Well, it hardly seems a year since we were sitting right here and reporting on what turned out to be a very difficult trading year for bars, clubs & promoters, although as 2009 will definitely go down as the year in which the biggest recession in nearly eight years hit the capital with a clang, 2010 in terms of economic turmoil wasn’t that much better, although, for some reason, we all seemed to cope with the ravages reaped by bankers & politicians on our prolific partying. And despite the challenges facing the country during the year, 2010 was actually one of the most prolific we have seen in a long time, much for good reason, some not quite so, although the year marked our busiest yet, reviewing close on 90 events & compiling over 150 other reports, meaning we have much to reflect on. So, sit back as we dispense with further fancy introductions and run down January through December, a far from comprehensive inclusion of every event, rather a reflection on our year, concluding with our own nominees for best clubs 2010.  

The dawn of the New Year saw probably the biggest launch of a club we have seen, plus the biggest news to hit our scene, as Spanish superclub Matinee moved to re-align its London operation, although, while this was certainly the talk of the dancefloor on the first day of the new decade, nothing was going to steal the limelight from new club brand As One, which launched to amazing accolade at Fire in Vauxhall. The brainchild of the man behind another child, Lovechild to be exact, As One combined the brands of Beyond, Lo-Profile, Megawoof, Trannyshack & (you guessed it) Lovechild, under one roof, joining forces with the might of The Orange Group & Logan Presents’ team, producing, without question, the most magnificent marriage of minds the scene had seen in a long time. And the party proved a success from the minute the doors were opened, As One going on to be the talk of the town & definitely the place to have been on January 1^st. Mind you, in the afterparty that was Onyx, the partying continued and the momentous day in Area marked our first meet with Phil Marriott, with who we were to form a special friendship during the year, although it also marked the demise of promoter Steven Geller, who, following the event, was short of shunted out of office in the second of two shocking shifts in the first month of the new year.

So, that news of Matinee wasn’t going away and as the dust settled on it all, we reported, in our usual style on the events leading up to the top brass decision to hand the London franchise to Logan Schmitz, a move that shocked some, as this was the man at the helm of SuperMartXe in the capital, Matinee’s main competitor, yet politics aside, on the face of it, the club couldn’t have been in better hands. Finding ourselves in the middle of this muddle, lots of diversion of minds was required and what better way than to throw ourselves into our favourite devotion, D.J.’s, fitting in a special night including a dozen of them, between Covent Garden, Soho & Vauxhall, The Box Lo-Profile & Barcode, swerving the big clubs for their protagonists, yet sampling some of the biggest names in the business. Then, with the Matinee news still reeling, our month ended with another newbie like the start, as Italian club Pervert hit town, taking Fire by storm and making an impression that would see it return for a further outing in March, hooking up with afterhours monster Beyond, although one we would miss out on.

February started with promise and gave us the opportunity to focus on Profile in Soho, a venue which had launched on Wardour Street just seven months before, but was establishing a solid reputation as well as a great feeder for Lo-Profile below. Then it was the first of many birthday bashes as afterhours club A:M, celebrated nine years in business, with a prolific party down at Fire, very much re-capturing the passion for this audacious afterhours club, nine years in, although the same weekend would see the first matinee party by the new production team of Logan Presents, this first stint of Mr Schmitz’s labelled, “Under Construction”, hinted to a new life & a new direction for the brand. And, despite probably one of the longest waits in a coatcheck queue we had experienced in the year, Logan & his team managed to succeed where others had failed, in filling host venue the Fridge, although nowhere near as much as SuperMartXe would in The Coronet for its “Samurai” party later that month. Other February highlights included a Valentine double courtesy of DTPM, who got all loved au at Jalouise in Mayfair, while we made it down to Orange for their own “Citric Seduction” event, guest D.J. Paul Heron & then Gonzalo Rivas rocking the raw room to its foundations, although our minds were diverted as we had lost someone very dear to our hearts, but celebrated his life with a close friend, Abbaword not perhaps representing a scene exploit, but an important event nevertheless.

