sets that make up the rapturous recipe of baking beats cake chap, Chris Brogan, while also looking at the aims & achievements he has for this new club concept of his.
Earning a decent crust as a D.J. on the capitals clubbing circuit is so much tougher these days than when it was when we first landed in London in the 90’s, as then there were so many different venues with equally different styles, spaces and sounds, which meant there was so much more choice for the young, enthusiastic & energetic new blood that seemed to appear quite regularly. But oh have times changed, as not only have scores of clubs disappeared, but the clubbing scene has, in a way, shrunk, or at least concentrated itself to the degree that what we can only describe as clubbing cartels have taken hold, the days of D.J.’s being able to hop between brands & promoters without repercussion long gone. Moreover, what was considered an ample crust of pay back then, is now nothing short of pittance for the capitals scene D.J.’s in comparison to their European counterparts, mainly because the rates are virtually the same now as they were back in the 90’s, so no accounting for inflation there then!! So, it comes as no surprise that many D.J.’s in London have other jobs and their time behind the decks is much more of a vocation than a career, the charismatic & bubbly Chris Brogan one such individual who, like many of his compatriots, has seen opportunities here in the capital, at best wax & wane, while at worst simply shrink. Indeed, having dipped under our own radar in the past year or so, despite being on our affectionately termed “protégé list”, Chris has sped right back into the spotlight as a result of his new club concept, Baked, which launches tonight at Green Carnation, meaning that while we would have loved to be been there, we are doing the next best thing, by focussing on him, his D.J.’ing & his podcast productions.
Chris Brogan is a name that will be familiar to many that frequent both the manly & bear-tastic Tonker at The Eagle and the swish & substantial Soho bar The Edge, both resident spots for Chris these days, while we go right back to 2002 to find Mr Brogan first breaking out onto the D.J. decks, he jumping at the opportunity to play at Fabric, a venue that has housed the likes of DTPM & Matinee, while Mr Brogan’s break was for a straight party, Chris entirely comfortable (as many are) in playing it straight as well as gay. Indeed, this has been a winding path that Chris has followed with fervent footsteps over the years, not so much dropping his guard in the pursuit of a gig, but rather grasping great openings, offers and opportunities with both hands, appearances at The Ministry Of Sound & for brilliant international brand Salvation huge highlights, the latter both here in London & across on the continent , his involvement very timely, as while Salvation was riding high across the world, like so many other clubs of its generation, it was finding the capitals circuit a much more difficult proposition, in no part due to the dirty handed dominance that a certain clubbing group was adopting. These two massive names on the music industry & global clubbing playing field apart, Chris has played across the world, particularly in his early years, destinations including Brazil & Mexico, while closer to home, the likes of Belgium, Germany, Greece, Denmark and Sweden feature too, home an interesting point here as while Chris is based in London, his family & his background stems from France, he often paying visits and playing the occasional gig there too.
However, Chris’s real passion for music, as he explains, “…is to work on my own productions that showcase my creativity both in the compositions I produce in the studio and in my live sets…”, this very much exemplified in the variety of podcast he has released as well as the titles he chooses, two of our favourites being “Baby Cakes” & “Off With Their Heads”, while others have been directly devoted to parties he has played, “Hola” at The Shadow Lounge one. Plus, it’s worth mentioning other places he has played that have influenced his podcasts, Rupert St & Barcode (both in the good days of course), Hed Kandi in Clapham and even Soho Gyms. All inspirational to the Brogan beats production machine, while we also should mention recent appearances in Cologne for clubs Recon & Panic Room, while without doubt the biggest influence has been Chris’s own & first track production, “Temper”, which, with a helping hand from our super Swede Per Q.X., he worked on during the summer of last year, its release in October following being assigned to Sorry Shoes Records, seeing it reach number one in the highly respected & renowned download site, Juno. And Chris remains keen to release more tracks, “Green Means Go” his latest project, while you can keep pace with his track by following http://junodownload.com/artists/Chris+Brogan/tracks/. As for his podcasts, please don’t ask us to hang our favourite hat on any one production, as we dig pretty much all them, no surprise when our musical tastes both in terms of genres & sound styles are quite similar to Chris’s, while Mr Brogan’s choice of artists for inclusions on his podcasts also align with ours, the likes of Stefano Noferini, John Dahlback, Michael Gray, Bob Sinclair, The Hoxton Whores, and Syke & Sugarstarr just a small handful among heaps of others that do it for us & Chris. That said, his “Baby Cakes” compilations are right up there, while that “Off With Their Heads” production always makes us dream of summer and is the perfect antidote to this latest cold snap we are being subjected to, but with plenty more to choose from, we are sure your collection will grow considerable when you click on http://djchrisbrogan.podomatic.com/.
However, the world of Chris Brogan doesn’t stop there as this genial gent is also dipping his toe into club promoting, his “Baby Cakes” podcast series the inspiration for the name of Chris’s new night, “Baked” which, as we said, launches at Green Carnation in Soho tonight (Sat 2nd Feb), the plan then to run it as a monthly meet on in the first Saturday each month. And we find the name of the club quite catchy, another example of Chris’s creativity, while the music policy also seems to have the Brogan beats banner of brilliance on it too, how did he put it “…200 gram(s) classic house, 300 gram(s) anthems, 1 pinch of disco & 1 extra large dollop of fun…” that plan to include classic hits & anthems, along with fabulous floor fillers & splashes of chart pop a refreshing breath of air in a clubbing environment which is all too often driven by tech and even tribal, vocals hardly every part of the picture. So, given this, coupled with a shift away from Vauxhall of late, along with that recent venue closure in Soho, we reckon that the timing of Baked couldn’t be better, the element of fun very much something Mr Brogan is keen to emphasise. And while he acknowledges that Baked will not compete with the bigger brands, the fact of the matter is that he doesn’t want it to, that the words variety & room carry weight in this particular equation, as it is about time we benefitted from more variety in our clubbing schedule and there is definitely room for more club nights, Baked, along with a host of other new clubs & events launching this month, we hope, signalling a tide change in the capitals clubbing circuit, the current definitely looking like its pulling away from that south of the river superb. So, with the Baked stall set, we wish Chris & everyone involved all the success they truly deserve and may this delightful dough of a dance devotion rise & rise like the best Mary Berry bake. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Music | 
Tags: Baked, Barcode, Chris Brogan, Green Carnation, Hed Kandi, Ministry Of Sound, Rupert St, Salvation, The Edge, Tonker | 
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Back in the best biting newsletter driving seat, our short shouts sister follows suit, a host of happenings across Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere that are worth more than a look in this weekend, getting a mini mention, all this with a focus on the fundraising events marking World AIDS day this Saturday.
Well we are back and having broadcasted our best bites of where to be & be seen on the scene, the added addition of a handful of hot shots complimenting our Weekend Focus features, it’s now time to turn to the host of other happenings that warrant a mini mention, or as we prefer to say, a short shout. But with a cause & concern close to our heart falling right in the middle of the weekend, we will be highlighting those clubs, bars & events that are fundraising for World AIDS Day (WAD), while watch this space for our special feature “Acquired African Affectant”, looking at the virus, its effects, the treatments & the charities that have touched & are touching so many lives around the world, but particularly across our home continent & country, Africa & South Africa.
All that said, lets crack on with our Short Shouts, heading to Soho first at The Shadow Lounge who stay true to form with their nights “Therapy” on Fri (30th Nov) & “Inferno” on Saturday, D.J.’s on duty including Tristan Temple, Peter Perovic & Andrew Elmore, while this classy club now opens until 6 a.m. on both nights (wow!). Plus, with the team showing their support for The Elton John AIDS Foundation, they are certainly doing their WAD bit, more info on goings on down Brewer St way out at http://theshadowlounge.com.
Round the corner and Rupert Street are ringing the changes with a re-formed affiliation with Orange Nation (Formerly The Orange Group) who will be support this brilliant bar in its revitalisation with a series of special pre-parties across December & beyond (no pun intended), the first being tomorrow night (Sat 1st Dec) when it will all about WE, this the prelude to the massive “Formula 2” event, The Oli revving up the rhythms, while from next Friday, A:M will be holding pre-parties, more info on tomorrow’s event out at http://facebook.com/events/492976230747619/
Ku-bar is our next Soho stop and having kicked off their WAD weekend last night with the now infamous “Staff Auction” (they are yum!) in aid of The Food Chain, tonight sees Ku-Klub take to spotlight with D.J.’s DMS, Doug Silva & Alvaro on rotation, while Saturday sees Doug returns with his brilliant Brazilian beats, he accompanied by the tasty topless bar boys boasting bags of brawn. While those Food Chain buckets will be out craving for your donations, so did deep, more detail on both bars & the club out at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Circa is our next Short Shout and a compact yet classy place to be & be seen on the scene, especially on Saturday when terrific talent Adam Turner spins the sounds, his uplifting, euphoric & Steve Pitron-esqe style sure to please, while tonight (Fri 30th Nov), it’s all about “Discipline”, the Munroe Bergdorf way, cool pop & R&B the rapturous rhythms that will beat you into submission, while on Sunday its “Studio Dusty” with the incomparable The Very Miss Dusty O delving into her box of magical pop music beat, also not forgetting that Thursday is a Room Service pre-party down on Frith St, a click on http://circa-soho.com telling you more, while extended opening hours till 4 am run throughout December.
Our final Soho Short Shout goes to The Edge who have not one, two or three, but four floors of space for you to relax, dance, drink & be merry, a roving D.J. team on Friday’s complimented by live vocals from the one the only Tonnic, while on Saturday our “premier protégé player” Zach Burns takes to the decks, sliding into Sunday with a mixture of music that touts his towering talents and, had it not been for WE, we would have been by his side as this is a Saturday showing that ranks as the best in Soho in our books, while more on The Edge can be found at http://theedgesoho.co.uk
Right, down to Vauxhall we go and having already given Beyond a big mention in our feature focus, it does however warrant another, as it is THE event of the weekend south of the river for a number of reasons, that “all roads lead to” reputation sure to play out prolifically on Sunday (2nd Dec), while with our WAD hat on, we are pleased as punch that our favourite club & brand are raising funds for our preferred charity, The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) http://tht.org.uk/) the emphasis very much on fundraising, although with a wonderful WE influence & a special guest D.J., go check out our feature “Brett’s Magnificent Bag Of Masterbeats” at http://discomatt.com/web/?p=6136.
But The Orange Nation picture is prominent with plenty more this weekend, A:M “Ultra” filling out Friday, although is on the move this weekend, a short stay at Covert on the cards, while Later is going stratospheric on Sunday’s, this week entertaining Italian impresser Marco Gee, playing alongside Jamie Head & Paul Heron, no Monday morning quite the same without Orange which welcomes Elliot J Brown back this week. Plus, with a quick mention for Gravity which turns 8 on Thurs (6th Dec), a click on http://orangenation.co.uk will spill the beans on the ON family of brilliant brands & magnificent meets.
Turning to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (The RVT) and the focus in WAD terms is Sunday when the incredible institution that is S.L.A.G.S/Chill-out hold their “Red Ribbon Ball” raising funds in aid of GMFA, THT & The Food Chain, the winning format continuing with Simon le vans on early deck duty, The D.E. Experience stealing all the spotlight with another must see show from 5 p.m. & then Andy Almighty & Sean Sirrs keeping a packed to the rafters RVT going until v late, detail on this & other RVT happenings across the weekend out at http://rvt.org.uk &/or http://facebook.com/groups/thervt/.
Third of our Vauxhall Short Shout three (or was that four?!) is The Eagle which has two brilliant brand nights sandwiching its WAD headline event, Tonker the turn for bears cubs & their admirers, the chunky tunes match the meaty men, promoter Tim Jones welcoming Micky Galliano to the decks, while the second piece of bread in the sandwich is Sunday star Horse Meat Disco, we saying no more of this magnificent meet than it has to be experienced to be believed. But the filling comes in the form of Carpet Burn this Saturday (1st Dec) which holds a “Tastiest Tranny Ball” & welcomes Tasty Tim to the decks, joined by Johnny Kalifornia, donations going to GMFA, more on all this up at http://eaglelondon.com
So let’s head elsewhere and a mixed bag that first comes from Tramp, the Kris Di Angelis promoted party that returns for a special WAD event this Saturday (1st Dec) at The Dalston Superstore. Aptly named “Super Tramp” Kris welcoming guest D.J.’s JonBent Blonde & Jamie Ritchie who play downstairs with Mr Di Angelis, while Munroe Bergdorf takes charge upstairs, WAD fundraising going towards charity Positive East (http://positiveeast.org.uk), Friday at The DSS is all about Hectic with Kris’s old studio recording pal Tom Stephan stretching his own promotional legs in what is a busy old evening for him, more info on DSS stuff at http://facebook.com/dalstonsuperstore, while event details on Tramp are up at http://www.facebook.com/events/178613928945253/.
