Weekend - 26th to 28th Feb

Hey Folks,

As we prepare to wave goodbye to February (already) and hopefully the inclemently cold weather we have been having, there is plenty to warm your hearts & souls this weekend across gAylist clubland London. So much so, our choice was very hard this week but as usual, two get our full focus but we run down the best of the rest, as well as re-capping on a third that we simply couldn’t leave out!

First up is a new venture tonight (Fri 26th) over at The Dalston Superstore, a venue which has pioneered a real alternative movement, creating a brilliant escape from the usual Soho or Vauxhall outings. Being over in trendy Shoreditch, it is often overlooked by the masses, yet is something entirely fresh, in some ways evoking the New York style of uber underground clubbing. A real sub cultural community has slowly developed in the area and The Dalston Superstore plays host to a number of specialist nights & events to support the desire for something a little different, with every weekend serving up something fresh to allow you to really strike that alternative pose. However, the venue is open daily, a two storey cafe bar & art gallery operation offering booze, brunch, burgers, boys, and much more, adding to specialist entertainment nights that include “Bodytalk”, “Glastique”, “G&T”, “Queen Of The Night” & “This Is Not Happening”, with the Friday & Saturday slots rotating on a monthly basis to keep everything to the forefront. And this Friday is no exception, as the team welcome mega D.J./Club Promoter/Producer Guy Williams with his new outing “Paradise 45”, the name coming direct from the production project that has seen Mr Williams & producing partner in crime, Cagedbaby, remix Temper Trap & Grace Jones’s forthcoming single “Love You To Life”, both having a real Nu Disco feel. And the theme of the night will be very much akin to future disco & electro funk, as Guy will welcome a whole host of friends to join in this jam session of a night, where up front sounds will mix harmoniously with exciting edits & cultural classics all adding up to a magnificent musical mash-up of an evening. Tonight sees Guy & Serge Santiago spin the sounds down on the main space, while upstairs Ma Butcher & Lazy Susan serve up their own selections, so expect the music to be top notch and what’s more entry is free all night, although be warned to get there early as it can get very busy. So what better reason to get yourselves across to The Dalston Superstore located at 117 Kingsland High St in Shoreditch, nice & early for “Paradise 45” which kicks off from 10 p.m. running through until 2 a.m. Further details of the venue can be found at http://dalstonsuperstore.com/.

Next up is a club that is celebrating its second birthday this Saturday (27th Feb) at The Rhythm Factory in Whitechapel. Yes, “Gutterslut” the wild & whacky monthly event turns two, although it seems that this alternative & audacious outing has been with us for much longer, a testament to the impact it has made on the scene. Since launching back in 2008 at Images in Hackney, Gutterslut has really created a stir in the East End and is responsible for a whole host of other club nights & venues erupting in the area. Its reputation for first rate electro & techno rave style music quickly attracted one of the most diverse crowds we have seen in any club and when we ventured across to Images to review the club night, the glorious mix of gay boys, straight girls, cross dressers, grown up club kids & everything in-between amazed us definitely gave the club a unique feel we found so refreshing & one that has not just survived but thrived. Promoters Per Q.X., Elliot J Brown, Nic Fisher & Ralf Obergfell have really developed the brand with excursions to The Egg in Kings Cross and some brilliant summer parties alongside “Trailer Trash” back in their East End backyard, the club even hitting the spotlight in the critic’s choice section of Time Out, which said "Tranny fashion meets geek chic at this fun-filled party night, reminiscent of The Blitz or Taboo and brought to you by The Dalston Gay Mafia. Highly recommended", not to mention D.J. Magazine that lamented "THE three Fs are what East London's Gutterslut live by - filth, fun and fashion. A tranny loving, punky-chic gathering of the brash, the bold and the beautiful, Gutterslut's East London sessions have been stimulating the more debauched East London reprobates all year''. Finding its new home, The Rhythm Factory in Whitechapel has really allowed the team to stretch their legs and the “Gutterball” party in December was a huge success & sell-out, not just receiving the best UK club event review in Mixmag but has secured the future for this terrifically trendsetting trip fantastic. So, two years on and the boys are pulling out all the stops, with a super special party spread across two ”ballroom” spaces, the “rave” room sporting, Elliot & Nic, who will be joined by Sick Fantasy for his debut showing, while Per performs a b2b set with Larry Tee (one not to be missed), with the “disco” room welcoming Princess Julia to the fold, playing out with the Discoslut D.J’s. Live performances & shows will come from MC Crystal, Feral & Jonny Woo (wouldn’t be the same without!) and visuals will be courtesy of “Prickstrap-on” (oh err missus!). Proceedings kick off at The Rhythm Factory from 10 p.m. with the birthday bash running through until 7 a.m. Entrance is a mere £8 in advance, with tickets available online at http://ticketweb.co.uk/ or in person at The Dalston Superstore, although a limited amount will be available on the door at £12. More details of “Gutterslut” can be found at http://myspace.com/gutterslutuk.

