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It's gonna be a bloodbath this Halloween

Leeds’ only weekend gay night, Back Door Disco, is throwing the city’s biggest queer Halloween party at Mission 2 this month. Taking place on Saturday 31st October, (back door) Disco Bloodbath, promises to be the most outrageous fancy dress party happening that night.

Mission 2 will be transformed into a petrifying house of horror, complete with spooky stilt-walkers pouring out complimentary shots. Clubbers in costume will get free entry before midnight and there’s drinks and prizes for the best dressed.

Vitals

Halloween @ Back Door Disco, 11pm on Saturday 31st October at Mission 2 – a new clubbing space within Mission – on Lower Briggate, next door to The Viaduct. £5 on the door, free entry before midnight if in costume. For more information go to www.backdoordisco.com

Back Door Disco returns at Mission’s huge relaunch party

On Saturday 19th September, Back Door Disco, Leeds’ biggest Gay night, makes its return to the city’s scene at the relaunch of Mission Night Club. After a huge overhaul, the venue is back with an enhanced interior, new management, new door team and a fresh weekly line-up.
 
From the re-opening, BDD will be housed in Mission 2, a new space inside the club, which includes the massive dance arena and an outside terrace with an entrance on Lower Briggate. Despite the changes, clubbers can be sure it’s still the best weekend party experience in Leeds with free shots from the Back Door Disco boys and girls, legendary mix masters Scott Kelly and Philip James on the decks along with the hottest gay talent in the city.
 
Back Door Disco burst onto the scene in April as the city’s only weekend gay night and since then has been hailed by party goers everywhere as one of the best queer clubbing events the North has ever seen.
 
For more information head to www.backdoordisco.com 
 
Back Door Disco returns at 11pm on Saturday 19th September at Mission 2 – a new clubbing space within Mission – on Lower Briggate, nextdoor to The Viaduct. £3 - £5 on the door.

A Manchester Icon Returns with No.1 Club

Manchester’s premier gay club of the 1980s is making a comeback and is being updated for the 21st century. The famous No.1 Club is returning with a bang on September 25… Manchester you have been warned.
 
The new club, which for the last seven years has been the iconic One Central Street, will become the ultimate glamorous disco, fit for the North’s most famous gay club promoters Federation to take over the dance floor for a brand new, regular Saturday night slot. Revellers should expect weird and wonderful costumes and full club decoration.
 
The original No. 1 Club was a key part of Manchester’s clubbing heyday running from 1983 to 1991, with chief resident and clubland legend Tim Lennox overseeing nights filled with raving and misbehaving. From teddy bears’ picnics and beach parties to the famous Whiter than White party, the No. 1 Club was at the epicentre of 1980s gay clubbing in Manchester.
 
For more information about listings visit www.no1club.co.uk.

The Circus Comes to Shoreditch

London’s Shoreditch is a prime destination thanks to its plethora of fashion outlets, bars, restaurants and art galleries. And since opening its doors, The Last Days of Decadence has become synonymous with the coolest of Shoreditch’s party scene. The club showcases live music and performances and top quality DJs in 1920s-style surroundings. We attended Jodie Harsh’s raucous ‘Circus’, which is on every Friday night where the likes of Ladyhawke, Skin and Peaches spin the decks.

We were as impressed by the décor as we were by the good-looking patronage. There were some supremely stylish folk dancing the night away at Last Days. Not to mention the ultra-glamorous Jodie Harsh. As for the drinks, the cocktail list is in tune with the 1920s theme and has old-time classics like the Singapore Sling, Blue Lagoon and Mai Tai. The club is nicely opulent and spread over two floors with leather booths, velvet ropes and even a birdcage for dancing in, all reminiscent of the golden twenties. Don’t miss the bathrooms, which is where most of the party seemed to be happening!

145 Shoreditch High Street.

www.thelastdaysofdecadence.com

First Weekend Gay Night arrives in Leeds

The Leeds' Gay scene is set for a shake-up with the launch of the city's first weekend queer night in years. Back Door Disco, which will be housed in a hidden venue next door to Club Mission and behind the Fiori Flower Shop on Heatons Court, opens on Saturday 25th April.

Until now, Mission on Mondays has been the only weekly option for party-minded homos out on the city scene. Back Door Disco will offer a four-times-a-month queer night and promises to bring some seriously bad-ass gay clubbing to Leeds.

The night will be held in a hidden club beneath the railway arches on Heatons Court that, until now, has remained secreted away next door to Mission. With two rooms and floors, a decadent glass-topped wall-to-wall bar, and a massive dance arena with a huge 600-person capacity, this will be one of the North East's biggest venues.

Clubbers should expect a switched-on crowd of sharp-dressing queer boys, sexy up-for-it girls and high quality, modern-to-the-minute pop and house tunes from Homo and Climax veteran, DJ Scott Kelly, as well as guests on the decks.

For more information check out www.backdoordisco.com - tickets are priced from £3 to £5

 

Welcome to Mint Leaf

The key to providing good ‘contemporary’ Indian cuisine is putting an edgy spin on traditional recipes, without compromising their integrity. As apposed to ‘modern’ Indian, contemporary cuisine doesn’t constitute a sprinkle of cumin here and a hint of coriander there; It’s real Indian food, presented and served in an innovative way that's accessible to all taste buds.

Sound like a tall order? Well, the Haymarket Mint Leaf restaurant has delivered, and it’s evident in its popularity with London’s most discerning diners. The quality of the meals here, the outstanding service and superb surroundings have all contributed to the restaurant's reputation as one of London's gourmet resturants.

A discreet entry leads you down a flight of stairs and into the reception. Check your coat and make your way to the long bar, where a friendly mixologist and an excess of 500 spirits will present you with an extensive list of exotic cocktails that will not fail to please. Opulent and chic with its designer lighting concept, the bar is a popular meeting place for businessmen and socialites as a sophisticated alternative to the local inn.

