It was hip long before Shoreditch was, and paved the way for the plethora of nightlife venues that have popped up in the area since. No Bar Rumba though? We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. or one of his friends in the first arch of muscle-alley. The Kingsland Road venue was once "the coolest bar around." It drew in big name DJs and its club night FWD>> was a rite of passage for many Londoners going out in the early 2000s. The West End establishment started out as a burlesque club but later became a staple for Central London's "fringe-culture" community. The End just had to be #1 Hope you are too. Ruby Violet: NW5s pioneering ice cream parlour to close, Let It Roll Records closes. Didnt boy george have a residency there? (1989) " London Nights ". You'll get 12 stories straight to your inbox at around 12pm. how about PLEASED on a wednesday at the Velvet underground !!! Memories of its glamorous showbiz past as one of the places to be seen in London in the 1980s echo around through the wall of this beautiful piece of architecture. Ask Billy if there are more? I would work a ten hour shift at a newspaper then drive to Bagleys to spend 5/6 hours talking to ravers, taking photos of people, checking they werent eating their tongues and giving out free condoms (Durex sponsors had given us hundreds of boxes of the things). The venue stopped running the events to save its licence, but as a result lost a lot of money through cancelled bookings and by March 2010 was broke. Fantastic to look through it every so often and remember what wasa very much loved and much missed club . All rights reserved. I used to be the membership girl at Freedom. 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Plus Lion & Unicorn and LGBTQ History Month, Black History Month 2022: 5 picks across Camden, Foodscape: own a vertical plot in Londons first urban farm, Queer Jubilee: Drag at Zabludowicz, Queer Britain and Mighty Hoopla, LGBTQ History Month 2022: top 10 Camden & Islington highlights, My Boy Danny: the acclaimed play tackling LGBTQ hate crime, Where to find the summer special issue and whats in it. Im rambling anyway. In the middle years of the 60s this was the place to be seen. But it was torn down in 2009 to make way for the new Elizabeth Line. In 2018 it was bought by chain The Deltic Group and given a. A producers first booking at the club was a serious rite of passage. In the 90s, it was all about wild weekly. But many of the places that clubbers flocked to every weekend in their thousands in the post-Criminal Justice Act heyday are being erased from todays landscape. We set the standard for many years I wonder.. What can we create next >?? Ultimate . Egg Sando, Panadera: Londons best 4.50 sandwich? morning, Available for everyone, funded by readers. The street was home to the 1980s Batcave nightclub where regulars such as Robert Smith, Marc Almond and Alice Coop. The gay scene in London has always been centred around the West End, especially Soho. Central to the Black jazz scene at the time, and closely linked with African. Acts to have played The Scala include Foo Fighters, The Killers and Coldplay. I played at the cross several times .. 4 me one of best uk clubs where i played great memories , I have the Cross book. The regulars often spent hours preparing for the night, and the morning the night morphed into. My favourite break-time activity was to go up to the rafters and watch everybody raving. Madonna, Bjork and Kate Moss all turned up over the years and versions of Trade popped up in Ibiza, New York and LA. But its about the memories though, for me. Memorable days and nights. SeOne, London Bridge2002-2010It was billed as Londons biggest nightclub, a 3,000-capacity venue set in a vast set of arches beneath London Bridge station, known for big-name Saturday nighters as well as regular Moondance raves. It closed after an issue with underage drinking was reported in 2009, before re-opening as Electric Brixton. Every club claims that its all about the music but in Plastic Peoples case, the ideology really did manifest. Dirty, worn, in your face, street cred with banging, hard but funky beats. Big small club! After all, it did have a capacity pushing 4,000 people and a 24-hour drinking licence. