Soho Live 09 - Special Preview

SOHO LIVE 09 - SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER
SPECIAL PREVIEW


With Soho having made a real impact on the countries Pride season with some fantastic events over the years, from an impromptu start back in 2002 to the massive party it became last year, the main stage in Soho Square featuring a star studded D.J. line up, but with plenty of activity right across the area including the ever popular Q.X. stage in Rupert Street, all followed by after parties that kept the action going right into Monday morning, we were eagerly anticipating a repeat this year. So, it was a huge shock when news hit that Soho Pride would not be going ahead, the finger of blame being pointed in many directions, not least at London's Mayor for withdrawing financial support, but also over Crossrail's construction (a weak excuse is you ask us). However, what was more likely was that some key players in previous events not willing to bridge the financial gap and put their money where there mouth was, coupled with the amazement that so many venues across the Soho expanse, who have made huge profits from previous events, were also unprepared to put their hands in their pockets. However, from the minute that the news broke, furied discussions & negotiations began to reprieve Soho Pride and two protagonists stepped into the breach, both who have been "linch pin" supporters right from the early days and Soho Live became a reality.

And who were the two responsible? Well The Edge Group and Gaydar ofcourse, both who thought it would have been a crying shame if the now traditional yearly Soho event wouldn't go ahead, although were immediately facing an uphill battle to get everything organised and in place in time for the regular July/August timing, therefore deciding that a Sunday in September would be more appropriate & realistic. It was then a case of not only building up sponsorship support but forming the plans and implementation of the whole event infrastructure, lining up the artists playing on the various proposed stages and thinking about the addtional elements to make Soho Live an all encompassing day of celebration for the whole community, which had been given the important endorsment by Westminster council. With the news out, a whole host of sponsors came forward to give their support, including big corporates Carslberg Tetleys, Diagio and Mitchells & Butler as well as all your favourite independant gay/gay friendly outlets & business in and around Soho, but also The Wandsworth Palais which has invested alot into creating the perfect afterhours party (more of that later).

So, it has a slightly different name, a different date, but in essence the feel of the set up of Live 09 is very much the same as Soho Pride, or is it? Well, all the elements that made last year the huge sucess it was are there, the Gaydar Radio main stage & dance area is still in Soho Square, the Q.X. dance stage is back and will dominate proceedings in & around Rupert Street, even the Girls dance stage makes a welcome return, this year sponsored by Gaydar Girls & London's newest girl bar G Spot, but in a different setting on Romilly Street and naturally all your favourite Soho bars will be adding their own style to the event. However, there are some new elements that will set Soho Live aside from its predecesor as the organisers have agreement to use St Anne's Garden as a community stage & area, transforming the space into the style of a mini village fete, with market stalls, street artists, a bouncy castle and a small performance stage, very much more of a "Family Fun Area" which will also extend into the lower part of Dean Street with fun rides, magic shows & even some fairground games. There will be a variety of acts featuring on the community stage, including this years Drag Idol winner, Kevin Cruise as well as "A Stage Kindly", a theatre group that will be performing a fabulous homage to musicials. The host of market stalls will be back, spread across Greek, Frith and the northern side of Dean Street as well as the north side of Soho Square, but with a slant towards the designer in you, with specialist selections of arts, crafts, fashion & jewellery on offer, but with the usual influence of charities & support groups intrinsict to the gay society.

But, the real draws will remain the dance stages, so whats on offer? Well Soho Square's Camp Gaydar from last year will be transformed into a glitzy and glamourous Vegas style & theme with the addition of "The Fashion Catwalk" which will showcase the great collections and unique work of designers from Soho's various stores and boutiques. The music will be the main focus however, with a truly great D.J. line up playing live throughout the afternoon, headlined by The Freemasons who take to the stage at 4.30 p.m, the duo that are responsible for so many great dance hits, including "Love on My Mind", "Watchin", Rain Down Love", "Nothing But a Heartache" & "Uninvited" all of which we are sure will be in their playlist, with Gaydar Radio's Phil Marriot warming things up, followed by Matinee's & Evolved Events Oliver M, at 3.30 p.m., who will lead up to the duo. Juicy, Beyond & Lo-Profile resident & legendary D.J. Steve Pitron will then take over from the Freemason at 6 p.m. and international superstar Paul Heron rounds things off from 7p.m. till close at 8 and the whole afternoon of music in Soho Square will be broadcast live on GaydarRadio as the space will simply rock.

