S.L.A.G.S / Chill-out Sunday at Royal Vauxhall Tavern
Sundays at Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) seem like a family tradition. The crowd feels like they mostly know each other already, yet are quite friendly with newcomers. It's also one of the rare times where I felt like I was one of the youngest guys in the room as the weekly Sunday event attracts what seems like mainly a 35+ age crowd. I got there around 4pm and Simon Le Vans was warming the place up. The music was very Freemasons / Moto Blanco - commercial vocal and kind of mellow tea dancey. I had a sense that he was warming the place up. A voice started singing over the track and I quickly found a great spot to watch the D E Experience. Why they don't call it, the "Dame Edna Experience," I do not know. I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of drag queens and cabaret, oftentimes I would rather dance to a great dj than passively watch a show. That's the thing - the audience isn't passive, they are actively involved with sing alongs, group activities (you have to be there to understand) and just trying to keep up with Dame Edna's quick wit. As a yank, there were some things I didn't quite get as the jokes are quite topical with lots of local color (be sure to watch X Factor at least once.) Edna also sings - both as a male and female as she works the crowd with an insane energy. As soon as the show was over, Andy Almighty kicked into it full blast with an energetic mix of updated/covered classic hits, fun europop and remixed chart pop. "Hands in the air" may sound like a cliche but that was the reaction to just about every song (with a lot of people singing along.) Andy obviously knows this crowd very well, able to layer vocals from a brand new song on top of a classic to introduce it, before mixing it all the way in. As part of the remix team 7th Heaven, it was no surprise that several of their remixes were featured throughout the night. Sean Sirrs closes the night with even more fun hiNRG vocals. To me, this seems like the perfect tea dance music: pretty and fun sing-along songs that everyone loves.
Horsemeat Disco at Eagle
Just up the block from RVT is the Eagle, which hosts Horse Meat Disco on Sundays. As a fan of their classic disco mixed compilation, I knew I would have a blast. Now, when I think of an Eagle club, I think of huge, muscular mean men in leather who stare you down if you don't fit their mold of enhanced masculinity. Surprisingly, the London Eagle is not that way at all. I was greeted at the door with a smile and welcomed in. The party goers were quite diverse - everything from Muscle Marys to scenesters to indie kids to lesbians. The music was INCREDIBLE. Classic (and classy) disco with bits of italo and 80s mixed flawlessly by resident DJ Severino. I sat down to take in the room and two guys sat next to me and just start chatting with me. What, being agressively friendly with a stranger - at a gay bar? I was nearly shocked by this as it is quite an uncommon experience in my experience. The two students - one local and one from Estonia - loved the music and we quickly got into a conversation about the subgenres. They were kinda shocked that the guy from Nashville knew who Tiefschwarz was. After a few minutes, the call to the dancefloor grew in urgency, but surprisingly not in volume. The music was full but not overbearing - I didn't need to wear my earplugs. I lost track of time and while there were several songs I had never heard before - the perfect mixing of Severino kept me going. This isn't the "I Will Survive"/"YMCA"/"Dancing Queen" kind of disco, this seems much more authentic. Granted, I wasn't clubbing during the disco-era, but this is what I imagine a real disco club would have sound (and felt) like. For a taste of the Horse Meat Disco, I strongly recommend their incredible mixed CD compilations.
Regrets
Since this is technically my vacation, I am doing exactly what I want to do. So rather than shuttle from one club to another (like I do at WMC or ADE), I am going to one place and staying for an extended period time. This all means that I am not going everywhere I should. Last year, I had an amazing time Saturday night at XXL (read about it here) and I hear that club is even more fun than it was last year. I also heard that Lee Dagger of Bimbo Jones did a massive set at another London club. I regret missing both so please forgive me for being greedy.