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. I was there at the closing parties on the last two nights without leaving! There were a couple of years I was there 8 nights out of the Christmas/ New Year season. Peter Gatien produced the 1993 film A Bronx Tale after having produced it as a one-man play. As I looked up from the urinal, there was this dude, about 6foot 6, clad in all leather, not too dissimilar to that of the guys in the Blue Oyster bar in the Police Academy films, peaked cap, studded peak, leather trousers, jacket. Reading this article has caused me new inspiration watch out London. The Norman-style Welsh Chapel was built in 1888 by James Cubitt for inner London's Welsh community and was empty for 15 years before it found new life as nightclub Limelight. Bagleys moody security also trying to half in your gak. Thanks to this article I have found a local website for local people. It was the trend-setting precursor to London's super clubs, and transformed the terrain of LGBTQ clubbing in the capital. You had, in all probability, just left Turnmills, the first club in the UK to receive a 24 hour license. Now, is that the same Tom Kihl I employed in the heady days of Covent Garden based vegetarian restaurants? Or did that go the way of the marbles?! He was about 50 years old and massive. Some partners do not ask for your consent to process your data and rely on their legitimate business interest. It was around the corner from Angel station. There are new plans to take the building into the future - but we really miss how it used to be. Its sudden closure came as a big shock to staff and owners; Network Rail turned up with angle grinders, cut through the metal shutters and took possession of the venue so it could go ahead with its station upgrade plans. Thanks for the article, brought back awesome memories! For drum and bass legend Fabio, who hosted Swerve, the clubs midweek blowout, every Wednesday, it was one of the first clubs in London built by DJs for DJs. The immovable object of the London clubbing scene. Happy days. Now can you expand on one for the rest of London please, would love to see Club UK brought back to life if only in words! It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Its loyal following of drum and bass fans would flock there every Wednesday for Swerve, the legendary midweek session. (Photo by Carl Allen) 7 Sir George Robey/Powerhaus, Seven Sisters Road London's lost nightclubs in pictures A new book by DJ and writer Dave Haslam offers a fascinating glimpse into London's clubbing history. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Where to find the February issue of Kentishtowner, Where to find the January 2019 issue of Kentishtowner, Where to find the December issue of Kentishtowner, http://www.amazon.co.uk/CROSS-1993-2003-Jonathan-CUTTING/dp/B0010786KI, http://wharferj.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/stealth-the-blue-note/. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Between 1987 and 1990, when police pressure forced its closure, Shoom was where the London dance club as we know it today was born. The Soul City nights in Covent Garden were also really good. According to its owners, the time felt right to move on. It was the place to go. Despite pioneering an anything goes party culture in London, by the late noughties, the buzz was fading. The demise of seminal clubs like Shelleys In Stoke, Quadrant Park in Liverpool and Coventrys Eclipse should also be documented. Well, sort of in fairness as all venues involved being pretty blitzed. Written by. Even Prince Charles has been to the Limelight club - he was snapped getting out of the royal car as he arrived to attend a reception for the Prince's Trust at the venue in December 1997. Keeping mine though , Sounds great, have been looking for a fb page for The Cross but cant find anything at all, would be amazing to see pics over the years, Its a hardback book called the cross 1993-2003 by j. cutting. Some of the greatest nights of my life have been at FWD>> at Plastic People.. Unfortunately, I cant say I experienced all of them. Last modified on Tue 2 Jun 2020 05.49BST, Photograph: Ray Stevenson/REX/Shutterstock, Photograph: Dick Barnatt/Redferns & Paul Talling, Photograph: Paul Talling & Ilpo Musto/REX/Shutterstock, Photograph: Ray Stevenson/REX/Shutterstock & Paul Talling, Photograph: REX/Shutterstock & Paul Talling, Photograph: Paul Talling & Marc Sharrat/REX Shutterstock, Composite: David Corio/Redferns & Paul Talling, Photograph: Paul Talling & David Corio/Redferns, Photograph: Brendan Beirne/Rex Shutterstock & Paul Talling, Photograph: Alan Davidson/REX/Shutterstock, Photograph: Paul Talling & Ray Stevenson/REX/Shutterstock, Photograph: Suzie Gibbons/Redferns & Paul Talling, Photograph: Ray Stevenson/REX/Shutterstock & Paul Talling, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every Had some amazing times in those clubs, never to repeated in TBA East London warehouses. I will never stop thinking it was incredible. Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s - The pace of progress eh? A most excellent post Tom.. Mass and Babalou, Brixton1996-2012Bearing in mind this pair of venues were hosted within Brixtons St Matthews Church, which leased the space to them, it was always pretty cheeky for Mass to host Torture Garden events in the crypt. Nuff Said. Home. From sweaty rave spots to Soho institutions, these are the iconic nightlife haunts we most miss. We will provide guestlist and table booking services absolutely free, and on top of these we can give you great benefits so you can surely enjoy your nightout. I was the promoter of Double Dipped at Bagleys on Friday nights around 91 93 Have to confess my favorites were Frantic at the Academy, and The Fridge. I also have a book given out on The Ends 10th birthday which is a coffee table book but still good. Clip ref DW0126681990s Ministry of Soun. All the London clubs now are appearing and disappearing like mushrooms. The Walkabout bar closed after its parent company went into administration in October 2009. Finally closing after 18 years in 2008, Trade never again found a permanent home as Turnmills itself was demolished; the site is now home to the most anonymous possible looking corner office block. Punters at The Bubble Club, The Que Club, 1996. Electroworks (I think this was the name?). The Astor Club was a nightclub which operated in Mayfair, London from the 1930s to the late 1970s. Last minute gifts? He was a sound guy actually. Velvet Rooms, Soho1993-2003Ibiza party man Nicky Holloway kickstarted this central London club originally named Velvet Underground after his previous project, Milk Bar, lost its lease. The clubs licence was suddenly revoked after a serious incident of disorder outside the venue, in which, according to the police report, bouncers used baseball bats to fight off a customer who had been throwing bottles at them. The Shim Sham Club, which opened on Wardour Street in the mid-1930s, was described as 'London's miniature Harlem'. I discovered house music whilst on holiday in Ibiza in 1990 and after that London was the only place on my to move to list. Peter Gatien's daughter Jen Gatien made a documentary called Limelight in 2011, about New York City night life in the 1990s and the rise and fall of her father's club empire. By the mid-1990s the venue was no longer used as a cinema, instead functioning as a music venue, nightclub and snooker hall. Bagleys/Canvas, Kings Cross1991-2007Like a legal rave, Bagleys was a huge multi-room warehouse club that held some of Londons biggest Saturday night parties. Its flagship night was Trade the original afterparty. Those Cranks days were the era that I fully embraced the concept of the 3-night sleepless weekender and other wonderous, if slightly unprofessional, ways to fill the hours between shifts. As of today, we can once again form outdoor queues seemingly without point or purpose, lose our cloakroom tickets and get furiously sweaty to throbbing, seductive and oft just downright filthy beats in darkened rooms until the earliest of hours. The exterior of Hammersmith Palais nightclub in 1968 when it was still known as Hammersmith Palais de Danse . 11. The End, The Cross, Turnmills and Bagleys were all favourites. After all they shaped todays society in one way or another. Im surprised The Gardening Club wasnt there. I think the last great night I had in a bigger club was Shelter at Egg in 2005. Surely he must be out by now. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. When a property developer came along offering to buy the End and its sister bar next door, AKA, they decided to accept the offer. 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Nice article that has brought back some wonderful memories. Great article and very sad reading. And its not true that they are being lost despite fans interestfans lost interest, or they would all still be milking it! I remember me and my brother went up to Soundshaft one night (I was about 22), with, erm, a couple of associates.. People from across the capital will flock to Herbal, an exposed brick warehouse which regularly hosted big name DJs. It had to close due to Network Rail redevelopment in 2013. Losing those places feels like losing a family member never to return. It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. Lead singer of the pop group Visage Steve Strange (left) pictured with Boy George at London's Limelight. George Michael often arrived at the nightclub accompanied by a woman before he came out as gay. A far cry from the likes of the Nest or Birthdays, the Aces filled an old Victorian theatre on Dalston Lane where it pioneered black music in the UK before becoming a permanent venue for rave promoters Labyrinth in the late 80s. Seems quite a few people would like to get their hands on The Cross book dont suppose youve got a lockup full of a last, forgotten batch? Love it, smiling from ear to ear thinking about some of them. Nick, the big bald black guy who always had a smile on his face, pretty much the master of ceremonies at Turnmills. Speaking to the Guardian after its closure, Marcus Harris, who co-ran the venues long-running indie night White Heat, described it as a community of fringe culture. Even if we cant and possibly shouldnt prevent their almost inevitably fleeting existence. This article was amended on 11 September 2016. Back then, the huge 2,000 capacity venue was a Saturday night lockout and one . Find out what is now open where you live by putting your postcode into our handy widget below. It was in King's Cross's golden triangle of night clubs which all shut down in the face of the area's redevelopment. Something went wrong, please try again later. Its industrial settings and position in the centre of London made it a unique offering. New venues although arguably more suitable in some considerations like Matter just dont possess the necessary special ingredient like the late great Turnmills anymore. Nice article Tom, brought back some great memories. Stealth on a Thursday night, marvellous http://wharferj.