Now for a quick run-down of the best of the rest and tonight (Fri 26th) sees Lo-Profile entertain with Mikey D on the decks although with Jamie Head away in Australia, news of a replacement hasn’t hit our desks yet, while Phil Marriot makes a welcome return to Profile Bar upstairs. Across at Barcode it’s another “Ursus Cave” night, while The Shadow Lounge roll out their “Therapy” session, with Kris De Angelis making the musical prognosis. Down in Vauxhall the dynamic duo of Hi-Fi Sean & Severino present their monthly outing “Our House” at Barcode, while The RVT have another alternative outing “Shake A Tall Feather” with D.J. Jiggy Jones treats you to a soulful mix of motown, old skool, as well as rhythm & blues. The Eagle host another “Tonker” turnout, while “Onyx” does it again with Jamie Hammond starring in the main room, then “A.M.” has another afterhours action-packed end to Friday taking you into Saturday. Alternative choices include “The Sex Factor” at Escape in Kingston, while over in Shoreditch, Larry Tee joins Tom Stephan at the East Village Club for his night “You Are Here (Not Paris)”. On Saturday, Lo –Profile open their doors to Hugh Stevenson & Phil Hewson, while its another poptastic “Fabulous” at Ku Klub with Tuomo Fox & a “Boudoir” night at The Edge with Miss Dusty O. Down in Vauxhall The Eagle welcomes guest D.J. Anthony Crank will spin a selection of pop, indie, disco & party classics, while "Duckie" rolls out at The RVT for another delightfully different session. Hidden looks like stealing the limelight however, as “Hard On!” returns for its monthly dose of fetish fantasy, with resident jocks (in jocks?) Brent Nicholls & Hi-Fi Sean painting the main room red with their pumping & sexy sounds, while Hugos-land, D-Mac & Halo-is do it their own way in the “blue” room. Sunday dawns with another “Beyond” party at Area which should be a real gem, while later The RVT does it again with a super “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” session and The Eagle entertain with “ Horse Meat Disco”, all rounded off with the citric delight that is “Orange” taking you deep into Monday morning. Details of all of these can be found in the popular press.

Is that it? Well no, as something is definitely missing and what else could it be but “SuperMartXe”, which returns to the Coronet in Elephant & Castle on the back of a triumphant NYD party at the O2 Academy in Brixton, where it dazzled & amazed with the fantastic fantasy trip “Alice In Wonderland”. Back in its usual home, the Logan Presents team, look to the land of the rising sun for their party theme this Saturday (27th Feb), as they go all oriental on us with their “Samurai” party. Now, we featured this outing in a special “hot dates” post (check it out), so won’t go over old ground, but suffice to say, we are nearly as excited as the man himself, Logan Schmitz, of the stage reveal which we think is going to be every bit as good as our faves “Under The Sea” & “Peep Show”, but may even top them both! That naughty promoter has still not released news of the P.A. but we can only imagine a geisha glamoured goddess to take to the stage and no doubt “the schmitzels” will be appropriately dressed down in revealing oriental ware to wow (particularly if the pre-party was anything to go by – review coming up). As for the music, well the main room is once again graced by Hugo Sanchez who, for us, stole the show at “Under The Sea”, although we are aiming to get there early to savour the full delights of Steve (not we are not saying Ping Pong!) Pitron, who is on an absolute roll of spectacular sets at the moment. Tony English finishes off what looks to be another amazing party, while Marlon K Jones adds the Dutch feel to room 2. Now, the one thing we will repeat from our preview is this piece of advice, get there early to avoid queues for the coatcheck, as midnight seems to signal a real crush of an advance and make sure you get your tickets in advance which are still available online at http://clubtickets.com/ & http://loganpresents.com/ or via Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8, The Box & Profile Bar at £15. However, for the disorganised, tickets will be on sale on the door but expect to pay more, with “Samurai” kicking off at 10.30 p.m. running through till 7 a.m. and “Beyond” being the official “SuperMartXe” afterhours event.