Down the road at East Bloc and we already gave a Best Bite big up for TheMenWhoFell2Earth who celebrate their second birthday this Saturday, although tonight (Fri 30th Nov) sees Larry Tee’s terrific turn, Super Electro Party Machine take centre stage welcoming Room Service’s very own Jodie Harsh to the decks, joining Larry in what is always a brilliant curtain raiser to the East Bloc weekend, other parties in Dec to watch out for including DISH, SOS & Gutterslut, while a visit to http://eastbloc.co.uk &/or http://facebook.com/groups/255553057341/ will reveal all.
Then we head further south but still out east to new night Mister UK, which launches in London tonight (Fri 30th Nov) at Studio Space, 110 Pennington St, coinciding with the launch of mobile dating/networking app http://misterapp.com in this country, the event entertaining D.J.’s that include Pagano, Tom Stephan, Borja Pena & Dave Kendrick, while extra special guest Boris Of Berghain (aka Boris Dolinski) jets in from Berlin to headline along with our Italian stallion Pagano, meaning the music will be top draw, as will be the men, Mister UK a men only event, details of which are out at http://facebook.com/events/459859484065344/
Back into Shoreditch for our final fourth and we head to the Joiners Arms which is an east end institution and marks WAD with their party “Pantastic” this Saturday (1st Dec) with 50% of the door take going to charity Positive East, the donation sure to be substantial as Paul Heron is on the decks, while the ever popular SPQR spotlights on Sunday, DJ Julian De Apostate sorting the sounds, while tonight, all you have to say is YES, as this weekly outing wets your appetite for more until 4 a.m., that appetite sure to be hungry for more by paying a visit to http://joinershoreditch.com/ where info on all three nights & much more can be found.
Now, with an eye of plenty of other clubs, bars & events marking WAD, here is some tiny touting for those making a fundraising effort this Saturday (1st Dec), Soho’s The Duke Of Welling & The Admiral Duncan two, while north its Central Station in Kings Cross The The Black Cap in Camden that rattle that WAD donator box with special cabaret shows, all raising funds for GMFA (http://gmfa.org.uk) as is The Two Brewers in Clapham who entertain with Angie Brown, more on these & others a click away at http://boyz.co.uk where you can get your hands on a comprehensive listing of events across the scene throughout the whole seven day week from Thursday to Wednesday.
So, having eased our way back in with no less than fourteen Short Shouts, the plan will be to further extend our coverage curtain as the weeks progress, so if you are a club promoter, a venue manager or an event organiser and fancy being included, just drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com or plaster our Facebook group (http://facebook.com/groups/discomatt) & page (http://facebook.com/pages/Disco-Matt/112730602119746) walls at with your event links & other details and we will do our best to include you. As for this WAD weekend, wherever you are & whatever you are up to, have a terrific time, while we hope our choices give you some inspirational ideas of where to be & be seen on the scene, remembering that to do so, you need to “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Beyond, Carpet Burn, Circa, East Bloc, Hectic, Horse Meat Disco, Ku Bar, Later, Orange, Rupert St, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, Super Electro Party Machine, The Dalston Superstore, The Edge, The Joiners Arms, The RVT The Eagle, The Shadow Lounge, TheMen, Tonker, Tramp | No Comments »
Having been at sea for a mother hen of days while casting his picks net across a trio of European events, Disco Matt is pleased as punch to be back in the capital clubbing circuit grove, as he lands on Soho, the Shadow Lounge & Gigolo’s “Naked” event as his pick of the day. Taking place tonight (Wed 23rd May), DM delights on the detail of this mid week meet, all just a banner selection opposite or an image click below, while he focuses on guest D.J. Oliver M beneath.
To say that Oliver M is simply a D.J. is doing this genial German a complete injustice, as there are so many strings to this man’s bow, producer & promoter just two, the influences he has & the contacts he has established second to none, all this making him a big name across the global clubbing scene. So, with a propelling prologue like that, what has made Mr Mohns so mighty? Well, let’s look at one of those bow strings for a start, as Oliver was right at the centre of the so-called Spanish Armada invasion of London back in 2006, when Barcelona bred brand Matinee made its first significant splash on the scene here, Oliver at the helm for well close on four years & seeing it through some of its most successful phases, including homes Area, Fabric, Colosseum & Cable. Yet, while his parting with Matinee was a tormented one, he came out the other side, a short season with an own grown brand, matador, spring boarding him to a premiership with Saturday morning afterhours club, A:M, while his promotions credentials have stretched to a whole series of one-off events too, this insatiable appetite for the promotions game still alive & kicking, even if the assumption of the salvation London helm resulted from the untimely & still shocking premature passing of his very close friend Steve Elliot.
But while club promotions is a real passion of his, music remains at the centre of his soul & one that was nurtured from a relatively young age from his born base of Hamburg, his first D.J. gig a favour for a friend, although what a friend, as Oliver stepped into the shoes of one Boris Dlugosh (of Moloko, “Sing It Back” fame) back in 1987 &, as a D.J. has never looked back. With a whole host of parties, residencies & guest slots across Europe, brands he has touched including GreenKomm, NightControl, Muccassassina, &, probably one of his most notable, La Demence, it was his move to Barcelona that developed his associations with The Matinee Group, his connections & his D.J.’ing also extending to La Troya & Space in Ibiza, a transition in his music style from the harder techno trance that were dominating the German clubbing scene of the time, to the more Balearic euro-beat sound that has since brought him world renowned success & status as a D.J./Producer. Indeed, away from the live decks, Oliver’s studio productions have found favour across Europe, his tracks “Paramount” & “Strings of Motion” (one of our favourites & well worth a listen as well as an addition to your collection by going to http://djoliverm.com/news/dj-oliver-m-and-jean-philip-strings-of-motion-original-mix/) were propelled by record label Sorry Shoes, one headed up by close friend Mike Kelly, while his tow latest tracks “Groovebird 2012” & “Restless In Ibiza” are due for release very soon.
So, having very much made a name for himself across Europe, London was always going to play a part in his life & moving here in 2006 brought that switch from full time D.J.’ing to club promotions and one that further enhanced his networking & connections across the global scene, Oliver using his contacts to bring a whole host of internationally renowned D.J.’s to the capitals clubbing circuit, a situation that continued when he held sway with A:M, international names he introduced including Steven Redant, Ben Manson, Danny Verde, & Andrei Stan, while London based stars Brent Nicholls, Paul Heron, Pagano, Pier Morrocco, & Guy Williams were major features of his parties & events. However, while his own D.J. career during the matinee & A:M days was sacrificed, returning to the decks was inevitable & both 2011 & 2012 so far have proven hugely successful for Oliver, dates right across Europe, not least for La Demence & GreenKomm, this complimented by tours dates of Mexico, Brazil & The US, as well as Sydney & a string of upcoming pride events that means he is practically living out of a suitcase, jetting here, there & everywhere. And, his assumption of the Salvation Group promoter position, this brand truly international, is likely to keep that suitcase opening & closing for a long time to come, a glance through his own website at http://djoliverm.com giving you an impressive indication of just how busy Mr Mohns is these days.
But what of London in all this?, Well the capital remains his base and a good one at that, as guest slots for bars Rupert St & Barcode remain a feature, while naturally tonight marks another appearance for Gigolo, Oliver very much part of the roving residency team & an individual that promoters David & L.a. Hart are chuffed to have on board, not least due to his impressive C.V. & credentials above. And with his upcoming involvement with the “Summer Fusion” event in Southwark over the diamond jubilee weekend next, of which Salvation will form a major part, Oliver will be able to, at least temporarily, unpack that suitcase, although not before popping across to his beloved La Demence for their “Tattoo” event this Sunday, all this amounting to a whole host of opportunities to savour a set of his, although for those of you not fortunate enough make it, either down to Gigolo, across to Brussels or over to Shoreditch, then you can do the next best thing & proceed to his podcast page where you will find a whole host of heavenly house mixes that shout the Oliver style of sound, uplifting, euphoric, Euro/Balearic beats that have achieved his status as the most popular D.J. on clubbing website SeenQueen, while also attaining him the prominent position as D.J. of the week this week, for scene magazine Q.X. International. But what mix to choose?, Well, if we were to lay our hat on one, it would be his “Salvation – A Year In Dance”, recorded at the end of 2011 & is jam packed with, as Oliver aptly put it “…anthems & cool happy hands in the air tracks…”, one symptomatic of both his sound style & his delightful demeanour, so one well worth adding to your collection by going to direct link http://djoliverm.podomatic.com/entry/2012-01-05T16_36_23-08_00, while for a flavour of his disco drenched set at Gigolo, sort out their Souncloud site, were you will find his recording from September last at http://soundcloud.com/gigolo-disco/gigolo-disco-sessions-mix-8-dj.
So, with a 2012 that seems to be going from strength to strength for this genial German, the future is certainly looking bright & so O, that in this phrase would normally stand for “Orange, perhaps in fact standing for Oliver, of the Mohns variety. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Music | Tags: Barcode, Gigolo, GreenKomm, La Demence, Matinee A:M, NightControl, Oliver M, Rupert St, Salvation, Scream, Summer Fusion | No Comments »
With of first set of 2012 Best Bites done & dusted, we couldn’t let the weekend begin without giving a dozen delectable’s a shot at winning your recovery or resolution affections, meaning it’s time to run down the best of the rest in Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch.
We may find ourselves in the first week of the first month of 2012, one that is traditionally a quiet one for the scene as it recovers from the hectic festive season, along with the very busy New Year weekend just gone, but as one clubbing conglomerate aptly put it, “…we don’t have the January blues, rather it’s all about the good times…”. And it seems that they are not along in this philosophy as there is actually plenty going on this weekend, so, having chosen our “Best Bites”, it now time to give the rest a shot, a dozen or so that we recommend as great places to be & be seen on the scene, whether in Soho, Vauxhall or Shoreditch.
New Era, Existing Events
So to Soho first and The Shadow Lounge who are still recovering from their massive New Year’s Eve party, “Greek Gods & Gladiators”, but are back with “Therapy” tonight (Fri 6th Jan) with D.J. Sonathaq on the decks from 10 p.m. entry free until 11 & £10 thereafter, the same applying to Saturday when the ever popular Andrew Elmore sorts the SL sounds at “Inferno”, more info on these two happenings plus the whole weeks activity available a click away at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Next up is Ku (well the two Ku’s actually) who also find themselves in recovery mode after a busy NY weekend, Lisle St leading the way this with “O Zone” tonight (Fri 6th Jan) with who else but The Very Miss Dusty O sorting the sounds, while its another “Fabulous Saturday session tomorrow, pop & disco the name of the game, Sunday rounding off it all with a double dose of do’s “Karaoke & Cabaret” having moved across town for an early (6 till 9) start, then Lady Lloyd’s “Hit Factory” takes you through to a 3 a.m. finish. As for “Little Ku” on Frith St, well the doors are open all weekend, with D.J.’s on duty downstairs each night, more info on both out at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
To Rupert Street and a trio of DJ treats this weekend, tonight seeing Barcode boy Saki spin the sounds, while the brilliant Brazilian Doug Silva tries to woo his own branch of The Brazilian “Biiiicha” bunch (there will be a lot in town) tomorrow night (Sat 7th Jan) meaning we may need to hop between here & Profile, while on Sunday, iconic D.J. Rich B packing a punch, while with a drinks list as long as our arm, nit least the best value for money champers in town (pass the Bolli darling!), much of the detail up at http://rupertstreet.com.
Compact Yet Captivating Circa
Our fourth Short Soho Shout goes to Circa, fast becoming one of the most popular hang-outs in town, not least due to the style & sumptuousness along with free entry all night until the wee hours of 3 a.m., tonight (Fri 6th Jan) seeing Munroe Bergdorf delight the decks while tomorrow night it’s the turn of the handsome Adam Turner turn out the tunes, the compact & bijou style of this hip & happening hangout ensuring the is always an amazing atmosphere & a glorious gathering to boot, plenty more details a click away at http://circasoho.com.
But we can’t forget The Edge in our shouts, as its less about our themes Recovery & Resolution this weekend, rather “Addiction” which centre stages tonight, Harvey Adam playing out on the ground floor, while upstairs its D.J. Neroli, although Saturday sees “Revelation” take over with our own protégé player & weekly resident Zach Burns shining in the sound spinning spotlight and is one set you won’t want to miss, especially given his recent prolific performances for Gigolo & Profile/Lo-Profile, his services very much in demand, more details on this Soho Square spot available at http://edgesoho.co.uk.
Institution Icon
So we move south to Vauxhall now and hot on the venerable institution that is The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) who shake off the New year blues with a barnstorming weekend, “Rooster” starting it all tonight, D.J.’s ComeAndTurn oing hostess Timberlina & artist extraordinaire JonJo, while no Saturday would be the same without “Duckie”, the irrepressible Amy Lame making sure all those partying resolutions will be met. Then, how could you miss out on another institution in the form of The dame Edna Experience on Sunday (8th Jan), the best cabaret show in town kicking off along with all the S.L.A.G.S. devotee’s from 5 p.m., while the “Chill-out” element starts from 7, more info on the whole seven day schedule out at http://thervt.org.uk.