March set off in storming pace with our third birthday celebration of the year, as Gay City Rollers, the roller disco party at The Renaissance Rooms marked its first anniversary, we entering into the spirit with gusto ala Olivia Newton John style but walking away with plenty of scrapes & bruises following a nasty fall. Mind you, in the process we cemented some new friendships, not least with singer Tonnic who was amazing through the whole evening, although as good Alex Erfan’s event was, it was to be the last GCR of the year. The month however saw a new launch and what was at the time billed as a new style Matinee, as Matador launched at Barcode Vauxhall to amazing fanfare, although for us, failed it live up to its billing, rather being just another themed night in a club bar, this reaction causing one of our biggest review controversy’s to date and placing both our future & a close friendship in jeopardy, such had been the vicious reaction to our comments. But we ploughed on with visits to Matinee’s “Circuit” party which had slightly more muted success at The Fridge but still packed them in, while our trip to Later proved a fruitful one, showing that this longstanding affair was re-gathering momentum & catching the mood for Sunday afternoon clubbing. But our Matador controversy was now never far away, meaning our March ended quietly with our own reflective look at the club & the people that had meant so much to us, the social soiree Industri.

While March had ended on an incredible low, April couldn’t have started any better, with a full focus exposure on the online site GaydarNation, and with Easter landing early, despite the rumblings of Matador continuing, we hit the streets & the clubs taking in Beyond in the second of many review reporting’s in 2010 and then honing in on what would turn out to be yet another hugely successful As One event. With a slightly tweaked line-up which now included the might of Orange, the place was once again packed and the collaboration of so many minds made it yet another well deserved success story as well as placing us back firmly in our driving seat. And that driving eat was to carry us into one of the best afterparty’s of the year, as Steven React Sharp’s Orange laid on a pulsating & prolific “Easter Garden Of Eden” event at Area which surpassed any we had witnessed there before and was to set the standard for the rest, this outing even matching the might of Beyond & its brilliance. Feeling the need to make amends, we spent the next weekend focussing on Barcode, both in Soho & Vauxhall, April also seeing one of the biggest & best Lovechild’s yet, as Alex Erfan & his brave team went all “Wet” on us, installing showers & spectacular shimmering shows in host venue Fire, special Aussie guest D.J. Johan Khoury making more than an impression on us, although Alan K Certainly flew the home flag, we witnessing him for the second time this year, ignite the main room like nothing we had seen before.

May arrived with alarming speed and a month with two Bank Holiday’s would prove to be our busiest, taking in Hustlaball at The Renaissance Rooms, which seemed more to be about Hard On!, although sported an incredibly strong D.J. line up across all four rooms, while Orange pulled another great afterparty out of the bag, this time at Fire, each room and each D.J. playing their part in making this yet another event to remember. However with so much more looming, the first of two big May events hit our shores, as “The Love Weekend” swung into action, but having taken in virtually every instalment, from Onyx through A:M, Lovechild & Beyond as well as riding the crest of the love wave into Later, it was Lovechild & Beyond that got our full review attention, the others combined into one special round-up as eyes were now very much pointing towards the biggie of the year, The London Global Dance Festival (LGDF), but not before taking in Guy Williams’ metrosexual mash-up 31 floor high at Paramount in Central London, as “Reverse Sunrise” lived up to its name, we witnessing the rise of the sun over the London landscape below which simply blew us away, as did the whole event. May also marked a milestone in our lives as the realisation that we needed to curb a certain habit would see us become a virtual tea total, this one of many indications of a strong friendship bond that would prove the single most important one to us in 2010.

