A high fat, low attitude disco jambalaya, cooked up twice weekly for gay bears, cubs, chubs, muscle daddies and their mates.

The Venue
A club space housed in four cavernous railway arches, the layout of XXL has evolved and expanded over the last seven years. Arch One now houses XXL’s entrance hall, cloakroom, bar and lounge area, and there’s access to a covered garden space leading to a darkly lit cruise arch. Arch Two is the main dancefloor, Arch Three has a cruisey lounge area to one side and a second smaller dancefloor on the other, and Arch Four provides a second bar, lounge area, more toilets and access to another outdoor area with tables and chairs.

It’s a good layout with plenty of areas to explore and room to circulate. There’s even secure on-site parking ouside. It’s a great venue, the only real bug-bear is that the cloakroom could be more efficiently organised so customers aren’t kept waiting so long to deposit or retrieve their belongings.

The Atmosphere
This club is men only and is sexually charged; however, it somehow manages to remain friendly and non-threatening. The bear crowd come here to play, but also to relax and let it all hang out. Musclemen and chubs alike rip off their shirts and let themselves go amid the lasers and lightshows on the dancefloor.

The absence of body fascism, racism or ageism is what makes XXL diverse and exciting. In the bar rooms, more subdued sound levels make conversation possible, whilst the staff and security make you feel welcome.

The Music
Uplifting house that’s funky, moody and vocal on the main dancefloor, with the second dancefloor in Arch Three usually spinning tougher sounds of the hard house, future-tech and trance varieties. Whilst XXL has much to offer musically, it’s just not all it could be for a club on this scale. Some regular guest DJs would reinvigorate the XXL mainfloor experience and take the club to the next level.

The Food
Free sweets in the entrance hall to raise the blood-sugar levels and free crisps on the bar once you’re inside.

The Drink
On draught: Carling, Grolsch, Caffreys, Guinness, Scrumpy Jack cider and Hancocks bitter. By the can or bottle: Bud, Becks, Red Stripe, Stella, Coors Light, Magners, Newcastle Brown Ale, Smirnoff Ice and WKD. Not forgetting house white, red and rose wine, and the usual spirits. There are soft drinks including Lucozade, Red Bull, bottled water, coke and diet coke and Kaliber alcohol-free beer if you’re driving.

The Last Word
Although XXL was initially aimed at barrel-chested bears, the club’s appeal seems to have broadened with the years.

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