Posts Tagged ‘The Eagle’
March 10, 2013 | 
Author As we lament over what should have been a sortie to the southern hemisphere, we rather finding ourselves lame in London, when it comes to our “Pick of The Day” for today (Sun 10th March), lame simply doesn’t come into the equation as far as our champion choice is concerned, Horse Meat Disco’s near legendary status making our selection simple & straightforward, further club/event details a “Pick of The Day” banner click away opposite or an image one below, while we saddle up to serenade this superb soiree beneath
When it comes to staying the distance, fulfilling every furlong, jumping a clear and cantering over the weekly finishing line with a flourish, there can be no club that fits the bill better than Horse Meat Disco, the marvellous meet that, week in week out, packs in not only its fervent followers, but plenty more looking to end their weekend on a horsin’ around high. And having been in business for a decade, no mean feat in this day & age, Jim Stanton & his superb stable mates have created a club that will, without doubt, go down as one of the greats of the capitals clubbing circuit. Yet the formula has been simple from the start, based on superb sounds and equally stimulating socialising in an environment that engenders fun & frivolity, the cornerstone of this cavorting canter of a club. Indeed with the resident D.J. foursome that is Severino, Luke Howard, James Hillard & Jim Stanton, you could ask for a more terrific team, the funky, nu, Italio, NYC & retro disco mixed in with more upfront house, Horse Meat Disco’s soundtrack & beats of beeches brook build with their brilliance.
Yet, despite all this, it seems that Horse Meat Disco all too often falls below many clubbers radar’s, although if you are Vauxhall bound on a Sunday night, it is by far the best place to be, the massive queues outside host venue The Eagle speaking their own volumes, while scores of customer comments like “…thanks for Sunday – a brilliant, lovely time yet again…” add weight to what is already a real gem capitals clubbing circuit schedule. But the Horse Meat Disco story, as good as it is with this weekly wonder where it is, extends much further, as both Friday’s & Saturday’s see it guesting in a string of Shoreditch shindigs, while Brighton is also a popular annual destination for Jim, James & the HMD team, while back home on Kennington Lane, the clubs bank holiday bashes are, just like Horse Meat Disco itself, are of near legendary status, the numbers flocking to the doors justifying a venue twice the size to accommodate. And our ensuring memories of this magnificent meet lie in the early years of the club when, in the company of Minty, Paul Heron & Guy Williams, we would dance till near dawn with hardly a care for the following day, that’s how captivating the club is and one that richly deserves our horsy title, “Gold Cup Cavorting”, as it is every bit as compelling as the Cheltenham festival we refer to.
So, Horse meat Disco gets our “Pick Of The Day” vote and one we cannot recommend enough, meaning if you want to be & be seen on the scene this Sunday night, then head to The Eagle in Vauxhall, but get there early to avoid the inevitable queues, naturally making sure you “Go There!” “Be There!”. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | 
Tags: Horse Meat Disco, James Hillard, Jim Stanton, Luke Howard, Severino, The Eagle | 
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With most of the big brands missing, it seems that small is sweet this weekend, we speeding through a string of soirees both home & away that deserve our Short Shouts mini mentions, while we deliver some disco dance dates for your diaries, as well as a cataclysmic change to the capitals clubbing circuit announcement teaser
Despite a boost in the early part of this month with a brace of new brands, it seems the bigger players that used to be around but are no more, having left a gaping hole in the weekly clubbing circuit schedule, this last weekend in February, which should be a brimming with bash one, actually evidence of the lack big player choice. So, it seems it’s down to the “Small Is Sweet” soirees to shine in the spotlight, a string getting our Short Shouts mini mentions, while that very gap in the schedule also gets our teaser announcement attention.
So, let’s head into Soho first and to the Edge, which is always a good bet on Saturday’s, not least that our soon to be released from his Premier Protégé Player title, Zach Burns, sorts the superb sounds, the night kicking off from 10 p.m. with uplifting & chart tunes house, then heading into more dynamic disco & energetic house hits through till 3 a.m., while with three others floors to spread into, The Edge gets our vote every time, more info up at http://edgesoho.co.uk &/or https://facebook.com/groups/edgebarsoho/.
Just a hop, skip & jump away the compact yet charming Circa, a heavenly hangout that attracted one of the most stylish crowds in town, not least that it sports the pre-party for Room Service on Thursday’s, while Munroe Bergdorf’s “Discipline” night on Friday’s is a popular party. However, its Saturday’s that gets our attention here, as our resident Adam Turner’s sets are simply not to be missed, part of the reason why he will be ascending to our Premier Protégé Player position pretty soon, more details on Circa & its happenings out at http://circasoho.com &/or https://facebook.com/pages/Circa/183683868348892.
So one more Soho Short Shout, this going to Manbar, this new(ish) bar situated on the site of the infamous CXR79, while having gone a lot more upmarket with its offer, not least that its attracting some of the top D.J.’s on the London scene, including, Hifi Sean, Severiono, Pier Morrocco, Paul Heron, Brent Nicholls, & Phil Marriott among others, while with event brands “Beartrap”, “Hombre” & “Rednecks”, ex Rupert St manager Cathy Taylor & her team are making their mark, this definitely the up & coming place to be & be seen on the Soho scene, more info up at http://manbarsoho.com &/or https://facebook.com/manbarsoho.
Skirting Vauxhall for now, we head out east and firstly to The Joiners Arms, a venue very much in the ascendency, a string of nights including “Yes” on Friday’s & “SPQR” on Sunday’s, while “Pantastic” on Saturday’s draws in some big stars of the London & international scene, Pagano having played just last weekend, while Paul Heron is also a roving regular, this weekend seeing Julian De Apostate holding the reigns, while with much more going on, take a trip to Shoreditch to see, but have a peek at their page first, by clicking on https://facebook.com/joiners.arms.9.
Just round the corner on Kingsland Road, is a new night “Handsome” at Visions Video Bar, one definitely for officinal’s of deep soulful NYC style house & retro disco, a wonderful whirlwind trip down sound memory lane back to the 80’s, through the 90’s and then right up to date from two true D.J. & scene icons who happen to be best pals too, Guy Williams & Justin Ballard, this Saturday (23rd Feb) the day & 10 p.m. till 5 a.m. the time, entry a mere £5 before midnight, more detail up at http://visionsvideobar.com/.
Swinging further around the Shoreditch Dalston border, we come to The Dalston Superstore (DSS), very much a hip & happening hangout for the trendy east end set, a score of parties have played out there including Paradise 45, & Tramp, while the big news is that Jim Warboy’s SOS makes the switch from East Bloc to DSS from the beginning of next month. As for this weekend, Friday sees the return of “Banjee Boy Realness” , while the ever popular “Hot Boy Dancing Spot” shines on Saturday & “Tutti Frutti” is your Sunday serving, more detail on these & other offerings out at https://facebook.com/groups/dalstonsuperstore/.
So that’s east but before we head south to Vauxhall lets hop over onto the continent, head to Belgium, Antwerp in fact, as this Saturday (24th Feb), it’s quite a special Red & Blue, as our brilliant beatmaster, Elof de Neve, celebrates five years drawing capacity crowds to this amazing jewel in the Belgian clubbing crown, his popularity as strong today as it was when he started out, evidence of this that when Elof is missing, the place just isn’t the same, while it is a club you simply have to visit before your dancing days are over, more detail out at http://redandblue.eu &/or https://facebook.com/redandblue.eu.
Now to Vauxhall and with us struggling to find the positives with the schedule of a certain group that has dominated the scene for so long, we rather head to The Eagle first, home to the legendary “Horse Meat Disco” & manly meat “Tonker”, while this Saturday (23rd Feb) sees special guest D.J. Jack Chang make a welcome return for their night “Club R18”, very much one for the men rather than the boys, but well worth a trip, while for details of the whole Eagle eventing, check out http://eaglelondon.com &/or https://facebook.com/Eagle.London.
