"Proud To be Pride" - London Gay Pride 2010

“PROUD TO BE PRIDE”
LONDON GAY PRIDE 2010
SPECIAL PREVIEW


Ever since we forced open the doors on our closet and started strutting our stuff on a vibrant gay scene across the capital, London pride weekend has held some incredible & interesting memories for us. Not only have we fully thrown ourselves into the marching festivities on a number of occasions with gusto, such mass processions through the streets of the West End of London that have always been a central theme to Pride weekends, but we have also been drawn into post party celebrations more times than we can remember. Those days, when shouting that we were out & proud from the streets was much more of a taboo than it is today, plus the political aims for gay rights seemingly so much forthright then than now, it is true to say that times have certainly changed, with the gay community so much more an acceptable part of our larger society, meaning that, for us at least, the emphasis of the parade has changed into being much more a celebration of rather than a demand for gay liberation.

However, we look back on pride weekends in London during our informative days, proud of what the capital laid on, not least in the massive park based gatherings that gave people one huge spot to celebrate & let their hair down, whether it be dancing in their favourite club tents, indulging in a little sporting activity, having a laugh on funfair rides, or just sitting back & watching performances from a host of artists from a massive main stage. Amazing events at Brockwell Park in Brixton, Clapham Common, even Victoria Park in the east end & more latterly Finsbury Park in North London, hold very dear & fond memories for us, while many may remember the early days of Kennington Park or the acclamation of the organisers landing of Hyde Park, even if the sometime characteristic wet weather marred these events. Having been intrinsically involved in four of these memorable outdoor pride parties, working non-stop in various bar concessions, there was always something extra special about those times and pride weekends.

But despite the massive park style parties falling by the wayside, pride in London has become a gigantic event, as not only is it one day of celebration, but encompasses a whole host of happenings, some of which have already started, as the so-called “Pride Fortnight” actually got under way on Friday (18th June) and the build up to the big day itself, Saturday 3rd July, encompasses events across the mediums of music, theatre, dance, comedy, visual arts, sport, debate, film, fashion, participation and literature. Highlights have & will include Pride London’s involvement in T-Mobile's Big Dance, Paul L Martin's Cabaret at Battersea Barge and the final DVD launch of the L Word. Pride London as an organisation is also proud to support UK premieres, new writing and a 48 hour film festival, they are even hosting their own variety gala at Leicester Square Theatre, as well as participation events in one of London's best kept secret galleries “10 Gales”. And with lots of events emerging, not least what looks like an unmissable theatrical cabaret entitled “Confessions Of Dancefloor Whore” billed as a show “...where politics and pop culture clash, fusing comedy, burlesque, drag and new media performance to explore the contradictions and clichés of queer life...” at the Trafalgar Studio’s in Whitehall, you kind of get the gist about what the festival fortnight is about, with full details available at http://pridelondon.org/ and via their dedicated Facebook group page .

But, of course, everything leads to the big day itself when Pride London will be celebrating 40 years of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in London, which was seen by the government of the time as a revolutionary group of radicals, but were actually activists who brought LGBT rights out into the open, gaining its recognition as a political movement in the national press, although not always receiving favourable coverage, overt acts taking place in public places that included releasing mice, sounding horns & unveiling banners, as well as street theatre, radical drag & kiss-ins to get their aims & messages across. Founding members including Peter Tatchell who, along with several others went on demonstrate & fight for gay rights through the organisation “Outrage”, also saw the development of “Stonewall” that sought more passive lobbying, but are two of many organisations that we can be thankful for contributing towards the freedom & acceptance the gay community enjoys today. So, with the theme of “Paint the Town Ruby Red” Pride London wants you to “...put a flower in your hair, dust off those platforms and wear a frock with a fabulous hat...” and aims to bring back a slice of 1970 “...in all its disco glory...”, although while we love a good bit of disco (its in our name after all) whether we will extend to wearing a frock is left to question, but we may manage a flower or a hat!

Now, what is certain is that the parade through the streets of London’s west end will take place as planned, setting off, from Baker Street at 1pm and proceeding down the shopping heaven of Oxford Street & Regent Street, then swinging round through Piccadilly to Trafalgar Square, where the main thrust of celebrations, stage shows, speakers, stalls & other attractions will swing into action from 3 p.m., the festivities also stretching up to Leicester Square, all free of charge. However, if you have seen the recent announcement that the usual dance stage in Soho Square will now not take place (check http://pinknews.co.uk/2010/06/18/london-pride-in-soho-cancelled for the full story), there is much debate as to what sort of a part THE recognised gay area of the capital will play in pride. Naturally, many of the bars will be celebrating the day in style (we are duty bound behind the bar at Rupert St), but the very popular dance stage, which was to be hosted by The Orange group has been thrown into considerable doubt. However, fear not, as we will of course share with you the information on the fate of Soho’s celebrations at the news hit our desks.