Moving further down the Kennington Road to The Eagle and to manly meet “Tonker” which is now into its eight year of strutting on the scene, although with welcoming arms rather than attitude, the club attracts a magnificent mix of men, big, small & everything in between, not least due to the superb sounds as eclectic as its following, tonight seeing promoter & resident Tim Jones spin alongside Italian in London, D.J. Astroboy. But Saturday sees the captivating “Carpet Burn” swing into action, D.J.’s Jonny Kalifornia & Severino masterminding the 80’s & 90’s music, while the team acknowledge that the new year may have burned pocket holes so it’s what they call “…it’s madness, its half price madness…” entry from 9 p.m. just £2.50 & drinks prices hemmed to match. Plus with the infamous “Horse Meat Disco” horsing around on Sunday, the weekend is looking good, info up at http://eaglelondon.com.
Now, while we may have given our Vauxhall “Best Bite” away to The Orange Group (OG), it was just Onyx & Fire’s “Recovery” party that filled our focus, there is plenty else going on, not least beyond on Sunday morning, & Later after that, the latter getting the first if three OG Short Shouts, promoter Jay Sharp Vokins launches the clubs programme with this Sunday’s meet, aptly called “2012 – As We Continue”, residents Jamie Head, The Oli & D’Johnny proving a pumping package that is hard to beat, the infamous Later garden still popular even in the chilly winter months, while the chill-out zone also plays its part in this prolific party, doors opening this Sunday (8th Jan) at midday., the club running through till 7.30 p.m., entry a mere £6 and more details up at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
Amazing Morning
But before that it’s the turn of A: M, the new look artwork to this Saturday morning sensation deluding to the winning formula that current promoter Steven Sharp has established in his relatively short tenure. And that formula focuses on the music, with resident stars including Guy Williams, Paul Heron, Fat Tony & D’Johnny, all four playing out in the club’s main room this weekend (Sat 7th Jan), while other David Jimenez looks after room two, this “Phuture of Saturday Mornings” getting going at 3 a.m. & running through to a normality bending 10.30 a.m. free & discount stamps from previous Orange outing Onyx available, while a trip to http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties will tell you more.
Then, rounding off the weekend & our Short Vauxhall Shouts (well almost) is Orange and our promoter of 2011 (oops we let it slip) Steven Sharp polishes off your weekend with the club that started it all in Fire at the turn of the century, while had to be the star of the Xmas/NY show in terms of both the Orange/Trade meet & that smokin’ main room at As One. But with 2012 firmly focussed now, Steven heralds the Olympic year with the package that keeps them coming, D.J.’s Fat Tony, The Oli, & the Sharp Boys main rooming it, while RAW residents David Jimenez & Hifi Sean go deep every week not just with the music, but carrying you to the 9 a.m. Monday morning finish, that 10 hours after opening at 11 p.m on Sunday, this Sunday in fact (8th Jan) at Fire. Plus, with new host Danny Boyce making a big impression, find out more about Orange at http://orangenation.co.uk.
Now, while this is a Short Shouts newsletter, before we leave Vauxhall & the Orange Group, we have just two tantilising teasers in the form of two of the biggest brands in global clubbing, Matinee & Trade. But all we will be divulging right now are the dates you need to note, Saturday 28th January belonging to Matinee & Saturday 11th February to Trade. So note your diaries now & watch this space for more news & detail in this dynamic duo of dancing delectations.
Bloc Brilliance
So to Shoreditch and East Bloc is our sole Short Shout, although what a one it is, as Friday’s now sees exceptional event “Super Electro Party Machine” go weekly, D.J. Larry Tee turning out the tunes along with the freshest new talent around, while sandwiching the weekend is new outing “Sunday Service”, the everything goes policy extending to electro, techno, disco & pure house. But it is Saturday that has a roving commission, this week (7th Jan) seeing “Songs Of Praise” attract a captive congregation as it’s all about pop music in the aptly named “Altar” room, while the cockabilly chapel space has rockabilly 50’s & 60’s sounds (interesting), very much the alternative yet amazing antics we have come to expect from East Bloc, more info out at http://eastbloc.co.uk, while watch this space for a full focus on Tom Stephan’s new night “Dish” which launches next Saturday (14th Jan).
Right that’s it for another weekend and one which will be quite a quiet one for us as we catch up on reviews, reviews & more reviews, although may be escaping the keyboard for a short while tomorrow night to pop into Profile & possibly then Lo-Profile, so if you do see us come say hi. But with plenty of reasons & paces for you yourselves to be seen on the scene, wherever the weekend finds you, have a terrific time, of course making sure that you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Carpet Burn, Circa, East Bloc, Horse Meat Disco, Ku Bar, Matinee, Orange, Rupert St, Songs Of Praise, Super Electro Party Machine, The Eagle, The Edge, The Orange Group, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Tonker, Trade | No Comments »
You have all heard of the phrase, “when it rains, it pours” and the same could be said for our lives at the moment, as having waved goodbye to October, which was probably our worst month of the year so far, this first week in November is looking no better from a personal point of view. Then we look to the scene & it seems that a certain clubbing group find themselves in a similar situation, although like we are trying to do, they are accentuating the positive and putting in plans to turn a bad situation good. So with that thought very much in our minds, we have dusted ourselves off, picked ourselves up and popped our recommends hat on to take a whistle-stop look through our choices of where to be & be seen on the scene across Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch, the three recognised hotspots of activity, although Southwark also gets a look in too.
Prolific Profile
So, with time against us, let’s press on and head to Soho first where we find Profile & Lo-Profile topping our tree once more, this brilliant combo of a bar & club complex on Wardour Street really going from strength to strength at the moment, the Lo-Profile having stretched its appeal across all three days (& beyond) while Profile continues to prove a wonderful & welcoming warm-up for the action below. So, what does this weekend old in store?, well upstairs its tonight (Fri 4th) and tomorrow (Sat 5th) that gets our immediate attention, D.J.’s on deck duty being resident regulars & favourites Zach Burns & Jamie Head respectively, both sure to get you in the mood for more partying downstairs, all this while you take advantage of Profile fabulous food & thirst quenching drinks, their happy hour worthy of a mention, which runs daily from 4 till 7 p.m. & includes cocktail pitchers at just £15. Lunchtimes are great too, a Saturday refuel serving up two meals for just £10, while it’s always worth starting your Sunday with a traditional roast before heading downstairs for “Secret Sunday’s (more on that in a mo). But while this may be a “weekend” newsletter, Profile also serve up plenty of temptations during the week too, info on all of this available at http://profilesoho.com.
The Secret's Out
Moving downstairs to Lo-Profile and their weekend already started last night with a busier than usual reported “Society”, the social soiree splendour that has moved from Friday’s to fill the gap left by Gigolo. However, its tonight (Fri 4th) when things really hot up as promoter & host extraordinaire, Jay Roberts, brings you another “Play Time” party, this week drawing on the talents of the D.J. duo of Paul Heron & Nick Evans, who just happen to be best pals too, Nick taking up the first slot & Paul carrying you through till 4 a.m., all this magnificent music back dropping the drop dead gorgeous & sexy studs Gabriel Cross & Gio Cruz, Jay added his own twist to this porn-tastic experience by tempting you into the “Play Time” bedroom where you get the chance to play with all three of these handsome hunks. Now Friday partying certainly doesn’t get better than this & would it not be for our commitments down Vauxhall way, we would be there with knobs on. But the weekend doesn’t stop there as the filling in the three day Lo-Profile sandwich is Saturday, with scene stalwarts Brent Nicholls & Rob Sykes very much doing the filling, in their case of your boots with beats, while it’s Sunday that is becoming a real humdinger of a day for the club, “Secret Sunday’s” very much drawing in a crowd. And with platinum selling & Brit award winning singer Nerina Pallot performing, while resident D.J. & Gaydar Radio presenter Phil Marriott sorts the sounds, we cannot think of a better way to finish a wonderful weekend, details of all of this out at http://loprofile.com.
So those are our Best Bites, what about some Short Shouts?, well Rupert Street (RS) gets first mini bite at the cherry, their weekend full of D.J.’ing action to match the masses that always pack out the place, tonight (Fri 4th) seeing our foxy female D.J. Minx take to the decks, while the dynamic D’Johnny sorts the sounds on Saturday, resident star turn Alessandro serenading your Sunday, more details on all the happenings down RS way available by hitting their web page at http://rupertstreet.com.
Inferno Ignites
Next up is Ku-Bar, or should we say bars, as both the Lisle & Frith St operations are worth a peek or three, the former’s highlights being “O Zone” tonight (Fri 4th) with Dusty O in charge of the pop parade of tunes, while transgender talent Lady Lloyd rolls out another “Hit Factory” session on Sunday, Firth St offering D.J.’s in their dinky downstairs place across all three days, while attraction plenty of boy candy to tempt you in, more details on all happenings Ku style out at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Our final Short Shout goes to the Shadow Lounge, which, after the success of new night “XXtra”, which held their “Shutdown” event last night, the Shadow team are back in business tonight with another “Therapy” session, resident D.J. Sonathque spinning the sounds, while tomorrow night (Sat 5th) it a bonfire bash “Inferno” style, Andrew Elmore putting the bang into the beats, which, given the forecast wet weather, should be the place to be. Plus, not forgetting their cabaret & karaoke Sunday soiree “Confessions”, for more info, go check out http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Right to Vauxhall and my has it been in the news & spotlight this week, predominantly due to the temporary closure of Fire, the club which boasts regular weekly outings Gravity, A:M, Later & Orange, but often serve up much more. Now, there has been a heck of a lot of rumours & hearsay flying around regarding both this closure & the on-going survival of Fire, something we wanted to put completely straight by issuing a special report “In the Line Of …”, which is well worth at read at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/11/reports-in-the-line-of-fire-the-closure-the-issues-wednesday-2nd-november/. However, it will come as no surprise that, while Fire is closed, this six week closure running
Brilliant Beyond
to Friday 15th December, the team have acted quickly, finding a new temporary home for all four clubs at Factory on Goding St, so just a hop, skip & jump away, we bringing you full details of the switch in another report, “All Change Please”, due out a little later today. In the meantime, it is all steam ahead at Area, The Orange Group’s two biggest & best brands (in our view at least), Onyx & Beyond, serve up twelve hour spectacular’s each, Onyx welcoming A:M into the fold for this weekend, but also boasting international D.J. superstar Wayne G to the decks, this truly un-missable event & all its details covered in our Focus post “Globetrotting G Lands In London” at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/11/recommends-globetrotting-g-lands-in-london-onyx-vs-am-friday-4th-november-weekend-focus/. As for Beyond, well it’s another “Midnight” party this Saturday (5th Nov) with a Guy Fawkes theme, promoter Mauricio Ortiz & his terrific team pulling out all the stops to, in their own words, “…celebrate fireworks night with a pyro-tastic, super-sized production party at London’s biggest & best afterhours…” they adding “…expect massive bangs galore, with rockets, confetti bursts, sparks and more, plus incredible laser shows, CO2 and stunning dance shows from Elektra Paris & Shaun Capewell..” while the D.J.’s on duty will include Alan K, Mikey D, Jamie Hammond, Jamie Head, D’Johnny, Jonny M, Hifi Sean, Paul Christian, Fat Tony & The Oli., entry a mere £10 in advance which you can grab at http://orangenation.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-11/06/beyond-afterhours, as well as the usual Soho outlets and one definitely worth a full-on visit, this Area combo of Onyx, A:M, & Beyond very much our Vauxhall Best Bite choice of this weekend.
So to some Short Shouts and Bear Necessity is back this Saturday (5th Nov), although at a new home, we giving it some Extra Bites attention in our post “Out Of Hiding In Hidden”, which is coming right up, while the bear action also extends to Friday’s, courtesy of Toner at the Eagle, who have a special “Big Bonfire Bash”, promoter & D.J. Tim Jones, welcoming special guest, the legendary Alan X to the decks, his set a sure-fire winner, while what could be better for the Tonker bears than a midnight pizza buffet, straight after a fireworks display in the Eagle garden at 11.30 (please stay dry!), more info on Tonker’s goings on available at http://tonker.co.uk.
Bonfire Birthday Burn
To The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) now and they have another fun filled weekend packed with goodies, “Rooster” kicking off this venerable institutions three days tonight (Fri 5th) with the likes of Timberlina, Jonjo providing the entertainment while D.J’s Come&Turn spin the sounds, the two weekend regulars of “Duckie” on Saturday & “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” on Sunday pulling in the punters and making sure it’s another weekend to remember on Kennington Lane (grassy knoll of not), more info out at http://thervt.org.uk.
For our final Vauxhall Short Shout, we wiz back to The Eagle, as Saturday is a special night, monthly outing “Carpet Burn” celebrating its 3rd birthday with a euphoric event, Jakie Graham taking centre stage, this superb singer sure to steal the show, although D.J.’s Dave Kendrick & Martin Fitzgerald will be doing their best to keep up with stacks of sparkling sounds, while free shots should seal the deal on this glorious gathering, more info on this & Sunday night regular “Horse Meat Disco” a click away at http://eaglelondon.com.