Swinging just up Kennington Lane, we find venerable institution venue The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), which always packs them in, this weekend sure to be no different as “Push The Button” does just that tomorrow night (Fri 22nd Feb), while on Saturday it’s the delightful “Duckie”, Sunday simply not being Sunday without a significant slice of “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out”, more detail on this and the whole seven days shenanigans out at http://thervt.org.uk &/or https://facebook.com/groups/thervt/.
To a former favourite now that may just be swinging back into our favour, Barcode Vauxhall having gone through the mill since the days of “Industri” when not a week would go by without us being there, although a dim & dark period that has seen, particularly on Friday’s, it head in a direction not to our liking, this Saturday (23rd Feb) has actually caught our eye, “Club Tin Tin” sporting terrific Latino talents Borja Pena & Eduardo Herrera in the front room, while Micky Galliano & Kris Di Angelis head up the back club space. So, while Friday’s still don’t sit with us, we reckon BCV is worth a peek, as is their website at http://bar-code.co.uk/.
So, as we get ever closer to that cataclysmic clubbing circuit wind of change announcement teaser, we give that is actually a worthy mention for Sunday daytime disco soiree Later, one now under the green promotional hands of D.J./producer Marco Gee who is clearly keen to follow in some of his peer’s footsteps, while the newsworthy mention is the return this Sunday (24th Feb) or original Later resident Terry Bryan, who, along with other changes Marco has made, is certainly shifting the music policy significantly, while with just two D.J.’s on duty (one of which is Mr Gee), the signs are that Later, like many of its sister brands, continues to struggle, although Terry’s return is some very much to shout about, more event detail out at https://facebook.com/events/523502471026098/.
Right that’s our Short Shouts done, so what of this clubbing change announcement?. Well, as we said at the top of this newsletter, it’s just a teaser for now, although with a venue right in the thick of the Vauxhall circuit driving the changes, its aims & ambitions to restore the London scene to the dynamically diverse yet intrinsically inclusive one that was the solid foundation for its reputation as being one of the best in the world, there are definitely exciting times ahead for capital wide club promoters, owners, venues, D.J.’s and, of course, YOU the clubber. But with competition crushing very much a ghost of clubbing past, the present & the future is looking very bright, the colour certainly not Orange, further detail to come in our next Seventh Day Sermon, “Winds Of Clubbing Change” and a subsequent special feature focus on that Vauxhall venue.
Well, with “Small Is Sweet” very much the way to go this weekend, we hope we have given you (along with our Best Bites) plenty to choose from, while for us, it’s a relatively quiet one, a birthday bash up in Ku Bar followed by a late night meeting of minds to talk turkey on these wind changes, but whatever you get up to and wherever it finds you, have an amazing one and remember, to “Be There!” you need to “Go There!”. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Barcode, Circa, Later, Manbar, Red & Blue, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The Edge, The Joiners Arms, The RVT | No Comments »
With much happening on the scene this last weekend, the timing of the return of our “That Was The Weekend That Was” review & report couldn’t have been better, we looking at the good, the bad & the ugly new ventures to hit the capitals clubbing circuit, while reporting on other highlight happenings and forthcoming frolics
What a funny old year 2012 was for us, not least the spluttering start on a special weekly feature originally called “That Was the Week That Was”, the intention to report back on events of the day and look forward to ones coming up. But as we struggled to even keep our review head above water, we decided to peg this new features back to just the weekend gone rather than the whole week, although even this proved a tough old task, as did much of our writing if we are honest. However, with the distractions that thwarted our publication progress at least parked and with 2013 very much our year of positivity, we are back with the new look “That Was The Weekend That Was” a punchy post that will pick on highlight happenings, good bad or otherwise from past weekend just while also looking forward to the next.
Right, let’s get on and did right into the detail of what very much proved to be a weekend of new club launches, great news on the surface, but scratching beneath it proving that there was elements of god, bad and (in our view) downright ugly. So to the good first and Saturday (16th Feb) and This Is Prohibition, a new clubbing concept that combined brands Lovechild, Bear Necessity, Queer Nation & Butch, a collaboration of like minded promotional minds similar to the halcyon days of As One, & Famous Five, bringing together a wealth of D.J. talent from both London & internationally and stamping its mark on the scene from The Sidings in Southwark, a venue formerly known as The Arches but now under new management & ownership. And, while we were laid up with a nasty virus, the feedback we got on this “Love Resurrection” first party & launch was extremely positive, the numbers buoyant, well over 100o through the door, while the brands worked together brilliantly, Lovechild the main focus & drive, not least with a prolific performance from P.A. Abigail Bailey, while with a string of superb sets from Oliver M, Tony English & Alan K, as well as pulsating performances in the other rooms, promoters Alex Erfan, Patrick Lilley & Manu Cartagenero were pleased as punch with the result. And while there is still work to do both on the venue & the format, This Is Prohibition will be back, no specific date yet set, but the likelihood is a May or June return, we bringing you news as soon as we get it.
Now to the bad and the ugly and if you saw our preview “Dad’s Army Antics”, you will quickly guess that we are talking about Manic Panic! And District XXX, the latest Friday night frolic twosome to come out of the Orange Nation creative stable. But creative they are not, particularly the latter, a whole host of people both within & outside of these two clubs, feeding back and concurring with our views on these fault filled ventures. You only have to read some of the event detail, a line which never fails to leave us aghast being “…a team of the craziest, limit pushing, disco pumped club kids will be rolling around the club each Friday night to ensure no one leaves without returning hot sweat flashbacks of their time at MANIC. These will be named The Panics…”, it speaking volumes for a club concept which, in the eyes of many is just a complete laughing stock. Yet, with international heavyweight Pagano headlining the vent each week, there is a glimmer of hope within the Manic Panic part of proceedings, while we cannot help but look upon it as a bad bash that puts all the good work of Onyx to shame. And it seems that clubbers agreed, as reports came in that numbers for Friday’s (15th Feb) launch, were not as expected, a figure of 600 being bandied around, this across three rooms, that second space sporting our ugly element as, again in our view, District XXX is a rip-off of the truly terrific PLAY>TIME, which fell afoul of the sudden closure of Lo-Profile in January. However, with hardly a care or a blink of the eye, a number of team members & D.J.’s previously part of the PLAY>TIME package have simply jumped ships and are now imitating this brilliant brand, from what we can see, trying to build a club within a club which is flawed for all sorts of reasons. So, with these reported numbers not good, the Manic Panic concept bad & the District XXX imitating downright ugly, time will tell whether this already maligned meet while last.
To other happenings over the weekend and to Friday again first, out east proving the place to be, as Larry Tee’s Super Electro Party machine not only celebrated London fashion week, but welcoming special guest D.J./Producer, D Ramirez to the decks, they coming back for more on Sunday (17th Feb) with their “Fashion Disaster” party, Jodie Harsh the guest this time. And sticking with East Bloc, the superb SOS was back on Saturday, Jim Warboy and his terrific team proving, yet again, how popular this party is, while with new Thursday edition Butch on the weekly schedule and next Saturday seeing the return of Gutterslut, Wayne Shires’ Shoreditch spot is certainly cooking on gas at the moment. As for Soho, while it is still clearly missing Profile & Lo-Profile, The Edge, Circa, Ku-Bar and new(ish) macho hangout, Manbar are taking the strain and all reported good numbers & atmospheres across the weekend, while Suzie Kruger’s Hard On!, currently based out of Union in Vauxhall, recorded one of their biggest turnouts in well over twelve months on Saturday, giving rise to the fact that the diversity within the scene that has been sadly lacking of late, is beginning to turn around for the good, rather than the bad that a certain group have been driving & diving the capitals clubbing circuit into. That said, Beyond, thank heavens, returned to its age-old format of a Sunday morning start, although while labelled as a “Temptation” event, it didn’t quite tempt enough to make it a roadblock event, despite the flock of frolics feeding it, but, disrobing developments aside, there is no doubt it remains a clubbing & clubber favourite.