Finally, just a very quick mention goes to Alex Erfan’s “Gay City Rollers” which celebrates its 1st birthday on Wednesday 3rd March at The Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall. Watch this space for a special “stop press news” release.

Well, what a weekend we have in prospect in gAylist/land London, but if you want to look further ahead, then look no further than http://seenqueen.com/, which has a conclusive listing of the best events on offer, its diary stretching right to the end of March & also includes some special international dates (are you international?), as well as much much more.

But that’s it from us for this weekend, although we do plan to be out & about a bit, hopefully venturing over to Shoreditch tonight for “Paradise 45” and then to The Coronet on Saturday for “SuperMartXe’s Samurai” spectacle, no doubt getting drawn into the temptation that is “Beyond” afterwards. So, if you see us out, come say hi, but if not, whatever you do, have a great weekend and as we always say......Go There! Be There!

xDM

Weekend - 19th to 21st February

Hey Folks,

Well having had such a ram-packed “love” weekend, with no less than six separate events under our belt, we have just recovered in time to look (in slim-line form) at the forthcoming weekend which is already upon us. And true to form, there is plenty going on and a real birthday theme to our latest post, so with two clubs celebrating, they get our focus, but we also run down other options that have grabbed us.

First up is The Eagle, which celebrates 6 whole years of entertaining south of the river. And, the venue that has seen a number of incarnations in its long history is probably the most successful in its current format, the previous guise of South central very much in the past. With a whole host of club nights on offer, there the very successful Horse Meat Disco, which is close to reaching iconic status, providing a brilliant retreat from mainstream clubbing in Vauxhall on a Sunday, with a eclectic yet party head crowd virtually every week. Then, Carpet Burn occupies Saturday night and whilst still relatively new compared to its Sunday sister, has nevertheless attracted a loyal following and a reputation for great music and an alternative feel. Friday’s are normally given away to Tonker, which has been one of those influential club nights that has spread itself across the scene in a variety of venues, but has really cemented its reputation for attracting a very horny up for it crowd of beefy bears & hirsute hunks, with resident Tim Jones spinning the sounds but inviting a variety of scene favourite D.J.’s to guest. And if that wasn’t enough, Deep Inside delivers just what it says on the packet, a rauchy sexy night for men to meet their match. So, this Saturday (20th Feb) sees Eagle let its hair down and celebrate in style, with D.J’s that feature across the various club nights the venue runs, Jim Stanton, James Hillard & Luke Howard in charge of the decks for the night, with a special selection of disco & pop party anthems, while the team lay on free birthday spread of food as well as splashing out on a huge Vodka Ice Luge on the bar for the punters to sample. The party kicks off at 9 p.m., running through until 4 a.m. and entry is free before midnight (a birthday bargain) and £4 after. General details of the venue etc can be found at http://eaglelondon.com/.