Delirium
We are on the home stretch now and heading to Shoreditch for our final Best Bite of the weekend, which this time round goes to The Dalston Superstore (DSS) who have two absolute corkers to tempt you away from the west end, tonight (Fri 4th Nov) seeing promoter Rex The Dog bring back “Breed” for its third DSS outing, he telling us that “…we are bringing back the laser powered beats & baselines to DSS’s basement…” regular D.J.’s Rufus&Bambi, Pleasure Cruiser &, naturally, Rex The Dog himself, making sure the promise is delivered, while upstairs gender bender boys (or is that girls?) John Sizzle & A Man To Pet host the upstairs place. Plus with no less than 50 “Breed” t-shits to give away & a Robo Rex model on offer too, heading to http://twitter.com/Rexthedog1980 could secure a prize, also remembering to get to the DSS early, as with entry free, it should fill to capacity quickly. Moving onto Saturday (5th Nov) and Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis pulls another party out of the bag (where will this man’s ingenuity end), Kris also getting in on the act by telling “Delirium is an uncontrollable state of happiness, deep energising and filled with beautiful house music that will have you wearing the kind of smile that no-one can fake…”, so definitely sold on us and should be you too, especially when you consider that Kris is joined on the decks by South African joy, James Pople, along with James Ritchie, Cathy & Tony Dunne, among them boasting appearances for “Circus”, “Meat”, “Room Service” & “Disco Discharge” to name just a few. So, with that delightful draw, you can expect this to be a roadblock event, entry free before 11 p.m. or £5 thereafter (you know what to do), “Delrium” running through till 3 a.m., while another “Tutti Fruitti” with Squeaky & guests rounds off the DSS weekend on Sunday, more info on the whole lot available by tracking the boys tweets at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore.
East Bloc Excelence
To just one Short Shout (although one sized up) to round off our looks at where to be & be seen on the scene this weekend and we head down the road to East Bloc who play host to the wired but wonderful “The Men Who Fell 2 Earth” this Saturday (5th Nov), the team welcoming special guest Mark Moore (of S-Express fame) to the decks in the main space, while room two sports, Another Night, the concoction of punk funk & dirty disco sure to please the punters, especially as the team are celebrating their first full year pushing the eats boundaries at East Bloc. However, the venue’s top cheese Wayne Shires helps to start you weekend off in style as he welcomes back the Super Techno Party Machine team, who will be holding their “New Stars Of London” party tonight (Fri 5th), who tell us, “…it’s time to get YO look ON…”, and for good reason as Brazilian photographer Eric Phillips will be pointing his lens at the contenders he rates for an inclusion in Carnage Magazine’s feature “New Star Of London”, while a free bar from 11p.m. till midnight plus terrific D.J. talent to carry you through till the 5 a.m. finish mean East Bloc should be on your calendar cards, more details on this & all happenings down City Rd way available at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Solar Powered Sun
Now, just before we go, two quick mention’s the first for tip top clubbing website SeenQueen, who like us, have focussed on the happenings in Vauxhall, their own take on Fire’s closure along with an interesting poll point worth a glance, while the site is packed with plenty of other features, video clips, music links & photo galleries of the London scene, all a click away at http://seenqueen.com. Then, while last weekend marked the official end to the British summertime, it shouldn’t mean the tan you worked so hard for is left to fade, a trip down to Solarstation on Archer St in Soho providing the remedy you are looking for. Having increased their capacity & installed fresh tanning tubes, it’s definitely worth grabbing a piece of feel good factor, slapping on the factor, more details out at http://solarstation.co.uk.
Right, that’s it for another weekend and one that should be full of banging beats in true Guy Fawkes night style, especially if you find yourselves at one of our Best Bite or Short Shout choices. As for our weekend?, well it looks like Onyx vs. A:M is our singular dancefloor devotion, so if you see us out come say hi, while if not you can follow the live nibble size review tweeting action at http://twitter.com/discomatt, although wherever this bonfire weekend takes you, have a tremendous time, of course making sure you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Beyond, Carpet Burn, East Bloc, Ku Bar, Later, Lo-Profile, Onyx, Orange, Profile, Rupert St, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Tonker | No Comments »
Looking back on October alone it seems that even Alton Towers has nothing on the rollercoaster ride we have found ourselves on, last weekend a perfect example of huge Friday highs followed by Saturday lows, an amazing “Play Time” at Lo-Profile followed by missing in action absences from The Week & Lovechild. And our expected return to weekly newsletters was also on the rocks, our physical & so mental wellbeing having taken severe dent, although while we may be down & out on circulating the scene, it doesn’t mean that you should be, so it is only right that our recommends show should go on with a selection of Best Bites & Short Shouts tips of where to be & be seen on the scene in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere this coming weekend.
Brilliant Bar
So, to Soho first and top of our tree has to go to Profile & Lo-Profile, the continuing success story of this bar & club combo attracting plenty of attention, well in our books at least, although it seems across the scene too, especially given a packed out place last Friday, both upstairs & downstairs. And then trend is surely going to continue in the same vein this weekend, with Profile serving up D.J.’s on both Friday & Saturday, while also serving up plenty of mouth watering food & liquid refreshments to wash it all down, all served up by one of the friendliest teams in town. Now, as for the D.J.’s, tomorrow night (Fri 21st) sees Rob Sykes take to the decks, no doubt serving up his usual cocktail of classics & latest hits, while on Saturday, relative unknown (we must find out more on him) Renato Ponto spins the sounds. In terms of that food offer, Profile’s Sunday roast is definitely worth a try, while their tempting daily bistro menu with the weekend lunchtime “2 for £10” offer is a great refuelling value for money temptation to drag you away from those Oxford St shops. And with a happy hour from 4 till 7 p.m. daily & the D.J.’s on show from 8 p.m., there’s every reason to start your night out early, more info on Profile’s offering out at http://profilesoho.com.
Time To Play
Now, downstairs in Lo-Profile, it’s a busy three day weekend, new(ish) night “Play Time” having replaced the former “Society” which has moved back to Thursday’s (more on that in our “Soho Social Soiree Shake-up” report out shortly), this week’s Friday night saucy shindig getting a tad sexier with the influence of home-grown porn star & all round birthday suit enthusiast Ashley Ryder, who brings some of his boys with him, joining handsome host Jay Roberts, while its just as eye candying tasty behind the decks, as the cute yet capable Zach Burns is back (officially this week), taking up the first stint, while Nick Evans completes the “Play Time” picture. Then on Saturday (22nd), it’s Lo-Profile in the raw with resident D.J.’s Nathan Six & Tony English sorting the sounds, the advertised billing that includes Alessandro Londra a tad inaccurate as our Italian bello is actually away in Poland on gig duty this weekend. But Lo-profile’s weekend doesn’t stop there, as the clubs major sponsor Gaydar has another celebration for its radio station’s 10th birthday with main man Phil Marriott hosting another “Secret Sunday’s” session, this event very much living up to its name with the surprise guest still under wraps, although judging from posted reviews, is one not to be missed. With Monday night meet “Beartrap” completing the Lo-Profile weekly package, check out their website at http://loprofile.com for more info on opening times, etc.
To some Short Shouts now and to Ku-Bar first, who have a full weekend of activity both their Lisle & frith St operations, the former sporting the likes of Dusty O, Lady Lloyd & DouGuim on the decks, while their no shortage young blood across on Frith St, more info on both available by going to http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Rupert St have a similarly busy weekend with D.J.’s on all three nights, our original foxy female Minx charging the tunes on Friday (21st), while scene favourite Brent Nicholls will no doubt be leathered up for his Saturday stint before heading down to Hard On! (more on that in a mo), while Alessandro lands back from Poland just in time for his usual Sunday slot, more info out at http://rupertstreet.com.
Shadow Sunday's
Onto the Shadow Lounge & firm favourites “Therapy” & “Inferno” fill their weekend, resident’s Sonathaq & Andrew Elmore, respectively, sorting the sounds, although we shouldn’t forget Sunday nights as Sister Dee Chanelle hosts the karaoke, live show & disco bonanza “Confessions Dbyk”, a weeklong list of events plus all you need to know on this Soho splendour out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Our last Soho Short Shout goes to Circa which all too often gets overlooked, although is a sumptuous & sophisticated little spot on Frith St up the Soho Sq end, which we find a perfect retreat from the manic movements around and has the added advantage of being open till 3 a.m., as well as sporting D.J.’s on all three nights of the weekend, including Munroe Bergdorf & Heidi Liscious, more info available at http://circasoho.com.
I'm Free
Right down to Vauxhall we go and to The Orange group who head up our league table of treats this weekend, a sea of activity encompassing some of your favourite brands around, Onyx, A:M, Beyond, Later, Booster & Orange all having their say, while the centrepiece of the weekend is the “Fire Free Party” on Saturday (22nd) which also serves as the official afterparty for “The Big Gay Lifestyle Show” (watch out for our Extra Bites post on this). And when the team say free, they mean it, although you do need to get into the club before 1 a.m. (no real hardship) with an ad or flyer (it’s £10 without), a superb line-up of D.J.’s on duty including D’Johnny, The Sharp Boys & Leandro Kloppel in the main room, while Ariel takes over the lounge, accompanied with his percussionist, hostess Elektra Paris keeping her gorge go-go’s in check & stage managing the shows as only she knows best. Plus, with selected shots at a mere £2.50 and spirit/mixer’s & beers at £2.90, this is one austerity busting bash that will certainly not burn a whole in your pocket, rather get you in the mood for partying right through till Monday morning, talking of which, Booster, which was shelved a few weeks ago, makes a welcome return to the schedule, guest D.J. Oliver M headlining this Sunday (23rd) at Area in advance of heading off for La Demence’s anniversary weekend, so will be a set & showing not to be missed. As for the other parties, A:M’s promoter Steven Sharp leaves the club in the capable hands of his resident D.J. team while he jets off to Amsterdam, those residents including Guy Williams, Fat Tony, Paul Heron & Jamie Head (top draw or what?!?!), while no weekend would be complete without a squeeze of citric clubbing from Orange, The Oli, Paul Martin & Fat Tony in the main room & RAW residents Gonzalo Rivas & David Jimenez keeping the beats banging till gone 9 a.m., more info on all these outings available at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
So to some Short Shouts and firstly you will see that we left out Le Boy from the line-up above and for good reason, as this is the first regular outing to take residence in new club Protocol which, given all the tongue wagging, is well worth a visit for the decor alone. Now Le Boy, having launched just two weeks ago, is beginning to find its feet, so for a sense of sophistication 7 style in an otherwise more manic Vauxhall world, why not pay Protocol & Le Boy a visit tomorrow night (Fri 21st), more details out at http://protocollondon.com.
Next up is venerable institution The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) who, as always, have a fun filled weekend kicking off on Friday with a truly alternative night called “Seeing The Red Project”, presented by the Bar Wotever crew, while Saturday sees the infamous” Duckie” roll out another raucous party, Sunday of course set aside for “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” who have announced the release of early bird tickets for their NYE “Pink Ball” (early or what!), more info on all of this out at http://thervt.org.uk.
Rubber Up
To The Eagle now and a venue down on Kennington Lane very much masculine in it manner as well as its weekend events, not least “Tonker” tomorrow night (Fri 21st), promoter Tim Jones welcoming special guest Ben Jamin (not to be missed) to the decks, while Sunday’s are Sunday’s when its Horse meat Disco. However, these two regular nights sandwich the new to London “Cockette” (the name say’s it all) on Saturday (22nd), this Milan import bringing D.J.’s Max M & Gigi LP with it, so well worth a visit, as is The Eagle’s website at http://eaglelondon.com.
Our fourth & final Short Shout goes to Hard On! which returns this Saturday (22nd) to serve up your fetish fill at Factory, promoter Suzie Krueger supported & sponsored by Invincible Rubber this month, who bring a dirty sleazy rubbered up show to the party, the sounds just as sexy & sleazy in the hands of residents Brent Nicholls, Halo-is & Sharon O Love, while a reminder that this is strict dresscode as well as a members only club, all details of which you can find by going to http://hardonclub.co.uk.