Now it was LGDF taking the limelight and having ploughed so much research & effort into this massive undertaking, which included well over 10 international club brands & three times the amount of international & London based D.J.’s/artists, this would be a May Bank Holiday like no other before, the whole LGDF weekend sandwiching SuperMartXe’s (SMX) stunning “Hot Wheels” party at The Coronet, which, for us, was the best SMX yet, we quoting it as having “the best music, the best P.A, the best stage set-up & the best atmosphere and proved to be Logan both at his best & at his pinnacle. But even SMX wouldn’t take away what an amazing weekend we had in the hands of LGDF, the string of seven events delivering in every respect, the real highlight being the main party at Fire when the Muccassassina room really showed the international pedigree that London had attracted, sparkling performances from Leomeo, Phil Romano, Danny Verde & Pagano shining bright. But we covered the incredible party at Onyx with Dikky Vendetta, the amazing A:M event with D.J Luque, and even witnessing the busiest Beyond of 2010 so far, as Steve Pitron, the Chris Bekker & finally Alan K left us breathless in the main room, the whole weekend rounded off in Area by Orange, who, for the third time this year delivered a truly awesome afterparty, Ivan Gomez one of a whole string of highlights of yet another outstanding Orange orotation.

June proved to be quiet in comparison, having racked up an 10 reviews & attended nearly 20 events throughout the previous month, it was the return of Beyond to Colosseum with the new “Back To Back” branding that got our first full attention, yet while the first segment at Beyond’s original home didn’t quite deliver to the expectations of old, seeing the original residents at work & the infamous VIP room in action, one of our most favourite clubbing spots around, was an enjoyable experience. However, it was Beyond at Area that once again delivered in bucket loads, chalking up yet another exceptional exhibition of just why it remained at the top of its game & the best of the bunch. Mind you another club cutting a stride was Lovechild, as it hinted towards summer with its latest outing & our love affair with Fire’s lounge space blossomed, not least in the hands of Brent Nicholls who was the highlight of another superb showing by Alex Erfan’s loveable brand. Then with another birthday celebration looming, Barcode Vauxhall’s 4^th to be exact, all eyes turned to the Clapham Street party and it seemed most of London turned out too, the sunny weather transforming Clapham into a gay mecca & seeing the party way over subscribed, queues stretching up the high street deep into the evening. So, we chose Vauxhall to end our June devotions, first landing on the birthday bash to witness a terrific turn by Terry Vietheer, then made it across to Fire for another Alex Erfan invention, this time, LookBetterNaked, the stunningly drop dead gorgeous Bel Ami boys more than making up for the disappointment of Clapham before.

The feverish pitch of May was repeated in July and with the weather holding through the early part of the month, London’s Gay Pride weekend proved to be a corker, Leicester Sq and the Orange Group dance stage a major highlight for us, Beyond then going on to prove itself as a sell-out success and nearly as packed as the LGDF affair. But SuperMartXe was to have its say too, when the Logan presents team tipped the scales with their “Wizard Of Oz” event filling out The Cornet again, while we rounded of our weekend with a fun filled Later “Garden Party” the helter skelter ride & other attractions making for yet another dynamic design twist & variety package that was very much the byword of 2010. Mind you, nothing could have prepared us for the magnificence of Matinee at Ministry of Sound, the promotions team having switched venues & days, from a Saturday to a Sunday with exceptional effect, we being well & truly blown away by this “Open Air” event, styled on an Ibiza terrace party that ticked every single box. July was also to see Logan hit our sweet spot with an invitation to his private party Up, at Dex in Brixton, and whilst the weather had turned the atmosphere hadn’t, Up proving to be every bit as good as Matinee in its own way. Other July highlights included Profile’s 1^st birthday and not one, but two Lovechild events, first “Makin Hay” and then “Hot Tropicana”, the latter showing guest D.J. Leomeo at his tribal best, while the former left us spinning from a scintillating set from The Oli. Plus, we managed to fit in our first ever visit to Jodie Harsh’s Circus, making a return to the 31^st floor at paramount and loving the metrosexual mix of this magnificent madcap happening.

