The best way to describe it is athletic and empowered

“The best way to describe it is athletic and empowered.”All of which may sound a little daunting for anyone who is, frankly, more blob than babe. “The fashionable look at the moment is a strong body – with a strong mind and a strong spirit too,” he says. Vincent Scalisi, editorial director at Muscle & Fitness Hers, says that these hardbodies are more than ready for their own publication “Other magazines have a softer approach. But 53 per cent of the people who attend health clubs here are women, and they are looking for really sound advice on how to maximise the benefits of the time they spend in the gym.”
Mr Scalisi says that he does not care for the term “bodybuilding” because it implies a touch too much muscle. According to figures published by the American Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, the number of American women who use weights in their workouts has nearly doubled since 1987, from around 12.5 million to around 21 million. The days when the men headed for the weights room while the girlies pranced around in their aerobics classes are over. And “not a dodgy toilet in sight”, says its promoter, Tubbs West.THE BIG BEAT BOUTIQUEThe splendidly named Brighton home of Skint records and showcase for the innovative Big Beat sound the town lays claim to having invented Can’t go far wrong with Fatboy Slim behind it..

Next month, Muscle & Fitness, the 60-year-old American title that is the great-granddaddy of all other muscly mags, is launching a brand new sister publication. With a cover prettily accented in pink and features such as “Illegal Legs: Look So Good It’s A Crime”, Muscle & Fitness Hers is aimed at women who weight-lift; and it seems that there are plenty of them out. Four years ago, women made up around 20 per cent of Muscle & Fitness’s 7.4 million readers; now nearly a third of its readers are female, which adds up to around 2.3 million women. FABRICThree dancefloors, VIP bar and garden courtyard, London’s hottest new venue feels more like a disco village than a superclub. The crowd is a still a mixture of all types, with art students, DJs, labourers and even the odd viscount. Many of the old regulars still pop in, some even ring up for the guest list, but these days it’s usually for their children. As Suggs of Madness said recently, “I think my daughter wants to come down if you can put her on the list – she likes all that hip Sixties stuff.” Then after a pause, “It’s mad that after all these years I should ring up for my daughter.” I think my answer was that “I should coco”, but then again, it has been 18 years.THE DESCENDENTSCREAMThe Liverpool club, which started in 1992, now attracts 3,000 clubbers a week, with “a spirit that no other Northern club can match”, says resident DJ Paul Okenfold Also resident in Ibiza.

Luckily George was a regular and took it all on the chin.Still, we have somehow survived. The music policy has now gone almost full circle, back to what we began with: Northern Soul, Latin, Sixties and old school funk. This time, it resulted in the young lady launching a table at her rather challenged spouse When he ducked, the table hit George Michael. Soho tailor Mark Powell recalls this as “one of the best club nights ever – good dancers, great dressers, fantastic mix of people, black and white, and totally without pretension.” It was at one such night that a fiery couple engaged in one of their all-too-common arguments. He made his way to the bar, fell asleep on it, and woke up some three hours later, ready to play and totally amazed that everyone had now gone home.Perhaps the most memorable night was the legendary Black Market Friday. On another occasion he played half a song, downed tools and then announced that he needed his quota of “peanut butter and lager sandwiches”.

I bumped into him as he was passing through London and booked him on the spot. He stayed and married one of our teenage barmaids for a fee which he never paid He became a regular Wag fixture even when not performing. At 6ft 6in tall he waltzed on stage for one performance in full boxing kit and proceeded to play the piano with boxing gloves. One of our most seasoned acts was the legendary Slim Gaillard. He quoted his age as 76, but we later discovered he was in fact 80. After two hours of coaxing, the clock was edging towards 1.30am, and the assembled throng were champing at the bit.