Well, that was the weekend just gone, but what about the one coming up? Well, we have already mentioned Gutterslut, which is back to East Bloc with a bang this Saturday (23rd Feb), special guest D.J.’s Femi B & Bryony Masters heading up the rave room, while Princess Julia & Thirsty Kirsty take charge of the tunes in the DiscoSlut space, while alternative antics out east included “Pantastic” at The Joiners Arms and “Handsome” at The Visions Video Bar, both also on Saturday, while another shindig of the same day worth a shout is “Club R18” at the Eagle in Vauxhall, special guest Jack Chang on deck duty. AS for other choices, Soho’s The Edge with Zach Burns and Circa with Adam Turner are always good bets, while if you want bad & ugly, then its Manic Panic & District XXX again this Friday (22nd Feb). And talking of bad, at least creative bad, Beyond goes “Midnight” on us again this week, that’s now a total of five out of the last eight, vindicating our view that the promoter is attempting or at least sending a message that this once brilliant brand is now no longer just an afterhours amazement, but is trying to be a club for all Saturday & Sunday seasons, something it really doesn’t need to or should be. On the Orange Nation positive, Later welcomes back original Terry Bryan, a set you should definitely not miss, while before all that, something you also shouldn’t miss is this Thursday’s (21st Feb) Room Service, Jodie Harsh & co welcoming both Hifi Sean & Pagano to the decks, details of all of these upcoming events (excepting Manic Panic & District XXX) available a banner click away right here at http://discomatt.com/web, while you can also head to the online versions of both Boyz & Q.X. at http://boyz.co.uk & http://qxmagazine.com respectively.
So, that’s our “That Was The Weekend That Was”, good, bad and ugly as it proved for us, while we hope, wherever you had been & seen, it was a good one for you and with a selection of superb soiree’s coming up, that this next weekend is packed with positively pumping parties And, while clubbing is not specifically on our weekend agenda, with a birthday bash & them a meeting of minds, we will have much to share about a more diverse yet inclusive scene that London always used to be famed for, so here’s to a wonderful weekend that will be . (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports, Reviews | Tags: Beyond, Circa, District XXX, Gutterslut, Hard On!, Later, Manbar, Manic Panic, SOS, Super Electro Party Machine, The Eagle, The Edge, This Is Prohibition | No Comments »
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 | No Comments »
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 »
With of first set of 2012 Best Bites done & dusted, we couldn’t let the weekend begin without giving a dozen delectable’s a shot at winning your recovery or resolution affections, meaning it’s time to run down the best of the rest in Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch.
We may find ourselves in the first week of the first month of 2012, one that is traditionally a quiet one for the scene as it recovers from the hectic festive season, along with the very busy New Year weekend just gone, but as one clubbing conglomerate aptly put it, “…we don’t have the January blues, rather it’s all about the good times…”. And it seems that they are not along in this philosophy as there is actually plenty going on this weekend, so, having chosen our “Best Bites”, it now time to give the rest a shot, a dozen or so that we recommend as great places to be & be seen on the scene, whether in Soho, Vauxhall or Shoreditch.
New Era, Existing Events
So to Soho first and The Shadow Lounge who are still recovering from their massive New Year’s Eve party, “Greek Gods & Gladiators”, but are back with “Therapy” tonight (Fri 6th Jan) with D.J. Sonathaq on the decks from 10 p.m. entry free until 11 & £10 thereafter, the same applying to Saturday when the ever popular Andrew Elmore sorts the SL sounds at “Inferno”, more info on these two happenings plus the whole weeks activity available a click away at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Next up is Ku (well the two Ku’s actually) who also find themselves in recovery mode after a busy NY weekend, Lisle St leading the way this with “O Zone” tonight (Fri 6th Jan) with who else but The Very Miss Dusty O sorting the sounds, while its another “Fabulous Saturday session tomorrow, pop & disco the name of the game, Sunday rounding off it all with a double dose of do’s “Karaoke & Cabaret” having moved across town for an early (6 till 9) start, then Lady Lloyd’s “Hit Factory” takes you through to a 3 a.m. finish. As for “Little Ku” on Frith St, well the doors are open all weekend, with D.J.’s on duty downstairs each night, more info on both out at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
To Rupert Street and a trio of DJ treats this weekend, tonight seeing Barcode boy Saki spin the sounds, while the brilliant Brazilian Doug Silva tries to woo his own branch of The Brazilian “Biiiicha” bunch (there will be a lot in town) tomorrow night (Sat 7th Jan) meaning we may need to hop between here & Profile, while on Sunday, iconic D.J. Rich B packing a punch, while with a drinks list as long as our arm, nit least the best value for money champers in town (pass the Bolli darling!), much of the detail up at http://rupertstreet.com.
Compact Yet Captivating Circa
Our fourth Short Soho Shout goes to Circa, fast becoming one of the most popular hang-outs in town, not least due to the style & sumptuousness along with free entry all night until the wee hours of 3 a.m., tonight (Fri 6th Jan) seeing Munroe Bergdorf delight the decks while tomorrow night it’s the turn of the handsome Adam Turner turn out the tunes, the compact & bijou style of this hip & happening hangout ensuring the is always an amazing atmosphere & a glorious gathering to boot, plenty more details a click away at http://circasoho.com.
But we can’t forget The Edge in our shouts, as its less about our themes Recovery & Resolution this weekend, rather “Addiction” which centre stages tonight, Harvey Adam playing out on the ground floor, while upstairs its D.J. Neroli, although Saturday sees “Revelation” take over with our own protégé player & weekly resident Zach Burns shining in the sound spinning spotlight and is one set you won’t want to miss, especially given his recent prolific performances for Gigolo & Profile/Lo-Profile, his services very much in demand, more details on this Soho Square spot available at http://edgesoho.co.uk.
Institution Icon
So we move south to Vauxhall now and hot on the venerable institution that is The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) who shake off the New year blues with a barnstorming weekend, “Rooster” starting it all tonight, D.J.’s ComeAndTurn oing hostess Timberlina & artist extraordinaire JonJo, while no Saturday would be the same without “Duckie”, the irrepressible Amy Lame making sure all those partying resolutions will be met. Then, how could you miss out on another institution in the form of The dame Edna Experience on Sunday (8th Jan), the best cabaret show in town kicking off along with all the S.L.A.G.S. devotee’s from 5 p.m., while the “Chill-out” element starts from 7, more info on the whole seven day schedule out at http://thervt.org.uk.
Moving further down the Kennington Road to The Eagle and to manly meet “Tonker” which is now into its eight year of strutting on the scene, although with welcoming arms rather than attitude, the club attracts a magnificent mix of men, big, small & everything in between, not least due to the superb sounds as eclectic as its following, tonight seeing promoter & resident Tim Jones spin alongside Italian in London, D.J. Astroboy. But Saturday sees the captivating “Carpet Burn” swing into action, D.J.’s Jonny Kalifornia & Severino masterminding the 80’s & 90’s music, while the team acknowledge that the new year may have burned pocket holes so it’s what they call “…it’s madness, its half price madness…” entry from 9 p.m. just £2.50 & drinks prices hemmed to match. Plus with the infamous “Horse Meat Disco” horsing around on Sunday, the weekend is looking good, info up at http://eaglelondon.com.
Now, while we may have given our Vauxhall “Best Bite” away to The Orange Group (OG), it was just Onyx & Fire’s “Recovery” party that filled our focus, there is plenty else going on, not least beyond on Sunday morning, & Later after that, the latter getting the first if three OG Short Shouts, promoter Jay Sharp Vokins launches the clubs programme with this Sunday’s meet, aptly called “2012 – As We Continue”, residents Jamie Head, The Oli & D’Johnny proving a pumping package that is hard to beat, the infamous Later garden still popular even in the chilly winter months, while the chill-out zone also plays its part in this prolific party, doors opening this Sunday (8th Jan) at midday., the club running through till 7.30 p.m., entry a mere £6 and more details up at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
Amazing Morning
But before that it’s the turn of A: M, the new look artwork to this Saturday morning sensation deluding to the winning formula that current promoter Steven Sharp has established in his relatively short tenure. And that formula focuses on the music, with resident stars including Guy Williams, Paul Heron, Fat Tony & D’Johnny, all four playing out in the club’s main room this weekend (Sat 7th Jan), while other David Jimenez looks after room two, this “Phuture of Saturday Mornings” getting going at 3 a.m. & running through to a normality bending 10.30 a.m. free & discount stamps from previous Orange outing Onyx available, while a trip to http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties will tell you more.
