BACK IN THE DAY...
PIMPED OUT FOR SUMMER Riding a motorbike in full leathers with temperatures of more than 20 degrees makes me just want to strip them all off and luckily for me I know just the girl to give me a hand… Michelle White is clothing and accessory advisor at Balderston and she recommends this hi-visibility textile jacket made by BMW called the AirShell. It’s one of those jackets that looks better on than hanging on the rail and it offers practically all the protection of a leather without sweating buckets. The AirShell has large ventilation areas that gives you lots of air circulation. It’s waterproof, reflective for those late summer evenings and comes with removable protectors on your shoulders and elbows. At the front there are two zip pockets and you can adjust the waist and cuffs. There’s also a pocket to fit a back protector and you can remove the lining on the inside for even more air flow.
It was the late 1990’s and the city centre’s nightclub offering was more than adequate with plenty of tastes catered for, so we thought. Then L’Aristos came along and it should’ve challenged the status quo – but the venue was in Fengate. And being in Newark Road was essentially the club’s downfall. L’Aristos was supposed to be the venue that changed everything. Its presence (had it been in the city centre) would’ve intimidated other clubs and forced them to rethink their strategies, but instead L’Aristos will be remembered by me at least as a slice of London’s West End meets Peterborough’s primary industrial estate. The club’s owner Frank L’Aristo looked like the kind of guy who owned a downtown casino in Las Vegas. He was all gold bracelet and suntan but he knew how to bring a bit of class to Peterborough. I was never much of a drinker so being designated driver had its perks while L’Aristos was open. It meant I could charge strangers a few quid to get back into town to hit the other clubs if they wanted to. Driving was also the perfect introduction to girls who’d be getting a chill up their miniskirts waiting for a taxi back to the city centre. The fact that so many of us would rarely stay the duration in L’Aristos in fear of missing out in town is a massive shame. I seldom saw the club packed to the rafters and even with a shuttle service eventually deployed, revellers still needed to get their end of night kicks in the city centre. L’Aristos did sharpen our up clobber though. The club oozed style,
sophistication and class. It was a big venue and probably the best the city has seen in terms of its layout – the dance floor was central and huge. I remember thinking I’d have to smarten up when going to L’Aristos. It put a bit of pride and effort back into the appearance of the otherwise bordering on scruffy 1990’s clubber. I’m guilty of not supporting L’Aristos as much as I should have on Friday and Saturday nights. For me it was part of a chat up line in Rinaldo’s to say I’d popped into L’Aristos earlier that night. But on a Sunday I was there without fail. Clubbing on a Sunday night was for the die hard and the elite. It was made especially easier by being in your early 20’s, which meant comfortably coping with burning the candle at both ends. It was also a blessing that Sunday entry fees were considerably cheaper. The Sunday routine always began at The Granary where practically the pub’s entire clientele would move onto L’Aristos. For reasons which I can’t figure out, Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ is the song I most associate with L’Aristos during that time and like Whitney that excellent venue is now gone but never forgotten.
This jacket is a fantastic fit and is made to the high standard we’ve come to expect from BMW Motorrad. For more summer riding gear check out the Balderston showroom in Hampton.
PIZZA EXPRESSED IN BOIZOT BOOK People who know me understand that I don’t read fiction although I’ve been accused of writing it from time to time in my 20 years as a columnist. I’m an absolute autobiography man and have a stack of them ranging from Richard Prior to Aryton Senna still to read but a new autobiography of Peter Boizot has gone straight to the top of my priority reading pile. It’s been penned by former Peterborough Telegraph reporter Matthew Reville and I remember being pleasantly surprised when he told me he’d embarked on what I’m sure was a challenging but satisfying project.
I always pray for good weather in time for BMF weekend and get a downpour but this year my prayers were answered for a change. The sun was beaming and so was I when I got to meet World Superbike legend Carl Fogarty.
Peter was chairman of Posh when I worked there and I always used to say I could write a few stories about this experience. Credit to Matt for choosing to write about one of Peterborough’s most famous people (me aside of course) and well done for the book being sold out of its first print run at Peterborough Waterstones in four days!
Chatting with Carl was fab but something else made my visit to the show even more worthwhile. Turn to page 34 to find out.
‘Mr Peterborough’ introduced pizza to Britain, set up the Soho Jazz Festival and of course rescued Peterborough United.
QUALITY BOXING BY CITY PROS
He stood for Parliament twice, renovated the Broadway Theatre and has raised millions to stop Venice from flooding.
FOGGY AT A HOT BMF!
Peterborough is finding its way back on the professional boxing map following top quality performances from four of our city’s fighters at Bushfield Leisure Centre last month. Tariq Quaddus, Cello Renda, Michael Maguire and Karl Wheeler all claimed impressive wins at the packed Robert Waterman show and it was the
latter boxer whose performance was an extra bit special after returning to the ring following an eight year absence. I’m looking forward to seeing more of these boys ply their trade and other local fighters including Sam Barron, Tommy Martin and Jordan Gill. To see my full write-up go to www.espmag.co.uk
Mr Pizza And All That Jazz tells the life story of a man who made a fortune and lost it all. But profits have never been Peter’s driving force – following his passions have always been paramount to him. I’m looking forward to reading this book for lots of reasons. Paperback copies are £10.99 and hardback £15.99. You can also get it in both major formats of e-book.
ANDO MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT A five-a-side football tournament and fun day will be held on July 6 at Langtoft football ground in memory of my friend Ando Todisco who passed away suddenly last May.
CAUGHT I N THE AC T!
"Me again. Th is time in th e middle of at the exce trying to mi llent Yaxley mic an Elvis Festival. Th pose anks Rai for papping me."
There’ll be plenty for the family to enjoy on the day (11am – 5pm) and team submissions (£30 per team) should be made by June 22 to andomemorial@gmail.com or by text 07946 421819. All proceeds will be split between the British Heart Foundation and Langtoft Football Club. www.espmag.co.uk
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