Posts Tagged ‘Rupert Street’
January 10, 2013 | 
Author With Soho sustaining a significant shock this week, the sudden closure of Profile & Lo-Profile leaving any simply stunned, the effects have been far reaching, even hitting our recommendations schedule. So, as we pick up the pieces of our “Best Bites” format, we forge ahead with our Short Shouts of where to be & be seen on the scene in Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch this weekend.
Well, what a shocking surprise of a week it has been, starting with the stunning & out of the blue announcement of the immediate closure of Profile & Lo-Profile, the blame laid with tenancy agreement issues, while we all know it was down to that word beginning with M and what we all seem to need to survive. So, having played a prominent part in our weekly Best Bites newsletters, where we chose our top of the tree picks, one from Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch, these Wardour St wonders, apart from leaving a gaping hole on the scene, has resorted us to a Best Bites re-think. But while we re-configure that part of our weekend newsletters, our Short Shouts continue unabated and with plenty going, despite the sad Soho news, there is much to cheer the cockles of clubbers across the expected chilly weekend weather.
So let’s crack on and yes to Soho first, The Shadow Lounge very much in pole position once more, although sticking to its Friday “Therapy” formula but with a range of new roving residents, Adam Turner making a superb sound splash from midnight, while Saturday’s have become known for nothing else but “Inferno” and Andrew Elmore, details of these & other nights such as “Balearic”, out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk
Onwards to Circa and that marvellous music man Adam Turner pitches up again, tonight (Thurs 10th Jan) seeing him warm you up for Room Service alongside Munroe Bergdorf, who returns on Friday night with her own style soiree, “Discipline”, very much keeping you in line, while its Adam again on Saturday (we can’t get enough of him), a little birdie telling us the 4 a.m. licence is still in place, more info up at http://circasoho.com & via Facebook at http://facebook.com/pages/Circa/183683868348892
Moving just round the square, that Soho Sq, and The Edge certainly packs a powerful punch on both Friday & Saturday, tomorrow night (11th Jan) welcoming Brazilian boy beatmaster Doug Silva to the decks, while our premier protégé player has a heavenly handle on Saturday’s with his “I Love Saturday House Sessions”, mixing the best current chart house remixes with uplifted funky & vocal house jams, hostess Felicia Van Cartier & her gorge go-go’s added into the mix, more details up at http://edgesoho.co.uk/ & on Facebook at http://facebook.com/groups/edgebarsoho/.
To Ku Bar and tomorrow sees DMS & Alvaro spin the sounds at “Klub”, the Friday frolic that combines popular picks, floor fillers & vocal house, while their new night on Saturday (12th Jan), “La Mix”, an Ibiza themed party takes over both the bar & the club, D.J.’s Doug Silva & Athanas Sak spinning the sounds, the bar & the club showing off some of the best looking serving studs in town who go bare topped each night, including Sunday which sees Lady Lloyd go all pop (that’s the music style), further info out at http://ku-bar.co.uk & http://facebook.com/kubarlondon.
To Rupert Street now and while this long running & popular watering hole has gone through the mill recently, a tumbling in both popularity and business seeing the new manager, Karl Nixon, scratch his head a little, Orange Nation have come to its rescue with a planned programme of pre-parties, Saturday (12th Jan) seeing Beyond take centre stage, Jamie Head on deck duty, so one not to be missed, http://facebook.com/events/393534407404054/ telling you more.
And finally, we couldn’t let the moment pass without a mention for the Profile & Lo-Profile farewell drinks event, which takes place at the Yard from 7 p.m. this Saturday (12th Jan), the upstairs space set aside for this glorious send off gathering and is expected to be a packed out affair, especially as many will have been caught out by the sudden closure. So, if you want to say your au-revoir’s but surely not goodbyes to the team, then this is the place to do it, more info up at http://facebook.com/events/244194319045789/246340292164525/.
To Vauxhall now and Orange Nation are in the driving seat, their “Free January Clubbing” encompassing parties from Gravity to Orange & everything in between, while, if we are brutally honest (and a tad controversial), we cannot quite believe that Beyond goes all “Midnight” on us again this weekend, the club having used this format for three of the last four weeks & looks like doing so for the rest of the month. But apparently it was packed with punters last Saturday night into Sunday morning & will surely be again, details of D.J.’s on duty, etc, etc, up at http://www.facebook.com/events/116714235167756/
But the big news on the Orange Nation front is that Fat Tony has taken over promoting Orange, adding this amazing afterhours institution of a Monday morning meet to Gravity & Deelooded, both shinning under his steership, Orange in need of a fresh citric squeeze, Tony the man to do it, not least as he was at the centre of the clubs launch some fourteen years ago, so is sure to bring the good times & the fun back, while also introducing new guest D.J.’s to the main room, this one to watch, Sunday’s event info up at http://otangenation.co.uk & via the events page at http://facebook.com/events/516510358381533/
Just before we leave Orange Nation, it’s worth re-mentioning that “Free January Clubbing” offer which covers clubs Gravity, A:M, Beyond, Later & Orange, we having attempted to confound the theory that nothing in life is for free in our special focus feature “Some Things In Life Are For Free”, we having dug deep into the promotional PR, digesting the detail & producing our own view on what is, on face value, a fabulous free filler for your jaded post festive January, so well worth a look at http://discomatt.com/web/?p=6614 as well as checking out http://oramgenation.co.uk/membership
To the Eagle now who’s winning weekend is three faceted, “Tonker” doing its beefy & brawny bloke thing on Friday (11th Jan), promoter Tim Jones joined on the decks by another Jones, Ross making music for the men, while on the following night sees “Eagle Saturday’s” take centre stage, a genre blend of 70’s/80’s/90’s hits combined with more modern funky, electro & tech tainted house, Prince Nelly providing the former, while Severino sorts the latter. And with the mere words “Horse Meat Disco” speaking enough Sunday volumes, head to http://eaglelondon.com & http://www.facebook.com/Eagle.London for more.
And we couldn’t let Vauxhall pass go without a mention for venerable institution, The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, which hit the headlines recently when welcoming back Paul O’Grady to what was his hallowed turf as Lilly Savage, while its fringe events continue to reign supreme in the week & this Friday as it goes, as “Wotever World” is what it’s about, Saturday, Amy Lame & The Readers Wives meaning only one thing, “Duckie”, while Sunday is synonymous with “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out”, more info up at http://thervt.org.uk or via the venue’s Facebook group, http://facebook.com/groups/thervt/.
To Shoreditch now and to East Bloc which has two terrific turns this weekend, the first mention having to go to DISH, which celebrates its first birthday on Saturday (12th Jan) and has been subject to our own Weekend Focus feature, “Tasty Turn Turns One”, which tells all about the club & about Saturday’s shindig at http://discomatt.com/web/?p=6624, while we are sure it will scoop our Saturday “Pick Of The Day” too, so very much the place to be & be seen, more info out at http://facebook.com/DISHLONDON.
As for that second soiree, well its Friday and “Super Electro Party Machine”, Larry Tee’s off the wall wonder that sees a superb selection of stars spin the sounds, this week seeing Mr Tee welcome Guy Williams & his Paradise 45 crew, the “Electro” being substituted for “Paradise” on the event info, while the hot off the press news is that Princess Julia will be making her majestic musical mark too, she another product from the Wayne Shires Crash camp that have moved out east, details up at http://facebook.com/events/520317934655157/.
Up the road we now go to The Dalston Superstore in fact, which has a full weekend of wonders, we running through them in reverse, Sunday being “Tutti Frutti” day, while on Saturday its gender bender time with the return of Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis’s club, “Tramp”, this time going hot, Munroe Bergdorf joined by Jonny Woo upstairs, while Kris serves up a four hour set downstairs (check http://facebook.com/events/427982320607845/ for more info). And with Friday asking to just “Say Yes”, The DSS has all this & much more to offer, info out at http://facebook.com/groups/dalstonsuperstore/.
For our final Short Shout, we head back into Shoreditch proper and to the Joiners Arms which has certainly seen a resurgence in popularity recently, due in no part to the fact that they sport some of the bigger D.J. names from the capitals clubbing circuit, This Saturday (12th Jan) seeing newish night “Pantastic” welcome Ariel to the decks, while it has been Sunday soiree “SPQR” (standing for Sexy Parties Queer Revels) that has really put The Joiners back on the circuit map, we having to head down soon, while you can head to http://joinersshoreditch.com for more detail on these, Friday’s “Yes” and the other four days delights too.
Well that’s it for our singular recommends newsletter, we hoping to be back with our revised Best Bites part next week, on top of more Short Shout includees such as Clapham’s Bridge Bar & Soho’s Room Service, although with over twenty events & parties covered here there is much to mull over & lay your hat on this weekend. As for us, it’s a DISH weekend after a quick Saturday Soho sortie to Rupert St & the Edge, so with plenty of places to be & be seen on the scene, if you see us out come say hi, naturally in doing so, making sure you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | 
Tags: Beyond, Circa, Dish, Duckie, East Bloc, Horse Meat Disco, Inferno, Ku Bar, Orange, Orange Nation, Pantastic, Rupert Street, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, SPQR, Super Electro Party Machine, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The Edge, The Joiners Arms, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Therapy, Tonker, Tramp, Wotever World | 
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Shooting from the hip, we are back shouting from the roof tops, mini size selections of a host of clubs & events to take in across Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch this weekend, the briefest of detail with links to websites making this a nifty newsletter, our shouts syncing superbly below
Having gotten back into the recommendations mode & mood after an altogether atrociously lengthy break, we are raring to go in short shouting for a spree of shindigs across Soho Vauxhall & Shoreditch that have caught our eye this weekend, brevity the name & links to websites & event pages the game, the aim to give you a wider choice of places to lay your clubbing hat to those topping our Best Bites tree, it’s as simple as that.
So to Soho & our first short shout, Saturday (6th Oct) seeing ClubNation roll out another exceptional event at L-Profile with Mikey D & Paul Coals on the decks, doors to this Wardour St wonder opening at 10 p.m. & the club running through till 4 a.m., further details on this outing available at http://facebook.com/pages/Lo-Profile/163759593639440, info on the venue out at http://loprofile.com.
Next Soho shout goes to the Shadow Lounge who roll out another “Therapy” session tomorrow night (Fri 6th Oct) and Paul Heron & MisWhite on the decks, while the ever popular Andre Elmore spins upfront & uplifting house ala “Inferno” style on Saturday, not forgetting “Baleric on Thursday’s weekly, more info on all three out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk or via their Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/theshadowlounge/
To the Edge now and another fun filled Friday beckoning with the dynamic duo of Andrew Elmore & D.J. Alabastor, while the added draw of vocals from Tonnic is a tasty treat for sure, Saturday seeing another tasty treat in the form of Zach Burns on the decks, hat “Come Play With Me” poster too provocative for words, but it works!! And with plenty more on offer plus late licensing, go check out their group at http://facebook.com/groups/edgebarsoho/ for more info.
Then, just a hop & skip around the corner is the compact & bijou yet superbly stylish Circa, tomorrow night seeing the marvellous Munroe Bergdorf both host & D.J. for the night they call “Discipline”, while another of our protégé players (Zach Burns is one) Adam Turner, spins the superb sounds on Saturday (6th Oct), Sunday seeing “Studio Dusty” of the Miss O variety take hold, all three nights offering free entry & running till 1 a.m. more detail on this brilliant bar out at http://circasoho.com.
So to our fabulous fifth & it goes this week to Rupert St, even though we are shocked by the news that while we have been off air, manager Cathy has moved (or was she pushed!!) onto pastures new, replacement Karl Nixon supposedly ringing the changes although with Alessandro on the decks both Friday (5th) & Sunday (7th) & Brent Nicholls the music meat in the sound sandwich on Saturday, this once packed out place looking to bounce back, more info out at http://facebook.com/groups/130804876996933/.
To Vauxhall now and we hone in on The Orange Group first, splitting four events out from each other, the first being Onyx, which plays proud host to the “Toolbox House 9th Birthday Tour” tomorrow night (Fri 5th Oct), welcoming special guest D.J. Nik Denton to the Covert main room decks, alongside Jonny M & Matt Bogard, while room two sees Munroe Bergdorf, Lady Lloyd & tasty Tim go to play, more info including opening times, entrance fees & drinks offers out via http://facebook.com/onyxlondon.
Following neatly on is A:M, which celebrated its anniversary last weekend, but keeps the house music heavenly heat turned to full on Saturday morning (6th Oct) from 3 a.m., with special guest D.J. Paul Harris, while a star cast extends to residents Fat Tony, Guy Williams, D’Johnny, Paul Heron & Fat Tony, along with a b2b set from Alan K & Paulo Moreno, the usual Fire venue hosting giving away to a joint protocol & Lightbox effort, more info in Mr Harris & the whole event out at http://www.facebook.com/events/428454637202317/
Jumping to Sunday and the later which, now under the capable & safe hands steership of Steven React Sharp is heading in a “Nu Direction”, this his second week at the helm & one that has a birthday feel to it, special guest D.J. Marco gee’s partner celebrating, while after Marco, Jamie Head & then The Oli spin the sounds, this sure to be a packed out affair as post WE party heads will bounce on from Beyond not wishing to stop, this daytime disco delight sure to go from strength to strength now Steven is in charge, more info on this particular outing up at http://facebook.com/events/428454637202317/ .