Then, rounding off the weekend & our Short Vauxhall Shouts (well almost) is Orange and our promoter of 2011 (oops we let it slip) Steven Sharp polishes off your weekend with the club that started it all in Fire at the turn of the century, while had to be the star of the Xmas/NY show in terms of both the Orange/Trade meet & that smokin’ main room at As One. But with 2012 firmly focussed now, Steven heralds the Olympic year with the package that keeps them coming, D.J.’s Fat Tony, The Oli, & the Sharp Boys main rooming it, while RAW residents David Jimenez & Hifi Sean go deep every week not just with the music, but carrying you to the 9 a.m. Monday morning finish, that 10 hours after opening at 11 p.m on Sunday, this Sunday in fact (8th Jan) at Fire. Plus, with new host Danny Boyce making a big impression, find out more about Orange at http://orangenation.co.uk.
Now, while this is a Short Shouts newsletter, before we leave Vauxhall & the Orange Group, we have just two tantilising teasers in the form of two of the biggest brands in global clubbing, Matinee & Trade. But all we will be divulging right now are the dates you need to note, Saturday 28th January belonging to Matinee & Saturday 11th February to Trade. So note your diaries now & watch this space for more news & detail in this dynamic duo of dancing delectations.
Bloc Brilliance
So to Shoreditch and East Bloc is our sole Short Shout, although what a one it is, as Friday’s now sees exceptional event “Super Electro Party Machine” go weekly, D.J. Larry Tee turning out the tunes along with the freshest new talent around, while sandwiching the weekend is new outing “Sunday Service”, the everything goes policy extending to electro, techno, disco & pure house. But it is Saturday that has a roving commission, this week (7th Jan) seeing “Songs Of Praise” attract a captive congregation as it’s all about pop music in the aptly named “Altar” room, while the cockabilly chapel space has rockabilly 50’s & 60’s sounds (interesting), very much the alternative yet amazing antics we have come to expect from East Bloc, more info out at http://eastbloc.co.uk, while watch this space for a full focus on Tom Stephan’s new night “Dish” which launches next Saturday (14th Jan).
Right that’s it for another weekend and one which will be quite a quiet one for us as we catch up on reviews, reviews & more reviews, although may be escaping the keyboard for a short while tomorrow night to pop into Profile & possibly then Lo-Profile, so if you do see us come say hi. But with plenty of reasons & paces for you yourselves to be seen on the scene, wherever the weekend finds you, have a terrific time, of course making sure that you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Carpet Burn, Circa, East Bloc, Horse Meat Disco, Ku Bar, Matinee, Orange, Rupert St, Songs Of Praise, Super Electro Party Machine, The Eagle, The Edge, The Orange Group, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Tonker, Trade | No Comments »
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 »
You have all heard of the phrase, “when it rains, it pours” and the same could be said for our lives at the moment, as having waved goodbye to October, which was probably our worst month of the year so far, this first week in November is looking no better from a personal point of view. Then we look to the scene & it seems that a certain clubbing group find themselves in a similar situation, although like we are trying to do, they are accentuating the positive and putting in plans to turn a bad situation good. So with that thought very much in our minds, we have dusted ourselves off, picked ourselves up and popped our recommends hat on to take a whistle-stop look through our choices of where to be & be seen on the scene across Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch, the three recognised hotspots of activity, although Southwark also gets a look in too.
Prolific Profile
So, with time against us, let’s press on and head to Soho first where we find Profile & Lo-Profile topping our tree once more, this brilliant combo of a bar & club complex on Wardour Street really going from strength to strength at the moment, the Lo-Profile having stretched its appeal across all three days (& beyond) while Profile continues to prove a wonderful & welcoming warm-up for the action below. So, what does this weekend old in store?, well upstairs its tonight (Fri 4th) and tomorrow (Sat 5th) that gets our immediate attention, D.J.’s on deck duty being resident regulars & favourites Zach Burns & Jamie Head respectively, both sure to get you in the mood for more partying downstairs, all this while you take advantage of Profile fabulous food & thirst quenching drinks, their happy hour worthy of a mention, which runs daily from 4 till 7 p.m. & includes cocktail pitchers at just £15. Lunchtimes are great too, a Saturday refuel serving up two meals for just £10, while it’s always worth starting your Sunday with a traditional roast before heading downstairs for “Secret Sunday’s (more on that in a mo). But while this may be a “weekend” newsletter, Profile also serve up plenty of temptations during the week too, info on all of this available at http://profilesoho.com.
The Secret's Out
Moving downstairs to Lo-Profile and their weekend already started last night with a busier than usual reported “Society”, the social soiree splendour that has moved from Friday’s to fill the gap left by Gigolo. However, its tonight (Fri 4th) when things really hot up as promoter & host extraordinaire, Jay Roberts, brings you another “Play Time” party, this week drawing on the talents of the D.J. duo of Paul Heron & Nick Evans, who just happen to be best pals too, Nick taking up the first slot & Paul carrying you through till 4 a.m., all this magnificent music back dropping the drop dead gorgeous & sexy studs Gabriel Cross & Gio Cruz, Jay added his own twist to this porn-tastic experience by tempting you into the “Play Time” bedroom where you get the chance to play with all three of these handsome hunks. Now Friday partying certainly doesn’t get better than this & would it not be for our commitments down Vauxhall way, we would be there with knobs on. But the weekend doesn’t stop there as the filling in the three day Lo-Profile sandwich is Saturday, with scene stalwarts Brent Nicholls & Rob Sykes very much doing the filling, in their case of your boots with beats, while it’s Sunday that is becoming a real humdinger of a day for the club, “Secret Sunday’s” very much drawing in a crowd. And with platinum selling & Brit award winning singer Nerina Pallot performing, while resident D.J. & Gaydar Radio presenter Phil Marriott sorts the sounds, we cannot think of a better way to finish a wonderful weekend, details of all of this out at http://loprofile.com.
So those are our Best Bites, what about some Short Shouts?, well Rupert Street (RS) gets first mini bite at the cherry, their weekend full of D.J.’ing action to match the masses that always pack out the place, tonight (Fri 4th) seeing our foxy female D.J. Minx take to the decks, while the dynamic D’Johnny sorts the sounds on Saturday, resident star turn Alessandro serenading your Sunday, more details on all the happenings down RS way available by hitting their web page at http://rupertstreet.com.
