Gay London clubs bars sex: map, calendar/diary, reviews, news from DISCODAMAGED

Beach Bar in Soho from May 2

Manbar with Prowler and aussieBum launch the new upstairs Beach Bar in Manbar Thursday 2nd May from 7pm.

Champion this Thursday

Champion "London’s first ever gay monthly sporting social night" is at Manbar this Thursday. That's at 79 Charing Cross Road, Soho. It's in the gay London calendar. Click the headline for more.

Manbar this April

Manbar this April: Friday to Wednesday: Rebel, Hombre, Rednecks, Beartrap, Spotlight and Revival. Champion returns Thursday 25 April. Click the headline for details. Manbar is at 79 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0NE. Free entry, free wifi. Open late www.manbarsoho.com and it's in the Discodamaged gay London calendar.

Manbar Soho. First impressions.

After losing loads of bars over the years, we're pleased the owners of CXR have saved it by rebirthing it as something new.  It was a mercy killing. We all read that Do Not Resuscitate label. Now, where as Vauxhall's Eagle rejigged back to a winning formula that makes it one of the friendliest little slut huts in London, Manbar is a whole new brand and it's promising to be great bar to have fun with your mates in without the Soho sh*t.

What's it like? We hit Manbar's official launch night and liked what they're trying to do. "Continue reading" for our first impressions...

Who owns Manbar? Why did CXR go from Belle of the Ball to DNR?

Among the slick PR we got for Manbar was info on the owners, Charles and Az. This stuff is usually up its a*se flannel but we found it a bit interesting. They opened Pleasuredrome when getting a license faced hostility not least from the Met, tried various things so a bit of Soho history...   

Anyways, we found it interesting and it's below... 

London's first big new gay bar in years opens. Manbar Soho.

Something great happened yesterday evening.  We got our first new gay owned big old gay bar in years. Manbar Soho opened in what was 79CXR and we're pleased to say it's a big improvement.

They say "Bringing new life to an old venue, a major refit has left the space brand, spanking new. New sound system, new air conditioning and new decor have been brought in to revitalise a location which is part of London’s gay heritage. A new age is upon us." 

The soundtrack to Soho’s newest bar will be "mainstream, commercial dance" with London’s best DJs doing residencies including Alessandro Londra, Tony English, Brent Nicholls, Rich B, DJ Minx and Pier Morocco.

There's even talk of "customer service", a free cloakroom service and free WiFi for you Grindr whores. Opening Times are Monday to Wednesday 4pm to 2am, Thursday and Friday 4pm to 3am, Saturday 2pm to 3am, Sunday 2pm to 11pm.

Cover Charge: £3 Monday to Thursday after 10.30pm. £5 Friday to Saturday after 10.30pm.

Anyways, head along and tell us what you think.

BE DRAG SNOW WHITE

They're looking for a drag Snow White to star in Snow White and the Seven Poofs in Leicester Square Theatre 1 December - 9 January. Auditions at Pineapple Dance Studios and CXR bar will be filmed for Sky 1. Be a star! Click the headline for more details and show tickets.

DD REVIEW: 79 CXR

Tucked a few streets away from Soho near Chinatown, is the flashy sounding 79CXR – an abbreviation of the venue's address: 79 Charing Cross Road.  Tucked under some colonnades in a modern (80s) strip of shops, CXR sucks in light from the outside whilst none appears to escape its cavernous void.

What? Well, it's got black tinted windows which were probably necessary when it opened.  Sadly, we suspect if light and for that matter sound could escape this venue, it would tell a tale of broken dreams, misery and despair.  Truth be told, Misery herself would probably die in here and worse, it would be suicide.