Then to number four in the Orange stable & to Orange itself, the Monday morning madcap melay that actually starts on Sunday night but takes you deep into the start of the working week, this week being quite special as RAW is back, albeit that original resident Gonzalo Rivas is not, while co-originator David Jimenez is, he taking charge on RAW on its 6th anniversary this Sunday/Monday (7th/8th Oct), while main room men include The Sharp Boys, Fat Tony & The Oli, more detail available by scouting the ON Facebook group page at http://facebook.com/groups/2412805063/ which also links into David’s special devoted RAW podcast.
Elsewhere in Vauxhall there is much happening, not least as Popstarz re-locates to south of the river & Hidden, the legacy left behind by the much missed Simon Hobart continuing in style, the extra space this venue offers, allowing the promoter & his team to deliver the biggest R&B room in Popstarz history, resident D.J.’s Tommy Turntables, Dennis The Menace & Lady Lloyd among those at this launch tomorrow night (Fri 5th Oct) more info up at http://popstarz.org.
Our significant & final sixth south of the river goes to Horse Meat Disco, the Sunday night meet that continues to pull in a considerable crowd week in week out, the relaxed atmosphere of host venue The Eagle contributing to that factor, while promoters James Hillard & Jim Stanton also re cognise the maxim that, “…if it isn’t broke don’t fix it…”, the winning formula hardly changed, that going for the resplendent return on Severino to the HMD decks this weekend (Sun 7th Oct), further detail out at http://facebook.com/groups/horsemeatdisco &/or http://eaglelondon.com.
Moving across town to Shoreditch and while having best bitten on the venue, we can’t but give a shout for East Bloc, this time for their Friday frolic, Super Electro Party Machine, promoter & D.J. Larry Tee welcoming three special guests to the decks, such has become the popularity of this prolific party, he joined by Jim Warboy, NYC’s Velissa Yeo & our own protégé player, Adam Turner in what looks like a corker & one we would be at tomorrow night (Fri 5th Oct) for sure if we hadn’t committed to PLAY>TIME, while you may not have that conundrum, more detail up at http://facebook.com/groups/255553057341/.
Then we move just up the road to Dalston & The DSS (Dalston Superstore) which entertains Borja Pena & his B(e)ast crew this Saturday (6th Oct), the Tel Aviv gay party PAG going head to head with the former, no doubt attracting sexy swarms of Israeli men, while the feast of D.J. talent both upstairs & downstairs will be just as much of a draw, Borja naturally flying the B(e)ast flag, he joined by Simon Rigg, founder of Phonica records upstairs, while downstairs, Avihai Partok is the PAG influence, he joined by Berliner come London based D.J. Tom Peters, more info out at http://facebook.com/events/431805860188409/.
Final in our foray East threesome goes to The Joiners Arms which has found a real niche for itself on a Sunday, not only drawing in the Hoxton locals, but with D.J.’s like Paul Heron, Alessandro Londra & Kris Di Angelis having graced the SPRQ (that’s the club night name) decks, this Sunday night shindig is drawing in a much wider audience & is very much becoming the place to be & be seen, particularly if you are after some old that old time decadence & debauchery that was so common place on the scene in times gone by. And amidst the spit & sawdust style of The Joiners (we are told it has had a lick of paint recently though) this Sunday (7th Oct) the extrovert Julian De Apostate spins the sounds, locale details & more available at http://facebook.com/joiners.arms.9.
Right , that’s just about it from us for this edition of Short Shouts save for a reminder that if you fancy your club or event being given a mention, then drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com or failing that then plaster either our Facebook group wall at http://facebook.com/groups/discomatt/ or our page at http://facebook.com/pages/Disco-Matt/112730602119746, while, failing a mention here, we will be happy to include you the the promotional banners on our website, so artwork can be forwarded to our e-mail address as above.
So, all that’s left is to wish you all a very happy weekend of clubbing, or whatever else you have planned, while as for us it looks like Lo-Prfile on Friday, WE Party on Saturday & possibly Later on Sunday, so if you see us out please come up & say hi, you may even get a nibble size tweet mention at http://twitter.com/discomatt, although if not simply remember that to be & be seen on the scene you need to “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, B(e)ast, Circa, ClubNation, DSS, East Bloc, Hidden, Horse Meat Disco, Later, Lo-Profile, Onyx, Orange, Popstarz, Rupert Street, SPQR, Super Electro Party Machine, The Eagle, The Edge, The Joiners Arms, The Shadow Lounge | No Comments »
While it may be cold outside, the heat is certainly being turned up across the Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch scene this weekend, some new entrants along with old favourites filling Friday through Sunday and so having bitten into the best, it’s time to shout for the rest, Disco Matt picking out an exciting eleven of places to be & be seen on the scene.
Well, having promised to shout from the rooftops throughout January, like a few personal issues in our lives right now, the wheels came off somewhat, or as a friend aptly put it, the rollercoaster ride that we usually find ourselves on has crashed off the rails. However, like the de-railed train in Bletchley, we now find ourselves back on track and ready to run through our exciting eleven across Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch, a substantial sprinkling of old favourites mixed in with a couple of brave new brands that are not only contending with the weather but an armoury of outstanding others for your weekend attention. But with a nod to some week night events too, as well as a mention for the Boyz annual scene awards, along with a handful of dance diary dates, we have a lot to get through
Therapeutic Inferno
So let’s get right to it and to Soho, The Shadow Lounge getting our first shout, their very popular duo of delights in the form of “Therapy” tonight (Fri 3rd) with D.J. Sonathaq and then “Inferno” tomorrow night with Andrew Elmore are both sure to pack their usual punch. Add to these, Tuesday’s “OMFG” & Thursday’s “XXTra” and there is much going on, while Wednesday’s now means only one thing on Brewer St and that is “Gigolo”, The Hart’s back with a bang & really shaking up your midweek. So with much going on, check http://theshadowlounge.co.uk for the clubs own events, while a visit to http://gigolodisco.com or http://twitter.com/gigolodisco will keep you bang up to date with what the boys are up to.
Onward and to Rupert St who, despite the dark, cold & somewhat sparse nights of January, are looking to February with gusto and have a weekend of D.J. delights to draw you in, award winning spinner Oliver M on the decks tonight, while tomorrow (Sat 4th) its regular resident Alessandro sorting the sounds. But with our Italian bello having taken up a roving Sunday residence across at The Joiners Arms in Shoreditch, iconic D.J. Rich B assumes control each week, serving up a delightful mixture of classic, uplifting & funky house to end your weekend in the best possible way. Plus with a fab food offer to chew over and some tasty new bar boys to ogle over, there is much on offer at this hip & happening hangout, more details out at http://rupertstreet.com.
K(ute) Bar Boy
Next up is Ku Bar, or should we say bars, as both Lisle St & its little sister on Frith St have plenty to pull in the punters, many of the young & cute variety at that, the former rolling out a trio of treats with “Ozone tonight, The Very Miss Dusty O on the decks, while its a “Fabulous “ Saturday tomorrow night with DJ P, Sunday set aside for “Karaoke Cabaret” with the venerable Vicki Vivacious, while little Ku is not so little, this two floored tardis entertaining with D.J.’s on Friday & Saturday, so well worth a drop in, if only to check out the cute bar boys, more info on both Ku’s out at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Moving up to Soho square finds The Edge which is a gem of a venue often overlooked, although with no less than five floors offering up different atmospheres in each, there is much on offer whether it’s a quit chat & drink, some soothing piano music or full on house hits you are after. And it is these house hits where we find our Friday in the hands of “Addiction” & resident jock Alabastor, while sinking into Saturday’s could be better than this, as our premier protégé player Zach Burns takes you on a “Revelation” of a journey with upfront & uplifting house, both nights clambering for your cavorting, while with so much more on offer too, a trip to http://edgesoho.co.uk.
Then, just a hop & skip across the square and we come to Circa, the compact & bijou bar perhaps one of our favourites after Profile as it’s a little gem of an oasis of calm from the hullabaloo of Compton St, yet has plenty to shout about, not least the superbly decadent “Discipline” tonight (Fri 3rd) with the marvellous Munroe Bergdorf very much laying down the hostessing & musical law, while on Saturday, the handsome Adam Turner tickles your musical taste-buds with tons of tunes as Circa has a rare 3 a.m. licence, on top of which entry is free, giving you just two reasons why we like it so much, that & the sumptuous surrounds that make this a must visit, their website at http://circasoho.com revealing more.
Time To get Blitzed
So those were the old favourites, what about the new breed? Well first up is Blitz Bar, the real mover & shaker on the Soho scene, even if it finds itself down by Charing Cross Station at the old Kudos site on Adelaide St. And with antipodean D.J. & scene stalwart Brent Nicholls involved, along with the likes of Paul Heron Doug Silva, Hrh Minty, Sylvia Rebel, Brad Frederick, Tom Spindler (to mention a few) and nights “Peepshow” & “Global Blitz” serving up early evening Friday & Saturday sessions from 8 p.m. till midnight, this is a stylish new spot you should definitely keep your eyes on as well as pay it a visit. And with the launch happening tonight, you can get the full low down by clicking on our own post direct link at http://discomatt.com/web/2012/02/recommends-brave-new-brand-on-the-block-blitz-bar-london-launch-friday-3rd-february-extra-bites-special/, while a visit to http://blitzbar.co.uk will cover off any of the rest.
To our last Soho short shout, although one that is by no means the least, as Sunday (5th) sees the launch of new night “Lush Moi” with the superb Johnny Sparkle turning his hosting hand to the club promotions game, drawing on his considerable contacts to bring the likes of Sharon O Love, Jc Christopher, & LaGosse to the decks, the night having an anglo French feel to it as well. And choosing venue The Green Carnation on Greek St to play host, gives Johnny & his team a readymade audience already, not to mention surely attracting plenty of his old Booster buddies along too, while this Soho newcomer aims itself towards a more stylish & sophisticated segment of the scene, the 7 p.m. till 1 a.m. timing sure to suit and given its appeal, we will be devoting a special Extra Bites post to the launch, due out shortly, while for more info on the venue, go to http://greencarnationsoho.co.uk.
Moreno Midnight
Right let’s head over the water and to Vauxhall, this south of the river spot having plenty on offer, although just three get our Short Shout attention, the first so close to being a Best Bite (it would normally be) had it not been for A:M. But, with the team rolling out another “Midnight” 12 hour happening, all eyes will be on Beyond this Saturday/Sunday, not least as they welcome a new member to their all-star cast of resident D.J.’s., one Paulo Moreno from Portugal, who has a striking resemblance to Alan K & Jamie Hammond, his music style not too dissimilar either. But with news looming of some refurbishment plans for host venue Area, Beyond looking to up sticks for a few weeks, our third Extra Bites report of the week will be devoted to this our favourite club & this “Midnight” with Moreno affair, details on Beyond generally available at http://jonnym.co.uk/beyond, while for details on other Orange Group events this weekend, check out http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
So to our two other Vauxhall Short Shouts, the first being The Royal Vauxhall Tavern who keep things on the straight & narrow with a trio of regular treats, kicking off their weekend with the rachous “Rooster” tonight (Fri 3rd), D.J. ComeAndTurn’s barnstorming beats sure to raise a cock-a-doodle-doo or two, way-out & whacky hosts (esses) Timberlina & JonJo adding to the audacious action, while the relative calm in comparison (well not actually) “Duckie” returns for another Saturday session, the adorable Amy Lame’s antics accompanied by a musical mash-up from Readers Wifes. Then, as we have said so many times, Sunday would not be a Sunday without a “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” shindig, the packed out place week in week out testament to its continued popularity, The Dame Edna Experience now a legend in our lifetimes, while she is actually taking a break this Sunday, the hilarious Kandi Kane filling her spot. But with plenty more on offer right across the week, a wee visit to http://thervt.org.uk will give you all the info you need.
Chunky Chunes
And it is The Eagle that gets out other Vauxhall Short Shout, like its nemesis just up Kennington Lane, turns out a trio of old favourite treats this weekend, Tim Jones & his merry “Tonker” men beefing up your Friday night with chunky tunes a-plenty, not least as superstar spinner Alan X takes up the guest slot and will have plenty of towering tunes as well as a terrific tan to show off following his exploits in our home city of Johannesburg, while on Saturday “Carpet Burn” goes all bad on us, although of the Michael Jackson tribute variety, Carpet’s resident D.J. Johnny Kalifornia spinning everything from “Billie Jean” to “Thriller” while the aptly named P.A. Stacey Jackson will be burning up the Carpet dancefloor with her new disco drenched devotion. And with the madcap meet that is “Horse Meat Disco” serenading your Sunday’s, The Eagle has something for pretty much everyone, further details up at http://theeaglelondon.com.