Inferno Ignites
Next up is Ku-Bar, or should we say bars, as both the Lisle & Frith St operations are worth a peek or three, the former’s highlights being “O Zone” tonight (Fri 4th) with Dusty O in charge of the pop parade of tunes, while transgender talent Lady Lloyd rolls out another “Hit Factory” session on Sunday, Firth St offering D.J.’s in their dinky downstairs place across all three days, while attraction plenty of boy candy to tempt you in, more details on all happenings Ku style out at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Our final Short Shout goes to the Shadow Lounge, which, after the success of new night “XXtra”, which held their “Shutdown” event last night, the Shadow team are back in business tonight with another “Therapy” session, resident D.J. Sonathque spinning the sounds, while tomorrow night (Sat 5th) it a bonfire bash “Inferno” style, Andrew Elmore putting the bang into the beats, which, given the forecast wet weather, should be the place to be. Plus, not forgetting their cabaret & karaoke Sunday soiree “Confessions”, for more info, go check out http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Right to Vauxhall and my has it been in the news & spotlight this week, predominantly due to the temporary closure of Fire, the club which boasts regular weekly outings Gravity, A:M, Later & Orange, but often serve up much more. Now, there has been a heck of a lot of rumours & hearsay flying around regarding both this closure & the on-going survival of Fire, something we wanted to put completely straight by issuing a special report “In the Line Of …”, which is well worth at read at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/11/reports-in-the-line-of-fire-the-closure-the-issues-wednesday-2nd-november/. However, it will come as no surprise that, while Fire is closed, this six week closure running
Brilliant Beyond
to Friday 15th December, the team have acted quickly, finding a new temporary home for all four clubs at Factory on Goding St, so just a hop, skip & jump away, we bringing you full details of the switch in another report, “All Change Please”, due out a little later today. In the meantime, it is all steam ahead at Area, The Orange Group’s two biggest & best brands (in our view at least), Onyx & Beyond, serve up twelve hour spectacular’s each, Onyx welcoming A:M into the fold for this weekend, but also boasting international D.J. superstar Wayne G to the decks, this truly un-missable event & all its details covered in our Focus post “Globetrotting G Lands In London” at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/11/recommends-globetrotting-g-lands-in-london-onyx-vs-am-friday-4th-november-weekend-focus/. As for Beyond, well it’s another “Midnight” party this Saturday (5th Nov) with a Guy Fawkes theme, promoter Mauricio Ortiz & his terrific team pulling out all the stops to, in their own words, “…celebrate fireworks night with a pyro-tastic, super-sized production party at London’s biggest & best afterhours…” they adding “…expect massive bangs galore, with rockets, confetti bursts, sparks and more, plus incredible laser shows, CO2 and stunning dance shows from Elektra Paris & Shaun Capewell..” while the D.J.’s on duty will include Alan K, Mikey D, Jamie Hammond, Jamie Head, D’Johnny, Jonny M, Hifi Sean, Paul Christian, Fat Tony & The Oli., entry a mere £10 in advance which you can grab at http://orangenation.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-11/06/beyond-afterhours, as well as the usual Soho outlets and one definitely worth a full-on visit, this Area combo of Onyx, A:M, & Beyond very much our Vauxhall Best Bite choice of this weekend.
So to some Short Shouts and Bear Necessity is back this Saturday (5th Nov), although at a new home, we giving it some Extra Bites attention in our post “Out Of Hiding In Hidden”, which is coming right up, while the bear action also extends to Friday’s, courtesy of Toner at the Eagle, who have a special “Big Bonfire Bash”, promoter & D.J. Tim Jones, welcoming special guest, the legendary Alan X to the decks, his set a sure-fire winner, while what could be better for the Tonker bears than a midnight pizza buffet, straight after a fireworks display in the Eagle garden at 11.30 (please stay dry!), more info on Tonker’s goings on available at http://tonker.co.uk.
Bonfire Birthday Burn
To The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) now and they have another fun filled weekend packed with goodies, “Rooster” kicking off this venerable institutions three days tonight (Fri 5th) with the likes of Timberlina, Jonjo providing the entertainment while D.J’s Come&Turn spin the sounds, the two weekend regulars of “Duckie” on Saturday & “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” on Sunday pulling in the punters and making sure it’s another weekend to remember on Kennington Lane (grassy knoll of not), more info out at http://thervt.org.uk.
For our final Vauxhall Short Shout, we wiz back to The Eagle, as Saturday is a special night, monthly outing “Carpet Burn” celebrating its 3rd birthday with a euphoric event, Jakie Graham taking centre stage, this superb singer sure to steal the show, although D.J.’s Dave Kendrick & Martin Fitzgerald will be doing their best to keep up with stacks of sparkling sounds, while free shots should seal the deal on this glorious gathering, more info on this & Sunday night regular “Horse Meat Disco” a click away at http://eaglelondon.com.
Delirium
We are on the home stretch now and heading to Shoreditch for our final Best Bite of the weekend, which this time round goes to The Dalston Superstore (DSS) who have two absolute corkers to tempt you away from the west end, tonight (Fri 4th Nov) seeing promoter Rex The Dog bring back “Breed” for its third DSS outing, he telling us that “…we are bringing back the laser powered beats & baselines to DSS’s basement…” regular D.J.’s Rufus&Bambi, Pleasure Cruiser &, naturally, Rex The Dog himself, making sure the promise is delivered, while upstairs gender bender boys (or is that girls?) John Sizzle & A Man To Pet host the upstairs place. Plus with no less than 50 “Breed” t-shits to give away & a Robo Rex model on offer too, heading to http://twitter.com/Rexthedog1980 could secure a prize, also remembering to get to the DSS early, as with entry free, it should fill to capacity quickly. Moving onto Saturday (5th Nov) and Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis pulls another party out of the bag (where will this man’s ingenuity end), Kris also getting in on the act by telling “Delirium is an uncontrollable state of happiness, deep energising and filled with beautiful house music that will have you wearing the kind of smile that no-one can fake…”, so definitely sold on us and should be you too, especially when you consider that Kris is joined on the decks by South African joy, James Pople, along with James Ritchie, Cathy & Tony Dunne, among them boasting appearances for “Circus”, “Meat”, “Room Service” & “Disco Discharge” to name just a few. So, with that delightful draw, you can expect this to be a roadblock event, entry free before 11 p.m. or £5 thereafter (you know what to do), “Delrium” running through till 3 a.m., while another “Tutti Fruitti” with Squeaky & guests rounds off the DSS weekend on Sunday, more info on the whole lot available by tracking the boys tweets at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore.
East Bloc Excelence
To just one Short Shout (although one sized up) to round off our looks at where to be & be seen on the scene this weekend and we head down the road to East Bloc who play host to the wired but wonderful “The Men Who Fell 2 Earth” this Saturday (5th Nov), the team welcoming special guest Mark Moore (of S-Express fame) to the decks in the main space, while room two sports, Another Night, the concoction of punk funk & dirty disco sure to please the punters, especially as the team are celebrating their first full year pushing the eats boundaries at East Bloc. However, the venue’s top cheese Wayne Shires helps to start you weekend off in style as he welcomes back the Super Techno Party Machine team, who will be holding their “New Stars Of London” party tonight (Fri 5th), who tell us, “…it’s time to get YO look ON…”, and for good reason as Brazilian photographer Eric Phillips will be pointing his lens at the contenders he rates for an inclusion in Carnage Magazine’s feature “New Star Of London”, while a free bar from 11p.m. till midnight plus terrific D.J. talent to carry you through till the 5 a.m. finish mean East Bloc should be on your calendar cards, more details on this & all happenings down City Rd way available at http://eastbloc.co.uk.
Solar Powered Sun
Now, just before we go, two quick mention’s the first for tip top clubbing website SeenQueen, who like us, have focussed on the happenings in Vauxhall, their own take on Fire’s closure along with an interesting poll point worth a glance, while the site is packed with plenty of other features, video clips, music links & photo galleries of the London scene, all a click away at http://seenqueen.com. Then, while last weekend marked the official end to the British summertime, it shouldn’t mean the tan you worked so hard for is left to fade, a trip down to Solarstation on Archer St in Soho providing the remedy you are looking for. Having increased their capacity & installed fresh tanning tubes, it’s definitely worth grabbing a piece of feel good factor, slapping on the factor, more details out at http://solarstation.co.uk.
Right, that’s it for another weekend and one that should be full of banging beats in true Guy Fawkes night style, especially if you find yourselves at one of our Best Bite or Short Shout choices. As for our weekend?, well it looks like Onyx vs. A:M is our singular dancefloor devotion, so if you see us out come say hi, while if not you can follow the live nibble size review tweeting action at http://twitter.com/discomatt, although wherever this bonfire weekend takes you, have a tremendous time, of course making sure you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Beyond, Carpet Burn, East Bloc, Ku Bar, Later, Lo-Profile, Onyx, Orange, Profile, Rupert St, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Tonker | No Comments »
Looking back on October alone it seems that even Alton Towers has nothing on the rollercoaster ride we have found ourselves on, last weekend a perfect example of huge Friday highs followed by Saturday lows, an amazing “Play Time” at Lo-Profile followed by missing in action absences from The Week & Lovechild. And our expected return to weekly newsletters was also on the rocks, our physical & so mental wellbeing having taken severe dent, although while we may be down & out on circulating the scene, it doesn’t mean that you should be, so it is only right that our recommends show should go on with a selection of Best Bites & Short Shouts tips of where to be & be seen on the scene in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere this coming weekend.