Over on the Q.X. stage in Rupert Street there will be plenty of activity with a plethroa of performers & P.A.'s adding glamour to the line up of D.J.'s which include Barcode resident Kris De Angelis, fab D.J/Producer & Gutterslut resident Per Q.X. , Matinee, Hard On!, Industri & Lo Profile resident Brent Nicholls, and the duo that played a superb b2b set at the recent Trade/Orance party and are regulars at Beyond & Juicy, Jamie Head & Mickey D, who will perform separately throughout the afternoon. We mentioned P.A.'s and the Q.X. stage have some biggies, with Work's legendary performance artist Scottee presenting a couple of dance numbers produced by Kris De Angelis, MC Crystal will be around to spruce up proceedings with her freestyle vocals and energy, but the great news is that the London gay clubbing scene's first lady, Therese will take centre stage with an exclusive debut of new material to compliment her classic hits. So with funky & chuky disco dancing turning into dirtier, sexier & huge house hits as day turns to night, we are sure this area will be as popular as ever.

And for you gals, Romilly Street's theme of "here come the girls" will be very much in evidence, with girl bar G Spot's very own D.J. Caz getting things going from 1.30 p.m. followed by Sandra D, resident at Ruby Tuesdays, carrying on from 4 p.m. and Miss Bailey taking over at 6 p.m. to see the music through till the 8 p.m. finish. And with the added spice of vocalist extraordinnaire Tonnic, who we are sure will rock Romily Street to its foundations with her awsome vocal chords, there will be loads to keep the girls very happy indeed. Mind you if you prefer to hang out in the bars, there will be plenty of music on offer, Rupert Street resident D.J. Alessandro playing out right across the afternoon with a pure mix of disco, dance, funky & hard hitting house, while over at Barcode, the team have lined up a host of D.J.'s that we are told will include Paul Coles, Hi-Fi Sean, Saki & Mattias. Heidi Liscious takes over the main bar at Village & The very Miss Dusty O plays out in Ku Bar frith Street, so plenty on offer.

But when Soho Live 09's curtain falls at 8 p.m., the partying will continue at the official after party "Paparazzi" which takes over at super new club venue the Wandsworth Palais, yes you heard it Wandsworth. But fear not at there will be free, yes free transport direct from Soho as you will be swept away from the centre of town on the buses leaving from Shaftesbury Ave and Tottenham Ct Rd from 8pm when "Paparazzi opens, with the free transport running until 12.30 am. As for the event itself, be prepared to be bathed in the warmth of a thousand flashes, shine like a star in a sea of cameras, and dance alongside some of the scene's hottest men as the venue will be transformed in the glamorous T’dance style but with circuit like production, massive inspiring stage shows and some of the world’s most eye-pleasing dancers & performers provided by Mark M Forn's Fierce Intl. D.J's grabbing the camera clicking action will include Paul Heron, Pier Morrocco, Brent Nicholls & Alessandro, with the club running right through till 6 a.m.

Back in Soho, new club "Scandal" launches at the swish Shadow Lounge, brought to you by one of the scene's most experienced promoters, Steve Elliot, the man behind Salvation. In a scandal ridden interview he told us that he promises a night of scandalous proportions right in the heart of the West-end with plenty to talk about. It has also been scandaleously reported that it will be hosted by the unscrupulous Madam Alekssandra Ceciliato and our sources also reveal that DJ’s Miswhite, Paul Coals & Nathan 6, will be creating the musical scandal with live vocalist Tonnic providing the vocal gossip at this shameful event, accompanied by the mistress of disgrace, Juliana de Primo, with "Scandal running from 9 p.m. through till 3 a.m.

So, next Sunday looks not only like being a day and night to remember but we suspect that Soho Live 09 will eclipse all previous events and will be heralded as THE outside party of the year. With the weather forecast looking very promissing, expect Soho's streets to be brimming with a amazing mix of people who want to dance, party, have fun, shop and eventually drop but will take away some lasting memories of a truly fantastic time. A big thanks & thumbs up to the team at the Edge and Gaydar for making Soho Live 09 a reality, yes, we are sure they will come across some teething problems, but with the superb support of so many business across Soho, we are confident that Live's 10, 11 & 12 will follow for sure and eventing in Soho will form a permanent spot in our yearly calendar. As for us, well, we are on duty at Rupert Street throughout the day, but will have team "Disco Matt" out & about, so expect a full review for sure. (DISCO MATT)

August Bank Holiday - To be a Sucess or Not to be a Sucess, That is THE Question? - Special Preview

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY
TO BE A SUCESS OR NOT TO BE A SUCESS...THAT IS THE QUESTION?


