MATTHEW GLAMORRE

Matthew Glamorre believes that the secret of transformation is the will to survive, aesthetically-speaking at least. Appearance for him is a political statement. "I like to confront social conformity, challenge Joe Public by using the language of non-beauty, distortion and malfunction," he explains with much conviction. "Being a freak to me means expressing the inner rage against society's hypocrisy and mediocrity." Strong words from someone who also admits that his inner rage has much mellowed over the years. "As you get older, you ease off and it ain't 24/7 anymore. You begin to appreciate the ability to disguise in the daytime world," he continues. But, when night falls, out comes the freak and he's bent on expressing a different reality. "I refuse to put up with what people call reality, the mainstream, the consumer dream," he insists and no one is going to argue with him. Matthew has sailed all the way to the top since his early low-key appearances at Club For Heroes back in '82, and later at The Jungle, Taboo, Anarchy and The Mix. His motto has always been to look upon club promotion as 'installation art', rather than a money-spinning occupation. Finance being bottom of his list didn't stop him coming up trumps promoting his nightclub Smashing in '91. It proved to be the complete antidote to the prevailing ecstasy and handbag scenes. There, Britpop's shakers and groovers could have a laugh mingling with the gaggle of club kids in attendance. In the seriously dull period that was 1997 to 2002, Glamorre managed to keep London's nightlife alive (just about) with his bizarre experimentations. The Mint Tea Rooms opened the floodgates to the Burlesque thing. The Siren Suite pioneered a classical music scene of sorts, while HARDERFASTERLOUDER's sole purpose was to bend its audience's ears with earth-shatteringly loud industrial beats. His current and initially more sporadic Kashpoint has cornered the freak/party monster scene, beating all the competition in the process. Each night has a theme, features innovative live acts and takes place at different venues. At its best, it's truly London's most outlandish and entertaining club night. However, an ill-fated move to a weekly Friday spot in Regent Street's Eve Club in September 2007 virtually resulted in the club dying a death. Another party took place last May at the old Moonlighting haunt. However, the future of the club looks uncertain, given that Matthew's interests now lie more in music management/promotion.