Our other focus goes to Juicy, which marks four magnificent years of clubbing splendour at Fire in Vauxhall this Saturday (20th Feb) with a spectacular party. Juicy was the product of the demise of Action, which had been a big part of the clubbing landscape for a number of years, the two promoters going their separate ways and Andrew Harris turning his hands to a new venture which got the immediate support of Craig Elder and The Orange Group. And so, Juicy was born and heralded a new direction in Saturday clubbing at Fire, adding to the band of other successful monthly outings at Fire, but has probably been the most prolific, with Mr Harris at the helm, sporting probably the best lighting & pyrotechnics of any club night. Add to that the sexy go-go dancers that Juicy has become famous for, not to mention the infamous “Juicy Men’s Room” were you can tickle more than your fancy with one of the horniest & good-looking crowds that any club night in Fire attracts, so plenty to tempt you in. Although the core of its popularity over the years has been the music, with a resident D.J. list that sports some of the biggest names across the scene, including Steven Artis, David Jiminez, Gonzalo Rivas, HiFi Sean Dickson, Rob Sykes and the legendary Steve Pitron, who has produced a special compilation mix for this special 4th birthday celebration (we will have more on that in our “music” post). And all these talents will be playing out on Saturday night, but will be joined by superstar D.J. Paul Harris, who will take centre stage in the main room. But it doesn’t stop there as you can take your sample of the music home, with a limited edition Juicy CD handed out to the first 500 through the door. The club starts its pumping party filled birthday bash with doors opening at 11 p.m., running through until a heady 8 a.m., with entrance at £12 on the door, but with flyer discount offers, and £10 advance tickets on sale at Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8 & The Box, or online at http://clubtickets.com/.

So, what else is on offer this weekend? Well we have already covered Profile & Lo-Profiles activity on Friday (see our “hot dates” section) but Soho also sports “Eurocreme” which launches “Studio X” at Ku Bar, while its another “Therapy” session at Shadow Lounge with Kris De Angelis the focal of attention, Barcode have another “Cave” night, whilst “Lady Lloyd’s Love Box” serves up poptastic action at The Edge. Down in Vauxhall, on the eve of its birthday, Eagle host another “Tonker” party, Boogaloo Stu takes over The RVT with an a-typical whacky party called “Sploosh-A-Ram’s Custard Creme” while the new look “Onyx” entertains with special guest, the Italian stallion Pagano taking centre stage and then A.M. polish off Friday and take you into Saturday with another audacious afterhours outing. Saturday and Lo-Profile come a little back down to earth after their “SuperMartXe” themed Friday, with Gonzalo & Alessandro on the decks, while its another “Inferno” night at The Shadow Lounge & its gets all Fabulous at Ku Bar with The Edge having a Dusty O experience with their club night “Boudoir”. Barcode Soho looks like being popular, with scene favourite Brent Nicholls back from a cold Canada to warm your Saturday night with some sizzling sounds, while down in Vauxhall, apart from the birthday bashes, “Duckie” offer that alternative feel at The RVT, although if it’s something entirely different, why not head the The Egg in Kings Cross, which plays host to “Wearable Art”. Sunday dawns with another (surely) brilliant Beyond at Area (you know the story!) and then heralds another “Decadence – The Secret Society” party at No5 club on Cavendish Square, with Mark Bambach & Andrew Elmore in charge of the decks, The RVY serve up a S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” session, while Horse Meat Disco try & work off the birthday hangover at The Eagle and “Orange” end another action filled weekend with their own brand of grown up partying at Fire, leading you deep into Monday morning and another working week. Details of all these events can be found in the popular press.

So, that’s our slim-line choices up for this weekend but don’t forget that you can get full details of the best gAylist events across the capital at http://seenqueen.com/, which has a diary listing stretching well into March, as well as a whole host of other features, pages, news and (our) reviews on tap, so well worth a visit.