With 2009 proving to be a tough year in gAylist/land London for a number of reasons, the previous Bank Holidays have been tricky to say the least, with plenty of events struggling to attract the sort of numbers that would have been a given in years gone by. Many of the expectated launch of new ventures over Easter & then the May Day breaks, fell victim to the ravages of the economic climate, as the big guns stole the lions share of a a declining captive audience. Yes there were some real sucesses, but with the three holidays being so close together, it was always going to be a difficult climate for club promoters and venues alike.

Then, with a predicted hot British Summer season of weather falling flat on its face, the London scene seemed to come to a bit of a halt with no real big club ventures hitting town, all seemingly taking breath as the masses were torn away to the Circuit Festival in Barcelona & mecca's Ibiza, Mykonos and more, to soak up some proper hot action, or maybe, countig their hard earnt pennies, simply stayed at home. But with the tug of September drawing people back & out, will the last Bank Holiday before Christmas prove to be different to the the previous three? Well, there are plenty of reasons to suspect that it will and here is our take on exactly why we think so, with our choice pick of events across the weekend.

For us and many, it all kicks off on the "new Friday", yes Thursday 27th, with both Barcode's enticing you to start off a party weekend as you mean to go on. Industri opens it's doors as usual in Vauxhall, with the magnificient Minty (are we doing "sassy bitches?") hosting as always and Paul Heron on the decks, this being a social soiree spectacular attracting a whole buch of regulars as well as plenty of off-duty scene faces & the like. Over in Soho the Barcode crew are launching a new night "Ursus Cave", aimed at bears, cubs, musclebears & their friends with a rotation of D.J.'s including Hi-Fi Sean & Paul Coles, while back over the river Gravity opens its doors at Fire on the back of its sucessful "Dirty Cash" night of pure scandal drawing in those that either don't need to or decide against work the following day, The Oli, Terry Bryan & guests providing the musical entertainment.

Friday 28th sees the action step up a pace as two of clubland London's heavyweights roll out pre-parties. Matinee takes hold of The Box in Covent Garden, which has a reputation for attracting a beautiful & sophisticated crowd, which will no doubt add to the host of Matinee visuals, concession ticket offers & ofcourse attendance of Mark M Forns Fierce Intl boys & gals to add glamour & glitz to proceedings. Over at Rupert Street, fellow Spanish club icon SuperMartXe takes over the venue for the night to promote their "Circus" party, with non other than D.J. supremo Nick Tcherniak (fab) on the decks, warming us up for his appearance at The Cornet for the main event. Following the last pre-party, we trust that Logan & his team will be pulling out all the stops to show how it should be done and we expect that the imfamous SuperMartXe beachball will take centre stage again. In Vauxhall, Onyx swings into action having cemented itself into the weekly calendar, a welcome gay/metrosexual club at Area, with a star studded D.J. line up across three rooms of fun, including Phil Marriot, Steven Geller, Ariel, Lisa German & Jason Prince, not to mention the amazing Area production, lighting & pyrotechnics as well as drinks offers a plenty.

Saturday 29th is when things really hot up with plenty of events on offer to tempt out all sorts. XXL roll out their leather party although they will have tough competition in the form of Hard On! which swings into action at Hidden in Vauxhall, headed up as usual by the queen of kink, Suzi Kruger, with discounted entry on offer to those wishing to bear all and a pervy performance by Hellfire who will be joined to two porn stars to beef up the action Resident D.J's in action will include Halo-Is, Hugosland & ofcourse Brent Nicholls. For the the slightly fainter hearted folk, G.A.Y. accomodates the camp & Juicy at Fire tempts in the disco dancefloor disciples, with the likes of Steve Pitron, Hi-Fi Sean, Rob Sykes, Gonzalo & David Jiminez spinning the sounds. However, there is little doubt that Matinee is going to draw a massive crowd on the back of its launch over at London Bridge's Cable in July, rolling out an August bak Holiday spectacular with an incredible line up of Matinee group all-star G-Martin & fresh from his stunning set at the Circuit Festival together with a host of eurpoean appearances, D.J./producer Danny Verde (can't wait). They join resident D.J's Guy Williams, Alessandro, Fat Tony & Brent Nicholls, with the addition of Jonny M & Moussa to the line up. The P.A. performance has yet to be confirmed, but Fierce Intl will be providing stunning shows across the three rooms, with the added temptation of a CD giveaway of Pagano's rare Matinee compilation to the first 300 through the door and based on the last party the most gorgeous crowd you could ever want, what more could you ask for?

