The exterior of Hammersmith Palais nightclub in 1968 when it was still known as Hammersmith Palais de Danse . However, its worth taking a moment to remember that nightclubs, by their very essence, shouldnt outstay their welcome. Stars from the world of the music who were regulars at the nightclub included Boy George, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Steve Strange. 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. Its hours ran from 3am to 1pm on a Sunday afternoon, handily catering to the predominantly gay crowd who wanted to carry on partying after clubs like G-A-Y and Heaven closed. But the magic was gone weve since seen the end for the Den, too. Despite quality residencies from the likes of Hospitality and a body kinetic dance floor, the club eventually closed due to financial difficulties, blamed on delays with the upgrade to the Jubilee line. 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. I remember Bagleys that was a long time ago. Read more: Has Covid-19 ended Sohos indie spirit for good? 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. You had, in all probability, just left Turnmills, the first club in the UK to receive a 24 hour license. 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/. Bring your dancing shoes and prepare for a night packed with tunes from the likes of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Beyonce and Jay-Z as we introduce the best R&B events . Real friendships were made, some that lasted a few hours and some, decades. Punters at The Bubble Club, The Que Club, 1996. 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. Hilarious times. Vauxhall became the locus of gay clubs from 2000. But Crossrail was the final nail in the coffin for the much-loved Soho venue. Mass was a particularly important south London club, notably as the home of DMZ, which turned the venue into a pilgrimage spot for dubstep fans from way beyond the capital. Turning around and seeing floor fountains and Mail on Sunday readers sipping lattes and eating Danish pastries made my heart sink. No Bar Rumba though? And good to see you the other night (I was in the ridiculous blue jacket). We took a nostalgic look back at some of the capital's notorious nightclubs which have all closed since 2000. The first Limelight club opened in Hallendale, Florida in the 1970s and after a devastating fire later that decade, Gatien opened his next Limelight venue in Atlanta. Or many others, would not stop writing and remembering about them. Ive worked in Turnmills from 1996 right to the very last night in 2008. Its industrial settings and position in the centre of London made it a unique offering. 16. Hearing those tunes led to me pestering the record shops for a record I didn;t kow the name of, who it was by but it went something like this Mmmm, mmm,mm uh-uh dah-dah! End of story.. Redferns/Getty Images . So blessed to have lived through that experience and a special mention to my ex Alan and DJ Chris McKoy. I completely agree would be a fitting tribute to see them all immortalised appropriately in some way. When it opened, the Fridge was the club of the New Romantics - Boy George was a regular - before becoming famous for its nights hosted by Soul II Soul. London Boys singles chronology. London's lost nightclubs in pictures A new book by DJ and writer Dave Haslam offers a fascinating glimpse into London's clubbing history. The music, the mixing, the vibe. thanks for the article, spent many crazy nights/days in all of these places, Velvet Underground aside. 7. Cables enraged founder Euan Johnston, who also founded nearby SeOne, said: We were assured when we moved in that we would not be affected by the redevelopment and Network Rail have simply changed their minds We have been brushed aside at every level.. The Moonstone, St John's Precinct, 1974, from The Lost Pubs and Clubs of Liverpool City Centre DVD by John Harrison Barry Fairfield said: "Great memories, my favourite club was The Beachcomber." 53. The Blitz Kids were the gang who unofficially ran the club, with members included Gary and Martin Kemp from Spandau, dance choreographer supremo-to-be Michael Clark and Siobhan Fahey (later of Bananarama). But its about the memories though, for me. Some of the greatest nights of my life have been at FWD>> at Plastic People.. The sound shaft and heaven where legendary , as was the London Astoria, Fascinating to read about the origins and teams behind such monumental moments in Londons clubbing history. I remember having to take my shoes off for them to be searched. It had its licence revoked after a "serious incident of disorder" in 2014 and its closure left many Londoners with heavy hearts. 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. Wow, it was a long time ago. There was no place to hide. He was about 50 years old and massive. 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 End just had to be #1 It has St Martin's Art College in Granary Square and Thomas Heatherwick's upmarket shopping centre Coal Drops Yard. Now, is that the same Tom Kihl I employed in the heady days of Covent Garden based vegetarian restaurants? This week, Boris Johnson has been considering a decision that will affect the future of Londons most famous nightclub. Trying to find your mates . I think the last great night I had in a bigger club was Shelter at Egg in 2005. RM 2HTCTTN - Ace Cinema, Alexandra Avenue, Rayners Lane, Harrow, London, 1983. 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. I was there at the closing parties on the last two nights without leaving! 