However, as day turns to night, plenty of parties will swing into action, not least the “official” Pride London party which will take place at the fabulous Koko venue in Camden, being the first ever event organised by the Pride London charity for pride in London. “Liberation” will encompass a whole host of entertainers from fire eaters, stilt walking drag queens, dancers, acrobats and a surprise PA taking part in a fully choreographed show to entertain the crowd. The music will be delivered by top notch scene D.J.’s that will include The Freemasons, Wayne G, Stewart Who? & Andy Almighty, while the magnificent VIP area will be hosted by drag queen Dave Lynn and ticket holders will enjoy a great view from a glamorous balcony at the centre of the club. As the only official party on the night of 3rd July, 100% of profits will be returned to the charity to help fund next year's free pride event, with more details of this party available at http://pridelondon.org/ and tickets available via the site, as well as at outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8 priced at £20 (£25 for VIP’s). Plus no party would be a party, without a pre-party and The Shadow Lounge is the destination on Thursday 1st July, when club night “Hola” will take centre stage, D.J.’s Laurent C & Terry Vietheer joined by Marron Bitch (aka Fidel – what a fab new name girl!), more details available at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/.

But it goes without saying that Pride in London sees many of the big guns in the gAylist clubbing scene make their mark on the weekend and this year will be no different as not just Soho but Vauxhall & beyond swings into action, our best picks including the weekend kicking off in style with a special “Onyx” party at Area, then the night itself seeing the return of “The Best Of Brits” to Fire, but with the very un-British Seamus Haji headlining a breathtaking list of over 20 London, U.K. & internationally based D.J.’s, including Steve Pitron, The Sharp Boys, & Guy Williams, spread over across four rooms of fun, the weekend ending as it should with “Orange” who welcome back Boy George to the decks. Mind you, fetish alternative “Hard On!” will definitely pull a crowd, promoter Suzi Krueger going all pride on us, shifting the event from its usual slot of the last Saturday on the month, also swapping the music around between the two rooms & for one night only you can enter without membership, with free membership offers to new “Hard On!” recruits. However, the Pride weekend of clubbing looks set to be dominated by two biggies, “SuperMartXe” and “Beyond”, Logan & his team laying on an extra special pride party event at The Coronet in Elephant & Castle, the “Wizard Of Oz” themed SM event, thrown in conjunction with Jodie Harsh’s “Circus”, definitely being the hottest ticket in town, the gorge Hugo Sanchez flying in from Spain, flanked by Tony English & Mr Italian stallion Pagano & prolific PA Abigail Bailey, while the “Circus” room sports, Jodie, resident Kris Di Angelis & special guest Fat Tony. Then everyone will then converge on “Beyond”, which will surely be a roadblock event as “Liberation”, “Hard On!”, Best of Brits” & “SuperMartXe” party hedonists collide, so this audacious afterhours will be THE place to be & be seen this pride. But we also give a big thumbs up to new club night “Revolucion” which chooses Sunday 4th July to launch at stunning new club Opal (formerly The Rock) on Embankment, legendary D.J.’s Stevie B & Fat Tony going back-to-back on the decks, with plenty more besides. We will bring you full details of all these parties in upcoming Hot Dates posts out in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled for those, not to mention the latest news on happenings across the pride weekend via our Recommendations & Extra Bites posts.

Right, that’s our preview take on this year’s London pride, which should prove to be not just a weekend of feverish entertainment, celebration & activity, but encompasses over two weeks of partying, unrivalled by any in the whole gay yearly calendar. And to the doubters that say that Madrid is ten times bigger & better and Cologne is one of Europe’s best pride events, (both which fall on the same weekend as ours), with the host of club nights, parties, & festivals taking place in London, pride in the capital looks like very much holding its own this year. Yes there are question marks over the Soho issue on the day, but be rest assured that, come rain or shine, London will be awash with brightly coloured, energetic party goers, entertainers, scene workers, & 10’s of thousands of people from all walks of gay life, converging on the capital to make this a pride to remember. So, make sure you book your place on the ride that will be Pride London and be “proud to be pride”. (DISCO MATT)

Beyond "Back-To-Back" - Special Club/Event Preview

BEYOND “BACK-TO-BACK”
SATURDAY/SUNDAY 5TH/6TH JUNE
SPECIAL PREVIEW


This coming Saturday sees super afterhours club Beyond combine the old with the new, as the “Beyond Back To Back” event takes over both Coliseum & Area in Vauxhall, so to mark this occasion we take an extra special look at both the history of this legendary club, as well as focussing on the event itself.