Brilliant Bar
So, to Soho first and top of our tree has to go to Profile & Lo-Profile, the continuing success story of this bar & club combo attracting plenty of attention, well in our books at least, although it seems across the scene too, especially given a packed out place last Friday, both upstairs & downstairs. And then trend is surely going to continue in the same vein this weekend, with Profile serving up D.J.’s on both Friday & Saturday, while also serving up plenty of mouth watering food & liquid refreshments to wash it all down, all served up by one of the friendliest teams in town. Now, as for the D.J.’s, tomorrow night (Fri 21st) sees Rob Sykes take to the decks, no doubt serving up his usual cocktail of classics & latest hits, while on Saturday, relative unknown (we must find out more on him) Renato Ponto spins the sounds. In terms of that food offer, Profile’s Sunday roast is definitely worth a try, while their tempting daily bistro menu with the weekend lunchtime “2 for £10” offer is a great refuelling value for money temptation to drag you away from those Oxford St shops. And with a happy hour from 4 till 7 p.m. daily & the D.J.’s on show from 8 p.m., there’s every reason to start your night out early, more info on Profile’s offering out at http://profilesoho.com.
Time To Play
Now, downstairs in Lo-Profile, it’s a busy three day weekend, new(ish) night “Play Time” having replaced the former “Society” which has moved back to Thursday’s (more on that in our “Soho Social Soiree Shake-up” report out shortly), this week’s Friday night saucy shindig getting a tad sexier with the influence of home-grown porn star & all round birthday suit enthusiast Ashley Ryder, who brings some of his boys with him, joining handsome host Jay Roberts, while its just as eye candying tasty behind the decks, as the cute yet capable Zach Burns is back (officially this week), taking up the first stint, while Nick Evans completes the “Play Time” picture. Then on Saturday (22nd), it’s Lo-Profile in the raw with resident D.J.’s Nathan Six & Tony English sorting the sounds, the advertised billing that includes Alessandro Londra a tad inaccurate as our Italian bello is actually away in Poland on gig duty this weekend. But Lo-profile’s weekend doesn’t stop there, as the clubs major sponsor Gaydar has another celebration for its radio station’s 10th birthday with main man Phil Marriott hosting another “Secret Sunday’s” session, this event very much living up to its name with the surprise guest still under wraps, although judging from posted reviews, is one not to be missed. With Monday night meet “Beartrap” completing the Lo-Profile weekly package, check out their website at http://loprofile.com for more info on opening times, etc.
To some Short Shouts now and to Ku-Bar first, who have a full weekend of activity both their Lisle & frith St operations, the former sporting the likes of Dusty O, Lady Lloyd & DouGuim on the decks, while their no shortage young blood across on Frith St, more info on both available by going to http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Rupert St have a similarly busy weekend with D.J.’s on all three nights, our original foxy female Minx charging the tunes on Friday (21st), while scene favourite Brent Nicholls will no doubt be leathered up for his Saturday stint before heading down to Hard On! (more on that in a mo), while Alessandro lands back from Poland just in time for his usual Sunday slot, more info out at http://rupertstreet.com.
Shadow Sunday's
Onto the Shadow Lounge & firm favourites “Therapy” & “Inferno” fill their weekend, resident’s Sonathaq & Andrew Elmore, respectively, sorting the sounds, although we shouldn’t forget Sunday nights as Sister Dee Chanelle hosts the karaoke, live show & disco bonanza “Confessions Dbyk”, a weeklong list of events plus all you need to know on this Soho splendour out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk.
Our last Soho Short Shout goes to Circa which all too often gets overlooked, although is a sumptuous & sophisticated little spot on Frith St up the Soho Sq end, which we find a perfect retreat from the manic movements around and has the added advantage of being open till 3 a.m., as well as sporting D.J.’s on all three nights of the weekend, including Munroe Bergdorf & Heidi Liscious, more info available at http://circasoho.com.
I'm Free
Right down to Vauxhall we go and to The Orange group who head up our league table of treats this weekend, a sea of activity encompassing some of your favourite brands around, Onyx, A:M, Beyond, Later, Booster & Orange all having their say, while the centrepiece of the weekend is the “Fire Free Party” on Saturday (22nd) which also serves as the official afterparty for “The Big Gay Lifestyle Show” (watch out for our Extra Bites post on this). And when the team say free, they mean it, although you do need to get into the club before 1 a.m. (no real hardship) with an ad or flyer (it’s £10 without), a superb line-up of D.J.’s on duty including D’Johnny, The Sharp Boys & Leandro Kloppel in the main room, while Ariel takes over the lounge, accompanied with his percussionist, hostess Elektra Paris keeping her gorge go-go’s in check & stage managing the shows as only she knows best. Plus, with selected shots at a mere £2.50 and spirit/mixer’s & beers at £2.90, this is one austerity busting bash that will certainly not burn a whole in your pocket, rather get you in the mood for partying right through till Monday morning, talking of which, Booster, which was shelved a few weeks ago, makes a welcome return to the schedule, guest D.J. Oliver M headlining this Sunday (23rd) at Area in advance of heading off for La Demence’s anniversary weekend, so will be a set & showing not to be missed. As for the other parties, A:M’s promoter Steven Sharp leaves the club in the capable hands of his resident D.J. team while he jets off to Amsterdam, those residents including Guy Williams, Fat Tony, Paul Heron & Jamie Head (top draw or what?!?!), while no weekend would be complete without a squeeze of citric clubbing from Orange, The Oli, Paul Martin & Fat Tony in the main room & RAW residents Gonzalo Rivas & David Jimenez keeping the beats banging till gone 9 a.m., more info on all these outings available at http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties.
So to some Short Shouts and firstly you will see that we left out Le Boy from the line-up above and for good reason, as this is the first regular outing to take residence in new club Protocol which, given all the tongue wagging, is well worth a visit for the decor alone. Now Le Boy, having launched just two weeks ago, is beginning to find its feet, so for a sense of sophistication 7 style in an otherwise more manic Vauxhall world, why not pay Protocol & Le Boy a visit tomorrow night (Fri 21st), more details out at http://protocollondon.com.
Next up is venerable institution The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) who, as always, have a fun filled weekend kicking off on Friday with a truly alternative night called “Seeing The Red Project”, presented by the Bar Wotever crew, while Saturday sees the infamous” Duckie” roll out another raucous party, Sunday of course set aside for “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” who have announced the release of early bird tickets for their NYE “Pink Ball” (early or what!), more info on all of this out at http://thervt.org.uk.
Rubber Up
To The Eagle now and a venue down on Kennington Lane very much masculine in it manner as well as its weekend events, not least “Tonker” tomorrow night (Fri 21st), promoter Tim Jones welcoming special guest Ben Jamin (not to be missed) to the decks, while Sunday’s are Sunday’s when its Horse meat Disco. However, these two regular nights sandwich the new to London “Cockette” (the name say’s it all) on Saturday (22nd), this Milan import bringing D.J.’s Max M & Gigi LP with it, so well worth a visit, as is The Eagle’s website at http://eaglelondon.com.
Our fourth & final Short Shout goes to Hard On! which returns this Saturday (22nd) to serve up your fetish fill at Factory, promoter Suzie Krueger supported & sponsored by Invincible Rubber this month, who bring a dirty sleazy rubbered up show to the party, the sounds just as sexy & sleazy in the hands of residents Brent Nicholls, Halo-is & Sharon O Love, while a reminder that this is strict dresscode as well as a members only club, all details of which you can find by going to http://hardonclub.co.uk.