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. Hailed as Kilburn's "last late night venue", The Good Ship announced its closure to the dismay of comedy and live music lovers across London in September 2017. The award-winning print and online title Kentishtowner was founded in 2010 and is part of London Belongs To Me, a citywide network of travel guides for locals. I love this article! magazine. migrated from the Milk Bar around the corner, Danny Rampling ruled wednesday night, and Jon Pleased took over the tradition.Shoom, Pure, Glam, Pleased the weekends fun used to begin on a wednesday,,,,OMG !! These days? 3. Great memories of perhaps the greatest clubbing/club music period history has known! It wasnt always such a corporate machine, however. It hosted huge weekend parties that were at hit with House music fans. The best til last- no one did it like The End. Many thanks Nice article Tom, brought back some great memories. 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. The club was also hugely important for the capitals LGBT scene, hosting sellout weekly bonanza G-A-Y, known for getting stars as bright as Kylie and Britney on stage, as well as for dropping balloons on everyone at regular intervals. Memorable days and nights. 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. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It had to close due to Network Rail redevelopment in 2013. I remember me and my brother went up to Soundshaft one night (I was about 22), with, erm, a couple of associates.. I played at the cross several times .. 4 me one of best uk clubs where i played great memories , I have the Cross book. When Limelight fell out of favour as a celebrated nightspot it was sold and in 2003 became a Walkabout bar. What is the Cross Book? Constant disagreements on how to regenerate the land behind Kings Cross Station went on for years. It set the tone for mixed gay clubbing and for techno music especially to become more mainstream. However, a thumping set and fab laser show by the master PVD at the re-invented Fridge aka Electric Brixton a while ago demonstrated, with the right amount of desire, opportunity and application it can still be done. Remaining stock was given away free at the apocalyptically hedonistic farewell party so they do crop up online occasionally. Sold out, obviously, although there might be a ticket on the door for 30. Oasis performed their debut London show at The . The cinema was never built; now locals have a block of fancy flats to enjoy instead. . 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 place was a really important hub for the fledgling dubstep family, says 6Music DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, who went to FWD>> religiously in the mid-2000s. Plus I think Friction was there for a bit to. Now, as then, this is still the party spot for the rich and privileged, with a fair smattering of showbiz excess included. 8. Even if we cant and possibly shouldnt prevent their almost inevitably fleeting existence. how about PLEASED on a wednesday at the Velvet underground !!! It was the place to go. Despite pioneering an anything goes party culture in London, by the late noughties, the buzz was fading. Simon brought the three nights that were being run at Sublime, Beatfix, Cargo and Voodoo and moved its DJs (including Peewee Ferris, Nik Fish, Craig Obey, Bexta and Kate Monroe) into Home's Friday night. The energy and the hedonism of the club gave a new life to the scene and other clubs sprung up trying to emulate Trade, giving more choice to clubbers. My favourite break-time activity was to go up to the rafters and watch everybody raving. Magic was created on those dancefloors and longstanding relationships and friends. Our journalists cover all the news you need - from City Hall to your local streets, so you'll never miss a moment. Fabric is the Only venue to stick to its principles avoiding putting in any old rubbish that draws a crowd. It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. Great article. 2021-2023 - Luxury London. As you pointed out Fabric is the benchmark for a well organised, respected, profitable club in the modern era but you only have to look at the demise of Pacha to see what a dangerous game financially it is nowadays. Have to confess my favorites were Frantic at the Academy, and The Fridge. Thanks Julian. 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. This article was amended on 11 September 2016. The End and AKA, West End1995-2009A venue that just seemed to stick in the hearts of all who frequented it, the End was an intimate basement club run by Mr C and Layo, tucked just behind High Holborn. Ive had experiences at all of these nightclub venues and brought back many memories reading your article. Arts charity Stone Nest began to restore and redevelop the former chapel into flexible performance space for theatre, dance, music, video and performance art in 2012. Wonderful write up of some of the clubs that paved the way for the scene today. 18. The MyLondon team tells London stories for Londoners. I was just chatting away, when I heard this rhythmic, squeaking sound, along with heavy, thundering footsteps. He then says, whilst his tash does this little dance/shuffle thing, in the deepest booming, bass-like voice Awighht, Lads, you havin yerselves a good night, then? Me and my brother just cracked up. The Astor Club was a nightclub which operated in Mayfair, London from the 1930s to the late 1970s. Great article. Want the best food, film, music, arts and culture news in London sent straight to your inbox? For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section. Whats in the new July issue of Kentishtowner? 