london nightclubs 1990s

Isnt that, now, the Apple shop? 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. Its industrial settings and position in the centre of London made it a unique offering. Thanks for the article, brought back awesome memories! RM 2HTCTTN - Ace Cinema, Alexandra Avenue, Rayners Lane, Harrow, London, 1983. London, became a popular lesbian bar at the end of the 1990s. With a capacity of barely 200, the vibe, somehow, always kept its intimate, non-exclusive air. lol, The tranny on stilts Great article. I frequented all of these bar Velvet and had many a great night in all. These days? Sign up to our newsletter and be the first to know about the latest fashion, travel, going out and lifestyle happenings, Subscribe to the Luxury London print edition, Celebrate the return of clubbing with a trip through the capitals infamous after dark drinking dens. However, its worth taking a moment to remember that nightclubs, by their very essence, shouldnt outstay their welcome. Former DJ Magazine Deputy Editor Tom Kihl investigates what happened to the clubs that once dominated London's nightlife. But it was torn down in 2009 to make way for the new Elizabeth Line. But the party was brought to an abrupt end after a stabbing there led it to lose its licence and subsequent closure. But in the 1990s it was plagued by bad publicity and following a drug-related . Clip ref DW0126681990s Ministry of Soun. The duo ran the popular basement club in Holborn for years. George Michael often arrived at the nightclub accompanied by a woman before he came out as gay. Nobody came to Plastic People for the glamour or dcor. 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. Fantastic and long-needed article, thanks for bringing back the memories. Turning around and seeing floor fountains and Mail on Sunday readers sipping lattes and eating Danish pastries made my heart sink. Believe it or not King's Cross was once the party hub of London. Cheers Mike. Unfortunately, I cant say I experienced all of them. Losing those places feels like losing a family member never to return. Many thanks Great article Tom. A former Goth club with 2/3 rooms over 2 floors. Its the perfect lunchtime read. By the 1990s gay venues across the country started to transform. What I would say is be glad we are the ages we are. Went to all of them, I think Turnmills shades it for me for atmosphere, but I probably had my best nights out at the End. Must be sat looking pretty on a fair few coffee tables to this day, The cross & turnmills, nothing did or has come close. The spot is now a lap dancing club called The Red Rooms. In the 90s, it was all about wild weekly. RIP Turnmills, Im glad I was there to experience it. I remember them all so well!! 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. They are where modern electronic music was crafted, where couples met then got married, where career paths changed and a whole generation learned about the highs and the lows of unbridled hedonism. There are now just 1,733 venues compared with 3,144 in 2005 and in the last 10 years London has lost 10 top clubs. The regulars often spent hours preparing for the night, and the morning the night morphed into. Copyright 2023 London Belongs To Me Ltd|All Rights Reserved|More info: With your agreement, we and our partners (click on 'Find Out More' below for a list) use cookies or similar technologies to store, access, and process personal data like your visit on this website, IP addresses and cookie identifiers. When Limelight fell out of favour as a celebrated nightspot it was sold and in 2003 became a Walkabout bar. It most certainly is me. I had some of the best days of my life there! London Boys singles chronology. All this created the friendliest and most fun crowd on the clubbing scene. 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. Don't skip a beat and sign up to The 12 newsletter here. Getting lost I Did the lighting and laser systems at turnmills for many different promoters. The End & AKA were a true second home. Founded in an old bus garage in 1991, its far from salubrious location deep in pre-gentrification Elephant and Castle gave it genuine edge. The Fridge, Brixton1981-2010When 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. But I will never forget the fabulous nights and camaraderie that I shared with friends and total strangers whilst waving my hands in the air like I just didnt care x, I met my husband at The Cross in 2004, now happily married with kids. Its really sad that the times have achanged and in a reflection of this, all these fantastic places are being bulldozed. The Cross, bouncers nicking you gear *unts. Have to confess my favorites were Frantic at the Academy, and The Fridge. how about PLEASED on a wednesday at the Velvet underground !!! From the Kinolibrary archive film collections. Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s - The pace of progress eh? It was 2 for a beer which was great value at the time. The club on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Brownlow Hill was one of the city's most famous venues in the 90s. London Night Guide is your nightlife concierge for the most best clubs in London. We could party on until 1pm without worrying if the police were going to turn up, says Smokin Jo, who was resident DJ at the night. Throughout the 90s and 00s the venue attracted party-lovers from far and wide and also played host to a number of big-name acts. He was about 50 years old and massive. Im surprised The Gardening Club wasnt there. People may rave about London's nightlife, but compared to other big cities, clubs and bars shut early and are expensive. Never crossed my mind that even the buildings would be gone. For more news and featuresabout London directly to your inbox sign up to our newsletter here. Velvet Rooms on Mondays was one of the only places to continue getting even more spangled Wicked. Something went wrong, please try again later. The licence was subsequently restored, but the business was unable to avoid going into administration. All the London clubs now are appearing and disappearing like mushrooms. 3. next. Magic was created on those dancefloors and longstanding relationships and friends. 