Rounding off our Short Shouts run-around the scene is Shoreditch (well Dalston actually) and The Dalston Superstore (DSS) who have plenty in store this weekend, tonight seeing “Breed” take centre stage, promoter & D.J. Rex the Dog extenuating the electronic in the basement for an extended rave, while gender bender’s John Sizzle & A Man To Pet sort the 80’s & 90’s beats & bops upstairs. Then on Saturday (4th) DSS points towards Berlin with its “B(e)ast” event, welcoming both Snax & Kevinfunct to the decks downstairs, while the brilliant Borja Pena sorts the NYC style sounds on the ground floor, leaving D.J. Squeaky & guests to wrap up the weekend with their “Tutti Frutti” cocktail of cavorting that includes slices of soul & hunks of house, more info on all happenings down DSS way available just a click away at http://dalstonsuperstore.com.
Tainted Tech
Right we promised a pert pack of dates for your dance diaries, next Saturday (11th Feb) seeing Trade return for another one-off frolic, this time going large at Brixton Electric for their “A Tainted Love Affair” event, while that neatly moves onto “Ultimate” which, after the huge success on Trade’s birthday weekend in October, returns to Fire in Vauxhall next Sunday (12th Feb) both Beyond & Trade joining forces for a pulsating party not to be missed. And staying with Fire for a moment, the following Saturday (18th Feb) sees latin love-in Casa Latina return with its “Space Odyssey” affair and one sure to emulate the parties before it. But casting our net over Soho & Shoreditch, we find ourselves spoilt for choice next Saturday (11th Feb) as both serve up two new happenings, Lo-Profile hailing the launch of “ClubNation” with special guest Wayne G, while our own Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis wages “War” at East Bloc with his new venture of the same name, with Severino & James Pople & Munroe Bergdorf among the list of residents, more details on all these events coming up over the next few days right here at http://discomatt.com.
Scene Acceptance Speeches
Now, just before we go, we thought we would squeeze in a mention for Boyz magazine and their annual scene awards, now in its 20th year and a poll that never fails to attract a huge amount of attention. With voting having opened just 48 hours ago, you can pick from a whole host of categories that reach well over double figures, while, as a 20th anniversary treat, there are special categories as well as the chance of winning a cruise (of the Med kind). So, a visit to http://boyz.co.uk will take you to the online version, while you can always pick up a copy at your favourite bar, or retailer. Plus, for a quick short cut, just move across to our banners section right here, find the gold coloured “Boyz Awards” one, click, and you will be right where you need to be, making a difference to your bar, club, event, D.J. & promoter of choice scooping this much coveted of acknowledgements.
Right that’s it for this first weekend in February and one that finds us laying a little low having caught a nasty cold, cough & sore throat, meaning that with the possible exception of a cameo appearance at “Lush Moi” on Sunday, it will be next weekend before you can come up & say hi. However, it goes without saying that we wish you a wonderful weekend wherever it takes & finds you and, with “A Lottie Going On” along with some “Brave New Brands Beckoning”, our two part newsletter has hopefully given you plenty of picks to “Go There! Be There!. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Beyond, Blitz Bar, Boyz Magazine, Circa, CubNation, Ku Bar, Later, Rupert Street, The Dalston Superstore, The Edge, The Esagle, The Orange Group, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Trade, Ultimate, War | No Comments »
With our “Best Bites” posted in part one, now it’s time to “Short Shout” in part two, this second half of our re-styled newsletter guiding you through the forthcoming N.Y. weekend, covering a delightful dozen of scene showings where you could be laying your Happy New hat, whether your choice is Soho, Vauxhall or Shoreditch, each shout getting the Disco Matt thumbs up!
Well, the die is cast, our weekly recommends newsletters are back, although in a slightly revised format, splitting our “Best Bites” away from our “Short Shouts” (here), making the weekly roll call of where to be & be seen on the scene a two part affair. And in dividing it the way we do, we are hoping to shout for many more bars, clubs & events here, this N.Y. weekend being no exception, meaning it’s time to crack on & mention many, this in addition to those “Best Bites” & Focus” recommendations already reaped.
Gods, Greeks, & Gladiators
So to Soho first and The Shadow Lounge, who are ringing in 2012 with a special party, the theme “Greek Gods & Gladiators”, very much hinting towards a year in London that will be all about The Olympics, the relay team of D.J.’s including Andrew Elmore, Adam Turner & Harvey Adam, while there will be a mass of mythological majesties to feast your eyes on, bronzed hunks & plenty more besides, that on top of free canopies & champagne for the first 100 guests through the door. Kicking off at 9 p.m. on NYE (Sat 31st) , advanced tickets & info on this event is available via http://theshadowlounge.co.uk while we will be popping an Extra Bites post out in time for tomorrow.
Our next Soho shout goes to Rupert Street who never fail to pull in the punters on NYE, the free entry to the premier place on the bar treading trip a pretty good reason why a flock of folks do just that. And with resident D.J. Alessandro Londra spinning the sounds, it should be a right good knees up, the bevy of beauties that are the bar staff sure to get you in the party mood, while with house champagne at just £15 a bottle, is cheaper than going to the offie. Add that to fellow Bello Italian Micky Galliano on the D.J. decks tomorrow night (Fri 30th) and this brilliant bar definitely gets a huge tick from us, more info out at http://rupertstreet.com.
Onward and to Ku-Bar, both venues seeing in the New Year in style with promises of poppers, streamers, blowers, hats, whistles & the rest, Lisle St switching the big screens to go live to the BBC before midnight, so you can take the whole London fireworks display in without leaving your beer, your wine or (preferably) your champers behind. So, rather than braving the cold, succumb to the heat of both Ku’s, the temperature rising with all those cute Ku boys floating around, while a delightful drop of D.J.’s will be spinning the sounds including The Very Miss Dusty O & Lady Lloyd, further details on happenings available by going to http://ku-bar.co.uk
Going Completely GaGa
Then how could we leave out The Edge, this four floored fabulousness up on Soho Square already beginning to decked out for one of the biggest NYE parties on the block, the team promising a drove of drag queens, a bunch of bar hunks & a score of scene starlets, all deployed to pump up proceedings, while music pumping will certainly be the name of the game too as weekly resident & our king pin protégé player of 2011, Zach Burns, spins the pop, and (we hate to use the word but…) commercial tunes, although “aga-doo” has been banned. That said, with a theme that demands you to dress to impress, anything could happen in the wardrobe department, more details on the NYE delight as well as other shenanigans at http://edgesoho.co.uk.
To our final Soho Short Shout and Circa, a bar which we warmed to from the minute we stepped foot in it not too long after the launch earlier this year, the place oozing style & sophistication, if a little compact & bijou. But what Circa lacks in size, it makes up for in substance, this NYE being no different to the norm in that respect, as the team welcome Munroe Bergdorf & Adam Turner (my he’s a busy boy!!) to the decks, while the exceptional eye-candy that frequents the place will be well worth saving that first 2012 kiss for, the late opening till 4 a.m. another reason to swing by, more info available at http://circasoho.com.
Twelve Hour Treat
Right, let’s mosey on down to Vauxhall and while The Orange Group has already been given a big slice of our New Year cake coverage, there was one event that fell through the DM recommends net, perhaps as it falls on Friday, i.e. tomorrow (30th Dec). Yet with Onyx once again teaming up with A:M to produce a party that lasts for a full twelve hours, we are not sure how we could have missed it, especially as joint promoters Steven Sharp & Verity Mayes are welcoming special guest (a prolific promoter herself) Jodie Harsh to the decks, she a pretty accomplished D.J. along with being a real crowd puller/pleaser. Plus with residents that include Onyx’s Lee Harris, Jc Christopher & Lisa German, along with A:Mer’s Fat Tony, David Jimenez, & D’Johnny, this “Christmas Nativity Headliners Part 2” is well worth a look in, host venue Area’s doors opening at 10 p.m., with more details available at http://orangenation.com.
Well that wasn’t that short for a shout was it, so let’s try again, this time hitting off on The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), who as usual have a packed weekend, tomorrow (Fri 30th) seeing “Robyn Hood”, otherwise known as the annual RVT panto take to the stage, while the rest of their NY weekend is given away to “S.L.A.G.S./Chillout” who hold a special “Pink NYE Ball” on Sat (31st), while on NYD it’s another session with D.E.E. & co, added to which on Monday (2nd Jan), jeepers creepers, its yet another one, the third “Experience” in one weekend never enough for her faithful following, more details on this legendary venue available at http://thervt.org.uk.
Read Into This
Moving just down the street (or is that lane) and we find The Eagle who, themselves, have a pretty hectic NY weekend, tomorrow night seeing the Tonker boys ring in the New Year, even if it is a day early, while on NYE, it could only be Carpet Burn with their “Big Bang” party, welcoming Readers Wives to the guest D.J. slot. Then, as if you had seen the back of a double (or in some cases a treble) dosage of do’s, both NYD & bank holiday Monday sees the Horse Meat Disco crew celebrate reaching 2012 in one piece, guest D.J John Morales welcomed with open arms on NYD, while its Maurice Fulton’s turn to fill the same slot on Monday, more details on all happenings out at http://theeaglelondon.com.
Now, just before we head east, let’s move a little south, to Brixton in fact, as it is The Brixton Club House that gets our next Short Shout and for good reason, as the black & beautiful (or should that be bootyful?!) Bootylicious finds itself a fleeting visit of a one-off home for NYD, the team making advantage of the their hosts revamped spaces that now include a state-of-the-art dancefloor along with a brand new chill area. And with the D.J. line up that includes Jeffrey Hinton, Kartel Brown, & Tyron, Mc Brandy will also be on hand, no doubt keeping everyone in party mood, this party kicking off from 11 p.m. on Sunday (1st Jan) & running through till 5 a.m., more info out at http://thebrixtonclubhouse.co.uk.
Boys On the Bloc
So, out east we go and to Shoreditch, East Bloc equally as busy as some of its Vauxhall counterparts, we having already given our Best Bite slot in this neck of the woods to the venue who host Gustterslut on NYE. But the partying starts a night before, tomorrow in fact with the superb Super Techno Party Machine, D.J. Larry Tee turning out the tunes, while hopping across the NY weekend to NYD and its two parties that steal the East Bloc spotlight, midday affair Kowloon picking up where Gutterslut left off, entertaining the likes of DTPM’s Miguel Pellittero, Borja Pena, Daniel Delay & special Berliner guest Kevin Funkt (we know who he’s dating!). But the picture is completed by Blue Jeans, a spin-off of from Meat, promoter & D.J./producer Kris Di Angelis trying out his new clubbing concept, the night having an equally Room Service inspired feel with Jodie Harsh, Dmitry Strugen & Joshyou Are sorting the sounds, info on the exceptional East Bloc available at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Then heading up into Dalston, we find The Dalston Superstore, who also have a three tiered NY weekend, although in attempting to keep it a Short Shout, we just hit off on NYE & NYD, the former in the hands of Sink The Pink, who hold their “Tranarchy” event with, yes you guessed it, a transgender team that includes their now infamous “Stick a Wig On The…” competition, while the musical moments are provided by Holestar, Prince Nelly & John Sizzle. Then on NYD, DSS has a Gutterslut feel to it when Wet-N-Wild, takeover DSS for both the day & the night, serving up disco, electro & plenty more, Per Q.X. Nic Fischer & Shay Malt among the 10 strong D.J. team, more details on this all events at this hip & happening hangout a mere click away at http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
Total Pie & Mash-Up
But we continue in the realm of Gutterslut for our final Short Shout out east, as it is Trailertrash that takes over from GS on NYD (well runs a little simultaneously actually), kicking off its “Pie-n-Mashup” party at The Dolphin, 160 Mare St, Hackney from 5 a.m., serving up tasty musical treats until 1 p.m. which the team tell us could well include “…anything & everything from Whitney to Techno, Chas n Dave to Disco…” while they also warn us to expect “…a lot of people falling over on the floor…” oh and we can’t forget plenty of pies (yes real East End pie & mash) too. So, with the likes of Mikki Most, Ian Robinson, Josh Caffe, Rokk & D.J. Squeaky on the decks, this is sure to be a mash-up to end them all, more info up at http://trailertrash.co.uk.
Right, that’s just about it for this part two of our re-styled recommends newsletter, we hoping that by separating our Short Shouts from our Best Bites will, in time, allow us to cover a richer variety of bars, clubs & events on a weekly basis. And with that in mind, should you wish someone, somewhere, or something mentioned in future part two’s, then just drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com, or fill out a comment to this post. So, in signing off, we take the opportunity (again) of wishing you a very Happy New Year and with all our shouts here plus our choices in part one, we hope like us, you are seen on the scene somewhere this NY weekend, meaning you will definitely “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Blue Jeans, Bootylicious, Carpet Burn, Circa, East Bloc, Guuterslut, Horse Meat Disco, Kowloon, Ku Bar, Onyx vs. A:M, Rupert Street, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, Sink The Pink, Super Techno Party Machine, The Brixton Club House, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The Edge, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Tonker, Traliertrash | No Comments »
Dee Eye Es See Oh
From time infinitum we have always loved a bit of disco, whether it be as far back as our childhood when we were addicted to ABBA, then onwards when we made our first intrepid steps onto the dancefloors of Johannesburg in our late teens, this time in our lives seeing disco combine creatively with electronic with exceptional effect, the more commonly termed genre of house music then pretty much taking over from pure & unadulterated disco. However, that delightful word beginning with D, extends beyond just the music, Disco encapsulating the dancefloor and, for us, the whole clubbing movement that we have found ourselves within, whether back home in South Africa or over here in London, this wonderful word even extending to our actual existence, adding the Disco to Matt making us who we are today in the eyes of many people we know & come across the capitals clubbing circuit. So, when an event turns up that has Disco in its name, our ears & eyes very much prick & light up, the excitement & anticipation even larger when it involves one of the biggest brands on the world stage that has made a huge impression in the last twelve months or so.