Dalston Delight
So to our alternative action and we head out east for our Best Bite choice, The Dalston Superstore taking our plaudits this weekend with a full-on schedule that starts off with the return of monthly Friday night frolic “Back To Back”, this gigantic gathering packed with electronic house, disco beats & electro to techno tunes, delivered from a dream team of D.J.’s that includes Attaque, Ian Robinson, Kezokicki, Mr F & James Harris, this hip happening spread across both floors and for good reason as it does get, in the venue’s own words “…absolutely rammo…”, meaning an early doors arrival (we reckon before 10 p.m.) is well advisable. However, its Saturday that steal much more of the limelight as a special one-off night called “Strange Desires” devours DSS, Disco Bloodbath’s Damon Martin marking his own official warm up for Halloween and drawing on the terrific D.J. talents of Dirtbox, Crisco Disco, Jos Gibson and, straight in from Berlin’s Panorama Bar, their star turn Carsten Klemann, meaning the music is sure to be deep & techno based in the basement, while upstairs the feel will be a bit lighter with Londoners Dave Kendrick & Dan Beaumont in charge of the tunes, much more akin to the “Hot Mess” style of sounds that come out of this DSS regular, that being handbag house, disco, Italo & pop. And like Friday, with “Strange Desires” kicking off from 9 p.m., we recommend an early arrival to avoid not getting in or being crushed by the competition for a select spot, although on Sunday, it will not quite be the case, as D.J. Squeaky brings you another “Tutti Frutti” session to soothe you smoothly into the new working week. But the DSS story also extends to a fabulous food offer right across the weekend, this the perfect daytime retreat for a bite to eat and with everything freshly prepared on the premises catering for all tastes from vegetarians to carnivores and all at extremely reasonable prices too, the place is well worth a visit at some point, even if you can’t take in the full extent of their three nights of heavenly happenings, more details on the venue & its offerings out at http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
Right, to our final round of Short Shouts and we head down the road, to City Rd in fact, where you will find East Bloc, the venue that hosts parties such as “Gutterslut” & “Meat”, although this Saturday (22nd) sees a new night launched called “Songs Of Praise” and before you ask, no they won’t be screening the BBC1 Sunday night programme, rather the team behind “Kimono Krush” (of RVT fame) move across east to deliver a sermon of sounds that include pop classics & future house in the aptly named altar room, while in the chapel (it had to be!) it’s all about indie, a visit to http://eastbloc.co.uk revealing more.
Shoreditch Son Shindig
Next up is another east end offering, this time from Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis, who has created yet another event/brand to brave the scene (where will this man’s talents end?!), “Love Below” having a pseudo Room Service feel about it, well in D.J. & hosting terms at least, as Kris is joined on the decks by Dimitry Strigun & Ricardo Borsi, while Munroe Bergdorf adds a touch of glamour to this unabated sex fuelled basement of a venue on Great Eastern St. (the place is GC’s at No. 54), deep house the order of the music. Now, we can’t provide a web link, but can direct you to the event page on for further details, which is http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=161645427262964.
Last but by no means least, although a departure from our usual picks, but keeping it close to home is a Short Shout for the Two Brewers in Clapham, which celebrates a staggering 30 years of strutting its stiletto stuff with a jam packed weekend of top notch cabaret (the stuff it does the best, better than all the rest) Friday (21st) seeing a special Drag Idol bringing back some of the competitions winners from years gone by, while on Saturday it’s the actual birthday bash, Sunday seeing no less than 14 of the cabaret circuit’s best, this the night we would recommend if you have to choose, details of the venue location & other tit bits (no pun intended) available at http://the2brewers.com.
Well that’s our picks for where to be & be seen on the scene this weekend, but just before we sign off, just a quick mention for our friends at Seen Queen who have been busy re-packing their shelves with lots of video’s & gallery pics from around the scene over the last few weeks, as well as looking forward to Halloween which is next weekend (ish), that on top of their own tip top choices (any the same as ours?!?), all worth a damn good rummage by going to http://seenqueen.com/.
So, all that’s left to say is to wish you a wonderful weekend wherever it finds you & whatever you end up getting down to, while for us it looks like being a quiet one as the shoulder injury won’t go away, but we are taking it day by day, so anything is possible, meaning if you do see us out, come say hi, naturally making sure you “Go There! Be There” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Andrew Elmore, Area, Beyond, Booster, Brent Nicholls, Circa, D'Johnny, David Jimenez, East Bloc, Fat Tony, Fire, Gonzalo Rivas, Gutterslut, Hard On!, Ku Bar, Later, Le Boy, Lo-Profile, Love Below, Meat, Mix, Nathan Six, Nick Evans, Onyx, Orange, Paul Martin, Profile, Rupert St, Seen Queen, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The Oli, The Orange Group, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, The Two Brewers, Tony English, Zach Burns | 1 Comment »
After a pretty topsy turvy summer season which started & ended with hospitalisation, that on top of writing prospect promises that failed to materialise, we point ourselves towards the autumn with renewed vigour, this new found furver in our footsteps seeing the return of our weekly recommends newsletter which we now plan to extend into Thursday’s as it seems the weekend does actually start here for many. Plus, while we did experiment with an all encompassing version “Bar Bites & Club Cuts”, a move dictated by a certain weekly magazine rag, now that ties have been severed, we are pleased that our best format is back & here to stay.
Fabulous Food
So, let’s crack on and take a look at Soho first, our top of the tree choice here going to Profile & Lo-Profile, that latter having seen a bit of a shuffle while we were off air, but more on that in a minute. As for Profile, well, it’s business as usual down Wardour St way, the ever friendly & gorge bar team making for the most hospitable welcome we know and with plenty of special offers up their sleeves, like the Tuesday “Steak Night”, the Wednesday “Burger Bonanza” & their exemplary Sunday roast, we couldn’t think of a better place to take a snack or even dive into their considerable menu, the lunch offer of two main courses for £10 looking particularly tempting, while it is worth noting that everything is prepared on the premises from fresh local sourced ingredients. Equally appealing is the weekend music entertainment as the bar boasts regular residents that include Jamie Head, Nick Evans, Nathan Six & Zach Burns, while this Friday (7th Oct) the team are banking on new boy James Whalley to pull in the punters, while on Saturday, regular D’Johnny is highly likely to be in WE Party mood as he warms up the WE worshipers before heading down to E&C himself. So, we think there are more than enough reasons there to entice you to pay Profile a visit sometime this weekend, not forgetting their fab happy hour which kicks in from 4 p.m. daily & now includes cocktail pitchers at just £15, further details out at http://profilesoho.com.
Naughty New Night
Now to Lo-Profile and as we touched on earlier, it’s been all change on Friday’s while we have been out of action, the weekly social splendour “Society” having given way to new night “Play Time”, this very much upping the ante on the raunchy side, with the addition of a bevy of gorgeous go-go’s, plus a roving commission of sponsors, this week seeing English Lads play host, while on the decks the exceptional experience of Jamie Head will be complimented by the fresh faced looks & music of new to Lo-Profile, Renato Porto. However, the clubs weekend will have already started thanks to Thursday night thriller Gigolo, the Hart boys David & Lambros bringing another edition of this increasingly popular boutique style brilliance, this week the theme being “Heat” and the musical heat definitely on max with man of the moment, Zach Burns, kick starting the night, Mykonos Xlsior festival superstar George Spiliopoulos jets in add to plenty of Greek heat to proceedings. Then jumping through to Saturday, Lo-Profile assumes relative normality with Nathan Six & Alessandro Londra serving up the sounds, although the weekend is far from over as Sunday (9th Oct) yet another new night hits town, as Gaydar Radio’s Phil Marriott hosts a sequence of “Secret Sunday” sessions to mark the radio station’s 10th birthday, the night kicking off from 5 p.m. with live shows each week from 6.30 p.m. from house bands, this week Just Like Little People & Ryan Keen featuring, while Mr Marriott will be jumping on the decks too. With advance tickets at just £5 on sale at http://gaydar-radio.clubtickets.com, while entry is also available on the door, this should prove a superb way to end your weekend in superb style, info on this & all happenings out at http://loprofile.com.