Sunday 30th kicks off in earnest with Beyond as usual at Area in Vauxhall, which will no doubt be rammed with a colloision of clubbers, although some may decide to rest and re-charge in time for SuperMartXe, which moves from its usual Saturday slot to Sunday evening at the Coronet in Elephant & Castle. The party themed "Circus" should have all the usual ingredients that make this clubbing event really popular and with Pablo Kopanos headlining the D.J. team for the night, sandwiched by D'Johnny & Nick Tcherniak, a P.A. performance by spanish songstress cum diva, Nalaya, as well as aerial performers & fire breathers to add to the atmosphere. Plus, we are told that the stage show will blow your mind with some spectacular circus surprises, so a good reason not to be late. But if thats not your thang, then there is always XXL's Fusion "sunset to sunrise" party, with (surprise, surprise) The Freemasons among the D.J. line up. For those that fancy a quick cocktail (a drink silly) before hitting what will be Sunday's main event, SuperMartXe, you could do worse than popping into Barcode Vauzhall, which is going from strength to strength on Sunday nights and with Hi-Fi Sean on the decks, you won't be dissapointed.

As if that wasn't enough, then the mother of all clubs, Trade, swings into action once againin the early hours of Monday morning 31st August, teaming up with Orange at Fire to bring the second instalment of one of the years most talked about parties. Once again there will be a Trade room with D.J.'s including Pete Wardman, Pagano, Gonzalo (extactly where he belongs) Lady Bianca & Kamisshake, with the added ingredient of a back-to-back set by Steve Thomas & Nick Tcherniak, as well as Fat Tony playing out, accompanied by the voice on Tonnic (maybe with a touch of Laurence Malice thrown in for good measure). The Orange room will feature Steve Pitron, David Jiminez, The Sharp Boys, Jamie Head, Mikey D (sounds like Beyond classic Colosseum days of old!) as well as Paul Martin, Rob Sykes, D'Johnny & more, not to mention sexy go-go dancers along with stunning production. This is likely to be pure clubbing hedonism seeing out Bank Holiday Monday in superb style, or more likely downright debauchery.

So, why do we think August Bank Holiday will be different to the last three? Well, for a start, there is no real clash of the Titans as the big guns have decided to spread out their parties sensibly for a change (or was that pure chance!?!). It seems that lessons may have been learnt and whilst we doubt that promoters are actually working & co-operating with each other, there appears a sense that they have realised that people may have become wise to their stupid games & tactics. We think they may now realise that its more about having a good time, throwing a good party, rather than fiercly competing, which only serves to detriment their own sucess, by alienating the people that line their pockets, the clubbing public, afterall it is and should be "one big disco". Are we being naive in our views? Well we hope not, although this is one question we will only be able to answer, post September 1st. However, what we can say now, is that there are plenty of good nay great reasons to come out to play this August Bank Holiday and we will definately be out to play as well as review it for sure. (DISCO MATT)

Matinee & Cable "A Match Made In Heaven" - Club Preview

MATINEE & CABLE – “A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN”
CLUB PREVIEW


Well, 2009 has already proven tough for the scene, gAylisting events also feeling the pinch, with numbers dwindling in more than a handful of outings. Easter & the two subsequent Bank Holiday weekends were testament to this fact, where there were some winners, but sadly many more losers, with some new ventures not even getting off the ground, or at least failing to attract the sort of numbers that, in previous years, would have been very much guaranteed. So, as a result, club promoters are now needing to think on their feet, so as to maintain interest in their events, maybe offer something new, but definitely provide value for money & secure sufficient following.

So, it comes as no surprise that one of the capital’s biggest clubbing brands is doing just that. Not only is it looking to inject some much needed adrenaline into its events, but has taken the very bold decision to move from its current home in Vauxhall to a brand new purpose built venue in London Bridge, which the team believe has every ingredient on offer to not only recapture lost interest, but to entice new faithful's to core, in a space where they can develop a unique and amazing clubbing experience not seen yet. So what club are we talking about? Well Matinee of course, and the venue? Well it’s Cable.

Ever since its London launch, Matinee has been renowned for making every effort to keep things fresh, listening to its customers and aiming to put on the best parties in town, with quality being the name of the game. Previous homes at Area, Fabric & most recently Colosseum, have delivered in their own way, but in reality have never given us the full package, the truly gAylist experience we expect from such a massive club brand. With Cable however, we believe the team have all the resources at their hands to achieve this in bucket loads, not least as the whole design of the venue has demands of clubber very much in mind, literally from when you enter right through to all the facilities, the spaces & the mechanisms, which look set to provide the best base for Matinee yet.