WE Know You're Gonna Like Us
WE Party has certainly made significant strides from its relatively humble beginnings in its home city of Madrid, this brilliant brand spreading its wonderful word across all corners on the globe, New York, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Paris, Rome and, naturally London, being just a handful of dance destinations promoter Victor Pallas & his terrific team have touched. But more than just the vent exposure, the whole style of WE as a brand has very much captured the imagination, the element of fun intrinsic to the success story, while the huge LED installations, incomparable with any other brand we know, stand WE out from the competition. And that competition, namely SuperMartXe, has very much seen its share of the market dwindle, in some ways sinking itself back in Spain, while WE continues to hit the high notes around the world, although in its roots firmly formed in Madrid, WE has launched a succession of thrilling themes, “Candy”, “Prison of Love” & “Broadway” all making their magnificent mark, the latest instalment sure to do the same if not tip the scales on these previous prolific parties.
Wash - A New Formula
However, this superb success story in London, a destination for WE that Mr Pallas rates as second only to Madrid, started exactly twelve months ago with the launch party theme “Wash – A New Formula”, which definitely got tongues wagging & clubland rocking with a truly sensational showing, the famed LED displays literally dazzling us, while the magnificent music, masterminded by superstar Steve Pitron along with WE residents, the incredible Carlos Gallardo & fellow Spaniard Manuel De Diego, well & truly heated up a well & truly chilly Coronet, as London had been gripped by heavy snow & freezing temperatures that week. But the weather wasn’t going to dampen WE’s launch and ticker tape explosions, superb stage shows & exceptional effects immediately stamped WE’s authority in what had previously been SuperMartXe London’s playground, the collaboration between WE Madrid & The Orange Group developing as the year went on, the linking inspiration born by Lovechild’s Alex Erfan giving way to a WE party London team that have taken the capital’s clubbing scene on a dynamic direction, very much cementing WE as a firm favourite among a flock of followers that have made each & every event virtual roadblock jams, yet by their very nature, engendering a relaxed party atmosphere that had sometimes been missing from SuperMartXe.
Putting The Tech In Disco
So, a year on and we have a 1st Anniversary for WE in London, “Disco” the event and partying the game, The Coronet once again preparing itself to be packed to the rafters with revellers intent on soaking up the who spectacular showing. And it seems that the team will not be holding back on the production, the stage shows & those LED displays, the theme sure to play out to exceptional effect, Victor, his Spanish set & the London lot (as usual) keeping much of the detail under wraps, although have simply said “…expect incredible stage production – unrivalled on the London scene – retro disco décor, super-hot gogo shows, and loads more spectacular birthday surprises…” adding that “…this will be one birthday event you don’t want to miss…”. However, they have released a tantalising video, giving you a clue as to what extravert disco dipped & tipped antics to expect, this two minute teaser at http://youtube.com/watch?v=IALMILcpLCs&list=PL004FA1246F6785A9&index=9&feature=plpp_video, well worth checking out, that on top of the fact that we do know is that the team are extending the usual offer to two rooms of fun, Jodie Harsh’s Room Service teaming up with WE again and hosting the hideaway second space upstairs, while downstairs in the massive Coronet auditorium, it will be WE and disco all the way.
Heavenly Heron Hits
That said, the music will be playing a prolific part in making this a 1st Anniversary party to remember, Spanish resident Manuel De Diego marks his return, joining WE London resident D’Johnny, as well as special guest & international playboy D.J. Paul Heron, while Room Service residents Kris Di Angelis & Fat Tony complete the D.J.’ing picture. So what can you expect from the music?, Well looking at the three main room players, Manuel De Diego’s style is firmly planted in Eurobeats & bangs with heaps of heavenly house too, he having certainly set his stool at the launch last year, following it up with a pulsating performance at “Paparazzi” in February, at the time pressing a podcast to mark the occasion, so one worth taking a listen at http://wepartylondon.podomatic.com/entry/2011-02-23T02_37_53-08_00, so as to suitably arm yourselves for his set this Saturday. Then there is D’Johnny, a terrific talent that has been rocking WE in London virtually since the start, although is no stranger to WE on the continent either, playing out at Madrid a huge highlight for him. Yet for us, Johnny’s spectacular set at “Prison of Love” here in the capital remains standout among his appearances for the brand, although it is the trio of “Wash”, “Heroes” & “I Love” compilations which we need to look to in giving you an idea of what to expect from this Berlin based brilliance, all three worth searching out at http://djohnny.podomatic.com/. Then we turn to Paul Heron, for whom hardly a weekend passes by where he isn’t playing in a different part of the world, the affectionate label we give him as an “International Playboy D.J.” simply reflective of the huge demand there is for his services across the globe. However, he fits in plenty of gigs here in London & has appeared for WE before, at “Candy in fact, Paul having pressed a mini-podcast at the time (a rare one at that!), so one well worth grabbling at http://theorangegroup.podomatic.com/entry/index/2011-05-27T12_07_47-07_00, as will be his performance tonight, an exclusive set packed with disco classics brought right up to date, so one for Heron hedonists (like us) for sure.
WE Window
So with “Disco” on our doorstep, we hardly really need to bring you any detail, firstly because it looked weeks ago that this would be a sell-out & having sought out our sources, it seems that sales have gone so well that Prowler are clammering for release of more, WE Party’s ticket top cheese having literally put the phone down to us in order to head into town to manage the final few available for sale across Soho. So, the best you can probably do, if you haven’t already got your “Disco” pass, it to get online now where tickets priced at £18 are still available, a mere click away at http://wepartylondon.com/tickets, while you could risk leaving it to pay on the door, but if so, expect to pay more. And as for those doors?, well The Coronet swings into WE business tonight (Sat 3rd Dec) from 11 p.m., with the event running through to a planned 6 a.,. finish, door host Ben Kaye making the trip across from his base in Madrid to manage your smooth entrance along with Tom Fuller, while the WE top brass will be inside making sure that this will be an amazing anniversary to savour, Room Service also playing their part in proceedings with Jodie Harsh holding court, J.J. & Johanna hosting like only they know how best. Now, no party is a party without a pre-party and Rupert St in Soho are hosts tonight from 9 p.m., Marco Gee spinning the sounds, while for those wanting to grab a last minute advance ticket, this is the place to do it & to be. Plus, don’t forget beyond which is WE “Disco’s” official afterparty at Area in Vauxhall from 6 a.m. details on tickets for this available by going to http://orangenation.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-12/04/beyond-afterhours, while as we will be hopefully “doing the Disco Matt” at “Disco”, as well as party afterwards at Beyond, nibble size review tweeting our way through both, which you can follow at http://twitter.com/discomatt, although we reckon you should be there in person, meaning that you will definitely “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Ben Kaye, D'Johnny, Fat Tony, Jodie Harsh, Kris Di Angelis, Manuel De Diego, Marco Gee, Orange Group, Paul Heron, Room Service, Rupert Street, Steve Pitron, Victor Pallas, WE Party, WE Party London | No Comments »
Having just completed our annual special report on World AIDS Day (WAD), this year we pressing home the message of support for the fight against this epidemic by the smallest of gesture, that being the wearing of a red ribbon with pride, our feature entitled “Red Ribbon Day” (well worth a read at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/11/reports-red-ribbon-day-world-aids-day-thursday-1st-december-special-reportreflection/) not just an informative based compilation, but our own personal reflection of living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. But while we have marked the occasion with our report and will also be wearing our red ribbon with pride on World AIDS Day tomorrow (Thurs 1st Dec), scores of bars, clubs, businesses & organisations here in the capital will also being doing their bit for the cause, a whole raft of events on the day itself & into the weekend either raising awareness or, more importantly, raising funds for the wealth of charities that do incredible work in & around the complex yet diverse issues that both HIV & AIDS. So, with plenty of World AIDS Day pride circulating around the capitals clubbing circuit, we thought it appropriate to extend our red ribbon theme this “Red Ribbon Day Devotions” Extra Bites post and cover the places to be & be supporting not just on Thursday but across the weekend.
Stewart's Soho Swish
That said, naturally Thursday (1st Dec) is the main focus and Soho the focal point of activity, not least that the collection of venues behind “Pink Sunday” are extending the theme & idea to “Red Thursday”, the likes of Comptons, Rupert St, Village, Ku Bar, The Yard, Freedom, Profile, The Edge, Circa, G.A.Y. Bar & the Duke of Wellington joining forces in supporting charity The Food Chain, while the aim is also to raise awareness of the continual rise of HIV infections within the gay community. But the centre piece of “Red Thursday” is AIDS swish, a street carnival of remembrance, pride & community in the centre of Soho organised been scene stalwart & damn fine D.J. Stewart Who, he explaining that “…the idea is simple; as a community we dress up like we mean to party, the “SWISH” down Old Compton Street in colourful acknowledgement that we both enjoy & respect life…” Stewart going on to say “The AIDS Swish is an affirmation that we’re here and we care, not just about ourselves, but each other…”. But the aim of staging Swish is to boost awareness & support within the community for the allocation & erection of a permanent AIDS memorial in London. So, what’s the score with Swish? Well, it starts at 6 p.m. tonight (Thurs 1st Dec) at the junction of Moor St & Old Compton St (that’s Ed’s Diner end), the parade then making its way down Old Compton St with a post swish finish at Lo-Profile, where there will be a surprise performance, a keynote speaker & a celebratory drink (naturally!). Then at 8 p.m., to signify the completion of Swish, all the bars mentioned above will play Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”, a better way to celebrate life we cannot think of. Now, to join in all you need to do is turn up on time, while Stewart say’s “…you can dress as you like, in full drag (he probably will be) or your regular day or night wear, just be there! (that’s our line!). So, here’s your opportunity to show vocal & vivacious support for WAD.
Society Stripped
As for the bars/clubs themselves tonight, picking out a couple of highlights, Profile & Lo-Profile play a pretty big, the latter putting on an extra special “Society” , the theme being “Strip-a-thon”, all funds raised on the night going to causes, the Terrence Higgins Trust, National AIDS Trust & The Food Chain, the team telling us simply that “…the more you give, the less the Profile team will wear!…” and judging by some of the gorge staff there, this will be something not to miss. But with D.J.’s Nathan 6 & Nick Evans on the decks also entering the spirit of things with scores of saucy & sexed up sounds, there will be also be not just one but two performances from PA’s Katherine Ellis & Amanda Wilson, hosts Irvina & martin making sure the whole evening the mercury certainly turns red on what should be an action packed & fun filled Thursday. Now, Lo-Profile open’s early for the Swish finale, although “Society” kicks off from 10 p.m., entry just £4 before midnight, while Profile upstairs will be in business early doors, D.J. Brent Nicholls spinning the sounds from 8.30 p.m., the bar sporting a superb & special World AIDS Day totaliser, so you can keep tabs on just how much is being raised, as well as how many clothes are being shed!, info on both venues available at http://profilesoho.com & http://loprofile.com.
Tom's Turn
For something alternative, we zoom across town to Shoreditch, finding East Bloc on City Rd who are very much doing their bit for WAD although in a characteristically different way, as their primary aim is to raise funds for the benefit of Chiva Africa, a charity relatively close to our heart, not least that it supports HIV positive people (specifically children) in South Africa, so a well worthy cause in our books, a whole load on info on Chiva available at http://chiva-africa.org/, the night down at East Bloc organised by tip top D.J./Producer Tom Stephan, who has teamed up with Dupe Den’s Mark-Ashley Dupe & Jayson Jack Frost who will host the night. However with a cast of D.J.’s that includes Tom (of course) along with Harvey Adam & Jay Jaymen in the main room, the second space sporting Matt Bogarde, Kartel Brown & Oliver Rant, with two special back-to-back sets including Mr Bogarde vs. Nutty Nyce & Miguel Dare vs. Fifi, there will also be a special performance by La Gosse to round off what will be a very special night for a very special cause. East Bloc’s doors open at 10 p.m. with the event running through till a planned 4 a.m. finish, more details on this Shoreditch spot available at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
A couple of quick other mentions for WAD go to Soho bar’s Ku & Rupert St (RS), the former holding their infamous WAD auction where you can bid for your chance to date one of the yummy scrummy staff, plenty of other lots on offer too, while over at RS, resident D.J. Alessandro pops up to spin a special “Red Thursday” set, while the team holding a raffle & throwing in a free party prize for ten people at RS, this prize including a bottle of spirit, prosseco & a finger buffet, that on top of special shots, all funds from sales going direct to The Food Chain. For more info on both venues, check http://ku-bar.co.uk & http://rupertstreet.com.
