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

AREA'S LICENSE TO BE REVIEWED. CLUB NIGHT MUSICAL CHAIRS EXPECTED

Lambeth Council's to review the licence of Area due to a police report alleging there's a "blatant supply of drugs". The licensing sub committee (not that kind of sub - think  a kaleidoscope of sleazy local incompetent councillors serving local party politics and grandstanding) meets next Tuesday 14 February at 7pm.

It follows Fire going through the same process resulting in a six week temporary closure.  We imagine lots of club nights shuffling around whilst wrists are slaps, promises made and so on and so forth.

We hear that most Vauxhall venues have seen some kind of police action lately.

The council papers are here...

24/7 GYM CULTURE

Interesting article in the Guardian hereabout the booming 24-hour gyms popping up everywhere. The article features The Gym at Vauxhall's St George Wharf - very popular with London's gay men looking to get club fit. 

Weird things about The Gym in Vauxhall:it's the only gym we've ever seen people pop out for frequent cigarette breaks.  An instructor also told us that some folks often take G to exercise which they don't encourage.  It's rammed most hours with long queues to get in and out at peak times. It's also popular with folks just out of Brixton prison, according to a policeman we know. If you go and find it too busy, they're opening another in Stockwell.

WAR ON DRUGS GETTING REAL?

After Sir Richard Branson said we should end the war on drugs yesterday, new sentencing guidance came out today. Is the farce over?  Nope, but it could be showing signs of seeing some sense albeit due to the prisons being unable to take in any more people.

"Continue reading" for quotes from the usual suspects...

VIDEO: MADONNA DOES CRYSTAL METH

MEPHEDRONE MASSACRE!

The Evening Standard today claimed Mephedrone was "linked" to 42 deaths whilst pointing out by name the next popular drug?! 

Here's what they flippantly claimed: "Banned party drugs M1 and meow meow mimic the effects of rave drug ecstasy in the brain, say US scientists. They found the newer drugs did not cause the same long-term fall in the feel-good hormone serotonin. Meow meow has been linked to 42 deaths.

QX SPEAKS UP ON DRUG DEATHS

Pretty good article in this week's QX here...  We see a bit of sensible chat going on here too.  If you think you could do with talking to somebody, don't avoid it. the new Club Drug Clinic might be a good start?

DESPITE NICE GESTURES, THE GOVT IS STILL FAILING ON HIV

Despite talking the talk, let's not forget that Cameron's government has still not launched any kind of major advertising campaign on HIV.  Rates are on the rise, folks are still ignorant, the charities at the coal face of it struggling against a tide of complacency, ignorance and a devil may care attitude.

Peter Tatchell summarises things very well as ever. "Continue reading" for an education on where we're at today. It's reall good and taught us a thing or two.

VIDEO: DAYS LIKE THIS - LITTLE BLUE FLOWER

An Irishman who has struggled his entire life with alcoholism and depression discovers a little blue flower, and it profoundly alters the course of his life.

ONE IN 20 GAY MEN HIV+. FIND OUT IF YOU'VE GOT IT AT THE PUB

After our great event on Friday night at the RVT some depressing news just before World AIDS Day. One in 20 gay men is positive and 25% of those unaware or not wanting to know. The amount of new infections hit 91,500 in 2010. Figures come courtesy of the Health Protection Agency.

CLAPHAM COMMON DEATH WASN'T MURDER. IT WAS POPPERS

You may recall concerns that a man found dead on Clapham Common was the victim of another homophobic hate crime.  Apparently not and the two men who were arrested at the time have been exonerated.  The man, a married father, had a heart attack after taking poppers, according to the coroner.

You can read the full report on the Streatham Guadian's website here...

PORN STAR: STOP TALKING ABOUT HIV

Interesting take on HIV.  Pink News has an interesting coment piece by porn star Michael Lucas, pictured.

He says "Here’s a sentence I never thought I would write: I’m in favour of a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. Not in the military, of course — those days are behind us — but in the bedroom. What I’m talking about, specifically, is HIV. And my point is that, at least when it comes to sex, we should talk about it less."