Dalston Delight
So to our alternative action and we head out east for our Best Bite choice, The Dalston Superstore taking our plaudits this weekend with a full-on schedule that starts off with the return of monthly Friday night frolic “Back To Back”, this gigantic gathering packed with electronic house, disco beats & electro to techno tunes, delivered from a dream team of D.J.’s that includes Attaque, Ian Robinson, Kezokicki, Mr F & James Harris, this hip happening spread across both floors and for good reason as it does get, in the venue’s own words “…absolutely rammo…”, meaning an early doors arrival (we reckon before 10 p.m.) is well advisable. However, its Saturday that steal much more of the limelight as a special one-off night called “Strange Desires” devours DSS, Disco Bloodbath’s Damon Martin marking his own official warm up for Halloween and drawing on the terrific D.J. talents of Dirtbox, Crisco Disco, Jos Gibson and, straight in from Berlin’s Panorama Bar, their star turn Carsten Klemann, meaning the music is sure to be deep & techno based in the basement, while upstairs the feel will be a bit lighter with Londoners Dave Kendrick & Dan Beaumont in charge of the tunes, much more akin to the “Hot Mess” style of sounds that come out of this DSS regular, that being handbag house, disco, Italo & pop. And like Friday, with “Strange Desires” kicking off from 9 p.m., we recommend an early arrival to avoid not getting in or being crushed by the competition for a select spot, although on Sunday, it will not quite be the case, as D.J. Squeaky brings you another “Tutti Frutti” session to soothe you smoothly into the new working week. But the DSS story also extends to a fabulous food offer right across the weekend, this the perfect daytime retreat for a bite to eat and with everything freshly prepared on the premises catering for all tastes from vegetarians to carnivores and all at extremely reasonable prices too, the place is well worth a visit at some point, even if you can’t take in the full extent of their three nights of heavenly happenings, more details on the venue & its offerings out at http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
Right, to our final round of Short Shouts and we head down the road, to City Rd in fact, where you will find East Bloc, the venue that hosts parties such as “Gutterslut” & “Meat”, although this Saturday (22nd) sees a new night launched called “Songs Of Praise” and before you ask, no they won’t be screening the BBC1 Sunday night programme, rather the team behind “Kimono Krush” (of RVT fame) move across east to deliver a sermon of sounds that include pop classics & future house in the aptly named altar room, while in the chapel (it had to be!) it’s all about indie, a visit to http://eastbloc.co.uk revealing more.
Shoreditch Son Shindig
Next up is another east end offering, this time from Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis, who has created yet another event/brand to brave the scene (where will this man’s talents end?!), “Love Below” having a pseudo Room Service feel about it, well in D.J. & hosting terms at least, as Kris is joined on the decks by Dimitry Strigun & Ricardo Borsi, while Munroe Bergdorf adds a touch of glamour to this unabated sex fuelled basement of a venue on Great Eastern St. (the place is GC’s at No. 54), deep house the order of the music. Now, we can’t provide a web link, but can direct you to the event page on for further details, which is http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=161645427262964.
Last but by no means least, although a departure from our usual picks, but keeping it close to home is a Short Shout for the Two Brewers in Clapham, which celebrates a staggering 30 years of strutting its stiletto stuff with a jam packed weekend of top notch cabaret (the stuff it does the best, better than all the rest) Friday (21st) seeing a special Drag Idol bringing back some of the competitions winners from years gone by, while on Saturday it’s the actual birthday bash, Sunday seeing no less than 14 of the cabaret circuit’s best, this the night we would recommend if you have to choose, details of the venue location & other tit bits (no pun intended) available at http://the2brewers.com.
Well that’s our picks for where to be & be seen on the scene this weekend, but just before we sign off, just a quick mention for our friends at Seen Queen who have been busy re-packing their shelves with lots of video’s & gallery pics from around the scene over the last few weeks, as well as looking forward to Halloween which is next weekend (ish), that on top of their own tip top choices (any the same as ours?!?), all worth a damn good rummage by going to http://seenqueen.com/.
So, all that’s left to say is to wish you a wonderful weekend wherever it finds you & whatever you end up getting down to, while for us it looks like being a quiet one as the shoulder injury won’t go away, but we are taking it day by day, so anything is possible, meaning if you do see us out, come say hi, naturally making sure you “Go There! Be There” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Andrew Elmore, Area, Beyond, Booster, Brent Nicholls, Circa, D'Johnny, David Jimenez, East Bloc, Fat Tony, Fire, Gonzalo Rivas, Gutterslut, Hard On!, Ku Bar, Later, Le Boy, Lo-Profile, Love Below, Meat, Mix, Nathan Six, Nick Evans, Onyx, Orange, Paul Martin, Profile, Rupert St, Seen Queen, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The Oli, The Orange Group, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, The Two Brewers, Tony English, Zach Burns | 1 Comment »
After a pretty topsy turvy summer season which started & ended with hospitalisation, that on top of writing prospect promises that failed to materialise, we point ourselves towards the autumn with renewed vigour, this new found furver in our footsteps seeing the return of our weekly recommends newsletter which we now plan to extend into Thursday’s as it seems the weekend does actually start here for many. Plus, while we did experiment with an all encompassing version “Bar Bites & Club Cuts”, a move dictated by a certain weekly magazine rag, now that ties have been severed, we are pleased that our best format is back & here to stay.
Fabulous Food
So, let’s crack on and take a look at Soho first, our top of the tree choice here going to Profile & Lo-Profile, that latter having seen a bit of a shuffle while we were off air, but more on that in a minute. As for Profile, well, it’s business as usual down Wardour St way, the ever friendly & gorge bar team making for the most hospitable welcome we know and with plenty of special offers up their sleeves, like the Tuesday “Steak Night”, the Wednesday “Burger Bonanza” & their exemplary Sunday roast, we couldn’t think of a better place to take a snack or even dive into their considerable menu, the lunch offer of two main courses for £10 looking particularly tempting, while it is worth noting that everything is prepared on the premises from fresh local sourced ingredients. Equally appealing is the weekend music entertainment as the bar boasts regular residents that include Jamie Head, Nick Evans, Nathan Six & Zach Burns, while this Friday (7th Oct) the team are banking on new boy James Whalley to pull in the punters, while on Saturday, regular D’Johnny is highly likely to be in WE Party mood as he warms up the WE worshipers before heading down to E&C himself. So, we think there are more than enough reasons there to entice you to pay Profile a visit sometime this weekend, not forgetting their fab happy hour which kicks in from 4 p.m. daily & now includes cocktail pitchers at just £15, further details out at http://profilesoho.com.
Naughty New Night
Now to Lo-Profile and as we touched on earlier, it’s been all change on Friday’s while we have been out of action, the weekly social splendour “Society” having given way to new night “Play Time”, this very much upping the ante on the raunchy side, with the addition of a bevy of gorgeous go-go’s, plus a roving commission of sponsors, this week seeing English Lads play host, while on the decks the exceptional experience of Jamie Head will be complimented by the fresh faced looks & music of new to Lo-Profile, Renato Porto. However, the clubs weekend will have already started thanks to Thursday night thriller Gigolo, the Hart boys David & Lambros bringing another edition of this increasingly popular boutique style brilliance, this week the theme being “Heat” and the musical heat definitely on max with man of the moment, Zach Burns, kick starting the night, Mykonos Xlsior festival superstar George Spiliopoulos jets in add to plenty of Greek heat to proceedings. Then jumping through to Saturday, Lo-Profile assumes relative normality with Nathan Six & Alessandro Londra serving up the sounds, although the weekend is far from over as Sunday (9th Oct) yet another new night hits town, as Gaydar Radio’s Phil Marriott hosts a sequence of “Secret Sunday” sessions to mark the radio station’s 10th birthday, the night kicking off from 5 p.m. with live shows each week from 6.30 p.m. from house bands, this week Just Like Little People & Ryan Keen featuring, while Mr Marriott will be jumping on the decks too. With advance tickets at just £5 on sale at http://gaydar-radio.clubtickets.com, while entry is also available on the door, this should prove a superb way to end your weekend in superb style, info on this & all happenings out at http://loprofile.com.
Meat Men
Now to a couple of Short Shouts and first, with our extension to include Thursday’s, we give a plug to Room Service, who continue to pull in scene starlets & celebs at host venue Diu, tonight (Thurs 6th) seeing D.J. duo Kris Di Angelis & Tom Stephan give the night a meaty feel ahead of “Meat” which has its monthly meet on Saturday. Also acted as WE’s pre-party, Room Service looks like being another heavenly happening, more details available at http://clubroomservice.com.
Other our Soho Short Shout goes to Rupert St who continue to pull in the punters, despite the current downturn in consumer spending, the pink pound apparently still quite buoyant, either that or a sense of escaping from reality still alive & kicking. And to help the happy mood are its resident D.J’s that play out each Friday, Saturday & Sunday, this week seeing our foxy female D.J. Minx sort the sounds on Friday, while its Alessandro Londra that steers both Saturday & Sunday, more info on the bars food & drinks offers out at http://rupertstreet.com.
Right let’s move down to Vauxhall and with the lion’s share of activity it will come as no surprise that The Orange Group get our Best Bite devotion this week, the launch of new club night Le Boy one of the more exciting prospects and one which we covered in a Weekend Focus post, all the detail out at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/10/recommends-false-start-fixed-le-boy-the-launch-friday-7th-october-weekend-focus/. But while Le Boy steals some of the Friday spotlight, Onyx have their own bite at the
Friday Fresh
cherry with their “Freshman – Class Of 2011 Freshers Party” very much aiming at drawing in those student types that are about to knuckle down to a term of study but need a Friday fling to get them in the mood, D.J.’s Jonny M & Lee Harris pumping the main room, while Onyx’s own Verity Mayes joins Lisa German & Ariel in The Terrace, The Chapel space all about pop with Lady Lloyd & James St James. Jumping to Sunday and, as usual, all roads will lead to beyond, not least tempting those WE Party boys & girls that want to continue their cavorting, this weekend marking the resplendent return of Beyond’s very own Steve Pitron which can only mean one thing for us, yes you guessed it, that emotional rollercoaster ride, so watch this space for a special Extra Bites post due out on Saturday morning devoted to Steve’s return. But the offer across the weekend also includes Gravity tonight (Thurs 6th Oct), Later on Sunday & Orange on Monday morning, although Booster no longer takes place & Saturday will be given away to WE (more on that in a min). Full details of all these parties can of course be found by going to http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties, as well as adding your preferred club option to http://gayguestlists.com while http://clubtickets.com is also worth a trawl for advance tickets & event details. However, how could we forget Queer Nation who celebrate their 21st birthday on Saturday (8th Oct), pretty much a record on the scene, Fire the venue where it all happens, our second Extra Bites post of the week devoted to this momentous occasion, so watch this space for that.
Sunday Sensation
To a couple of Short Shouts now and the venerable institution that is The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (The RVT) getting our first shout, a weekend packed with entertainment kicking off with “Rooster” on Friday (7th Oct), a night for “…art makers & bedroom porn stars…” and with Jonjo & Timberlina in the driving seat, anything could happen, while regulars “Duckie” on Saturday & “S.LA.G.S./Chill-out” on Sunday will surely find their fabulous followers, more info on the full seven days of activity available by going to http://thervt.org.uk.
For our second Short Shout we venture just down Kennington Lane where we find The Eagle who also have a weekend full of engrossing events, the manly “Tonker” on Friday & the madcap “Horse Meat Disco” on Sunday (9th Oct) sandwiching new(is) night “Goodfellas” on Saturday, a our foursome of fella’s on the D.J. decks sure to hit the mark, Leonardo Glovibes, Micky Galliano & Severino being joined by Nico de Ceglia, plenty of Italian & Latin influence sure to pump up some passionate action in this raunchy resting place, further details of all three nights out at http://eaglelondon.com.
Now, moving onto our alternative choices and whilst not alternative in nature, given its location in Elephant & Castle, WE Party certainly sits here in our rundown of happenings, their “I Love WE” event taking place on Saturday (8th Oct), our Weekend Focus post “Banking On Brand Buoyancy” telling all at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/10/recommends-banking-on-brand-buoyancy-we-party-london-i-love-we-saturday-8th-october-weekend-focus/, leaving a clear path to Shoreditch splendour, East Bloc, to grab our Best Bite slot. And for good reason too, as not only did the venue celebrate its first full year in
Hankies At the Ready
operation last Friday, no mean feat in the tricky trading tide its finds itself within, but with big brand Gutterslut now firmly established at this Old Street operation, the venue’s owner & promoter, Wayne Shires, couldn’t be happier, a chance meet on the street just yesterday confirming that. But this weekend, it’s all about another brilliant brand which East Bloc boasts and one home-grown at that, as the magnificence of “Meat” returns for another of its monthly sessions, the theme this time round being “Hanky Panky”, not that they really needed to as plenty of that goes on usually anyway. However, as co-promoter Kris Di Angelis explained to us, “…the deal is that we hand you a hanky and then you have to do whatever the hanky say’s that you are into…”, which in our case could include a multitude of sins, but will certainly throw plenty of extra spice into this already meaty meet. And that “hanky” theme will also extend to those that are familiar with its calling sign, for instance “…if you’re a top, wear it in your left back pocket, if you’re a bottom then it’s the right….” while Kris also adds, “…into oral? light blue is your colour, cross dressing? light lavender, size queen? mustard yellow, military man? Khaki, food play? lime green, no limits? orange, spanking? fuchsia, cigar play? tan…..and so on…”, so it seems the usual hanky panky will be even more so, although the music is also pretty much guaranteed to be top draw, Messrs Di Angelis & Stephan (that’s Tom) will be joined in the main room by James Pople, while over in the “mincemeat” space (we love that!), Jonny Woo & Lee Dalloway entertain. Kicking off at 10.30 p.m., check out all the detail via http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=271734846182429, while take a look that the latest monthly video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=nGjCdTy6s44 which spells out the hanky panky!!