Headline Hits
So that’s World AIDS Day itself, what about the rest of the weekend, well while scores of bars & clubs around the capital & beyond will be doing their bit, we pick out just two others that we consider top tree choices of where to be & be seen in supporting WAD. Firstly on Saturday (3rd Dec), state of the art venue Pulse in Southwark stages what is very much a welcome return to the annual WAD commemorations, as “The Remembrance Ball” returns, and with a bang, as headliners will be The Freemasons will centre-stage the main room, along with Cahill, while there will be special stage shows too. But the music extends to a Gaydar second space where Simon Le Vans will be joined by other Gaydar jocks on the decks, a third “remembrance” chill-out room where to team hope to project images of those lost to HIV/AIDS, organiser Mark telling us, “…we would like people to send in a photograph of someone they have lost so we can project an image onto one of the video walls in this remembrance room…” he adding that “…it’s almost like the patchwork quilts that are done in The US and while we want to celebrate life with this ball, it is also about remembrance, to those that are gone but not forgotten…”. Now, Pulse’s doors open on Saturday at 10 p.m., the event running through till a planned 6 a.m. finish, entry a hefty £15, although a sizable chunk of this will be donated to HIV charities Status & Mildmay, while more info on the venue (including exact locale) can be found at http://pulseclub.co.uk.
Steven's Support Showing
Then on Sunday (4th Dec), promoter Steven Sharp once again makes a wonderful WAD impression with his Orange “World AIDS Day Fundraiser, the primary benefactor being international charity, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, another charity that is very close to our hearts (Steven’s too). So, with a large proportion of the entry fees to Orange going direct to the charity, the team will also be collecting for this deserved cause on the night, so please dig deep into your pockets while D.J.’s The Oli, Fat Tony & the Sharp Boys will be digging deep into the record collections to bring you scores of brilliant beats in the main room at temporary home Factory, these seeing you deep into Monday morning. With deep also being the word, RAW resident Gonzalo Rivas will take up the musical mantle in room two, stripping you down with minimal beats & classic deep house that will be a set not to be missed. So, as we have hinted, Orange has moved to Factory, their temporary home for the next three weeks at 65 Goding St, doors opening on Sunday (4th Dec) earlier than usual at 10 p.m., the club closing similarly slightly earlier at 7 a.m., entry just £5 before 1 a.m. with a flyer &/or ad, while main prices are held at just £10. More information on the temporary switch of Orange from Fire to Factory can be found at http://fireclub.c.uk/news, while pop into Facebook events page for more info on this heavenly happening.
So, that’s our take of where to be & be seen supporting World AIDS Day this year, we hopefully dong our bit tonight at Swish from 6 p.m. & (if we have the legs after WE, Beyond & Gigolo) popping into Orange on Sunday. So, if you see us, do come say hi, but remember to wear your red ribbon with pride & make sure you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Alessandro Londra, Brent Nicholls, East Bloc, Factory, Fat Tony, Gonzalo Rivas, Ku Bar, Lo-Profile, Nathan 6, Nick Evans, Orange, Profile, Pulse, Rupert Street, Society, Steve Sharp, Steven Sharp, Stewart Who, The Oli, The Sharp Boys, Tom Stephan | 1 Comment »
With a hectic London Gay Pride weekend now behind it, the capitals clubbing scene looked like it was taking a bit of a breather, in some ways paving the way for one event to dominate proceedings, all eyes on Sunday & Shoreditch Park for Summer Rites “Remixed” boutique clubbing festival, eyes also on the weather in the hope that the famed British summer would not rear its ugly head. But with many of the usual suspects out to play and with London seemingly never sleeping, there was plenty of action to pick on, leaving us with much to reflect on in another that was the week that was report.
Thursday Thrill
Thursdays have really taken off recently and with two superb social soiree’s hitting the high notes it comes as no surprise, Gigolo very much setting the cat amongst the scene pigeons as far as its competitors are concerned, yet very much boosting turnout in Soho at least. And we had planned to pop down to their “Get It On” party, although with a hectic weekend ahead & not feeling too clever, we sent in our secret squirrel undercover reviewer to report on it al instead, his comments well worth checking out at 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/, the night not their busiest, but the champagne flowing at least and promoters David & L.a. Hart very happy with their lot. This coming Thursday (21st July), they are being “Bad Boys” (aren’t they always? we know we are!), welcoming Nick Tcherniak to the D.J. residency fold for the first time, Terry Vietheer following up, so one to definitely pop into.
Go Go's Gyrate
Across Soho and Room Service was rocking, or should that be popping!?, not least that they had been graced with the presence of a pop legend, George Michael no less, host for the evening, Logan Schmitz (of SuperMartXe fame) having pulled on strings we were a tad surprised he had, Jodie Harsh’s hip & happening weekly social soiree becoming renowned for attracting the celebrities over & above the scene glitterati. Plus, with Room Service Ibiza also making a marked impression on the White Isle, it seems there is no stopping this brilliant brand in its tracks to become the best in its niche business, with a Casa pre-party another in a long run of branded bashes that has placed this Thursday nighther at the forefront of the scene. And this week is no different, as Jodie & her team throw their clout behind new magazine Ciotrous, a publication sitting firmly in the fashion industry, so sitting well with Room Service’s style, further details of this & all Room Service events available at http://clubroomservice.com.
Onto Friday and the call of “Society” once again saw us head into Soho for this clubbing come social splendour, Steve Pitron starting off without another stormer of a set that had us in a “Doing The Disco matt” frenzy within minutes, choices of classics intermixed with latest dancefloor fillers very much hitting the mark, while the cute yet capable Zach Burns carried the Society faithful through till the 4 a.m. finish with a pulsating performance that has seen him become one of the clubs favourite fella’s. We gave Society the review treatment which you can check out at 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/, while more information on Lo-Profile in general, including party bookings, events & offers can be found at http://loprofile.com, not forgetting new Monday night club “Bear Trap”, promoted by Cafe Ole man Manu Cartengo.
Superlovers Splash
Onto Saturday and Lovechild very much stole our limelight, a trip down to Fire starting off as a bit of a slow burner but gaining glorious momentum towards the end, our Full Size review reflection out at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/reviews-lay-all-your-love-on-me-lovechild-superlovers-saturday-8th-july-full-size-review/. Lovechild aside, it seemed that Lo-Profile attracted a healthy crowd with scene stalwart Rob Sykes & then Italian bello Alessandro Londra wowed this Wardour St wonder till dawn. But the night also saw the return of an iconic clubbing event, as Wig Out stormed the scene at new venue Ghetto Factory of Aldwych, the larger than life Peter Burns packing out the place & treating Wig’ers to a full four track filled performance that went down a treat, the feel of the venue not quite the same as the old Ghetto days, but with the following should prove a weekly winner, with a Madonna tribute night lined up and plenty more to come from this indie pop sensation. And it seemed that alternative was hip, as both East Bloc in Shoreditch & The Dalston Superstore reported pulsating parties, the former sporting another “Meat” event that set attendance records & was the best atmosphere yet, both Kris D Angelis & Tom Stephan telling us just how good it was, while The DSS had their say with the prolific “Paris Acid Ball” that seems to go from strength to strength, two venues well worth a visit if you haven’t, details out at http://eastbloc.co.uk & http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
Riteous Romp
Now to Sunday, which was all about Summer Rites, although not before we headed to Beyond which was very much “off plan”, but having spilled out of Lovechild, the temptation was too much. And with first The Oli playing a spectacular set in the Terrace, following which Gonzalo kept us an hour after we should have left, Mikey D’s arrival & insistence that we stay meant that resisting his raptures was futile, so despite needing to be fresh for the festival afterwards, it was well gone 11 a.m. until we dragged our carcass out of Area. So, Summer Rites was a struggle, although with the aid of a free ride from Vauxhall in the company of Patrick Lilley & Alex Erfan, we made it to Shoreditch Park just as the clouds cleared & the early evening sunshine began to show its helpful hand , a host of brilliant brands including Salvation, Popstarz, XXL, Meat, Gutterslut & Bootylicious, adding to all the usual park party attractions like bumper cars, candy floss & beer, well not beer per say, more cider which seems to be the vogue drink at the mo. However, the upshot was that Summer Rites worked like a dream for us, indeed having given it the full review treatment at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/07/reviews-park-partying-pitched-perfectly-summer-rites-remixed-sunday-10th-july-full-size-review/ we concluded that it was a park party pitched perfectly.
Poptastic Partying
Onto the final three days of the week that was and Popcorn yet again pulled in the student punters across four rooms of fun, while up in Soho, Lo-Profile played host to new night, “Bear Trap” with Phil Marriott & Ben Jamin on the decks, promoter Manuel Garcia of Ursus & Cafe Ole fame pleased to be back in the west end & with a manly Monday nighter which will surely find its feet pretty soon. However with little else to report upon, it seems that the mid week world had fallen a little flat, Shadow Lounge currently closed for refurbishments, the smattering of regular nights like “Citric” at Ku-Bar/Club on Monday’s, Ashley Ryder’s Amateur Strip Show at The Eagle on Tuesday’s & “Shinky Shonky” again at Ku-Bar/Club but on Wednesday’s remain the best of the bunch, not forgetting Patrick Lilley’s “Work”, which is fitting in well at Fire, having moved from the Lightbox to the Mirrorarch space which works (excuse the pun) much better for them. More details of all these happenings can be found at http://popcorn-heaven.com, http://ku-bar.co.uk, http://eaglelondon.com, & http://patricklilley.com.
Now to some news and first to a new club launch coming your way next Friday, as Fire in Vauxhall open up the offer, fitting in a weekly men only club to their packed schedule, “Le Boy” a departure from the sex fuelled parties of before, more a club with great music in mind and serving as a more up market alternative to Onyx over at Area. Now, we will be bringing you a full preview this weekend, giving details of the launch which will take place on Friday 29th July, so watch this space for that, while for all events on the full Fire schedule can be found by going to http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
Up in Soho and two hip & happening hangouts celebrate milestone anniversary’s, Rupert Street the first, this weekend actually (Fri 22nd to Sun 24th July), when it marks 15 years in operation, so excepting Village & Comptons, is now the longest running bar venue in this premier gay village. And to mark the occasion, the team will be throwing a special party on the Saturday night, when all things beach will be the theme, palm trees, sand, tight shorts of course & plenty more the name of the game, while international playboy D.J. Paul Heron will be sorting the sounds. Plus, with that nasty scaffolding down & the outside having been given a neat lick of paint, it’s all systems go for their special weekend, more info in the bar available at http://rupertstreet.com.
New Era
As for the other?, well its Shadow Lounge which we mentioned was closed for refurbishments, this in preparation for its 10th anniversary and by the looks of the photos taken of the place in its current raw state, the changes look like being pretty extensive, so well worth the look when it re-opens with a massive “New Era” party on Thursday 28th July. Now given this momentous occasion, we will be looking back across Shadow Lounge’s 10 years in business & then looking forward to this new era in their splendid life pushing the oho social soiree scene envelope, interviewing the new manager of the venue, reporting all via a special Disco Matters feature, while you can always keep an eye on their website at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk, which is also getting a re-look & revamp.
Right, before we wrap another seven day look at the scene, time to pick our moment, our track & our tweet of the week, the moment going to Mikey D at beyond, his insistence that we stay on our spot for the duration of his set, very much setting the pattern for a superb Sunday and a spectacular set of his, the best we have heard in a long time, our tweet of the week also coming from this unplanned yet enthralling expedition, and aimed at the man himself when we remarked to Mikey, “…my iron ling needs a breather from this breathtaking set of yours at beyond. We shouldn’t even be here, “So Glad We Came” though!…”, not forgetting that you can follow our Nibble Size review tweets & other mentions at http://twitter.com/discomatt.
As for the track, well the re-emergence of a favourite from earlier in the year really did it for us, plus coming from artists that are likely to scoop top prize in our year end round up for this department. Pink Fluid, the duo from, responsible for recent tracks like “So Much Love” (the lyrics “So Glad We Came” coming from that very track) & Noise In Da House”, first found favour with us back in March when “Bitch Lady” was rocking the dancefloors everywhere, yet it has seemed to endure, moreover reappearing on many an occasion across the week. Having also revised our “Summer Scorchers” list, giving it a late inclusion, we simply had to give it our vote here, the Craziba remix our favourite and in full length glory at http://youtube.com/watch?v=ISsU2cGAbVQ.
Right that’s it for our slightly overdue round up of the week with just time to remind you that if you want us to shout out for your favourite bar, club or event that rocked & rolled in the coming week, then link into us via our main Facebook page at http://facebook.com/discomattlondon and plaster our wall with your details or then drop us a line now at matt@discomatt.com. As for the coming weekend, well we have our work cut out with writing catch up’s aplenty, the next “That Was The Week That Was” report out on Saturday, along with our Full Size review on Casa Latina, Bite Size reflections on Barcode’s 5th Birthday & Lovebox, while a full & fast speed music newsletter will be out too. On the scene front, it’s Onyx’s 2nd birthday bash & Beyond vs Deviate for us, so if you see us out, come say hi, but remember it’s good to “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports, Reviews | Tags: Bear Trap, Beyond, Casa Latina, Citric, Gigolo, Ku Bar, Le Boy, Lo-Profile, Lovechild, Onyx, Popcorn, Room Service, Rupert Street, Shinky Shonky, Society, Summer Rites, The Shadow Lounge, Wig Out | No Comments »
That Was The Spring Bank Holiday That Was
Well here it is, our first weekly roundup report, “That Was The Week That Was”, and what a week to choose, the fourth bank holiday of the year proving a real corker for us and surely for you too, especially if you took advantage of the myriad of magical meets that we covered in our special Recommends post, not to mention the host of others on offer.