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. Great memories though. If anyone sees them please can you let me know? It was the place to go. Despite pioneering an anything goes party culture in London, by the late noughties, the buzz was fading. You'll get 12 stories straight to your inbox at around 12pm. 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. 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 Joe Blogs, Great article Tom and indeed sad loss for Londons once outstanding clubland. In the middle years of the 60s this was the place to be seen. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Sadly, the chances of mere mortals gaining access to the club today are about as likely as Keith Moon making an appearance and he died in 1978. have always wondered where he is now and what hes up to. LuvDup were djing (one of them fell over on the stage), Princess Julia was stood by the decks dancing. This made me rather emotional. Nights spent on the VIP/guestlist gate were also quite entertaining as was the office at 5am in the morning when I went to pick up my wage before driving home to my university campus in Watford. 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. The historic venue, which hosted game-changing concerts from the likes of Oasis, Manic Street Preachers and Nirvana, was bulldozed in 2009 to make room for a bigger ticket hall at Tottenham Court Road tube station. Black Sheep Bar, Croydon. After all, it did have a capacity pushing 4,000 people and a 24-hour drinking licence. Excellent piece Tom. 9. In 1979 it was from this Covent Garden spot that the New Romantic movement came forth to rescue England from a music scene of lumpen post-punk mediocrity. It had its licence revoked after a "serious incident of disorder" in 2014 and its closure left many Londoners with heavy hearts. No sensible drinking cautions, no smoking bans, and generally less moderation of everything. End of story.. 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. 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. Those that were there will never forget and those that werent would wish they were if they knew. In 1987, Rachel Macmillan, granddaughter of the Conservative prime minister Howard Macmillan, died aged 31 after a night at the Limelight. All rights reserved. My walk to work takes me past what used to to be the entrance to Turnmills every morning it never fails to bring a smile to my face when I think of the good times I had there. Well, sort of in fairness as all venues involved being pretty blitzed. 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. 3. Its a hardback coffee table monster, full of lovely photos and quotes. Much better than the cross! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The immovable object of the London clubbing scene. Some of the greatest nights of my life have been at FWD>> at Plastic People.. Will come back around and write more. Anyone have a time machine so I can attend the all night Cox party or a Laurent Garnier night. 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. 9/10 you lose 1 point for making me feel old! Sir Bob Geldof had his stag do at Limelight before he married Paula Yates in 1986. For me it was just a little bit over a year that I lived in London. Pete.. I completely agree would be a fitting tribute to see them all immortalised appropriately in some way. London's lost nightclubs in pictures A new book by DJ and writer Dave Haslam offers a fascinating glimpse into London's clubbing history. Kids going out today wont realise its a tragedy, but it is. In the 90s, it was all about wild weekly party Love Muscle, one of the capitals most renowned gay nights. Great memories of perhaps the greatest clubbing/club music period history has known! Its really not surprising nobody has any sense of ownership or love for these places, because both promoters and punters are using them on such an ad hoc basis. When a property developer came along offering to buy the End and its sister bar next door, AKA, they decided to accept the offer. Darling, Fantastic article how about expanding the idea to the rest of the country. The demise of so many iconic spaces, proper clubs, remains a tragedy for a city that still considers itself a capital of European partying. It hosted huge weekend parties that were at hit with House music fans. If you screwed up, you were thrown to the lions. After 14 years, however, its owners wanted to move on, saying they wanted to leave on a high. Visibility. Four Aces, Dalston1966-1998In what was, ostensibly, a simpler time for Dalston, the Four Aces was the areas flagship club. thanks for the article, spent many crazy nights/days in all of these places, Velvet Underground aside. Now, as then, this is still the party spot for the rich and privileged, with a fair smattering of showbiz excess included. Pete x. Im good thanks Pete. New venues although arguably more suitable in some considerations like Matter just dont possess the necessary special ingredient like the late great Turnmills anymore. 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. Mike Nolan from Bucks Fizz appeared at the club in 1997, and boy band D.V.S and singing star Caprice also made memorable appearances. 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). Limelight in Atlanta was also a place to see and spot celebrities over the years. Reminded me of my mis-spent but highly pleasurable youth on the dance floors of a London. My favourite break-time activity was to go up to the rafters and watch everybody raving. The plan was to go up there, see someone and come back. Andy Warhol, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Grace Jones, Debbie Harry, Village People's Randy Jones and Tom Cruise were all names seen at the Atlanta club, which closed in 1985. No Bar Rumba though? 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. The massive venue had a 24 hour drinking licence and a 4,0000 people capacity. Egg Sando, Panadera: Londons best 4.50 sandwich? club uk was awesome, so was the complex, leisure lounge, the cross, turnmills, home in leciester square, camden palace, ku club in leicester square.. All gone I was there though so the memories stay ! The brand name is constantly evolving and the club continues to survive despite numerous threats of closure. 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. Great article. 