You will know from our virtual unparalleled coverage of this club that in all the years we have been partying on the scene, and believe us it’s a long time (Trade 1991 is our first major recollection), we can count on less than one hand, the clubs that have made the biggest influence & had the largest impact on our lives. We have already mentioned one just now, the other being the iconic Crash, the absolutely amazing underground club, launched by uber legendary (we will be using that word a lot) Wayne Shires, a day before our birthday back in December 1998, which not only put Vauxhall on the gay clubbing map, but was a real pioneer across a very diverse Saturday scene that, at the time, was very much aboutclubs like Heaven, Love Muscle & Substation (we don’t mention G.A.Y.), Crash going on to head up the market for well over eight years. But there is a third and it is of course, Beyond, the incredible Sunday morning afterhours legendary club that has not only won awards, but now itself dominates the market like no other we have know.

In the good old days, Sunday mornings were always set aside for Trade and we, along with hundreds of others, used to make the weekly homage from Vauxhall to Farringdon, dancing way past dawn & deep into Sunday afternoon, then falling out onto an unsuspected Soho afterwards to wind down our weekend. But with Vauxhall very much in the ascendency, especially with the now established clubs A.M. & Orange in a venue that is now probably THE major tore de force on the scene, Craig Elder's venue Fire, the place to be at the turn of the century was south of the river and the collaboration between the owners of Crash & Fire saw the birth of Beyond on 1st June 2002, following the massive Purple In the Park outdoor event in Brockwell Park. Aimed at being “...the freshest Sunday morning afterhours...”, Beyond was a success from the moment it started, even eclipsing then very powerful & dominant Trade and quickly became “...the stuff of legend...” and for good reason, as not only was Vauxhall becoming the premier clubbing hotspot in the capital, but in Beyond particularly, the music & the D.J.’s that played there were outstanding & the crème de la crème of the scene crop. The original team included Brent Nicholls, Paul Heron, Alan X, Severino, Steve Pitron, D-Lux, & David Jiminez (many that were Crash residents) and such was the success of this afterhours phenomenon in the hands of these D.J. stars, that not only was the main room packed every week, but the much loved VIP room in the hands of Brent & Paul reached near iconic status, this all sparking a third room entitled “Beyond Therapy”, launched in December 2002, where legends Antoine 909 & Malcolm Duffy played but which evolved to become the Long Room as time went on, D.J. Paul Martin making the space his own. Other big hitting names that graced the original Beyond decks have included The Sharp Boys, Hugh Stevenson, Stevie B & Elemental D.J.’s Red & Blue, the club even spurning Sunday afternoon outing Later.

However, in mid 2006 Beyond disappeared off our radar as new club venue Area launched and with Crash still going strong, the balance shifted from one side of Vauxhall to the other, many of the Beyond residents also switching when afterhours club Ultra was launched, the likes of Steve Pitron, Brent Nicholls, Paul Heron & Severino joining forces with current Beyond favourites Jamie Head & Mikey D that saw “...the coolest afterhours clubbing in town...” concept take the place of Beyond, Ultra even joining forces with 1990’s afterhours powerhouse Trade at Area and developing the concept into Bank Holiday special’s “Essential” back in Beyond’s original home Coloseum. With Area the new sensation in town, this modern & bespoke clubbing venue was soon to attract other clubs and Spanish club Matinee was launched in London at this super swish Vauxhall hangout, a club that was to dominate the late noughties, the venue even sporting the collaboration between Crash & Megawoof, called “Union” (get the connection?!) for a short series of special parties. So what happened to Beyond? And why did is suddenly drop off the clubbing calendar? Well, those that are in the know will know and for good reason we will not go into the detail, but as they say, you can never keep a good thing down and on May Day Bank Holiday Sunday 4th May 2008, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Beyond was re-born, not at Coloseum, but at Area, following the venue's re-vitalisation in the hands of The Orange Group and whilst the early months at its new home were a little hit and miss, the traditional clubbing fraternity taking a while to adjust to this legendary afterhours’ new home, as quickly as it disappeared in 2006, a mere two years later, Beyond was virtually back where it belonged, at the top of the afterhours clubbing pile and pulling in massive crowds. Bringing the story right up to date is an easy one, as not only has Beyond continued to grow in strength, bringing old time favourite D.J.’s along with it, Steve Pitron & The Sharp Boys especially (even Brent Nicholls was back behind the decks in March), but the residency team that includes Crash D.J.’s Jamie Head & Mikey D, but sports names such as Hifi Sean, Gonzalo Rivas, D’Johnny, Terry Bryan & (how could we leave out) Alan K, mean that the weekly homage’s that were part & parcel of our life back in 2002 are back with us again in 2010, Beyond dominating the gAylist clubbing market & even scouping numerous awards.