SMX success
So, where did it all start?, well with a bit of a clash of the titans on Thursday (26th May) as new Soho society social soiree Gigolo was back for more after a lavish launch a week ago, although what a difference a week made, as numbers were nowhere near as buoyant as the launch, perhaps to be expected. Across the other side of Soho, Room Service entertained SuperMartXe for the first of three pre-parties, Jodie Harsh’s established Thursday night foray still packing in the party goers, this week being no different & just the start to the weekend SMX’s Logan Schmitz was praying for.
Both will be back for more this week, Gigolo “getting harder”, while Room Service entertain French porn star import Francois Sagat, both well worth a look in to be honest. Check out http://gigolodisco.com & http://clubroomservice.com for more info.
Society stars
Friday dawned for us with a trip across to Rome for the magnificent Muccassassina which was the first major highlight of our spring bank holiday weekend, while here in the capital Lo-Profile’s “Society” rocked to the Spanish influenced SuperMartXe sounds, Nathan Six & Tony English bringing home the bacon (or should that be chorizo) for Logan & his Schmitzels, while round the corner in Rupert Street, the sweetest of sounds were served by Brent Nicholls on behalf of WE “Candy” who held their own pre-party, with gorge go-go’s & plenty of sugar coated splendour masterminded by promotions duo Tom Fuller & Paul Vlad. Down in Vauxhall, it was win win for the Orange group, with healthy numbers reported through both Onyx & A:M, while slightly further afield, The Brixton Clubhouse kicked off their launch weekend with a tepid response, but with much brighter things to come on both Saturday & Sunday. Aternative’s out east, the Dalston Superstore & East Bloc’s “Disco Fag Bar” reported good turnouts, while back in Rome, Mucca proved magnificent & packed to the rafters from superb start to fantastic finish, both Danny Verde & Micky Galliano nailing spectacular sets.
“Society” is back this week to show Soho how it’s done, more info available at http://loprofile.com, while Onyx starts a weekend trend in Orange Group circles of free parties/plenty of discounted offers, more info out at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
Sweet Scorcher
To Saturday and it was clear that two players were likely to dominate proceedings & leave others in their wake, although as it turned out, the sweet smell of success went to WE “Candy”, host venue The Coronet in E&C absolutely rammo, in fact never as busy. With the stunning stage shows back to where the brilliantly belonged, superb sets by all the D.J.’s sparkling, especially Paul Heron’s as even WE resident Carlos Gallardo was caught bowing at his feet in adoration, while PA Peyton put up another prolific performance and not one person we spoke to walked away disappointed, quite the opposite. Faced with all this, SuperMartXe was always going to come off second best, but they certainly did their “Moulin Rouge” best, making the most of what they had, although with the world & his wife at WE, numbers did suffer. And that was the case for others too, Lo-Profile reporting a quiet night as did both Barcode’s, but the niche & alternative nights did well, both Gutterslut at East Bloc & Queer Nation at Area heralding highly successful happenings, the usual bearish bravado taking place at The Arches in Southwark as XXL reigned supreme.
Now, it seems the WE party machine is not resting on its laurels, their next incarnation “Barbie & Ken” already sweeping across Europe, while London’s Gay Pride on 2nd July will see WE “Force” take centre stage again, more details already out at http://weparty.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-07/02/we-party-london-we-force.
Huge Holiday Hit
So Sunday dawned & it seemed at all roads led to Beyond, those people that hadn’t yet started their spring bank holiday certainly doing so here. Having recharged our Rome batteries, we arrived to find the unison with Barcode brimming with bodies, the Beyond crew reporting probably THE busiest ever. And the extra outside space as well as additional dancefloors worked really well, although, inevitably, it was the three Area rooms that saw most of the action & chalked up huge holiday highlights for us (more on that in a bit). Later followed & was equally as successful, dampening the start of Downtown at The Brixton Clubhouse, although this Meat & Room Service combo was well & truly rocking by 8 p.m. Salvation swung open its doors & dazzled with some of the most stunning stage displays we have seen, lighting, lasers & the 22nd century theme hitting the mark, even if the numbers through Koko didn’t quite match the spectacular Salvation shows & effects which were a resounding success. Other hot spots included Fusion at the prolific Pulse & a whole host of Soho hip & happening hangouts, Rupert Street reporting on of their best Sunday’s in a long time. But the big surpirse was Booster, who teamed up with Barcode, pre As One, reports coming in that it was “one in, one out” and the most amazing atmosphere, this second unity in as many hours working like a dream.
Now, we have some exciting news on the Salvation front, although have been sworn to secrecy right now, but will spill the beans just as soon as we can, while this weekend Beyond continues to ride the wave crest they are on, with two parties, Paris’ Scream hosting on Saturday night, while back in London they kick off their summer season in style, more info on Beyond available at http://jonny-m.co.uk/beyond.
Brand Combo Back With A Bang
With Monday arriving quickly on the horizon but with so many amazing parties very much weighting the weekend differently to previous bank holiday’s, there was a feel that the scene was flagging a little, although, like Beyond the previous morning, it seemed all roads led to As One, Fire’s three main spaces packed to the rafters until well gone dawn, Orange, Cafe Ole, Lovechild, Megawoof & KuBar combining to put this collaborative colossus back on the clubbing map, although as the sun peaked through, outside rather than in was the order of the day, the main room, neverthless, rocking right up till the midday finish. Other prolific parties included Later’s second spring bank holiday helping, this time at Area, The RVT also getting their own second bite at the cherry with the ever popular “S.LA.G.S/Chill-out”, despite the weather turning damp late afternoon & emptying the grassy knoll, while Popcorn at Heaven made hay too, with an extra busy bash as its student populous were on a short spring break from their studies, all very much letting their hair down.
Now, if you haven’t been to a S.L.A.G.S/Chill-out session yet, then it’s high time you did, this Sunday soiree every bit the smash it was when it launched well over 10 years ago, more details on this & other RVT happenings available at http://thervt.org.uk
Now onto some news & we have to sadly report that new social society soiree “G&T” has seemingly faltered at its first hurdle, this Tuesday night gathering having been pulled from Dui just three weeks in, its future not looking that bright, although we are told the team are looking to Green carnation to try & breathe new life into this brave new brand.
Similarily, Industri, the social soiree splendour that had a successful running at Barcode Vauxhall for close on three years, looks like bowing out gracefully when current home, Barcode Soho changes hands sometime this month. However, with the new owners of this Archer St hangout promising to keep some of the old, but bring in much more new, we suspect Minty, Paul & Brent will be back with a new “SoHO” concept.
Down in Vauxhall & it’s all change at Union, Factory taking advantage as Steven Geller’s clubs “Bodyshakers” & “Desire” switch camps, joining Suzie Kruegar’s “Hard On!” that moved there for Hidden a couple of months ago. Plus, Factory have a new night this coming Friday (3rd June), as Gaydar Radio’s Phil Marriott launches “Club I”, an inspirational independant & iconic invent, so watch this space for more news in an upcoming Weekend Focus.
So, that was the spring bank holiday weekend that was, the two towering triumphs very much being WE “Candy” & Beyond “Supersize”, but what about our moment, our track & our tweet of the week? Well to the moment first and a difficult choice as there
Oustanding "Offshore" Our Track of The Week
were so many, from Mucca in Rome to Salvation in Camden, but weeding out a collection of classic’s, courtesy of one man, our most magical moment has to be being up in the Beyond D.J. booth with superstar Steve Pitron, not once or twice, but three times & very much a “Supersize” treat for us.
As for the track of the week, well it has to be the outstanding “Offshore” by Rebeka Brown which featured large throughout our weekend & many of the previous ones to be honest and while we are still struggling to find a link to this latest version of Ms Brown’s 2010 original, you can find it on Steve Pitron’s new podcast “Summer 2011 Vol 1”, available for download at http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com.
Then to our Tweet of the week and like the moments, with so many to choose from it was tough, but one rose to the top of our tree, inspired by fabulous friend Andrea, which read like this “…is in As One hysterics as having misplaced Andrea, her trademark call has affirmed she is in close vicinity. It goes “…f**k off!…”, priceless!! Plus to join the revolution that is our nibble sized review tweeting, why not follow us at http://twitter.com/discomatt and maybe even get a mention of your own.
nibble sized tweets
Right, that’s it for our first “That Was The Week That Was” report, but don’t forget, if you want us to shout out for your favourite bar, club or event that rocked & rolled, then drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com or link into us via our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/discomattlondon. Now, as we look forward to a new week that will include Room Service, Tonker & Beyond for us, we hope this coming week is a good one for you, so make sure you have a brilliant one and that you “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports | Tags: As One, Beyond, Downtown, G&T, Gigolo, Gutterslut, Industri, Later, Lo-Porfile, Meat, Muccassassina, Onyx A:M, Popcorn, Queer Nation, Room Service, Rupert Street, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, Salvation, Society, SuperMartXe, The Brixton Clubhouse, The RVT, WE Party London | No Comments »
With the fourth Bank Holiday (the third in a month) right on our doorstep, we thought we would depart slightly from our usual Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts format, by extending it right across what is actually five days of frolicking, as, if like us, your weekend looks like starting tomorrow night (Thurs 26th May). Plus, with so much on & we finding it difficult to single out Best Bites for Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere, we thought we would run down our choice picks by the day rather than the area, the good news being that, with the recent tensions very much eased, we have re-engaged our promotion of events brought to you by The Orange Group.
SMX Pre-Party
So, with lots to cover lets kick off with Thursday first and two devotions that get equal exposure, the first being Jodie Harsh’s Room Service which hosts the first of three SuperMartXe pre-parties, Room Service of course also hosting the second room at SMX’s “Moulin Rouge” event on Saturday (28th May), but for Room Service proper, naturally being at its heavenly home Diu on Greek Street. Now, whilst this latest superb soiree will have a definite SMX theme, Jodie has pulled on the D.J. resources of a trio that have much more of a meaty feel to them, the monthly meet “Meat”, of East Bloc fame, also part of Jodie’s Room Service off-shoot, Downtown (more on that in a bit). And tomorrow night will see “Meat” main man Tom Stephan on the decks, along with fellow East Bloc boy Jim Warboy (probably still celebrating his birthday), while new boy on the block, Matt Bogarde (no relation to Dirk or Humphrey) will be joining the fray. With Jodie ever present along with Logan & his team of Schmitzel’s, this should be yet another roadblock, so get there early folks, as doors open at 10 p.m… Plus, if you are, like us, a Room Service key holder, make sure you give it a flash as it will get you priority entry, that priced at £5 before 11 p.m. & £10 after. More info is available at http://clubroomservice.com.
Pop Up Gigolo Disco
Getting equal Best Bite attention is the other superb Soho social society soiree, Gigolo, which launched to amazing accolade last week and returns with another corker this. And the deal is in the title as it’s a “Pop Up Disco” week, D.J. Holestar kicking proceedings off with some alternative electro disco, while scene favourite Brent Nicholls then takes over to serve up delightful dollops of nu-funk/disco & favourite floor fillers to rock host venue Lo-Profile right through till the 3 a.m. finish (yikes we have a plane to catch!). And in terms of hosting, L.a. has plenty of help this week, as Jonny Woo will be sweeping in, together with David Masters Do Rape, both taking a turn on the stage, while gorge girls Naomi & Suzana will be shimmying & shaking their booties along with those equally gorge g-go’s Padraig & Sandro (time to drool!) who will be flexing their perfectly toned muscles. Plus, with David clicking his camera in all the right places, it’s certainly another week when you need to dress to impress. So, Gigolo’s doors open at Lo-Profile on Wardour St at 10 p.m., with entrance priced at £8 (or £4 with a Gigolo or QX ad) and for more details, go check their website at http://gigolodisco.com or search on http://shootmeup.co.uk.
So to a selection of Short Shouts and The RVT in Vauxhall have a great alternative night to the smart & stylish Soho set, as the ever entertaining David Hoyle takes an alternative look at life through the wonder of avant garde with guest Piff The Magic Dragon, & Drag Christ (you can just imagine!), while for the more conformist there is the late starting Gravity at Fire (actually into Friday but we’re not counting!), The Eagle getting down & dirty with their “Triga Thursday’s night, where porn flicks & porn stars are the name of the game, the three sites to visit to get more info being http://thervt.org.uk, http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties & http://eaglelondon.com.