Blonde Bombshell Bash
Right to a couple of Short Shouts and firstly to the Dalston Superstore up in, yes you guessed it, Dalston, the team turning out a weekend full of events, Friday seeing “Blonde” take charge, the likes of Jim Warboy & A Man To Pet on the decks, while on Saturday (8th Oct) the Sink The Pink crew are back with the ever popular “Happy Shopper” with one of east end’s best, Prince Nelly, on the decks among a host of others. Then to finish off the weekend, Squeaky pulls in loads of friends for “Tutti Frutti”, details of all three events available by going to http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
Our final Short Shout for this newsletter goes to Exilio, the Latin niche night that has been going now for an impressive 15 years, such is its fervent following, so the team mark this momentous occasion with a special celebration down at Guy’s Bar on St Thomas St, London Bridge, salsa, meringue, cumbia & plenty more on offer. Plus being relatively early doors, starting at 9.30 p.m. this Saturday (8th Oct), WE enthusiasts can kill two birds with one stone, but be prepared to fork out £10 for this birthday bash.
So that’s just about it for our newsletter return, while as for our weekend, well it looks like Le Boy on Friday, Meat on Saturday and then, without question, Beyond on Sunday morning, we already having been put under starting orders by Mr Pitron so will be on our spot ready for his set. So, if you see us out, come up & say hi, but whatever you do & wherever it finds you, have a great weekend & remember to “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Alessandro Londra, Ariel, Beyond, East Bloc, Gigolo, Jamie Head, Jonny M, Later, Le Boy, Lee Harris, Leonardo Glovibes, Lisa German, Lo-Profile, Meat, Micky Galliano, Nathan Six, Onyx, Orange, Orange Group, Phil Marriott, Profile, Queer Nation, Room Service, Rupert St, Steve Pitron, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The RVT, Verity Mayes, Zach Burns | No Comments »
Also Back With A Bang
Having toiled over which direction we would be taking our regular weekly “Recommends” newsletter, in conjunction with our summer siesta, we gave this post a bit of a break while we rejuvenated our batteries & cleared the clog in that directional dilemma. So, finding our feet back under the proverbial table and having taken the decision to ditch what was always going to be a mere experiment of a change in the “Bar Bites & Club Cuts” concept, we are back to our former self & newsletter formula, that is picking out our top of the tree choices of where to be & be seen on the scene, as well as giving a mini mention to others that are well worth a look in. So, while our Best Bite & Short Shout format is back & here to stay, as we get back into the groove, we will be trying to make the post a little more inclusive, adding extra short shouts where we can & where they are warranted, although we will naturally be hanging our hat on those events that we either plan to review or would review, given the resource & time. Plus, we have included links to those parties that have got extra special attention via our Weekend Focus features, Orange’s 13th Birthday one, while, like us, SuperMartXe is also back with a bang, but more on those in a min.
Profile Package
So let’s crack on a look to Soho first which gets two top of the tree choices, Profile Bar our first Best Bite of the weekend and for good reason as this has now very much established itself as one of the more stylish & sumptuous places to be, the captivating cocktail of delicious drinks, fabulous food & magnificent music, intermixed with the amazing ambience that the smart socialising set it attracts, create. And of that music, this weekend sees two of its roving resident D.J. team turn out the tunes, Friday (9th Sept) seeing scene stalwart Rob Sykes spin some serious sounds, while on Saturday, the team welcome the cute yet capable Zach Burns to the D.J. decks, his Profile popularity no surprise given what a mature musical head he has on his shoulders, always treating us to a truck load of terrific tunes when he plays, so is sure to do the same this Saturday. But music aside, don’t forget the bars happy hour, which kicks in daily from 4 till 7 p.m., while lunchtime food offers make this a brilliant re-fuelling stop-off, the Sunday roast menu particularly appealing too. Plus, why not sign up for their new weekly newsletter which, along with much more info on the venue & its offer, is available at http://profilesoho.com.
Society The Spot
Moving downstairs and Lo-Profile has certainly stretched its appeal in recent weeks, due in no part to Thursday night frolic Gigolo, this social soiree splendour having recently taking its own short summer siesta of a break, but is back tomorrow night (8th Sept) with its “Stronger” event, Fredi Dimanche making his Gigolo debut and marking a very welcome addition to the resident team, while the clubs launch night sensation, Zach Burns kick starts the event which gets going from 10 p.m. So, with Lo-Profile’s weekend having already got underway, Friday (9th Sept) sees its own weekly social cum club night, “Society” stand in the Soho spotlight, Zach Burns making the second of three appearances across the weekend, although we certainly aren’t complaining, as he never fails to score with his superb stack of sounds. But, he doesn’t get all the say, far from it, as the pumping powerhouse that is Nathan Six takes up the musical mantle too and is sure to mesmerise the masses which his majestic mixes as always. But the weekend if far from over, as Saturday (10th) sees a real latin flavour to proceedings, as Gonzalo Rivas teams up with Alessandro Londra in an anglo Spanish/Italian concoction that should see the place packed & pumping all night. Add to that the Monday night meet “Beartrap” and there are loads of reasons to make Lo-Profile your dance destination, more details up at http://lo-profile.com.
Now to some Short Shouts and Ku-Bar/Club on Lisle St gets a first mini mention, Dusty O reassuming her spot this Friday (9th Sept) having compared the long running D.J. quest for the last three months, while favourite “Fabulous” takes over Saturday & Lady Lloyd’s “Hit Factory” steers your Sunday. Plus, if you missed seeing the winning D.J. scoop the prize last weekend, fear not as he will be playing at Ku’s Frith St pad this Saturday (10th Sept), more info on Ku available at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Next is Rupert St, still Soho’s busiest bar and a popular hangout to boot, not least that they have D.J.’s on duty right across the weekend, main resident Alessandro London taking his usual Sunday slot, as well as Saturday (10th Sept) this week, while Leonardo Glovibes takes it turn on Friday. But with a fab food offer & extra special prices on champagne & cocktails, Rupert S is a great place t be & be seen, more details out at http://rupertstreet.com.
Our third Short Shout goes to The Shadow Lounge which, after celebrating its 10th birthday a few weeks ago, has settled back into its regular routine, Friday (9th Sept) seeing “Therapy” with D.J. Sonathaq on the decks, while the ever popular Andrew Elmore is back on Saturday with “Inferno”, while they will be in the thick of the Soho Pink Sunday event next weekend (post coming up), more details on this Brewer St. Brilliance out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Steve Thomas Treat
Right moving onto Vauxhall and there is lots happening this weekend, well if you are affiliated to the Orange Group that is, so they get our Best Bite, top of the tree choice, as a whole host of events are worth much more than a mini mention, so much so that we will be issuing a couple of Extra Bites posts shortly for both Onyx & Furrvert and with Beyond going “Super Size”, a report entitled “Spanish Scramble” will cover all you need to know about that. But it doesn’t stop there of course, as Orange (the club not the group) marks its 13th birthday this Sunday with a “Clockwork Orange” themed event, we having devoted a special Weekend Focus feature to this citric celebration, the direct link for our devotion being http://discomatt.com/web/2011/09/recommends-birthday-candles-on-fire-orange-13th-birthday-clockwork-orange-sunday-11th-september/ . However, with parties like Gravity, Later & Booster also part of the weekend mix, one afterhours that is really finding a new head of steam is A:M, the Saturday morning smash that is now under the steership of Steven Sharp, the man behind Orange, but also a well established & accomplished D.J./Producer and one half of The Sharp Boys. Having stripped A:M back to its basic formula, Steven is introducing some exciting D.J. talent to take the music back to where A:M was in the halcyon days of its launch, this week being no exception as Steve Thomas (of Trade fame) takes to the decks, joining a residency team that includes Paul heron, Jamie Head, & Fat Tony, while Mr Sharp is also impressing the “Majority Gay” policy of the club, while naturally welcoming many regulars of all genders that have been supporting A:M over the years. With further exciting guest D.J’s to come, this Saturday morning is a sure-fire (excuse the pun) sensation & well worth a visit, more details of this & all Orange Group events at Fire available at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
To some Short Shouts now and first up is the institution that is The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), a packed weekend kicking off with “Loud” tomorrow night (Fri 9th Sept) with Massimo Paramour mixing up synth pop, new wave & indie dance in an 80’s inspired evening, Pauline Henry from the Chimes the P.A., while on Saturday its regular romp “Duckie”. Then no Sunday would be complete without a “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” event, not even the forecast heavy rain keeping the faithful away & the venue rammed, more info on this & the RVT’s weeklong schedule out at http://thervt.org.uk.
Just down the road is The Eagle, home to Sunday smash Horse Meat Disco, which rolls out another session with residents Jim Stanton, James Hillard & Severino, while sandwiching Saturday is “Tonker” tomorrow night, promoter Tim Jones welcoming guest D.J. Micky Galliano to the decks, this Muccassassina resident well worth a look in, as is Eagle, further details on happenings available at http://eaglelondon.co.uk.
Our third mini mention goes to barcode, which seems to have taken on a new direction recently, also filling the boots that used to be occupied by Union, Steven Geller’s brands “Bodyshakers” & “Crunch” taking up residency, both extending the bar’s usual trading hours deep into Saturday & Sunday morning, both these parties of the afterhours antics type. Then there is “Fitladz”, which holds another horny happening at Barcode tomorrow night (Fri 9th Sept), although access for this men only club night is through the Goding St & not the main entrance on Albert Embankment, more info on Barcode out at http://bar-code.co/.uk.
Amazing Alternative
So, we move onto our alternative options, naturally headed up by SuperMartXe, which makes a welcome return to the scene this Saturday (10th Sept) with a lights out inspired “Blackout” event that is set to steal the spotlight for sure. And, having missed out on the last four, we will definitely be heading to Pulse, also having given it a big thumbs up in our Weekend Focus feature which you can check out at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/09/recommends-logan-back-in-the-limelight-supermartxe-blackout-saturday-10th-september/. That said, we are pretty miffed that we will be missing out on another “Meat” party, which also takes place on Saturday, this Shoreditch shindig having gained considerable legs since having been launched back in February, co-promoters Tom Stephan & Kris Di Angelis having created a cult club that has grown in both stature & following, month on month. And it seems that the recipe to is soaring success is in both the music & the crowd, as the sounds served up by Tom Kris & a along with other roving resident D.J.’s including James Pople, Jeffrey Hinton & Munroe Bergdorf, the combo of electro & underground beats in the main room, with rnb, soul & classics in the “mincemeat” room make for a colourful combination, as is the crowd, east end boys mixing with west end girls, arty types, scene faces & even a smattering of big room clubbers making “Meat” their dance destination. So, with a “School Boy Beats” theme their way of marking the start of the new term, for a night full of diverse debauchery, you should look no further, full details out at http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=112923042144285.
So, to a couple of Short Shouts and just up the Shoreditch road is The Dalston Superstore (DSS), which also has packed weekend of events, two highlights being “Back To Back” this Friday (9th Sept), the name implying what to expect, D.J.’s Goodhand, Kezokichi, Sigmund, Kraftwerk & Dietrich mix up the music, while the “Body Talk” crew take over the DSS on Saturday with a special event dedicated to the music of Prince, promoter & resident D.J. Rokk, heading up a team that includes Tristan reed & Charlie Bones. Plus with Squeaky holding court on Sunday, the DSS has lots to offer this weekend, more info out & available at http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
For our final mini mention we head back closer to town, as “Wig Out”, having moved from weekly to monthly is back, setting its superb stool at Ghetto Factory in Aldwych, this alternative, indie & 80/’s/90’s night welcoming pop princess Toyah Wilcox as their special guest, this goddess of the 80’s performing live, while budget beating door entry 7 drinks prices make this a poptastic night well worth a visit, more details available via the event page at http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=240144349363358.
Time For A Tan
Now, just before we close, a quick couple of mentions go to, first, clubbing bible website SeenQueen (http://seenqueen.com) who have had a bit of a botox makeover while we have been off air, the new look well worth a peek, as are lots of the features that cram its pages, while as we wave goodbye to the summer (what summer we hear you cry), it’s definitely time to feel good by grabbing a tan, Solarstation the place to do it, more info out at http://solarstation.co.uk.
So, that’s just about it for our return newsletter and look at the coming weekend, one which you can definitely catch us at SuperMartXe’s “Blackout” event & Orange’s 13th Birthday, while we may also make a stop-off at Beyond. So, if you see us out come say hi, but whatever you are up to & wherever its finds you, have a great weekend, remembering that to be & be seen on the scene you need to “Go There! Be There!. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Alessandro Londra, Beyond, Booster, Fire, Gigolo, Gonzalo Rivas, Gravity, Horse Meat Disco, Ku Bar, Later, Lo-Profile, Meat, Nathan Six, Orange, Profile, Rupert St, Society, SuperMartXe, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The R.V.T., The Shadow Lounge, Tonker, Zach Burns | No Comments »
It was just last weekend that we took a serious look at our Weekend Recommendations newsletter, our format of “Best Bites & Short Shouts” having been running for close on six months, although the concept behind it for much longer. However, as we detailed in our report, “Best Bites On A Break” (direct link http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/reports-best-bites-on-a-break-weekend-recommends-newsletter-review-saturday-23rd-july/), we questioned the possible favouritism we were adopting by choosing certain bars, clubs & events over others and in so doing decided that, for this newsletter at least, we would trial a new look & a new direction, as our title here suggest, making it less exclusive & more inclusive, covering more by mentioning less & setting aside our preferences for other posts like our Weekend Focus & Extra Bites reports.