So with that historical backdrop, you can imagine our excitement when news hit our desks a couple of months ago that the team behind Beyond these days, were planning what was described to us as a “Beyond Classic”, a one-off event & journey back in time to re-capture the magic of those days in Coloseum and bringing back (where possible) the original D.J.’s in the original format. And looking at that line up back in 2002, virtually all the names still play a predominant part in the clubbing scene of today, or at least are still very much active, Brent Nicholls, Paul Heron, Alan X, Steve Pitron, David Jiminez, Severino, Hugh Stevenson, Paul Martin & The Sharp Boys, even the lovely Antione is still very much around (we were with him at Beyond just last weekend), so it seemed, on paper at least that this “classic” Beyond would be just the celebration of everything that was great about the original concept & D.J. line up that we had expected. Indeed having been a stalwart regular of Beyond since its launch, there is no other club for which we have so much love & passion, hence our genuine excitement & desire to see the orginal formula re-created as near as damn it to 2002. Of course times have moved on and the music has changed considerably, Brent Nicholls’ original mix (we love it!!), which is well worth a listen at http://djbrentnicholls.com/music/B2B (you can also download the mix from here, just follow the instructions), is testament to that and no-one could expect this “one-off” event to be a carbon copy.

But, nevertheless Beyond is back at the Coloseum, so what can you expect from this party? Well, firstly, Coloseum plays its part in a fourteen hour (yes you heard us right) extravaganza, balanced between Beyond’s old & new homes and in the words of the organisers, the first part of this named “Beyond Back-To-Back” event, will be “...a nostalgic return to the glory days of clubbing for some, and a piece of clubbing history for others who have yet to experience it...” they going on to say “...Expect a truly hedonistic musical journey, reliving those groundbreaking early days of Beyond, rekindling the magic which made Beyond ‘the world’s favourite afterhours party...” also mentioning that “...many of the original Beyond residents will reign supreme, spinning a sensational mix of current pumping underground house with some favourite Beyond classics sprinkled in for good measure...”. So, it definitely sounds that this Beyond return to Coloseum will be the celebration we have been looking forward to and with the added bonus of new lighting, lasers, plenty of pyrotechnic effects and stunning dancers to give the old feel and more up-to-date & eye catching appeal, to meet the modern audience. And of those original resident D.J.’s who can you expect? Well, Brent Nicholls will be there, as will Paul Heron & Alan X, with Paul Martin who was part of the “Long Room” set up back in 2004 also being part of the team. Joining them will be current Beyond Area resident Gonzalo Rivas, Orange regular Fat Tony & Onyx promoter Jonny M, the music spread across three rooms, although as yet, which D.J.’s will be where we are not sure. Now, it has to be said that this line up the not quite the classic line up we expected, but we are sure each & every D.J. will nevertheless pack a pumping & pulsating musical punch, we however being reliably informed that there will be plenty of extra special surprises in store and as soon as the final D.J. line up reaches our desk you will be the first to know.

No Beyond party would be complete without its current incarnation at Area and there is not much we can add to everything we have said in recent reviews & recommendation posts apart from the fact that 2010 has seen this party stand head & shoulders above the competition. Beyond, just last weekend, was rammed with revellers that saw all three rooms full to capacity and superb sets from residents Hifi Sean, D’Johnny, Alan K and a special b2b three hour set from Steve Pitron & Mikey D truly delighted, other special ingredients including Logan’s gorgeous dancers and extra special host Naomi, not to mention the marvel of Tom on the door, making sure everyone’s entry was as smooth as possible, ensuring this was a Beyond not to forget. Last week also saw the welcome return of David Jiminez, who’s inspired energy behind the decks, saw the Blackbox room packed much longer than usual, and whilst the line up for this week’s party has yet to be confirmed, we are sure that the main room will be reigned supreme by Mikey D, Steve Pitron, & Alan K. Resident Hifi Sean will be sadly missed (he has commitments over in Amsterdam) although others joining the main room stars should include D’Johnny, Jamie Head, Paul Christian, David Jiminez & The Sharp Boys, but as with part one, we will let you know as soon as we do. Plus the gorgeous dancers will be back, as will Area’s unbeatable lighting pyrotechnics, lasers & effects to once again hit the mark with every move.