14. A linchpin in London's dubstep scene, it was a shock for bass-loving partiers when the Shoreditch venue announced its sudden closure in 2015. OMG London clubbing in the 90s, was there ever a time in history that was better? Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The gay scene in London has always been centred around the West End, especially Soho. Electric benefits from the amazing history of the Fridge. And its not true that they are being lost despite fans interestfans lost interest, or they would all still be milking it! In 2010 a group which was known for squatting in large homes and embassies moved into the the building. The Walkabout bar closed after its parent company went into administration in October 2009. The single was written and produced by Ralf Ren Mau, and its cover artwork features . Bagleys was always my favourite. Stir some memories with these photographs from the '90s Birmingham club and rave scene. 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! hope youre well? Fantastic and long-needed article, thanks for bringing back the memories. Ministry of Sound. New venues although arguably more suitable in some considerations like Matter just dont possess the necessary special ingredient like the late great Turnmills anymore. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Remember one night trying to adjust the needles for them not to jump on the vinyls. But the party was brought to an abrupt end after a stabbing there led it to lose its licence and subsequent closure. Sorry the plaque should be pale blue with a Dove on it. The article was well written and for a change the comments are a nice read as well. The triple-bowed frontage of the Ace Cinema viewed from the south-west. It hosted huge weekend parties that were at hit with House music fans. Salmon and Compass in Angel. Boy George was a regular at this New Romantics haunt which hosted some of the capital's biggest gay nights. Excellent piece Tom. People queuing to get into The Cross mid 1990s, Madame Jojo's in London's Soho closed after losing its licence in 2014, The O2 Arena was once a massive nightclub, The Good Ship supported emerging artists and comedians and was a gem of the London gig scene. So sad to see it all boarded up. You had, in all probability, just left Turnmills, the first club in the UK to receive a 24 hour license. For me it was just a little bit over a year that I lived in London. Limelight in New York, which closed in 2001, was in the media in 1996 when Michael Alig was arrested and later convicted for the killing and dismemberment of Angel Melendez, who frequented the New York Limelight - the 2003 biopic Party Monster, starring Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green, was based on this event. Taking Ecstasy for the first time and experiencing the euphoria of the blissed out Balearic beats at Space nightclub, Oakenfold and his wife Jenni came home and tried to re-create it in a 300 capacity basement gym on Southwark Street. Great memories though. Renowned for their sexy vibes, pumping playlists and heaving dancefloors, we've been out to track down the very best places for music in London. Turnmills chutney still so much messy fun. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Love it, smiling from ear to ear thinking about some of them. 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. (1989) " London Nights ". The sad fact of the matter is that there aren't the same options there used to be. The works. Would have kept going there for anniversary, shame its closed but glad weve done it all at the best times, Im an Aussie that worked the doors at imperial garden, car wash gigs, sunny side up, cafe de Paris (wanky but fun). Believe it or not King's Cross was once the party hub of London. In its 80s heyday, Limelight was one of London's top nightclubs and a hangout for the decade's biggest celebrities. Great article. I was the promoter of Double Dipped at Bagleys on Friday nights around 91 93 Darling, Fantastic article how about expanding the idea to the rest of the country. Home. Jimi Hendrix played his first UK gig here, Paul McCartney, The Who, The Kinks, Rod Stewart and various members of the Stones all partied in this subterranean spot secreted down a cobbled mews behind Fortnum and Mason. And while theres nothing worse than the club bore going on about how the music and the parties were so much better back in the day, we should give these classic institutions more reverence. The street was home to the 1980s Batcave nightclub where regulars such as Robert Smith, Marc Almond and Alice Coop. Memories from each venue for sure. The reality of the Swinging Sixties was that about 45 people were having an incredible time around Carnaby Street while the rest of the country continued drinking stout in working mens clubs and listening to Val Doonican. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. lol, The tranny on stilts People may rave about London's nightlife, but compared to other big cities, clubs and bars shut early and are expensive. For a year or so, this was an explosion of androgyny, increasingly bizarre and fabulous homemade fashion and lashings of clunky, proto synths. Stealth on a Thursday night, marvellous http://wharferj.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/stealth-the-blue-note/ During the 1990s, photographer Steve Eichner documented the rowdy, over-the-top debauchery that was New York City's club scene and nightlife.