Privilege has led a double life this summer and the split personality syndrome continued through to the closing. In the cathedral-esque volume of its gargantuan Main Room it was a world of excessive production, failsafe commercial hits, high energy and a focus on the stage show. Next door in the glass-box that is Vista Club was an understated delve into house and tech-house which rolled along deep musical plateaus with focus spread loosely across the dance floor. The two disparate party experiences combined in one superclub, and managed to slot into their appropriate places in our night as a whole.
We began in the Main Room, as the curtain raised itself to reveal a Disneyland themed stage, dubbed by SupermartXé as the Theatre of Dreams. It was a decidedly fleshy affair. Men and women in various states of undress or overdress (it became difficult to categorise) tottered out onto the pastel battlements and undulated their way through a song or two. SupermartXé proudly caters for the gay community and that includes cross-dressing with the utmost commitment; slimmer male dancers were squeezed into corset bodices, regal neck ruffles and heels as high as Snoop Dogg in the studio. Feather headdresses were a theme for the ladies and not much else, as strategically placed tape was all that stood between the Privilege dancers and nudity. The almost-naked ladies writhed about upon rotating pedestals towards the back of the room and we all tried not to stare too much, some doing better than others.
The crowd was as up for it as they come, starting sing-a-longs, dancing like mad things and going the extra sequin to dress for the occasion. Frequent requests to put our effing hands up were met with compliance and noise –very few were just here for the ride. As feet rocked the dance floor and bass rattled the airwaves, giant cocktails glasses rising out of the dance floor bubbled and spat like cauldrons. Musically it was classics galore, with house remixes of ACDC’s Highway to Hell, Eurythmics Sweet Dreams and Avicii’s latest venture into Nashville, Wake Me Up. The DJ booth, positioned halfway down the room above the pool (another season down and no one has jumped in… shame) was rammed with SupermartXé faithfuls including Playback, Juanjo Martin, Javi Reina, Ab Garcia and more, and whichever DJ was in control of the decks also controlled a portable CO2 gun! Well jell.
After some multi-directional fire squirts from the stage, vocal resident Nalaya emerged, instantly becoming the focal point of SupermartXé’s dazzling components. She was flanked by two male back up dancers clad in black leather nappies with bejeweled crotches, with quads like wild boars and bodies as oily as cheap Chinese takeaway. Sporting a Beyonce style red mini dress Nalaya welcomed us to the evening and commenced a robust medley, only tainted (or enhanced) by the ever-present possibility of a bit of nip popping out of her top. Regardless, I tell you that girl could vocal-gymnastic her way out of Alcatraz; her range and power remains unparalleled on the island. Standouts were her version of Lana del Ray’s Summertime and Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance, capitulated with a little beatboxing session which I’d class as decent… for a girl.
After Nalaya, out trotted the giant fluffy costumes of all your childhood heroes: Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daffy Duck, Snow White and more. Through these waving giants weaved three sirens - clad in silver paint and thigh high boots, these maidens stroked each other, possibly murmuring things like, “ooh Candice, your legs are so smooth, did you just shave?” and “thanks Crystal, the Pilates must be paying off, your bum is like a ripe peach!” … or so I imagined. There was something slightly wrong about having semi-naked stroking and Mickey Mouse et al on the same stage, but that’s the kind of boundary SupermartXé loves to push. Our inner children squealed with delight whilst our adult selves gasped and giggled at the very grown-up titillations the scene presented.
Next door, as foreshadowed, was an entirely different scene. Elio Riso was dishing out an underground tech-house vibe whilst a more relaxed crowd was swinging with the groove. Equally appreciative as next door, though in their own way, the crowd hit a peak when Riso dropped the new M-nus classic, Gaiser’s Bodylost. It was a very Spanish crowd on both sides of the club, and as the sky lightened around the glass-walled Vista, more island locals and Spanish tourists poured in to take the party through to noon.
That’s a wrap for 2013 then Privilege, eclectic and extravagant as ever.
Words by Jordan Smith, Photography by James Chapman.