As a result, the new, or should we say, trial newsletter is here, our “Bar Bites & Club Cuts” aimed at running you through what’s on offer across Soho Vauxhall & elsewhere, but in the Short Shout rather than the Best Bite format, yet still retaining that element of where we think you should be & be seen on the scene. So, let’s crack on, although with the format as new to us as it is to you, hold on tight as we whistle-stop tour you through the highlights of what’s on offer this weekend.
Wardour St Wonders
To Soho first & Profile Bar, always a good way to start your weekend, this one being no exception as tomorrow night (Fri 29th) Jamie Hammond makes a welcome return to the scene, warming up your weekend from 8 p.m., while on Saturday its scene stalwart Rob Sykes’s turn to do the same. Now, don’t forget the happy hour, which runs daily from 4 p.m. till 7 (all night on Monday), while their food offer just has to be sampled, full details of the menu & other offerings available via their website at http://profilesho.com.
Downstairs at Lo-Profile it’s another “Society” Friday, the team welcoming Nathan Six & D’Johnny to the decks, so expect plenty of beefy beats to match these music making men’s physique’s, while the go-go dancers will also pop your eyes out (maybe something else too!), while on Saturday we hear cheeky Czech, Andrea Drudikova, is playing hostess with the moistest, sorry mostest, the club having a real Beyond flavour to it with Gonzalo Rivas & Mikey D on the decks., so surely a night not to be missed. With doors opening both nights at 11 p.m. & the club running through till 4 a.m., entrance is £8, while more details on these & other events can be found at http://loprofile.com.
To Rupert Street and having celebrated their 15th birthday last weekend, its business as usual this, D.J. duties going to main resident Alessandro Londra which picks up both Friday (29th) & Sunday (31st), while he is sandwiched by Brent Nicholls on Saturday night, both Friday & Saturday’s kicking off from 9 p.m. through till midnight, whereas Sunday is a little earlier from 7.30 p.m. till 10.30 p.m. With food served during the day, every day, plus a tasty champagne offer from 5 p.m. till 8 p.m., it’s worth starting early, more details out at http://rupertstreet.com.
Cute Ku
Down to Ku-Bar, the Lisle St one, and the weekend highlight is once again tomorrow night (Fri 29th) as resident The Very Miss Dusty O hosts another heat of their “D.J. Quest 2011” competition, this being the right same place that the delectable DouGuim came to fame. Revving up the rhythms from 10 p.m. through till 3 a.m. expects plenty of cute lads & their admirers, while Sunday’s “Hit Factory” with Lady Lloyd is also worth a look in, as it Lisle St’s dinky little sister bar on Frith St is attracting quite a following, not least as they have the most gorge set of barmen around, as well as D.J.’s on duty right across the weekend. Check out http://ku-bar.co.uk for more info.
Now to The Shadow Lounge, which re-opened on Monday following an extensive re-ft in time for its 10th birthday bash which takes place tonight (Thurs 28th), this being the official re-opening and sure to attract the scene glitterati as well as a host of special VIP celebrity guests & the lion’s share of the press (although not us sadly!). With Friday (29th) seeing the return of regular night “Therapy” and the ever popular “Inferno” on Saturday (30th) with Andrew Elmore back too, Sunday (31st) sees a new east meets west night kicking off from 6 p.m. & running through till midnight, so plenty going on in the new era of Shadow Lounge, details of which are out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
What Do You Wear To Bed?
So that’s our bar bites for Soho, what about our club cuts?, well it would be fair to say Soho is no longer renowned for full on clubbing, although just on the edge at Cafe De Paris, Jodie Harsh’s “Circus” roils into town for its annual pyjama party and one looking every bit as outrageously fabulous as last year. With Kris Di Angelis, Jim Warboy & Jodie herself providing the slumber styled soundtrack, expect the followers of fashion to dress down into their bedroom wear which could even mean the odd naked torso or two, while hosts aplenty will make sure all your dreams come true tomorrow night (Fri 29th), more info on this exceptional event out at http://thisiscircus.com.
Right down to Vauxhall and there’s lots happening this weekend, not least some new nights & special events to grab your attention. So let’s head to Barcode first who have first bite at the new cherry with the launch of “React Now”, an old skool, nu skool party with a D.J. line up of superhero’s that includes icons Blu Peter, Princess Julia, Rich B, Jon Dennis, Mark Westhenry & Jo Publik among many more. Plus, with the launch tomorrow night (Fr1 29th) being free entry, this should see Barcode back packed & pumping, while Saturday’s remain as popular as ever, this week seeing Micky Galliano, Steve Artis, Elliot J Brown & Mattias masterminding the music, so plenty of great names to conjure with, more info on this Vauxhall watering hole come club out at http://bar-code.co.uk.
Now to the Orange Group and as usual they have a breathtaking schedule of parties right across the weekend, for us kicking off with Onyx tomorrow night (Fri 29th) when they hold the 2nd part of their birthday “Double Bill”, this one seeing Area transformed into a beach oasis, welcoming party goers to dress in swimwear & the like, the hot, hot, hot go-go’s definitely leading the way in that department. Music wise, special guest Gonzalo Rivas takes to the main room decks, supported by lee Harris & Jc Christopher, while its tech in the terrace & pop in the chapel. With doors opening at 10 p.m. & free entry until midnight (grab a flyer though), not to mention special drinks offers, it seems birthdays don’t get better, more info out at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
Double Whammy Delight
Onward and to Sunday morning when Beyond have their double say, holding a “Double Whammy” party which basically rolls entry to this awesome afterhours in with Later afterwards, which has its usual session at Fire on Sunday afternoon. Back to beyond and you can expect the lion’s share of the clubs all-star D.J. residents, including The Sharp Boys, Mike D, Paul Christian, The Oil & Fat Tony, while main man Steve Pitron rests up before his return the following weekend. Advance tickets are definitely the way to go if you don’t want to queue or burn a huge hole in your pocket, as they come in at just £10 from with http://clubtickets.com or from the usual Soho outlets, while make sure you get that stamp for Later afterwards as the forecast for Sunday is looking sun, sun, sun all the way.
But hang on we hear you say, we though Later was hitting the high seas? Well, yes it is, as The Later “Summer Boat Party” takes place too, this more of an exclusive offering as the good ship Fire has a limited capacity of just 250. Now we covered this special event in an Extra Bites post (out at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/recommends-setting-sail-on-sunday-later-summer-boat-party-sunday-31st-july-weekend-extra-bites/) but suffice to say, with The Thames looking like a mill pond on Sunday, you won’t need strong sea legs to cope with this club cruise with a difference, so best you get your hands on one of the last remaining tickets at http://clubtickets.com/gb/2011-07/31/later-boat-party and join host Mauricio Ortiz along with D.J.’s Jamie Head & Junior as this will definitely be a summer highlight not to miss.
Sunday Service
Then when the good ship Fire disembarks, its straight back to Vauxhall for new club night launch “Blessed” which takes the place of Booster at Area. Aimed at a slightly more upmarket crowd, Area will see the terrace bar transformed into a relaxing chill-out zone with table service, great quality drinks & that all important link to the outside space, while the music worshipping will take place in the aptly named chapel room, D.J.’s Fat Tony, Mikey D & DouGuim head up a residency team that includes Booster’s Ferno & Matt King. Having covered to detail in our post “New Times Two” at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/recommends-new-times-two-blessed-le-boy-sunday-31st-july-friday-5th-august-weekend-focus-special/, suffice to say, all Later party goers (boat & terra firmer included) get free entry to “Blessed” , which runs from 7 p.m. till midnight, leading neatly to Orange afterwards.
Looking slightly further afield and another new night launches on Saturday (30th), this time at The Eagle, who host “Frisky”, a concept brought to the scene by the peeps behind Megawoof & Funkarama (that will be Daz & Diddy then), this new venture serving up sounds akin to Chicago house & NYC old skool, as well as more modern tech by the likes of Leonardo Glovibes, Nico de Ceglia & Astroboy, the Eagle crew throwing in a free bbq for good measure. With “Frisky” framed by regular nights Tonker on Friday (29th) & Horse meat Disco on Sunday (31st), check out their website at http://eaglelondon.co.uk for more details.
No Vauxhall coverage would be complete without mentioning the venerable institution that is The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), who have another classic weekend in store, not least as their “Anthem Old Skool Renuion” takes place tomorrow (Fri 29th), with Wayne G, Porl Young & Steve B turning out uplifting NRG, trance & heavenly house hits that made this club a Saturday must in the late 90’s & early 00’s, while “Duckie” takes over on Saturday, followed by S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out on Sunday (31st), more info out at http://thervt.org.uk.
East Bloc Excess
Right to our alternative choices and first to Shoreditch at The East Bloc who have a massive weekend in store, its star player being Gutterslut, who return to this Shoreditch spot on Saturday (30th), resplendent from their superb showing at Summer Rites three weeks ago, with a prolific party that will see favourites Per Q.X., Nic Fisher & Miss MC Crystal joined by special guests Musisclove Makers in the rave room, while GS’s Ralf Obergal will also feature alongside James Phillips & Will Viper in the second space, so a definitely must for way out wackiness followers. Add to that, another new night on the scene, as East Bloc brings “May’s Buckled Up & Ready For Something Dirty” tomorrow (Fri 29th) along with “Ponystep” which takes up residency at East Bloc on Sunday (31st) and this vibrant venue to certainly proving the place to be out east at the moment, more details of the weekly happenings available at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Heading south and The Brixton Clubhouse are creating a bit of a stir on the scene and with the weather perking up this weekend look like coming into their own with that terrific two tiered outside terrace space that is its usp. And with Steven Geller’s “Bodyshakers” having chosen to hang its hat here on Friday’s, tomorrow (29th) will see it return with guests Steve Thomas & Daniel Stone joining Mr Geller on the decks, while on Saturday (30th) the man returns with Daniel for another late night/early morning session called “Crunch”. However, it’s Sunday (31st) that will steal much of the spotlight, as the scene sees the return of club promoter Logan Schmitz, who holds the first of his summer private parties, “Up” returning to the venue that was Dex when it was last held, Per QX included in the D.J. line up which will also see Tony English spin selective sounds. Now, this is strictly invite only, so make sure you check your e-mail inbox, details of all other happenings at The Brixton Clubhouse available at http://thebrixtonclubhouse.com.
Magic Mag
Now, in the spirit of the “inclusive nature of this new style newsletter, here are some short shouts for other offerings across the scene in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere, very much depicting what a diverse yet dynamic scene we find ourselves within. So, other options for Friday (29th) include Popstarz at The Den, G.A.Y’s “Camp Attack” at Heaven, A:M at Fire, , “Discolicious” at Village, “Disco 3000” at Escape, & “Addiction” at The Edge, then on Saturday (30th) G.A.Y.is back at Heaven with a special “Wii” inspired party, while other options include “Fabulous” at Ku Bar, “Wig Out” at Ghetto Factory, “Adamix” at Village, & “Kitsch Karaoke” at Escape Bar, while further afield, West 5 celebrate their lucky for some 13th birthday. As for Sunday, well cabaret seems to rule the waves, The Two Brewers, 79 CXR, Halfway To heaven, The Stage, The Cambria, Molly Moggs & The Black Cap doing the business, details of all these options available by going online to http://boyz.co.uk.
Right, that’s about it for this new look “Bar Bites & Club Cuts” newsletter and as we get used to the new look we hope you will too. So, it’s just left for us to wish you a wonderful weekend wherever it finds you & whatever you get up to. As for us, it’s Onyx tonight for the 2nd half of their birthday “Double Bill”, then looks like we are on strict orders to make it to Beyond, having been missing last week, that followed by Later’s “Summer Boat Party” & the “Blessed” launch. So, if you see us out come say hi, but remember, to be & be seen on the scene you need to “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Barcode, Beyond, Blessed, East Bloc, Gutterslut, Ku Bar, Later, Lo-Profile, Onyx, Orange, Ponystep, Profile, Rupert St, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, The Brixton Clubhouse, The Eagle, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge | No Comments »
With our heads having been buried in computers & the compilations for well over twenty four hours, our minds are now focused back on the forthcoming weekend and one that looks set to be another purple patch period of partying with two exceptional events on our schedule. However, looking across the scene, there is so much more on offer meaning that it’s time to run through our Best Bites & Short Shouts across Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere, as the march towards the middle of the month marks to marvellous meets.