As for our weekend, well we wanted it to be a quiet one, but, it already started as nothing like with a fantastic social soiree of a night at “Industri” last night, so have to thank Minty for her fabulous hospitality and Brent Nicholls for some great music & chat to match. Tonight, we will be popping into Profile & Lo-Profile for “SuperMartXe’s Samurai” pre-party and tomorrow may swing by Barcode Soho to get sizzled with Brent Nicholls, also possibly being tempted Juicy for their 4th birthday and guess if we do someone will drag us kicking and screaming to beyond afterwards. So, if you see us out come say hi, but whatever you are up to, have a great weekend and as we always say......Go There! Be There!

xDM

Weekend - 12th to 14th Feb

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Weekend "Extra" - Lovechild 1st Birthday

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Weekend - 5th to 7th Feb

Hey Folks,

Well, February is here and where did January go? But looking forward rather than looking back, the pace across gAylist London this month looks like gathering considerable pace with lots more activity & many of the so called “big guns” showing their cards for the first time since NYD. February is also the time for love (well more of it) and we will be devoting a “Cupid’s Bow” special post later today with some prize picks for next weekend.

But what about this one? Well, two events look set to dominate proceedings and get our focus, but as usual, we also take a look at the best of the rest in case our two big picks don’t grab you.

First up is afterhours party A.M. which celebrates its 9th birthday early on Saturday morning (6th Feb) at Fire in Vauxhall. Now, we remember when this weekly event opened its doors and indeed it was a regular “after work” haunt of ours for a good two years back in 2001-03 as A.M. proved a perfect release from working constantly on the scene as we did in those days. And the club still attracts a lot of scene faces, off-duty (or finishing) D.J.’s, but moreover partygoers that don’t want their Friday night to stop. A.M. has seen a resurgence in the last few months, with Onyx proving a good feeder for the club, but the formula hasn’t changed much in the nine years this super afterhours audacious party has been running. Central to the theme is some of the best tech & electronic house you are likely to hear anywhere, with the team that give the “raw” edge to it all, D.J.’s David Jiminez & Gonzalo Rivas, who are delightfully complimented by the superb D’Johnny & Alan K and for this special birthday celebration, the main floor will also include David H on percussion. But, if you like it a bit more funky & laid back, then the second room, the “vinyl only lounge”, offers bags loads of it, with D.J’s The Oli & Paul Martin playing it large and the terrific Tonnic on vocals. Add to all that Fire’s outstanding laser lighting, pyrotechnics, CO2 cannons & lighting to give that extra special sparkle & this is going to be a birthday party to savour. The evening is hosted by none other than Naomi Cuiz who will shepherd a majority gay crowd through the doors & will be handing out a special A.M. birthday gift. The club kicks off at 3 a.m. and runs through until 10.30 a.m.(just in time for the weekly grocery shop at Sainsbury’s!) with entrance a standard £12 on the door or discounted concessions & a mere £8 with an ad or flyer. This is definitely an A.M. that you won’t want to miss as the guys & gals say, “it’s all about the music baby – we rock & we won’t stop” and we couldn’t agree more. Further details of the club can be found at http://myspace.com/firelondon.

Our other choice goes to Matinee, which you will know changed hands as 2010 dawned, this mega Spanish brand London arm now under the direction of the Logan Presents team. We devoted a special post to Matinee last month which is well worth a read if you get the chance (go to our “reviews” or “previews” sections), but the first outing entitled “Under Construction” takes place at The Fridge in Brixton this Saturday (6th Feb) and looks like being a smash, not least as many will be curious to see what the emerging new look Matinee will have to offer. If you have been to SuperMartXe parties, then you will be left in no doubt of Logan Schmitz’s credentials in putting on spectacular stage shows & creating a real “theatre style” feel to his events and we suspect that “Under Construction” will not be any different. For this first outing Logan is concentrating his efforts on just one room of full-on action and the D.J. line up certainly packs a punch with Matinee Spain resident J Louis flying in to take centre stage, flanked by two Matinee regulars of old and renowned international mega star D.J’s to boot, Paul Heron & Pagano, so expect the music to have a hard edged progressive & tech style, more akin to euro style parties rather than the London underground vibe of before. Then there is vocalist Vanessa Klein, who will be the P.A. for the evening and will be giving an exclusive performance of her smash hit “Addicted” (not Serge Devant’s) a real espaniol style tune which you will immediately recognise when you hear it, the track topping dance music charts across Europe at the moment. Add to that Logan’s sexy schmitzels, who will be decked out in construction gear providing the sexy, raunch & seduction to the night. So, with the team promising "the highest quality pyrotechnics, lighting & sound, combined with the finest dancing hunks seen anywhere, as well a stage show spectacular", everything that you have come to expect from the Logan Presents, "it should make for a new Matinee London like you have never seen before", will that’s the “official” line, so we will definitely be there to see it for ourselves. Matinee “Under Construction” gets going from 10.30 p.m., with the event running through until 6.30 a.m. Entrance is £15 in advance with tickets available at Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8 & The Box as well as online at http://clubtickets.com/, although there will be more available on the door. And “Beyond” is the official after-party with coach shuttles laid on from 5.30 a.m. More details of this & other Logan Presents events can be found at http://loganpresents.com/.