Society Does SMX
To Friday (27th May) & our Best Bite goes to “Society” at Lo-Profile, who entertain Logan Schmitz & SuperMartXe, for the second of SMX’s pre-parties and given how popular “Society” has become, teaming up with SMX is sure to make this Soho sophisticate even busier. Plus, the D.J. duo is delectably dynamic as Profile favourite Nathan Six moves downstairs to take charge of the early session of superb Spanish influenced sounds and given the form he has been on recently, his set should prove a scorcher. Then, to add more of that SMX Euro-beat & Spanish slant is Tony English, SMX’s resident D.J. who also sorts Logan’s monthly podcast, so without doubt the safest hands for the most superb sounds, plus his performance at the last Society we made, was pitch perfect, Mr English seemingly coming into his own at Lo-Profile, so is sure to sock a superb set. Plus, with Logan & his Schmitzel’s dusting “Society” with a healthy dose of SMX “Moulin Rouge” magic, this should prove the most stylish place to be seen on the scene for this first true weekend evening of the Spring Bank Holiday break. With doors opening at 10 p.m. & the club running till 4 a.m., check out http://loprofile.com for further details
To a selection of Short Shouts & the other big Weekend player, WE Party, get their own pre-party in also on Friday, a stone’s throw away at Rupert St, Brent Nicholls on the decks, while down in Vauxhall, Onyx get all hot under the collar with their “Heatwave” party with a beachwear theme, while new scene player, The Brixton Clubhouse kick off their weekend launch with D.J. Ben Jamin & guests spinning the alfresco sound action. Check out http://rupertstreet.com, http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties & http://thebrixtionclubhouse.com for more info.
The Magic Of "Moulin Rouge"
Onwards to Saturday (28th May) & it’s very much a Spanish Armada night, with both SuperMartXe & WE Party vying for your attention, we having brought you most (if not all) the detail in out special preview “Pitting Their Wits” (well worth a read at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/05/previews-pitting-their-wits-supermartxe-moulin-rouge-we-party-london-candy-saturday-28th-may-special-preview/) while SMX’s “Moulin Rouge” event looks like being their most successful yet, at their new home Pulse that is. With Spanish resident AB Garcia being joined by Tony English, Per Q.X., & Jamie Hammond in the main room, while Room Service take over the second space, Kris Di Angelis & guests sorting the sounds, expect all the usual SMX spectacle, along with a special P.A. performance that is still under wraps (come on Logan, spill the beans!). As for the other detail, Pulse (1 Invicta Plaza off Southwark St., Blackfriars), is definitely one of THE places to be seen on the scene this Saturday (28th Mays), doors opening at 10.30 p.m. and the club running till 6.30 a.m. Advance £16 tickets are still available at http://supermartxe.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-05/28/supermartxe-london-moulin-rouge, while “hard” options can be grabbed at Prowler, Clone Zone & Solarstation in Soho. More detail on this “Moulin Rouge” event can be found by going to http://loganpresents.com.
Sweet Like Candy
So what about the other, WE Party? Well, they are serving up something quite special this Saturday (28th May) at their London home, The Coronet in Elephant & Castle, this welicious “Candy” themed event bursting at the seams with the sweetest of selections musically, as one of Spain’s finest, Carlos Gallardo makes a welcome return to the capital, as does prolific P.A. Peyton, the duo rolling out their latest single release, among a veritable feast of other treacle coated treats. And with a supporting cast that includes Paul Heron, Gonzalo Rivas & D’Johnny, plus that amazing WE lighting, staging & effects, “Candy” should definitely hit your sweet spots (shame we can’t be there!). The WE doors open at 11 p.m. with the event running through until 6 a.m, while advance tickets at £18 (sorry all those special £10 ones have gone) are still available online at http://weparty.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-05/28/we-party-london-we-candy, while “hard” ones can be sourced from Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone, Solarstation & 50 (all in Soho). More info on this exceptional event can be found by going to http://wepartylondon.com.
So to a selection of Short Shouts and completing the trio of pre-parties for SuperMartXe is host venue Rupert St, with Alessandro Londra on the decks, while Lo-Profile offer some escape from all things Spanish as Brent Nicholls kicks off their Saturday night, while Mr Londra follows up. But for the way out & whacky, it’s a Gutterslut weekend out east, at East Bloc to be precise, the GS crew sure to pack out the place, while down Vauxhall way, Queer Nation welcome special guest Beverley Knight to stoke up the atmosphere at this hip & happening event at Area. Check out http://rupertstreet.com, http://lorofile.com, http://myspace.com/gutterslutuk & http://patricklilley.com for respective info.
Onwards to Sunday and first & foremost, the morning will clearly be dominated by what looks like THE gathering of the whole weekend, as Beyond goes “Supersize” on us, joining forces with Barcode Vauxhall add that much needed extra capacity to this real highlight happening. So, despite our recent reports on the club (we believe quite constructive & positive), we will be throwing the full DM weight behind this historic meeting of Vauxhall minds with a special Focus post, “Bigger Is Better”, covering everything you need to know & more, so watch this space for that.
Peepshow Playhouse
In the meantime, like Saturday, we pour joint Best Bite recommends to two other parties, first “Downtown” which returns for another audacious outing at the Brixton Clubhouse in, yes, Brixton. Presented by Jodie Harsh’s Room Service, along with the magnificent East end endeavour “Meat”, this Sunday afternoon/evening soiree in the sun (hopefully) will see the likes of “Meat” men Tom Stephan & Kris Di Angelis fly that clubs D.J.’ing flags, while Miss Harsh herself will be spinning some sounds, along with newcomers to “Downtown”, Tom Davey & Russia’s hottest export, Dimitri Strigun, who steps off the go-go podium to bang out some beats. With dancefloor hosts including Munroe Bergdorf & Maria Fernanda in delectable duty, The Brixton Clubhouse team keeping the refreshments flowing in fine style, the “peepshow” theme to this outing will see it spread beyond the two outside decks into the inside too, as the sexual & seductive stage shows will draw the clamouring crowds “Downtown” to peek at the pervy & porn pumped action. So, it’s all gets going at The Brixton Clubhouse from 3 p.m. this Sunday (29th May), with “Downtown” running until midnight, advance £10 tickets available at http://ticketweb.co.uk, while more will be available on the door & info up for grabs at http://clubroomservice.com.
22nd Century Clubbing
Our second Sunday best Bite goes, of course, to Salvation, which makes a welcome return to the capital & to Koko in Camden, which played host to promoter Steve Elliot’s hugely successful NYD bash. And this latest outing promises to “…reboot clubbing & tale you into the 22nd Century…”, we having covered much of the detail in our preview “Saviour On Sunday”, will worth another peek at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/05/preview-saviour-on-sunday-salvation-the-future-sunday-29th-may/, although with a D.J. line up that includes Miswhite, Pier Morrocco, Paul Coals, Oliver M & Phil Marriot, with some surprises yet to be spilled, with promised lighting, stage shows, dancers & other additions expected to completely wow, this is one party out of the rick weekend pickings that you won’t want to miss out on. So much so, that we advise you grab your advance tickets, priced at £20 while you can by going online at http://gaypartix.com or in person at Prowler, Profile Bar & Barcode in Soho, as well as the latter’s sister venue in Vauxhall, along with the Camden, Clapham & Covent Garden branches of Soho Gyms. And if you fancy the royal treatment, why not upgrade by a mere fiver for the VIP option, which includes a separate entrance, free coatcheck & access to the exclusive VIP area (bargain we say!). More info on this outstanding outing can be found at http://salvation-london.com, while a short email to steve@salvation-london.com will answer any VIP questions you may have.
So to some Sunday Short Shouts and As One makes a welcome return to this slot, fitting neatly into the Spring Bank Holiday schedule, so sure to be extremely popular, Fire full to capacity we are sure, while Soho have their say, Shadow Lounge hosting another “Scandal” event. But if it’s more way-out wackiness you’re after, then Trailer Trash should be right up your Street, well Rivington Street in Shoreditch to be precise, although no Sunday would be complete without The RVT’s “S.LA.G.S./Chill-out”, which double doses too, an extra Monday session fitting in very nicely, websites http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties, http://theshadowlounge.co.uk, http://clubtrailertrash.com & http://thervt.org.uk the places to go for further details.
Then finally to Monday (30th May) and it seems that the clubbing steam has very much run out of the scene, with no Orange and just the usual clubs like “Popcorn” at Heaven & “Citric” at Ku-Bar. So it seems that the day will be very much a wind down from the hectic previous four days, although two worth more than a look are both Later, which holds their Bank Holiday special at Area, following on from As One which finishes at midday Monday, so is sure to be packed, while it BBQ time down at The Brixton Clubhouse, this more sedate way to wave farewell to this Spring Bank Holiday sounding much more up our street, especially after the weekend we will had. But don’t forget that the “grassy knoll” is sure to be filled with Bank Holiday party goers ready for that second session of “S.LA.G.S./Chill-out” at The RVT, all the applicable websites already having been given a mention.
London's Clubbin Bible
However, one website we haven’t mentioned yet is tip top clubbing & London bible, SeenQueen, who have their own take on what’s hot this Spring Bank Holiday, with a special section devoted to just that, http://seenqueen.com/web packed out with further fabulous features that will keep your eyes glued & you entertained for hours, so go take a look. While, if you want to be looking your golden brown best, then why not top up that tan, or indeed get one, by taking the quick & easy way of a sunbed at the best spot in town, Solarstation on Soho’s Archer Street. Run by the most charming & friendly man in the capital, Hassan, have a look at http://solarstation.co.uk before you pay a visit or just pop along & Hassan will do the rest.
Well that’s it for this special Spring Bank Holiday Best Bites & Short Shouts in what looks like a really busy one for London and a busy one for us which starts with Room Service tomorrow night (Thurs 26th May), then a quick jaunt to Gigolo before we head to Heathrow & our flight to Rome for Muccassassina’s season finale. But we will be back in London just in time for SuperMartXe’s “Moulin Rouge” and then, naturally, will be finding our spot at Beyond for “Supersize”, then, after a quick disco nap, will be off to Kings Cross for The Sunday club, before rounding off our weekend at Salvation’s “The Future” event. So, if you see us out come say hi, but don’t forget that you can now also follow our activity as we “nibble size review tweet” our way through the weekend at http://twitter.com/discomatt.
Next week we will be back to our usual format, so if you fancy a mention then get e-mailing us at matt@discomatt.com, or plaster our Facebook walls, the best entry being http://facebook.com/discomattlondon which will then get you access to our other two pages. In the meantime, whatever you are up to & wherever it may find you, have a fantastic Spring Bank Holiday weekend, nut please make sure that you, “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: AB Garcia, As One, Beyond, Brent Nicholls, Carlos Gallardo, David Hart, Downtown, Gigolo, Gonzalo Rivas, Gutterslut, Holestar, Jamie Hammond, Jim Warboy, Jodie Harsh, Kris Di Angelis, L.a. Hart, Lo-Porfile, Meat, MisWhite, Nathan Six, Oliver M, Onyx, Paul Coals, Paul Heron, Per Q.X., Phil Marriott, Pier Morrocco, Queer Nation, Room Service, Rupert Street, Salvation, Society, Steve Elliot, SuperMartXe, The Brixton Clubhouse, The RVT, Tom Stephan, Tony English, WE Party | No Comments »
Boyz Goes Blue
With the weekend set to be dominated by some song contest over in Germany, oh yes it Eurovision again! And with hopes for a strong showing by the UK this year as pop band “Blue” have reformed to try & lift the contest crown for good old blighty, we will be doing our best to steer you into a Eurovision free zone with our Best Bites & Short Shouts choices this weekend. But before we do, a big up all those bars that will be showing the contest, plus those of you throwing Eurovision parties, as well as the thousands that have made it across to Dusseldorf to cheer our boys along. And my don’t they look just a tad yummy on the cover of Boyz Magazine this week, this incidentally where you can get all the detail on Eurovision & where to be across the capitals extensive gay scene to catch the contest live. Just go to http://boyz.co.uk/onlineViewer/viewer.php & it’s all at your finger tips, well that & loads more.
So, with Eurovision put to bed, lets crack on with our choices this week for Soho Vauxhall & elsewhere, some new, some regular, some switched, others included but a reminder here & now, if you want a mention right here, then get those all important details across to us, press releases, newsletters, you name it, just mail us at matt@discomatt.com, as, if like one organisation, you don’t, then you may miss out.
Bar Brilliance
Right let’s get going by looking at Soho first and our Best Bite this week goes, once again, to Profile & Lo-Profile, the dynamic duo on Wardour Street that never fail to tip our enjoyment scales, this weekend looking no different. So, looking at Profile first, Friday sees a welcome return to the decks by the cute & compact Zach Burns, who takes pole position to pump out those sounds from 8 p.m., while on Saturday (14th May), Profile favourite Nathan Six will definitely ensure your Saturday thoughts do not stray to Eurovision, rather his energetic & euphoric dance delights, both he & Zach warm you up for proceedings below on their respective nights. As for profile itself, don’t forget their latest updated food menu, serving tasty nibbles right to full blown American diner inspired fare, specialist offers including a Sunday roast & a Tuesday Steak night (we like the sound of that). Plus, with a daily happy hour between 4 & 7 p.m., a lunch special between 12 & 4 p.m. Mon to Fri, Profile is the perfect place to hang out, more details available at http://profileshoho.com
Soho Smash Hit
As for Lo-Profile downstairs, well it would be fair to say that we were pretty taken by their new night “Society”, not least the drop dead gorgeous go-go dancers (one in particular actually) so Friday’s on Wardour Street just seem to be getting hotter by the minute. And this week should prove no different with two sparking stars on the scene on duty to dish out dollops of heavenly house hits, Mikey D taking the early slot, while D’Johnny lands from Berlin to rev up your weekend & lead you into Saturday with some superb sounds. A for Saturday, well two favourites of the Lo-Profile crowd return to keep all thoughts of Eurovision at bay, Rob Sykes on first, followed by bello Alessandro Londra, who, having spoken to last night, has a whole raft of new rhythms to rain form his repertoire. That aside, if you are planning a party, want to keep in touch with what’s happening or grab some tasty special offers, then a visit to http://loprofile.com is in order, although a visit in person this weekend gets our hearty recommendation.