Well, that’s our overview, now to the detail. “Beyond Back To Back” kicks off at 11 p.m. this Saturday (5th June) at The Coloseum, part one taking you through till 7 a.m., while over at Area, part two starts at its usual timing of 6 a.m. (Sunday 6th June) running through until 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Joint tickets to both Coloseum & Area are available at £20, either online at http://clubtickets.com/ or at Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8 & The Box, as well as at both Fire & Area. Mind you, if you were out last weekend you may have picked up free entry passes to the Coloseum part & these are still available via e-mail at vip@prototype-music.co.uk with individual tickets to each part on sale for £12.

So, it certainly looks like being one hell of a Beyond bender for devotees to the new and you simply couldn’t ask for more. As for those that were at the original back in 2002, well there are definitely elements that evoke those heady early days, although we are holding our breath on the confirmed D.J. line up at Coloseum to see if it will fulfil our expectations, not least rekindling the magic of that very special VIP room space which still lives in our memories. (DISCO MATT)

London Global Dance Festival - Sorry Shoes Profile

LONDON GLOBAL DANCE FESTIVAL
MAIN EVENT & AFTERPARTY – SUNDAY/ MONDAY 30TH/31ST MAY
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC OUTFIT PREVIEW

Well, you find us just over half way through the massive London Global Dance Festival (LGDF), having savoured a spectacular launch party in the hands of “Onyx” and a brilliant performance by Amsterdam’s Dikky Vendetta, followed by a auspicious “A.M.- International, a brilliant “Beyond – Universe” and a lavish “Later – Global Edition”, although as good as all these were, it seems that the best is yet to come, as we are literally three or so hours way from the main event, which will be followed by the huge “Orange LGDF Closing Party” event and one particular outfit that will be present at both parties gets our final devotion in what has been a truly exhaustive yet most comprehensive look at all the international clubs & outfits that will be representative & part of this massive London music & dance gathering

Sorry Shoes Sorry shoes was created as a record label & agency by international D.J./Producer Mike Kelly back in 2008 and has both German & Australian origins, but serves to bring together D.J. talents from across the globe, sourcing individuals from as far away as Brazil, America, and, naturally, Australia, but as near as France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the U.K. Since its inception Sorry Shoes has attracted an impressive array of well over 30 masters at their game, with a core team that includes Jean Philips, Ben Korbel, Chris Bekker, & Thomas William joining Mike, but extending to members that include Alex Taylor, Ben Manson, Hifi Sean Dickson, Ivan Gomez, Nacho Chapado, Oliver M & Steven Redant, the huge list of artists offering up a whole expanse of genres across house music, giving the label & agency incredible depth. Sorry shoes philiosphy is based on its desire to “aim to make you dance, provide professionals, yet always remember to smile” attracting D.J.’s that push the boundaries with their music yet always remembering that music is still there to dance to and that their production works should be stimulating yet full of fun.

So, from elements of progressive, tech, trance, tribal, minimal & electro, the ever increasing team includes both longstanding contributors to the music industry as well as new & upcoming talents and in the relatively short time the label & agency has been running, not only is the membership impressive, but so is the list of releases which have included Jean Philips’ & Mike Kelly’s “Tisco”, Exit Earth’s “The Sun”, Steven Redant’s “Discotheque”, Rene Raabe’s “Me” & Van Gomez’s “D-Pressed” and has seen support both through radio airplay & live gigs come from the likes of Judge Jules, Axwell, Ismael Rivas, Lisa Lashes & Hector Fonseca to name just a few. So, having established a solid reputation within the Industry, Sorry Shoes continues to move forward, with over 10 commercial label releases already under its belt and with plenty more to come and therefore the management team behind Sorry Shoes are thrilled to be part of LGDF. Both Mike Kelly & Jean Phillips will be representing the organisation at the main event tomorrow night, and fellow Sorry Shoes artists Thomas William, Ivan Gomez & Nacho Chapado, will be part of the “Orange event, Thomas flying the flag for Cologne club Nightkomm & the “peas in pod” duo of Ivan & Nacho influencing the main room & The Blackbox at Area, respectively.

Plus don’t forget that Sorry Shoes have sponsored the “official CD compilation for LGDF, a 12 track mix that was put together by Mike Kelly and includes some real corkers. Complimentary copies will be handed out to VIP guests at the main event tonight, with the CD’s also available for sale at both Fire & Area, as well as in super Soho retail outfit Clone Zone &, we are told, countrywide at HMV stores, but why not get your slice of some Sorry Shoes action, live at the LGDF main event & the closing party and a better brand to be involved, we couldn’t think of. (DISCO MATT)