Reports – “All Change Please” – Fire “The Closure & The Plans” – Saturday 5th November

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All Change Please

Well, the news of the temporary closure of one of the capital’s premier & most popular gay venues is now very much broadcast news, the weekly gay magazines having reported on it, London’s clubbing bible website SeenQueen having posted on it and even we having gone into great detail over it, our special report “In The Line Of ….” attempting to quash the rumours & hearsay but to serve up a balanced view of the situation facing Fire in Vauxhall. And while we have to once again stress that the closure is a temporary one, the issues surrounding it covered in our last report at http://discomatt.com/web/2011/11/reports-in-the-line-of-fire-the-closure-the-issues-wednesday-2nd-november/, given the fact that the venue will be out of commission until 15th December, we felt it only appropriate to serve both regular Fire customers & you, our reading public, with news on plans while the venue is closed.

 

Area Greets Gravity

Therefore, with Fire closing from Monday 31st October to Thursday 15th December, very much affecting weekly Orange Group brand regulars Gravity, A:M, Later & Orange, along with a host of Saturday night parties, as well as new club kid on the block Le-Boy at Protocol, the new swish venue within a venue, it was clear the team had to act quickly, not least to maintain the weekly presence of their regulars above, but also to accommodate promoter Patrick Lilley’s Wednesday weekly club, Work.  So, within days of the temporary closure being announced exclusively to gay rag Q.X., we became aware of a plan to switch these clubs to a temporary home, while sister venue to Fire, Area, would also play its part in keeping up The Orange Groups prolific profile on the capitals clubbing calendar. And the team didn’t have to look far for their venue knight in shining armour, as it was Factory that came to the rescue of the Fire closure plight, the fit, while a temporary one, looking like a pretty good solution to a prickly problem, one that will get its first test tomorrow afternoon (Sunday 6th Nov).

 

Factoring In Later

So, what have The Orange Group brokered in this temporary move?, and what will the revised weekly listing/schedule of parties look like? Well, in terms of Factory, while we haven’t been privy to the detailed negotiations & discussions, it is probable that the Orange Group will look like taking a stake in the venue, not least as a fall-back on some other underlying issues with Fire which keep getting kicked into the long grass, although may be likely to come back & bite the team in the proverbial arse. Therefore, it seems logical, with Area’s position at present relatively secure, that moving in on Factory will give The Orange Group the anchor come bolt hole they need, while the win win situation clearly extends to Factory’s owners & management, who will more than likely see a tenfold increase in footfall through the venue’s doors, as well as increasing its own profile on the clubbing scene landscape. However, with monthly meets like Hard On! , among other commitments Factory need to honour, it looks like being a busy old time on Goding Street over the next few weeks.

 

Citric Switch

Right, so what does the revised weekly schedule look like?, Well, as we have said, Area will be taking up a fair amount of the slack left behind by Fire’s doors being shut, both Patirck Lilley’s “Work” & The Orange Group’s “Gravity” moving there and assuming their regular slots or Wednesday’s & Thursday’s respectively. A:M is the next brand that shouts “All Change Please”, as it fits into the Onyx fold at Area for the next two weeks, just last night having doubled up with its Friday clubbing compatriot to make a massive twelve hour happening & will follow this with another Onyx vs. A:M event next weekend. Then it moves to Factory for the remainder of its situ away from its original home, the Goding St hangout also accommodating Sunday saunter Later from this weekend, so tomorrow (sun 6th Nov) onwards, while Orange is also on the move to Factory & will showcase its first shindig there from 11 p.m. tomorrow night. As for Le-Boy & planned Saturday parties, these have been shelved for now, the likelihood that Beyond will extend its hours in either “Midnight” or “Belief” format, this week’s “Guy Fawkes Special” neatly followed next weekend with this awesome afterhours marking the beginning of their winter season with the return of their “Ice” themed party that was such a great hit last year. In terms of other events on The Orange Group calendar while Fire is closed, well we cannot forget the massive WE “Disco” event on Sat 3rd Dec, marking the 1st Anniversary of this Spanish superclub landing in London, while we cannot overlook Sunday evening bash Booster, which maintains its slot at Area, sandwiching neatly between Later & Orange.

 

So, with plans very much in place to keep the parties pumping, this should allow the necessary steps to be put in place to ensure a sparkling re-opening of Fire on Friday 16th December, news on that weekend coming your way right here as soon as the details hit our desks, while in the meantime, you can keep abreast of all the developments by going to http://freclub.co.uk/news, any major news sure to come your way as so as we know it. In the meantime, while it is very much “All Change Please”, keep the fire burning bright by checking out the switch to Factory as we are sure to before very long. (DISCO MATT)

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About discomatt

The History........................................................Created in 2008 after a short period of blogging under his real name, the pseudonym, “Disco Matt”, was born on the back of a reputation for being London’s original party boy having partied and clubbed across the London gay scene since in mid 1990’s.........................................................Through his series of blogs via individual blogging pages which soon morphed into a full blown website (http://discomatt.com), Disco Matt established himself as an independent journalist come columnist who quickly gained a reputation for supporting & promoting one of the world’s most prolific clubbing scenes. He previewed, reviewed & recommended London gay clubs, as well as the diverse gay/metrosexual London club/bar culture, linking to & reviewing the scene top D.J.’s and generally covering the gay scene including international gay events....................................................Regularly reporting on the top events across the scene, Disco Matt’s reviews, over the years, developed a strong following, not just by clubbers, D.J’s, promoters, music producers & scene faces, but people far and wide that were looking for an insight to the incredible scene that was London. He also previewed upcoming events that signalled, either a major change or update of existing clubs, new ventures on the gAylist/metrosexual scene, or where he considered events that deserved more comprehensive coverage to that provided in other posts.............................................However, having pretty much reached the top of his game in his chosen specific field, due to a number of personal predicaments, challenges & changes in his life priorities, Disco Matt parked his writing and operation in February 2014. While the burning desire to continue remained, what this much needed period of inactivity did provide was the time & space to re-think & re-focus his activities on a broader spectrum of media and entertainment............................................................So, following this long two year lay-off, he built up the foundations for this diversification into the areas of film, theatre, radio & television where his reviewing, recommending & reporting was to be replicated & resurrected, also pointing his promotions through more visuals & video's linked to all these areas along with his core activities and passions ................................................................................The Present....................................After another (shorter) period of lay-off from mid 2016, a life changing event reignited his passion and early into 2017, Disco Matt has delivered on his promise for a new, more modern look to his website, shedding the old & tired skin in favour of something far more in keeping with the times and with his blogging roots. And he has waived a fond farewell to his clubbing days, this having also been ditched from his site & activity, rather now just focussing on the genres of film, theatre, radio, television, video and of course, music, in so doing, aiming to broaden his appeal to a much wider audience interested in the latest most cutting edge areas of media & entertainment.............................................................................His aim is to be highly regarded across the industry for his writing in these fields and ultimately become a full time critic in film &/or theatre.