BEYOND

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Super-Club Colosseum, 1 Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall, London SW8
Web: allthingsorange.com/beyond.html

Occasional Sundays 4.30am-midday

While I was working my butt off in Ibiza during the summer of 2002, word filtered though via DISCODAMAGED of a growing club war in London between rival Sunday morning after-parties Trade and Beyond. Knowing that Beyond was on at the routinely unsuccessful Club Colosseum, and knowing how untouchable Trade has long been, I never anticipated that there was any real contest. By the time I returned to London on the day of Trade's closing party in October, my only thoughts were that perhaps the gay scene had turned its back on the after-party scene.

When I finally visited Beyond in November, I still wasn't anticipating the clubbing experience that lurked behind the innocuous Colosseum façade! Incredibly busy, and probably having a beneficial knock-on to the growing number of gay clubs in this corner of South London, Beyond seemed to offer some of the fun that had been missing from my last few visits to Trade.

Resident DJs included Brent Nicholls and the gorgeous Paul Heron in the vip room, and the Sharp Boys and David Jimenez on the main floor. Like it's near-neighbour Action, Beyond seemed to get too busy to be able to dance easily, but the music and atmosphere rarely flagged.

Despite being from the same team as Crash, sharing not just some of Crash's most popular DJs, but also their sexy door whores Steve and Miguel, Beyond was also seen as the after-party for Heaven, Action, Drama and just about any Saturday night club worth its salt. Popular with all shapes and sizes on the gay community, Beyond attracts London's horniest clubbers, such as the two in the next picture...

The weekend of Trade's Valentine's party in 2003 also marked Beyond's passage from club-wannabe to club legend, as every weekend since then the club rountinely attracted 'bank holiday capacity' crowds, the Beyond 'Dream Team' being recognised as Steve Pitron, David Jimenez and Alan X in the main room, Brent Nicholls and Paul Heron in the Funky Room, with 'new boys' Paul Christian, Dave Cross and Malcolm Duffy in the Habit Room, where hard house has made a welcomed return.

The club carries on until noon (aside from the day of the big chemical spillage outside, the irony of which was lost on no one, when the club was asked by the authorities to close at 11am), and in the last couple of hours the vibe intensifies beyond all reason. To be there during one of Alan X's closing sets is one of the highlights of clubbing in this country, and easily matches the best of my clubbing experiences in Ibiza.

During the summer of 2003, despite being the busiest and best after-hours party in London, a little lack of a licence brought a temporary halt to the proceedings, and the club was forced to close... without me! The success in November of a 'one-off' Beyond Hallowe'en Party (where most of these pictures were taken) gave hope that the club would be with us in some form or another for the near future, rather than just having to rely on Element, Colosseum's Saturday-night replacement for the SUnday-morning Beyond. Fortunately, Crash Afterhours gave and the occasional appearance of Trade gave us soemthing to do during the winter!

It came, it went, it came again, and again, and again, and looked like it was back, and then it moved to take up an irregular residency at The Fridge in Brixton, which wasn't quite the same. Recently, the return of Saturday-night Crash was followed by a Colosseum Beyond with a touch of that original vibe (check out the gallery that follows), but maybe we need Trade back to give us a real choice of where to go on Sunday mornings...

Martin
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