August saw our focus switch from London, amidst all the controversy surrounding Brighton pride, we heading for the south coast on the first weekend of the month and taking in all the alternative happenings than the Dance Weekend had to offer, full reviews of first Dance Nation at Tru & then Beyond at The Honey Club taking the plaudits. Indeed Dance Nation proved a delightful & refreshing change to clubbing in the capital, although with Lovechild stars Leroy Tayler & Tony English on cue, as well as a sparkling performance from Steve Pitron, it felt like London by the sea for sure, while Beyond, as packed as it was, wasn’t quite a match for the audaciousness of Area. With the summer season having bitten London in the bum, it was the end of August that saw a resurgence in our activity, first giving Onyx full review attention, Pagano’s five hour set spectacular getting our full focus as “Digital” well and truly hit the mark and then came the huge happening that was Hype, Logan Schmitz’s home grown brand that had raised a critical eye or two with its first outing just over a year ago, although this latest attempt did prove much more credible. However, with the tide beginning to turn on Logan’s year, his afterparty concept, M.O.S.T., failed to attract sufficient support, Beyond once again proving its dominance in the Sunday afterhours market, their “Super Size” party being just that and probably their biggest ever.

However, not for the first time this year, we were faced with controversy and were found to be “piggy in the middle” of an emerging feud between club promoters/owners that once again placed in jeopardy a friendship that had meant so much to us, this time another D.J., Danny Verde, although bridges would be mended later in 2010 during our tour of Berlin. So, rather than being seen to take sides, we posted an overview report on the conflicting afterhours brands, although this in itself caused a nuclear style reaction which required tempering, our August  ending more abruptly than expected with the third As One event, which starred yet more international guest D.J.’s that had impacted on our lives in 2010, first Eduardo De La Torre & then Javier Medina, both playing out in the Lovechild room to varying effect. Mind you, being a Sunday afternoon, the whole event felt more like Later than A One and while Brent Nicholls once again proved his worth in the Lo-Profile lounge and both Paul Heron & then Alessandro blew the roof off the Lovechild room, our mind was on our Italian Danny and nothing was going to shake our emotions. This meant we missed out on the magnificence of the Orange/Trade collaboration at Colosseum, along with Kris Di Angelis’s, Pooldisco party, both reporting amazing turnouts and even more awesome atmospheres.

September was to see our first international expedition, but not before taking in a plethora of parties, many firsts, as we made it down to Hola at The Shadow Lounge for some Hed Kandi style house heaven from Terry Vietheer & special Aussie guest Alex Taylor, we hit Guy Williams’ Paradise 45 club night at the truly decadent yet delightful Dalston Superstore, savoured a superb back to back set by Nick Tcherniak & Hifi Sean at record launch in “Deep Water” at Barcode Vauxhall, connecting with vocalist Lizzie France, who was to be a lynch pin in our captivating Christmas, while we also got hot under the collar at Suzie Krueger’s sports fetish club “Sweat”. But it was first Matinee’s second “Open Air Summer Party” that attempted to steal our September, neatly followed by Brazilian import, The Week, which pretty much did all the stealing necessary for so much reasons, not least as it reunited Brent Nicholls, Steve Pitron & Mikey D under one roof, giving the event a Crash like feel, but The Week  delivered like no other party in Fire had done in a long time, leaving us in no doubt that this would become a force to be reckoned with. But September proved to be all about pool party frolicking, Paris style in this case, as we hit the high roads and hot footed it to the French capital for Michel Mau’s “Supersized Pool Party” event at Aquaboulevard, the whole weekend proving to be a brilliant yet emotional one as we connected with lots of new faces and cemented our friendship with Barca boy Javier Medina.

