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)
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)
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