So, what sets this new venue apart from any other? Well, in designing and constructing the space, the overriding aim was to consider all the needs of a busy 21st century night club, then applying them to superb effect. First there is the spacious entrance lobby, then the myriad of wide walkways & openings, with the aim of creating easy flow around the various rooms, thereby coping with the kind of numbers Matinee draws, so no bottlenecks, no uncomfortable crowding, but free movement between the dancefloors, bars & beyond. Then there is the high tech coatcheck system, which has the ability to use fingerprint imaging to identify the owner’s belongings, so no nightmares when losing tickets and having to wait until the end to reclaim your bags, coats etc! (we have all been there!). And for those of you concerned, the photographic images cannot be used by the club or any enforcing agents, so there should be no fear in this fingerprinting system, which is in actual fact quite revolutionary.

With three dance spaces, each with their own bar facilities, a superb balcony area above one of the dancefloors, and plenty of areas to kick back & relax between the hectic goings on, not to mention the added advantage of a enclosed and secluded outside space for the smokers in us as well as those seeking a little alfresco break. We are sure, therefore, that Cable’s high tech sound systems, state of the art coatcheck, glamorous bar areas & chillout zones are definitely going to be a hit with Matinee’s demanding & well educated clubbers, but, like us, we expect they will be taken a back by the understated yet stylish combination of brick, metal, leather & wood, that remind us a little of Fabric, but are designed to amazing effect creating a unique combination of space & intimacy that sets Cable it aside from its rival. Then there are the toilets, the most spacious & stylish we have seen, so expect little or no queuing here.

Questions have been raised about the venues policy on identity requirement, which we know has been a concern for many clubbers attending places like Pacha. With current inconsistent legislation on this issue, disparities between councils across the capital exist, however we can reassure that Cable will not be refusing entry through lack of I.D., indeed they are very sensitive to both the imposition and use of an identity system that has the possibility of discouraging & alienating its customers. So what are we saying? Well, you have nothing to worry about and you do not need to have identity with you to gain access, it’s as simple as that.

Then there is the location of Cable itself. Well, London Bridge is not only a major overground railway terminus, but has three tube lines serving it, a whole host of bus routes and is a well known area to all taxi cabs & firms. Being based on Bermondsey Street, there is plenty of activity going on pretty much around the clock, so no real fear of problems or troubles here. The venues owners have confirmed that they have superb relationships with a number of local taxi firms, so there should be no issues about arriving or leaving Cable safely. Indeed we understand that there may be Matinee boys & girls to direct & guide you into the club, but the teams website has a clear directional map for those of you not sure as to the venues exact location.

So, that’s the venue covered, now what can we expect from Matinee? Well, the team have revised every element of the experience to blend in with their new surroundings. The first major change is the monthly position of the event, which will now be on the last Saturday each month, fitting in much better with activities across gAylist London. Then there is the D.J. line up’s which have been tweaked, room one now sporting tore de force Brent Nicholls, joining regulars Guy Williams Paul Heron & Pagano along with monthly changes to the Spanish resident D.J. as well as guests, playing out the classic Spanish style Matinee sound. It’s the second (parlour) room that sees the biggest change as Matinee welcomes two major scene legends to the fold,, Stevie B & Fat Tony, the music style much lighter & more akin to funky house for which these two are probably the best in that field. The third room’s music attention will be much more “London” with tech house being the name of the game, so in the hands of Pier Morrocco, Alessandra & Saki, this should prove just as popular as all the other spaces. However, unlike before, the roster will not be set in stone, rather the D.J. talents used to their strengths in whichever room befits the occasion.

Mind you, it’s not all about the music, as the production is set to gain considerable momentum, so it will be simply unmistakable that this is a Matinee party. The emphasis will be on quality as well as quantity, the smoking area for example getting a special makeover for the event, huge screens imported in for the two main rooms & Matinee branding pretty much everywhere. Another big change will be in the style of dancing entertainment, Mark M Form’s Fierce crew really ringing the changes & concentrating on performances throughout the whole evening rather than one massive stage show. We are told that there will be dancers atop podiums, on specially prepared bar spaces and spread across all the rooms so as not to restrict the entertainment & eye candy in one particular area. You can definitely expect some stunning costumes and equally stunning looking dancers that’s for sure. Add to that the inclusion of P.A.’s to further compliment all the entertainment on offer with a special appearance already up their sleeve for August Bank Holiday and an equally great one lined up for the opening party.

So, with gAylist/land London still feeling the pinch of the recession, there is absolutely no doubt that Matinee looks set to inject a whole heap of freshness, value for money and an altogether exciting new experience that the scene is very much crying out for. We will of course be releasing more details on the launch event in our up-coming posts, so watch out for those. However, we can say now that Saturday 25th July will most definitely signal evolution & revolution the for capitals clubbers, in the hands of Matinee. (DISCO MATT)