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/stealth-the-blue-note/ Open till 5am and with no alcohol license, this, more than any other London club, marked the end of the sticky carpets and flock wallpaper design of clubs in the capital and triggered the beginning of nightspots being seen as somewhere to dance rather than a place to get hammered and attempt to grope members of the opposite sex. We forgive all this because nightclubs in our fair city also provide some of the most euphorically happy moments of collective felicity and joy that well experience in the course of our lives. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Nice article Tom, brought back some memories. Have some great memories from that place when the people from Hooj used to celebrate their parties there. Wow, it was a long time ago. It always felt like it was on borrowed time after that. 4. In the early 2000s it incorporated the successful Pitt Street club Sublime in the late 1990s, run by Simon Page. Now, as then, this is still the party spot for the rich and privileged, with a fair smattering of showbiz excess included. Bagley's, King's Cross (1990-2008) Instagram The massive warehouse club in King's Cross was a close as you could get to a legal rave. Oh, the most impressive handlebar tash I have ever seen on a Man. When I was at DJ Magazine, Paul Oakenfold once said to me that important former nightclubs should, at very least, have a blue plaque on the wall. It was the venues teen parties that got it into hot water, however, when police found evidence of underage drinking there in 2009. Great article. The clientele these days is more likely to include the sons and daughters of sheiks and potentates quaffing Cristal and dancing to mainstream RnB but the restaurant area (yes, this is one of those kinds of nightclubs) still sees the odd A-lister float by when theyre in town. Whats in the new July issue of Kentishtowner? From the weekly FWD>> nights, where the UK bass scene emerged, to the broken beat nights Co-op, this was a club that managed to evolve and change while somehow remaining the same for over 20 years, a run that ended only when long-standing manager Charlotte Kepel felt the time was right to pull the plug in 2015. I worked at AKA for many years. The brand name is constantly evolving and the club continues to survive despite numerous threats of closure. . When Limelight fell out of favour as a celebrated nightspot it was sold and in 2003 became a Walkabout bar. Then Dane Bowers went and ruined it all. But before it was shut down to make way for King's Cross redevelopment, The Cross Club's six arches would fill with partygoers every weekend. In the 1990s, the scene reverted back to Soho, revitalised by new style bars like The Village. Nowadays the capital's former red light district is swanky. Cans of beer The five-storey building is rather wonderfully detailed inside and out. 1. Thanks Julian. The arcade room downstairs Remaining stock was given away free at the apocalyptically hedonistic farewell party so they do crop up online occasionally. Great memories for me toobut pickling clubs in aspic is a sign of ld age, new generations inven their own vibes in new venues.Some of those big clubs that are eulogised here were seen at the time by older clubbersd as too corporate and bland. Great article. Ill email you! I will never forget it. Demonstrators protest against the closure of Madame JoJos, in 2014. mixed the burlesque glamour of Soho with Londons contemporary music scene, Speaking to the Guardian after its closure, Marcus Harris, Hackney council revoked the clubs licence, the capitals biggest modern developments, stand in the way of the Crossrail development, taking the scalp of the Metro with the same swoop of the sword that ended the Astoria. Many clubs in London's West End (Gullivers, Gossips, Crackers, Africa Centre, the 100 Club) and areas like Hackney, Haringey, Brent, Ealing and Lambeth, were now creating a new experience of. The smell of leather was unmistakeable! As always you can unsubscribe at any time. The haunt of royals and car dealers, gangsters and landed aristocrats, it was a fixture in London nightlife, with the most famous years of the club being the decades between 1950 and 1970.