Wardour Street Wonders
To Soho first and our Best Bite pretty much a foregone conclusion as Profile & Lo-Profile get our choice again this week. But rather than run through the whole offer at these Wardour St. wonders, having visited two weeks in a row, we will let our reviews do the talking, , “I Want My Porridge”, which should probably say “We Got Our Porridge”, looking at Profile (direct link) http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/reviews-i-want-my-porridge-junior-moura-plays-profile-barcode-friday-1st-saturday-2nd-july-bite-size-review/, while with both Gigolo & Society playing a big part in Lo-Profile’s weekly offer, we combined both into one review which gives you as good a flavour as any recommendation (direct link http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/reviews-soho-social-splendour-times-two-gigolo-society-at-lo-profile-thurs-fri-7th-8th-july-bite-size-review/). However, whilst it’s good to reflect, especially when it’s all about good times, it’s also great to look forward and this weekend, both Profile & Lo-Profile give you a lot to look forward to, the former sporting two of its longest serving resident D.J.’s Jamie Head dishing up the dance hits tomorrow (Fri 15th), while the cheeky Craig Daniels does the business on Saturday, both starting from 8 p.m. & carrying you through to the extended 11.30 p.m. curtain call. With a fab food offer, the friendliest staff & the best cocktails in town, check out more info of his sophisticated spot at http://profilesoho.com. As for downstairs in Lo-Profile, with Society steering you into Saturday, the man behind the concept, nu-funk exponent extraordinaire Brent Nicholls kicks off another session of this social come clubbing splendour, while Nick Evans takes up the music mantle till 4 a.m. Then on Saturday, it seems that Lo-Profile can’t get enough of Hugh Stevenson, as he is back for a second weekend, Alessandro Londra polishing off another wonderful Wardour St weekend, more details on Lo-Profile available at http://loprofile.com.
A New Era
Now to some Short Shouts & Rupert St get first bite, with D.J. Minx in charge on the tunes tomorrow night, while Oliver M, fresh from the La Demence cruise should have tons of terrific tunes up his sleeve on Saturday (16th) both selecting the sounds from 9 p.m. till midnight, details on this popular place out at http://rupertstreet.com.
To Ku-Bar now and having popped in last night, it seems they have had a major makeover (well since we were there last anyway), so definitely a more sophisticated look upstairs, while is business as usual downstairs, the DJ quest comp still in full force tomorrow (Fri 15th), while on Sunday, Lady Lloyd holds another “Hit Factory” happening, also not forgetting “Citric” on Monday (yes not the weekend!!), more info out at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Finally to The Shadow Lounge, who are right in the middle of a massive makeover in time for their 10th anniversary, this Saturday signalling the last party before they close their doors for the major facelift works. So, with furniture & other Shadow souvenirs up for grabs, Andrew Elmore making sure the sounds are spectacular, this should be a closing party to remember, while the new look is also extending to the website, where you can get all the info you need on what when & where, at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Saturday Spotlight
Onto Vauxhall and one event stands out among a sea of others in The Orange Group stable, as Casa Latina makes its second splash on the scene, with their “Super Car Wash” party this Saturday (16th July), we having covered it all in detail with our Weekend Focus “Brazilian Beats Bonanza”, out at direct link http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/recommends-brazilian-beats-bonanza-cas-latina-super-car-wash-saturday-16th-july-weekend-focus/, and one prolific party you won’t want to miss. So, whilst Casa is standing in the Saturday spotlight, there is plenty else on offer, starting with Onyx tomorrow night at Area, residents D.J.;s including Lee Harris, Jc Christiopher Ariel & Lisa German, while straight after its another A:M Afterhours at Fire, proving a great excuse to push the euphoric envelope deep into Saturday morning. Then, with all those Latino’s out at Fire on Saturday night, they will definitely be in partying mood, so heading for Beyond on Sunday morning, while the team also party hard in Paris the previous night, The Oli & Paul Heron flying the flag once again. With Later on Sunday afternoon in a purple patch of partying, so should prove a draw, especially for those not heading out to Lovebox, while Booster keeps the clubbing going straight to Orange that carries you deep into Monday morning & a later crawl to the office or workstation. Whilst it is very much business as usual for The Orange Group this weekend, there is a new kid on the block night coming your way very soon, not to mention big plans for August, so here is where to keep your eyes peeled as the news breaks (no phone tapping required for info). But, you could also pay a visit to http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties for more information on a full-on week of clubbing that also includes Gravity, Deuces, Open & Work, while to get guest list entries to clubs, clock on to http://gayguestlists.com/ & add your club choice after it (i.e. Onyx, Later, Booster).
Barcode Birthday
Onto some Short Shouts now and never say we shy away from something a little off our usual beaten track, but when a club celebrates a birthday, its 10th no less, then it definitely deserves a mention. And in this case, our shout goes to Bootylicious, marking this milestone with birthday bash that celebrates this clubbing of colour collectives’ coolest raves across a decade that has seen it hop from Crash to Area & then jump to Colosseum, where this party takes place on Saturday (16th), more info on this institution available at http://bootylicious-club.co.uk/.
Next & to a venue who’s Sunday nighter, Horse Meat Disco, will be in the thick of the action at Lovebox in Victoria Park (more on that in a mo), while The Eagle hold a pre-Lovebox celebration with HMD’s Jim Stanton on the decks, while the previous night, Tim Jones’s “Tonker” sees another Jones on the decks, Ross bashing out the beats at this bear-tastic gathering. With HMD back for a post Lovebox mash-up on Sunday night (17th July) and a week full of frolics, go check out the venues website http://eaglelondon.com for more info.
Now to another birthday celebration, as Barcode Vauxhall celebrates 5 years on the clubbing scene this Saturday (16th July), with an extra special party, bringing back some of its favourite D.J. residents to mix up the musical birthday cake recipe, Steven Artis joined by Gonzalo Rivas, Hugh Stevenson, Elliot J Brown & Paul Coals. Now, we will be devoting an Extra Bites post to BCV’s birthday, so keep your eyes peeled for that, but for details on this, the now singular Barcode in the capital, go to http://bar-code.co.uk.
Fab Festival Fun
So to our alternatives and Best Bite just had to go to Lovebox, which whilst in the domain of breeder land for most of its three day festival length, has a distinct homo feel to it on Sunday (17th July), when it seems the lion’s share of the gay clubbing scene will be heading out to Victoria Park to give support to the likes of Circus, Horse Meat Disco & Trailer Trash, who will be flying the rainbow flag over the exceptional alfresco event. But when you see the main stage line-up, there is plenty of gay interest too, as headlining are The Scissor Sisters, while big players Robyn, Kelis, Beth Ditto, Blondie & Marc Almond no less, all hit the homo mark, the list of performers stretching deep into double figures (we count 55), both Tensnake & Jonny Woo in the mix, while that Circus stage looks like one not to miss. And having spoken with Kris Di Angelis on the subject a couple of weeks ago, the live performance planned is one you simply won’t want to miss, the Circus top protagonists all involved, including Scottee, Tom Stephan &, of course Jodie Harsh herself. Add to all that a packed park serving up cabaret, circus rides, street theatre, vintage bazaars, art installations & much more and we are just praying the glorious British summer doesn’t let us down. Now, looking at the official website, http://lovebox.net, there are still both standard & VIP tickets on sale via the official suppliers, Ticketmaster & HMV tickets, but be warned, you will need to collect them on the gate as even we, having ordered ours two weeks ago, have to potentially stand in a queue for our VIP ones (not very VIP that is it?!?!). However, tickets aside, this is going to be a fantastic festival and one hell of a day for us, DM being on hand to review it all, while we will also be pushing out an Extra Bites recommends post, giving you the last minute rundown of where to be & be seen.
Right to a couple of Short Shouts to round off this newsletter and we head up to Dalston first, to The Dalston Superstore in fact, who are very much in the Lovebox mood with their “Optimo” party on Saturday (16th) when the Glasgow duo of JD Twitch & JG Wilkes roll up fresh from their Lovebox appearance for the city’s legendary club, that being Optimo of course, while Horse Meat Disco’s Severino rocks upstairs. With “Boydem” on Friday & a very special “Outside The Box” post Lovebox party on Sunday, Trailer Trash, Bodytalk & Hot Boy Dancing Spot combining for one monumental mash-up & The DSS is definitely the place to be, more info available at http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
Over at East Bloc and the boys are still in recovery mode after a superb Summer Rites festival last weekend, but welcome Fitladz to the fray, this boy on boy bash having uprooted itself from Vauxhall, picks this trendy Shoreditch spot to draw in some of those “aww right” East End ladz tomorrow night (Fri 15th), while it is a case of S.O.S., as this plu populaire night is back, the likes of Jim Warboy, The Lovely Jonjo, Scottee & La Gosse included in the line-up, more details on East Bloc out at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Tan Top Up
Right folks, we are pretty much there for another weekend, but just time to squeeze in two tiny mentions, first to tip top clubbing site SeenQueen, who have updated their own diary of events right into August, this & much more available at http://seenqueen.com/, while with the weather being what it is, maybe a tan would go a miss, the best place to top up & look beautiful being Solarstation on Archer Street in Soho, full details of offers from Hassan & his team up on their website at http://solarstation.co.uk.
So, with plenty to choose from this weekend and with every hope that the sun will be shining on the righteous this Sunday, all that’s left to do is to wish you a pleasant one, wherever you are & whatever you are doing, but if you find yourselves at Casa Latina on Saturday or Lovebox on Sunday & spot us out, come say hi, but remember what we say, which is simply “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Alessandro Londra, Barcode Vauxhall, Beyond, Booster, Brent Nicholls, Casa Latina, Circus, Craig Daniels, Horse Meat Disco, Hugh Stevenson, Jamie Head, Jodie Harsh, Kris Di Angelis, Ku Bar, Later, Lo-Profile, Lovebox, Nick Evans, Onyx, Orange, Profile Bar, Rupert St, The Eagle, The Orange Group, The Shadow Lounge, Tom Stephan, Trailer Trash | No Comments »
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2 Feb 2013 | 0 Comments
D.J.’s/Music – “Baking Beats Cake Chap” – D.J. Focus – Chris Brogan – Saturday 2nd February
With the launch of his new club, Baked, just hours away and with a marvellous music policy that is as scrummy as a Victoria sponge, we have mixed up our own Mary Berry music bonanza, lining our tunes tin, opening the oven and serving up superb slices of the deck ...
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30 Nov 2012 | 0 Comments
Recommends “Back Where We Belong Again” – Weekend Short Shouts Newsletter – Friday 30th Nov to Sunday 2nd Dec
Back in the best biting newsletter driving seat, our short shouts sister follows suit, a host of happenings across Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere that are worth more than a look in this weekend, getting a mini mention, all this with a focus on the fundraising events marking World AIDS day ...
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23 May 2012 | 0 Comments
Picks/Music/D.J.’s – “Bare Bratwurst Beats” – Gigolo “Naked” With Guest D.J./Producer Oliver M – Wednesday 23rd May – Pick of The Day/D.J. Special Focus
Having been at sea for a mother hen of days while casting his picks net across a trio of European events, Disco Matt is pleased as punch to be back in the capital clubbing circuit grove, as he lands on Soho, the Shadow Lounge & Gigolo’s “Naked” event as his ...
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6 Jan 2012 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Recovery & Resolution Rest” – Weekend Short Shouts – Friday 6th to Sunday 8th January – Newsletter Part Two
With of first set of 2012 Best Bites done & dusted, we couldn’t let the weekend begin without giving a dozen delectable’s a shot at winning your recovery or resolution affections, meaning it’s time to run down the best of the rest in Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch. We may ...
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4 Nov 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Plenty of Smoke Without Fire” – Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts Newsletter – Friday 4th to Sunday 6th November
You have all heard of the phrase, “when it rains, it pours” and the same could be said for our lives at the moment, as having waved goodbye to October, which was probably our worst month of the year so far, this first week in November is looking no better ...
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20 Oct 2011 | 1 Comment
Recommends – “Autumn Appetisers” – Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts – Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd October – Recommends Newsletter
Looking back on October alone it seems that even Alton Towers has nothing on the rollercoaster ride we have found ourselves on, last weekend a perfect example of huge Friday highs followed by Saturday lows, an amazing “Play Time” at Lo-Profile followed by missing in action absences from The Week ...
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6 Oct 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Back In Business” – Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts Newsletter – Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th October –
After a pretty topsy turvy summer season which started & ended with hospitalisation, that on top of writing prospect promises that failed to materialise, we point ourselves towards the autumn with renewed vigour, this new found furver in our footsteps seeing the return of our weekly recommends newsletter which we ...
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8 Sep 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Former Format Back With A Bang” – Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts – Friday 9th to Sunday 11th September
Having toiled over which direction we would be taking our regular weekly “Recommends” newsletter, in conjunction with our summer siesta, we gave this post a bit of a break while we rejuvenated our batteries & cleared the clog in that directional dilemma. So, finding our feet back under the proverbial ...
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29 Jul 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Less Exclusive, More Inclusive” – Weekend Bar Bites & Club Cuts – Friday 29th to Sunday 31st July
It was just last weekend that we took a serious look at our Weekend Recommendations newsletter, our format of “Best Bites & Short Shouts” having been running for close on six months, although the concept behind it for much longer. However, as we detailed in our report, “Best Bites On ...
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15 Jul 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “From Latino’s To Lovebox’ers” – Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts – Friday 15th to Sunday 17th July
With our heads having been buried in computers & the compilations for well over twenty four hours, our minds are now focused back on the forthcoming weekend and one that looks set to be another purple patch period of partying with two exceptional events on our schedule. However, looking across ...
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