So, what else is on offer to tempt you out? Well, Friday sees the usual antics in Soho with Profile Bar proving the perfect start to the weekend, having come a close 2nd in the Seenqueen 2009 poll, with Gaydar’s own Phil Marriot serving up the tunes, while downstairs in Lo-Profile, Luke Hope makes a welcome return & is joined by Paul Heron on the decks. Over at the Shadow Lounge it’s another “Therapy” session, with D.J.’s Kris de Angelis and Paul Heron (he gets about) providing the musical prognosis. The Edge entertains with "Lady Lloyd’s Love Box" while Escape Bar have another “Disco 3000”. Down in Vauxhall and Tonker get all masculine & horny for another session at Eagle, while The RVT has a real hi-nrg feel with a special “Old Skool Reunion”, Marc Andrews, Sean Sirrs & Andy Almighty spinning the sounds. "Onyx" continues its winning formula at Area and is the perfect warm up for "A.M. ‘s" birthday, but if you want something truly different, then head across to Shoreditch & The Dalton Superstore, where Messrs Boy George & Fat Tony combine, offering a “Decade of Dance”. Saturday kicks off with a fun Bus ride (if you are into that sort of thing) as two collide, visiting boozers The Retro Bar, The Black Cap, King William IV, The Two Brewers & Halfway To Heaven, the latter two hosting both buses & Crystal D’Canter on the Halfway Bus our pick. In the evening, Soho party's on with Lo-Profile doing it all again, Nick Evans & D’Johnny on D.J. duty, while it’s an “Inferno” night at Shadow Lounge & a “Boudoir” happening at The Edge. Down in Vauxhall, The Eagle hosts “Deep Inside” which celebrates its 1st Birthday, while over in Hidden “Megawoof" returns for its monthly outing, welcoming Pagano back to the main room (thank goodness) where he definitely belongs. Then as if it needs mentioning, “Beyond” scoops everyone up and is set to be another stormer at Area early Sunday morning, which is followed by “Later” at Fire, while The RVT have their weekly homage “S.LA.G.S./Chill-out” with The D.E. Experience et all, while Eagle has another “Horse Meat Disco” gathering. “Orange” at Fire provides a citric end to the weekend, the usual suspect resident D.J's being joined by Fat Tony with Tonnic on vocals. A quick mention goes to “Popcorn” at Heaven on Monday (8th Feb), with D.J. Oliver M on the decks. For details of all these events, check to popular press.

Now, as of going to press we have no news of the D.J. listings for both Barcode Soho & Vauxhall but will let you know as soon as we do, although rumour has it at BCV entertains on Saturday with D’Johnny & Nick Tcherniak in the thick of it. We hope to bring you full details later.

Well, that’s our choices up for this week, but if you want more pointers & indeed details of upcoming events for the month, go to http://seenqueen.com/ which has a comprehensive gAylisting right through till March.

As for us, well our weekend starts with a return to Soho, popping into Profile Bar on Friday night, then to A.M.’s 9th birthday to give it the full review treatment. On Saturday we will be heading down to Brixton for Matinee “Under Construction” & will no doubt be in party mood for “Beyond” afterwards. So, if you see us out, come say hi and as we always say............Go There! Be There!

xDM