You can read the full comment piece here. Any views?

 

THREE PER DAY

A French study of 106 people with HIV and Hep-C reported that those who drunk three or more cups of coffee a day were 80% more likely not to suffer from adverse side effects. The report was given at the tenth AIDS Impact Conference has just finished in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Read more on Aidsmap.

GAY SEX IN EUROPE

Here's some useful pre-holiday reading if you want to know where they are most promiscuous and where sex venues get the best results (France, Netherlands) or where they have least anal sex (Baltic countries), most check-ups (UK) or safest sex (Alpine countries). Click the headline for our pick of the European MSM Internet Survey comparing sexual habits of over 170,000 gay men in 38 European countries.

POLICE FISHING DEEP FOR EVIDENCE BASE AGAINST FIRE AND AREA

Spotted in the entrance halls at St George Wharf: posters soliciting residents views on Fire and Area. We can't imagine straight locals going out of their way to support local gay nightclubs so we imagine overwhelmingly negative feedback - will the smaller gay vote come out in favour?  

As they gather an evidence base against clubs, we do fear this puts all venues in the firing line - this 'feedback' will be in the top drawer whenever there's a problem perceived with any venue.

FIRE AND AREA TARGETED BY LOCAL ACTION TEAMS. WHO'S NEXT?

"A site for residents of Prince's Ward, SE11, in the London Borough of Lambeth" has posted concerns they claim the local coppers have about Area and Fire. They're claiming they police have run "covert operations during which officers observed the supply and usage of illegal drugs, and incidents of drink spiking within the venue. Police have stated that they believe the premises’ management to be 'either unwilling or unable to tackle the drugs problems which are endemic to this venue''.

"Continue reading" for more...

ECSTASY KILLS CANCER. WE HEART SENSATIONALIST MEDICAL HEADLINES.

According to a new report, "Modified ecstasy could one day have a role to play in fighting some blood cancers.... Ecstasy is known to kill some cancer cells, but scientists have increased its effectiveness 100-fold, they said in Investigational New Drugs journal", reports the BBC.

Before you wonder what the heck blood cancer is it's an umbrella name for things like leukaemia. As ever, any treatment's a very long way off...  We always knew laughter and happiness was the best medicine. 

MEPHEDRONE TRIGGERS HEART ATTACK IN BBC RADIO PRODUCER

George Webley, who did the music for The Office and Have I Got News For You has died after taking Mephedrone.  "Big George", as he was known as he was obese had an underlying heart condition - which is what often kills people who take drugs. 

The coroner says toxicology tests carried out after his death revealed the cardiac arrest was triggered by the illegal stimulant.

LIB DEMS PICK A FIGHT WITH THE TORIES. SNOW BALL FANCIES IT CHANCES IN HELL.

News from The Indy who say "The Liberal democrats are to call for the decriminalisation of all drugs, including heroin and cocaine, to be considered urgently by the Coalition Government in an effort to cut levels of addiction."

 "Continue reading" to find out more about snow ball fights in hell.

 

POLICE ALERT: DANGEROUS BATCH OF E BEING SOLD?

The Met have issued an alert that there could be a batch of Ecstasy on the go.  The warning comes after two people were hospitalised in separate incidents over the weekend at Fabric.

Detective Superintendent Adrian Usher told The Guardian: "Over this last weekend we have had two incidents at this nightclub where two people are in a critical condition in hospital.  We know they had taken ecstasy and that this batch of drugs could be available in other locations across London.

"All drug-taking involves an element of risk. Users need to be aware that a potentially fatal batch of ecstasy is out there and understand the devastating effect it can have on their health. I strongly advise people to be cautious and if they have purchased any ecstasy recently to destroy it."

REAL ECSTASY BEING FOUND - REPORTS

We're interested to note that in recent seizures the police have found that the E being sold actually contained MDMA - and a lot of it.