Right to some Short Shouts and first to two new kids on the social soiree block, first Glamour & Trash, which launches at Diu this coming Tuesday (17th May), promoter Aubrey, hostess Minty & mix master Brent Nicholls come at ya with their new night, while on Thursday (q9th May) the guys from ShootMeUp join forces with Lo-Profile to bring you their new night Gigolo. So, given these two new nights on the Soho scene, we will be bring you all the lowdown & info in a special Extra Bites post, “Soho’s Social Set Soars” right after this, but two dates definitely to go in the diary (my are we having a busy week already!).
Over at the Shadow Lounge they have made some changes to the guestlist entry, being conscious of those tighter pockets of ours, so now g/list entry from Mon to Thurs is free all night (wow!), while on Friday’s & Saturday’s its free up till 11 p.m. & then just £5 thereafter. So, how do you get on the guestlist, well, just drop the darlings an e-mail at info@theshadowlounge.co.uk or visit their website for more details. Incidentally, Inferno tonight (Fri 13th May) sees Paul Heron on sound spinning duty, while D.J. Sonathaq stands in for Andrew Elmore at Inferno tomorrow night (Sat 14th).
As for our other usual entrants, Rupert St & Ku-Bar, well we can’t guarantee them as Eurovison free zones, so best you take your chances, but with D.J.’s Saki & Alessandro at Rupert Street on Friday & Saturday respectively, then Ku Bar, well see for yourselves in Boyz, the party atmosphere should be amazing.
Now quickly before we move on and the latest news with Barcode is that it is going to be retained as a bar and not turned into a restaurant as we had first thought. The transition will be taking place sometime this month, although as yet we are not sure what it will look like coming out the other side. But with our contact on Archer St in pole position to ply us with news, we do at least know the whole frontage is to be opened out in cafe style, while as for nights like Industri, well they look set to stop. However, when we know, you will know, so watch this space.
Communication Is The Key
Right onto Vauxhall and back to what we mentioned earlier about sending through details, one group in particular having seen fit to remove us from their press release mailings, without any notice or discussion may we add. Now, regardless of the fact that they may dominate the Vauxhall scene, with nights like Gravity, Onyx, A:M, Later, Booster & Orange, oh and not forgetting our favourite club of all time, Beyond, The Orange Group under the steership of its new master Jonny Marsh, have done just that, removed us from their mailing list without warning. In what had always been a very harmonious working relationship with promoters & managers alike, has very much been soured by this individual, who has not only ignored our continual requests to sit down and discuss certain issues, may we add, an offer he made many months ago but failed to follow through, he has now seen fit to adopt child like tactics, perhaps as a result of us going to press on a Beyond report that we had also given him plenty of opportunity to respond on. So, we will be adopting, unlike him, the professional approach and have been in touch with the individual promoters of A:M, Later, Booster & Orange, as well as our contact within Beyond and, from next week will be bringing you in either Best Bite or Short Shout form, postings on these three clubs. As for the rest, especially Onyx & events like WE Party, The Week & As One, until this dispute is resolved, we will be reserving our recommendations to a minimum. Should you wish to find out what’s happening across The Orange Group, then you can sign up for their newsletter or simply go to http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
That said, we have put the full weight of our recommendation force behind Lovechild, which takes place at Fire on Saturday (14th may), our Weekend Focus report out at direct link http://discomatt.com/web/2011/05/recommends-double-dose-of-pride-lovechild-meets-fff-saturday-14th-may-weekend-focus/ with all the detail you need to know on what may be the last Lovechild at Fire (ooh er missus!).
Now, let’s get some positive vibes going and give some Short Shouts to a couple of venues who quietly & consistently pull the punters in The R.V.T. has a full programme of events this weekend, Friday (13th May) seeing “Kimono Krush return for their May dance, while its “Duckie” on Saturday and “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” on Sunday. Check out http://thervt.org.co.uk for more details. Then there is The Eagle, which rolls out two favourites, sandwiching their “Eagle Saturdays” as “Tonker” is back tonight (Fri), while on Sunday (15th May), it’s another Horse Meat Disco mash-up. More info can be found by going to http://eaglelondon.com
Final mention in Vauxhall goes to Barcode and we are awaiting details of the D.J. line-ups across both Friday & Saturday, although can definitely guarantee it as a Eurovision free zone, Saturday itself surely to be a packed out affair given what else is on offer. Listings should be back to normal from next week In the meantime, why not check out their website at http://bar-code.co.uk
Prolific Prospect
Okay, so let’s move onto our alternative options and Best Bite this week goes to East Bloc and their Saturday night shindig “Meat”, which is rolling out its fourth party this Saturday (14th May) and looks like a biggie, as having already spoken with Kris De Angelis, who is by the way, D.J.’ing too, he reckons the world & his wife will be getting over to Shoreditch, many wanting to avoid that song contest thingy!! But Kris isn’t the only delectable D.J. on the decks, oh no, as the mighty Tom Stephan (aka Superchumbo) will also being selecting some serious sounds and judging by the tracks coming out of his recording studio at the moment, we are going to be in for a treat, he having also collaborated with Kris on a new tune that is sure to get airplay, Plus with James Pople joining the duo & room two sporting Urban White Boy Kingsley & Munroe Bergdorf, the music is going to be fierce. But the East Bloc weekend isn’t just confined to Saturday, as tonight (Friday 13th) it’s another “Disco Fag Bar”, promoter Wayne Shires in attention and Laurent Chaumet together with guests on the decks, while Club Infidel making a showing in room two with their brand of dirty electro nasty robo techno (whatever that is!) a live PA by Disco Damage & Electro Dreams among others. Plus with all this on, not least the uber sexy “Meat”, the East Bloc men wish to make clear that it is definitely a Eurovision free zone. More info on this hip & happening Industrial come NYC underground hangout can be found by going to http://eastbloc.co.uk, while watch this space for an Extra Bites post on “Meat” as there is just loads going on & this is simply unmissable.
We Are Two
Now, given the shortage of a Best Bite in Vauxhall (there could have been Mr Marsh!!), we have given an extra cherry pick to the East End and to The Dalston Superstore (DSS) who are two this weekend. So, it’s quite a celebratory one for Dan & the boys, the festivities kicking off tonight (Fri 13th May) with a “Back-To-Back” birthday special with residents Not Shy & Kezeokichi, plus an extra special guest D.J. up their sleeves. But tomorrow (Sat 14th May) is the biggie & the boys are laying on a “Tranny Attack” to celebrate their 2nd birthday, polysexuals including Jonny Woo, A Man To Pet & Ma Butcher, while John Sizzle will be in residence together with a guest slot from Jeffrey Hinton, joining Dan Beaumont & The lovely Jonjo. Plus we are reliably informed that there will be plenty of birthday surprises and the celebratory drinks will definitely be flowing & in large supply. As Dan say’s “…it’s gonna be a big one, triple WOOF…” which means you need to get down there early, as it all kicks off from 9 p.m. & runs until 4 a.m. and all for just a fiver! AAAmazing!. Then to cure your hangover’s D.J. Squeaky will be taking it easy on you with Tutti Frutti on Sunday (15th May), more details on DSS available at http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
We mention Wayne Shires earlier and it seems his pie fingers have stretched back down into South London, to The Brixton Clubhouse (formerly Dex) no less, as well as taking charge of The Prince downstairs. So, whilst we believe it’s an invite only do, we thought we would mention it (have ours!) as there is a Brixton Clubhouse “Exclusive Members Weekend” event tomorrow (Sat 14th May) & Sunday (15th), both starting at 5 p.m. (gorge!), where you can get to view the new terrace spaces plus the further refurbishments which looked great when we saw them at “Downtown”. Plus with the weather looking reasonable (that wind has gone!) it should be a splendid shindig. So, keep your eyes peeled for that Extra Bites post on “Meat” as we will be tagging this on the end (there’s a tie you know!).
Right, just time to squeeze in a mention for tip top clubbing website SeenQueen, who have just this week updated their site to include hot dates into June, while some of their choices for the upcoming Bank Holiday have also been rolled out, so well worth a visit at http://seenqueen.com/web, the home page then guiding you to a veritable feast of content.
Well, that’s just about it for this weekend and it feels good to be back Best Biting & Short Shouting, although our weekend may end up being a bit lame, as a course of antibiotics will prevent us from indulging, so looks like we will be Eurovision free too. However, Mr Di Angelis has our arm right up our back so “Meat” is on the cards and we are sure The Brixton Clubhouse will see us too, although there will be no Beyond or Lovechild (its complicated!) in our schedule, so not just a Eurovision, but a Vauxhall free weekend too. So, whatever you are up to, have a great one and as we always say, make sure you Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Alessandro Londra, Barcode, Beyond, Booster, Boyz Magazine, D'Johnny, Disco Fag Bar, East Bloc, Gravity, Kris Di Angelis, Ku Bar, Later, Laurent Chaumet, Lo-Profile, Lovechild, Meat, Mikey D, Nathan Six, Onyx, Orange, Paul Heron, Profile, Rupert Street, Saki, The Brixton Clubhouse, The Eagle, The Orange Group, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Tom Stephan, Wayne Shires, Zach Burns | No Comments »
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10 Jan 2013 | 0 Comments
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With Soho sustaining a significant shock this week, the sudden closure of Profile & Lo-Profile leaving any simply stunned, the effects have been far reaching, even hitting our recommendations schedule. So, as we pick up the pieces of our “Best Bites” format, we forge ahead with our Short Shouts of ...
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4 Oct 2012 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Shouting Selections” – Weekend Short Shouts Newsletter – Friday 5th to Sunday 7th October
Shooting from the hip, we are back shouting from the roof tops, mini size selections of a host of clubs & events to take in across Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch this weekend, the briefest of detail with links to websites making this a nifty newsletter, our shouts syncing superbly below ...
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3 Feb 2012 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Brave New Brands Beckoning” – Weekend Short Shouts – Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th February – Newsletter (Part Two)
While it may be cold outside, the heat is certainly being turned up across the Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch scene this weekend, some new entrants along with old favourites filling Friday through Sunday and so having bitten into the best, it’s time to shout for the rest, Disco Matt picking ...
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30 Dec 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Wrapping Up The New Year Rest” – N.Y. Weekend Short Shouts – Fri 30th Dec to Mon 2nd Jan – Newsletter Part Two
With our “Best Bites” posted in part one, now it’s time to “Short Shout” in part two, this second half of our re-styled newsletter guiding you through the forthcoming N.Y. weekend, covering a delightful dozen of scene showings where you could be laying your Happy New hat, whether your choice ...
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3 Dec 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Dee Eye Es See Oh” – WE “Disco” 1st Anniversary – Saturday 3rd December – Weekend Focus
From time infinitum we have always loved a bit of disco, whether it be as far back as our childhood when we were addicted to ABBA, then onwards when we made our first intrepid steps onto the dancefloors of Johannesburg in our late teens, this time in our lives seeing ...
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1 Dec 2011 | 1 Comment
Recommends – “Red Ribbon Day Devotions” – World AIDS Day Events – Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th December – Extra Bites Special
Having just completed our annual special report on World AIDS Day (WAD), this year we pressing home the message of support for the fight against this epidemic by the smallest of gesture, that being the wearing of a red ribbon with pride, our feature entitled “Red Ribbon Day” (well worth ...
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21 Jul 2011 | 0 Comments
Reviews & Reports – “Riteous Romp” – That Was The Week That Was – Thursday 7th to Wednesday 13th July
With a hectic London Gay Pride weekend now behind it, the capitals clubbing scene looked like it was taking a bit of a breather, in some ways paving the way for one event to dominate proceedings, all eyes on Sunday & Shoreditch Park for Summer Rites “Remixed” boutique clubbing festival, ...
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2 Jun 2011 | 0 Comments
Reports – “Supersize Sweets” – That Was The Week That Was – Spring Bank Holiday Special – Wednesday 1st June
Well here it is, our first weekly roundup report, “That Was The Week That Was”, and what a week to choose, the fourth bank holiday of the year proving a real corker for us and surely for you too, especially if you took advantage of the myriad of magical meets ...
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26 May 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Amazing Action To Absorb” – Spring Bank Holiday Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts Special – Thursday 26th to Monday 30th May
With the fourth Bank Holiday (the third in a month) right on our doorstep, we thought we would depart slightly from our usual Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts format, by extending it right across what is actually five days of frolicking, as, if like us, your weekend looks like ...
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13 May 2011 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Blue Is The Colour” – Weekend Best Bites & Short Shouts – Friday 13th to Sunday 15th May
With the weekend set to be dominated by some song contest over in Germany, oh yes it Eurovision again! And with hopes for a strong showing by the UK this year as pop band “Blue” have reformed to try & lift the contest crown for good old blighty, we will ...
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