After a cocktail (or three) proceed to the restaurant to begin your dining experience, devised by the brilliant Head Chef Ajay Chopra and his kitchen team. The starters are served like Indian tapas - you can order a few dishes to share, or opt for a sharing platter. Try the Mint Leaf Tasting Platter. For just over £20 you can try the duck kebab with mint, golden onion and coriander, lamb leg grilled with mint and yoghurt and a tasty chicken tikka cooked in kaffir lime leaf and coriander, accompanied by a trio of complimenting sauces and chutneys.

 

For a main, you have a list of six mouth-watering curries to cater for your preference. All varying in heat and flavour, you can choose from dishes comprising seafood, meat, morels (mushrooms), paneer (a middle-eastern cheese) or chicken. Highly recommended is the Baby Lamb Shank ‘Nihari’, which is slow cooked with onion and vetivier root to melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Soak it up in some fragrant, steamed basmati rice, or with one of the delicious naans or rotis on offer.

 

For the perfect finish, share the Mint Leaf Dessert For Two Platter - a creamy dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse, a scoop of berry ice cream, a coconut brulée and a pistachio tart that will knock your socks off.

Welcome to the Mint Leaf.

 

Mint Leaf is located on Suffolk Place, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HX. For reservations by phone call ++44 (0)20 7930 9020. Open Monday to Wednesday from noon to midnight, Thursday to Friday from midday to 1am and Saturday 5pm to 1am. For more information, including details on Mint Leaf Lounge located in Bank, London, visit www.mintleaflounge.com

London's Heart Undergoes Transplant

SOHO – the glittering home of London’s party scene has played host to generations of revelers. But soaring rents and dwindling venues are said to be killing the heart of London.

For those of you fearing for the fate of Trash Palace; don’t. It’s true, the building where it lives is closing, and the event will effectively be homeless for a little while. But this month, London’s favourite gay venue will be packing its filthy fun bags and relocating atop the gorgeous new Ghetto in Old St (due to open in December).

The new venue is in the heart of what is predicting will be London’s new party hub, and the New Trash Palace will live in a bigger, funkier space with more facilities.  The new spot also means that the two venues can be linked for club nights - two rooms of tunes and countless creative opportunities to keep London entertained.

There will be a mini-gap of about a month during which Trash Palace will not operate, but never fear – a ‘Temporary Trash Palace’ will take shallow roots at Ghetto Soho every night from 8pm with dirt cheap drinks (loads of stuff just £1.80). Queue-jump for tickets to Popstarz and if you're in there early for Wigout or any of their nights, you won't have to pay a penny to stay and party. The Ghetto will be decorated to look like Trash Palace for these early sessions. It’s going to be some serious fun - like a war bunker but with more booze and cuter punters!

While it’s sad to see Trash Palace vacate its long-time home in Soho, it’s move to this hot, new East-London spot marks a defining moment in London's gay history. From Dec 2008 the city will have three clearly defined gay villages; Soho for the tourists and mainstream, Vauxhall for the late night sweaty dance clubs and The East End for the arty, studenty, wacky 'n weird, cutting edge stuff. Guess where Ghetto and Trash Palace fits?

Enjoy the temporary Trash Palace in Soho while you can, and details of the final closing party will be announced soon - Watch this space..!

Surface Unsigned National Showcase 2008

The Surface Unsigned National Showcase 2008 will be taking place on Saturday 13th September at the Carling Academy in Birmingham.  This all-day event showcases some of the best unsigned music from across the UK - there will be bands from the Northwest, Midlands and Southeast.  Get down to the Academy to give them your support!  This is a great chance to see some of the finest live unsigned bands on the UK music scene. 

The event is in two halves - the first kicks off at midday, featuring indie popsters Che, ska from Tempting Rosie (pictured below), experimental hip hop by Lazy Fader, London rockers Short Skirtz, Manchester indie types Carjack Mallone, rock music from Silver Sided and Guildford hip-hoppers Free Peace playing African township... 

The second segment runs from 4.30, offering rock from Strangle Kojak, Leicestershire indie group The Chairmen, rock-rap Nylon Sky, Welsh popsters Sierra Alpha, A New Breed Of Monkey playing indie, screaming metal from Rue The Day and psychedlic blues from Blackpool's Lotus Circle. 

The bands wind down around 9ish.  There will be food available throughout the day, as well as drinks promotions, freebies and a free after-show party kicking off at 10pm.   

Kimono Krush Cocktail Explodes!

East London collides with South as the Sugarlow Boys, Al Dente, MarcwithaC and The Duchess of Pork come together and don their bikinis, kimonos and go-go outfits for the launch of Kimono Krush - transforming the Royal Vauxhall Tavern on Friday 10th October, and every second Friday of the month thereafter.

Having been on everyone's lips in the months since its one-off sell-out night at Tiki Bar, Kimono Krush promises exotic performances and an even headier dirty cocktail of trashy pop, dirty disco, sleazy indie and naughty-uncle electro as East London nightlife clashes with the southern clubbing scene. 

Performances will include a set by Triple Penny – a.k.a MarcwithaC (NYC Downlow), Ma Butcher (Gay Bingo) and Jon Sizzle – who've had studded summer smashes at Glastonbury and  Lovebox.  Their enigmatic performances have no need of pentopeptides, surgery or invasive manoeuvres...   

Kimono Krush is at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, right next to Vauxhall tube station - things are getting down and dirty from 9 till 3, and it's a snip at £4...

A sneak preview of the second Kimono Krush, coming up on 14th November, suggests music from DJ Lush (Lippy) and a performance by Julie Holestar...  stay tuned for more details...