Meat Men
Now to a couple of Short Shouts and first, with our extension to include Thursday’s, we give a plug to Room Service, who continue to pull in scene starlets & celebs at host venue Diu, tonight (Thurs 6th) seeing D.J. duo Kris Di Angelis & Tom Stephan give the night a meaty feel ahead of “Meat” which has its monthly meet on Saturday. Also acted as WE’s pre-party, Room Service looks like being another heavenly happening, more details available at http://clubroomservice.com.
Other our Soho Short Shout goes to Rupert St who continue to pull in the punters, despite the current downturn in consumer spending, the pink pound apparently still quite buoyant, either that or a sense of escaping from reality still alive & kicking. And to help the happy mood are its resident D.J’s that play out each Friday, Saturday & Sunday, this week seeing our foxy female D.J. Minx sort the sounds on Friday, while its Alessandro Londra that steers both Saturday & Sunday, more info on the bars food & drinks offers out at http://rupertstreet.com.
Right let’s move down to Vauxhall and with the lion’s share of activity it will come as no surprise that The Orange Group get our Best Bite devotion this week, the launch of new club night Le Boy one of the more exciting prospects and one which we covered in a Weekend Focus post, all the detail out at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/10/recommends-false-start-fixed-le-boy-the-launch-friday-7th-october-weekend-focus/. But while Le Boy steals some of the Friday spotlight, Onyx have their own bite at the
Friday Fresh
cherry with their “Freshman – Class Of 2011 Freshers Party” very much aiming at drawing in those student types that are about to knuckle down to a term of study but need a Friday fling to get them in the mood, D.J.’s Jonny M & Lee Harris pumping the main room, while Onyx’s own Verity Mayes joins Lisa German & Ariel in The Terrace, The Chapel space all about pop with Lady Lloyd & James St James. Jumping to Sunday and, as usual, all roads will lead to beyond, not least tempting those WE Party boys & girls that want to continue their cavorting, this weekend marking the resplendent return of Beyond’s very own Steve Pitron which can only mean one thing for us, yes you guessed it, that emotional rollercoaster ride, so watch this space for a special Extra Bites post due out on Saturday morning devoted to Steve’s return. But the offer across the weekend also includes Gravity tonight (Thurs 6th Oct), Later on Sunday & Orange on Monday morning, although Booster no longer takes place & Saturday will be given away to WE (more on that in a min). Full details of all these parties can of course be found by going to http://fireclub.co.uk/gayparties, as well as adding your preferred club option to http://gayguestlists.com while http://clubtickets.com is also worth a trawl for advance tickets & event details. However, how could we forget Queer Nation who celebrate their 21st birthday on Saturday (8th Oct), pretty much a record on the scene, Fire the venue where it all happens, our second Extra Bites post of the week devoted to this momentous occasion, so watch this space for that.
Sunday Sensation
To a couple of Short Shouts now and the venerable institution that is The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (The RVT) getting our first shout, a weekend packed with entertainment kicking off with “Rooster” on Friday (7th Oct), a night for “…art makers & bedroom porn stars…” and with Jonjo & Timberlina in the driving seat, anything could happen, while regulars “Duckie” on Saturday & “S.LA.G.S./Chill-out” on Sunday will surely find their fabulous followers, more info on the full seven days of activity available by going to http://thervt.org.uk.
For our second Short Shout we venture just down Kennington Lane where we find The Eagle who also have a weekend full of engrossing events, the manly “Tonker” on Friday & the madcap “Horse Meat Disco” on Sunday (9th Oct) sandwiching new(is) night “Goodfellas” on Saturday, a our foursome of fella’s on the D.J. decks sure to hit the mark, Leonardo Glovibes, Micky Galliano & Severino being joined by Nico de Ceglia, plenty of Italian & Latin influence sure to pump up some passionate action in this raunchy resting place, further details of all three nights out at http://eaglelondon.com.
Now, moving onto our alternative choices and whilst not alternative in nature, given its location in Elephant & Castle, WE Party certainly sits here in our rundown of happenings, their “I Love WE” event taking place on Saturday (8th Oct), our Weekend Focus post “Banking On Brand Buoyancy” telling all at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/10/recommends-banking-on-brand-buoyancy-we-party-london-i-love-we-saturday-8th-october-weekend-focus/, leaving a clear path to Shoreditch splendour, East Bloc, to grab our Best Bite slot. And for good reason too, as not only did the venue celebrate its first full year in
Hankies At the Ready
operation last Friday, no mean feat in the tricky trading tide its finds itself within, but with big brand Gutterslut now firmly established at this Old Street operation, the venue’s owner & promoter, Wayne Shires, couldn’t be happier, a chance meet on the street just yesterday confirming that. But this weekend, it’s all about another brilliant brand which East Bloc boasts and one home-grown at that, as the magnificence of “Meat” returns for another of its monthly sessions, the theme this time round being “Hanky Panky”, not that they really needed to as plenty of that goes on usually anyway. However, as co-promoter Kris Di Angelis explained to us, “…the deal is that we hand you a hanky and then you have to do whatever the hanky say’s that you are into…”, which in our case could include a multitude of sins, but will certainly throw plenty of extra spice into this already meaty meet. And that “hanky” theme will also extend to those that are familiar with its calling sign, for instance “…if you’re a top, wear it in your left back pocket, if you’re a bottom then it’s the right….” while Kris also adds, “…into oral? light blue is your colour, cross dressing? light lavender, size queen? mustard yellow, military man? Khaki, food play? lime green, no limits? orange, spanking? fuchsia, cigar play? tan…..and so on…”, so it seems the usual hanky panky will be even more so, although the music is also pretty much guaranteed to be top draw, Messrs Di Angelis & Stephan (that’s Tom) will be joined in the main room by James Pople, while over in the “mincemeat” space (we love that!), Jonny Woo & Lee Dalloway entertain. Kicking off at 10.30 p.m., check out all the detail via http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=271734846182429, while take a look that the latest monthly video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=nGjCdTy6s44 which spells out the hanky panky!!
Blonde Bombshell Bash
Right to a couple of Short Shouts and firstly to the Dalston Superstore up in, yes you guessed it, Dalston, the team turning out a weekend full of events, Friday seeing “Blonde” take charge, the likes of Jim Warboy & A Man To Pet on the decks, while on Saturday (8th Oct) the Sink The Pink crew are back with the ever popular “Happy Shopper” with one of east end’s best, Prince Nelly, on the decks among a host of others. Then to finish off the weekend, Squeaky pulls in loads of friends for “Tutti Frutti”, details of all three events available by going to http://thedalstonsuperstore.com.
Our final Short Shout for this newsletter goes to Exilio, the Latin niche night that has been going now for an impressive 15 years, such is its fervent following, so the team mark this momentous occasion with a special celebration down at Guy’s Bar on St Thomas St, London Bridge, salsa, meringue, cumbia & plenty more on offer. Plus being relatively early doors, starting at 9.30 p.m. this Saturday (8th Oct), WE enthusiasts can kill two birds with one stone, but be prepared to fork out £10 for this birthday bash.
So that’s just about it for our newsletter return, while as for our weekend, well it looks like Le Boy on Friday, Meat on Saturday and then, without question, Beyond on Sunday morning, we already having been put under starting orders by Mr Pitron so will be on our spot ready for his set. So, if you see us out, come up & say hi, but whatever you do & wherever it finds you, have a great weekend & remember to “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Alessandro Londra, Ariel, Beyond, East Bloc, Gigolo, Jamie Head, Jonny M, Later, Le Boy, Lee Harris, Leonardo Glovibes, Lisa German, Lo-Profile, Meat, Micky Galliano, Nathan Six, Onyx, Orange, Orange Group, Phil Marriott, Profile, Queer Nation, Room Service, Rupert St, Steve Pitron, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The RVT, Verity Mayes, Zach Burns | No Comments »
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