October began with lots of promise, another new kid on the block making its mark and after one of the biggest build ups in club history it seemed. Billy Richard’s T.T.D. definitely had made an impression on many people’s minds and with it heralding a new dawn in Sunday afternoon clubbing, there was much promise ahead of the launch party. But with tube strikes & unseasonably cold weather plaguing the event a luke warm turnout got the T.T.D. party going, as did our new found Czech crowd posse & a beat-tastic Brent Nicholls, the party eventually turning out to be a superb start for Billy & his team. October was also to behold the most brilliant Beyond of our year, as their “Tokyo” event hit the mark magnificently leaving us breathless in admiration for this awesome afterhours that had hardly put a foot wrong throughout the whole of 2010, save for a few unsavoury elements that had slipped through the tight security net, affecting our euphoric experiences at the hands of this colossal club. With bar brand Profile really capturing the imagination following its 1^st birthday bash three months before, we once again gave it the floor, the place also responsible for the special bond we developed with resident D.J Phil Marriot, while Lovechild continued on its creative course, with its “Hot Muscle” event that sported one of our most hilarious dance floor moments of 2010, involving Chris Jepson a giant dildo & a hunky muscled dancer, enough said.

However, October was to prove to be a very special month, not just due to our best Beyond experience of the year, but with a captivating concert at the O2 courtesy of the legend in our lifetime, Jean Michel Jarre, the pinnacle of our moth perhaps being a tour of breataking Berlin, which proved to be a one of the magical moments in our life and this, our yardstick year. With Hustlaball taking centre stage on the Friday, then Salvation on the Saturday, Sunday was all about Berghain and what an experience it was, Nick Tcherniak & Valerie Maxfield making the journey to this towering techno triumph one we will never forget. That said, Hustlaball at Kitkat club was an incredible outing, not least due to superb sets from Mike Kelly, Phil Romano & especially Fabio White, while Salvation was a superb spectacle too and particularly special one, as it gave us the opportunity to rekindle our friendship with Danny Verde, but in Berlin we also finding a city of such diverse yet dynamic beauty and one that we will be returning to for sure. Yet from the highs of Berlin, we hit the lows of London with yet more controversy involving a certain club promoter, our reflective experiences of A:M and then the Halloween special that was “The Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre” far from finding favour, rather consigning a working friendship to the history books and one that would mar the rest of our year.

So, to November and it kicked off with yet another birthday bash, but this was a biggie, as Trade celebrated 20 glorious years in existence with a return to the venue that had, just two years previously, hosted one of its most prolific party’s since the days of Turnmills. And, despite the stifling heat, the party went off with a bang and the newly formed working partnership between Trade & Logan presents seemed to be a match made in heaven in terms of turnout and popularity of the party. And, unlike the last party two years ago, the main room caught much of our attention, Nick Tcherniak & Steve Thomas sending us strospheric with scintlating sets, while PA Lizzie France made her mark with a prolific performance, Fat Tony & Tonnic rounding off a great party in the lite lounge. DTPM neatly followed with its “Eastbenders” event at the fabulous Cargo in Shoreditch, although it seemed that Later was to steal some of its thunder, while for us, the calamitous cavorting between Steve Thomas & Guy Williams made DT a special splash indeed. But upset & controversy was never far away, so much so that we shelved the rest of the month, only breaking our review silence for Lovechild’s “Anniversary” event, when Javier Medina returned to rock the Mirrorarch (acting as the main room) at Fire, while we also made it to our sixth clubbing birthday of the year, this time Lo-Profile’s which would prove to be the making of this venue, new lighting and new energy propelling it in our estimations as well as those of many others.

And so we came to our own birthday month, December dawning with plenty of optimism, not least with the launch of our new look website as well as the spreading craze that would become “Doing The Disco Matt”. As for our clubbing following, well the month kicked off in style with the launch of new(ish) Spanish brand WE Party in London, taking over at The Coronet where SuperMartXe had left off, but with plenty of rumblings still going on following SMX’s party the previous week which had been plagued with queues, rude security & cold feeder rooms. WE nevertheless, made an impressive impact, the more uplifting style of music going down well, but the enormous neon & LED lighting effects being the real wow, as were prolific performances from Steve Pitron & Carlos Gallardo. Beyond was to play its part in our birthday month, not once, twice, but three times, this amazing afterhours sandwiching our penultimate Lovechild of the month, as Leomeo made a triumphant return to the newly refurbished Fire main room, very much stealing our show, while Bruno Knight & his gorgeous men made their mark at Profile & Lo-Profile, the “Doing The Disco Matt” dance spreading across the place, thanks to a playful Steve Pitron. But this man was to play a significant part in our birthday bash too, having chosen Beyond as the place & the club to celebrate our special day, Mr Pitron gifting us the best present we could have wished for, an invite up into the main room D.J. booth where he demanded our “Doing The Disco Matt” dance moves to the delight of our pals below.

December also marked the moving of Industri from Vauxhall to Soho, we reporting on both the closing & opening events, Hard On! kicking of the festive season with their XXXmas party, while it was Christmas that was to steal the limelight of our year, as we were left amorous with the amazement of Antwerp. It would be fair to say that we did not know what to expect from what turned out to be a tremendous trip, but with company that included Alex Erfan, D.J. Alessandro, Lizzie France & Chrissy Darling, not only was our welcome in Antwerp on Christmas Eve something really special, but the Lovechild “Christmas Ball” at Red & Blue was even more so, as like so many events throughout 2010, we cemented existing friendships and forged new ones, one in particular leaving our heads in the clouds for days to come, these final few days of December giving us the opportunity to reflect on a year that ended as it started, on an incredible high, but with despairing lows in the background, a year of ecstatic emotions, many good but some bad, but Antwerp very much being our cake icing on a yardstick year.

So there we have it, our somewhat personal yet rapturous reflection on a year that had its fill of excitement & drama, winners & losers, successes & failures and ups & downs. There were some truly stand-out events, both home and abroad, there were clubs that went from strength to strength, while others waxed & waned with the continuing calamities of a tumultuous economic & political climate gripping the world. But while 2010 will go down as a pretty awful year for some, it will also go down as a pretty exceptional year for others and whilst we have been faced with plenty of challenges throughout 2010, it has certainly been a yardstick year for us, highlights being As One as a new brand, Orange as an afterparty success, LGDF as an exceptional event, Matinee as the biggest rise & fall, Berlin & Berghain as a special time in our year, but Beyond & Antwerp equally as majestic jewels in our crown. So, all that is left to say is, we wave farewell to 2010 with mixed emotions & welcome in 2011 with renewed enthusiasm & drive. Here’s to a magnificent year of clubbing ahead. (DISCO MATT)

Postscript

While this is certainly not an attempt to poll opinion, it does reflect our own views on what bars, clubs & events did it for us in 2010. However, if you want to express your own opinions on your favourites, then go vote at http://seenqueen.com/web/2010/yourdisconeedsyou2010/ .

However, here are our winners of the year

Best Club Brand                                 Beyond

Best Club Brand Newcomer               As One

Best Intl. Club Newcomer                  The Week

Best Club Weekly                                  Beyond

Best Club Monthly                             Lovechild

Best Club Afterparty                          Orange

Best Club Afterhours                          Beyond

Best Bar                                              Profile

Best Bar/Club                                     Lo-Profile

Best Individual Event                         Matinee “Open Air”   

Best Collective Event                         London Global Dance Festival

Best International Club                       Berghain

Best International Event                     Lovechild “Christmas Ball” in Antwerp

Best Club Promoter                            Alex Erfan

Special Commendation                       Steven React Sharp

Other special mentions in this our bar/club/event round-up of 2010 go to (in no particular order) Craig Elder, Jonny Marsh, Logan Schmitz, Mauricio Ortiz, Lee Freeman, Steve Elliot, Billy Richard, Guy Williams, Jeffrey Davids, Michel Mau, Suzie Kruegar, Paul Beardshaw, Tom Fuller, The Elder Brothers, Dave Cross, Romain Lopez, Andrew Jones, Chrissy Darling, Hrh Minty, Naomi Ruiz, Tonnic, & Lizzie Jane France.

And before you say it, you D.J.’s will get your mention in our music review of the year coming up.