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. Memories from each venue for sure. Heads of whistling into the sunset. Nice article that has brought back some wonderful memories. Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news, views, features and opinion from across the city? It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. The site on Curtain Road is now the uber-cheesy Sunset cocktail bar and offers VIP Packages underneath a branch of the burger chain Hache. MoS is an institution, still respected by much of the dance music cognoscenti but derided in many quarters for having long since become the Bluewater of nightclubs; mostly now populated by coach parties from Essex. House night Freedom ran at the club for years and Philip Sallons Mud Club also took place there, as well as the Pussy Posse Party, which included mud-wrestling. All rights reserved. Limelight in London opened in 1985 in a Grade II listed former Welsh Presbyterian church in Shaftsbury Avenue in the West End borough of Westminster. Read more: Has Covid-19 ended Sohos indie spirit for good? 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! 2. Was often at Bagley's but it was never my first choice. 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. October 2018 the anonymous landlord of the former chapel won planning approval from Westminster council to upscale the venue into a major performance venue on the West End's arts scene with a restaurant and basement bar, run by Stone Nest. 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. Ironically, the development never happened and the club was eventually reopened as the Den and Centro. 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. Pre-club beers in the Backpacker, I was never really that keen on Turmills as I felt the space was a little awkward. Would love to have a peek! 16. Despite a big campaign to save it, the club fell victim to a compulsory purchase order from Hackney council to build a new cinema. It wasnt always such a corporate machine, however. 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. Redferns/Getty Images . The End just had to be #1 Im amazed u didnt mention that John Newman was the father of both Danny and Paul Newman. I used to be the membership girl at Freedom. Written by. Something went wrong, please try again later. Great article, and Ill second and third and fourth what has been said here. 14. Lashana Lynch: Its inspiring to see a young black woman on screen not be perfect, The biggest films coming out in 2023 and when theyll be released, Bulgari to open Serpenti exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. I remember Bagleys that was a long time ago. When the lease ran out, Turnmills left amicably, leaving the buildings owners to develop the site into an office block. With alternate Saturdays at Happiness Stan's/Fourplay at Smith's and the Jazz Bistro in Farringdon. Many a themed student bash was hosted at London Bridge's notorious Cable Club in the mid 2000s. 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). 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. It was one of the premiere south London nightspots of the time, with Glenn Miller, Audrey Hepburn and Charlie Chaplin among the top names to grace its stage. 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 Cross, Kings Cross 1993-2007Speaking to Time Out after its closure, Billy Reilly, who ran a road haulage company in Kings Cross before opening warehouse venue the Cross, admitted that back in 1993 he, didnt know Judge Jules from Judge Dredd. You can head back to a mate's house and lounge with a cold one until your party mood completely fades, but what if you still have itchy feet and the urge to dance? Trying to find your mates For a year or so, this was an explosion of androgyny, increasingly bizarre and fabulous homemade fashion and lashings of clunky, proto synths. Wonderful write up of some of the clubs that paved the way for the scene today. If the Mayor grants planning permission for a huge development of flats opposite Ministry of Sound, club bosses know their days at the Elephant & Castle bus depot cum internationally renowned temple of DJ culture will be numbered. 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 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. Then of course there was The Fridge, Studio 33, and some fantastic railway arch clubs buried away around London (Imperial Rooms in Camberwell New Road a particular memory). 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. According to its owners, the time felt right to move on. 15. Cramming into clubs packed with big hair, booze and pounding music was a rite of passage in the 1980s and into the 1990s. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. And good to see you the other night (I was in the ridiculous blue jacket). Electroworks (I think this was the name?). They also gave these out at the closing party in a goodie bag with a poster and a sleeping mask! Pretty sure the very last ones got dished out at the end of that rather special final bash, Xmas 07. Nice article Tom, brought back some great memories. A bare room with the most rudimentary of bars at one end (cans of Red Stripe or nothing) in a Hoxton basement, the place came to prominence in the Nineties and Noughties as an incubator for dubstep and for possessing one of the greatest sound systems ever owned by a nightclub. This article was amended on 11 September 2016. Me and my brother went there, 2 days before we flew out to Zante in 1994. From sweaty rave spots to Soho institutions, these are the iconic nightlife haunts we most miss. After searching for ages Ive just stumbled across an archaic website that still has photos and even videos of all three Kings Cross clubs Canvas, The Cross and The Key. The Black Sheep Bar in Croydon High Street (Image: David Cook) This High Street venue in Croydon, which was loved for its alternative club nights and live music, closed in 2013 after 15 years in service. Sat 30 May 2020 17.00BST MyLondon's brilliant newsletter The 12 is absolutely jam packed with all the latest to keep you keep you entertained, informed and uplifted. 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. The single was written and produced by Ralf Ren Mau, and its cover artwork features . London nightclubs facing 'perfect storm' of threats . Then Dane Bowers went and ruined it all. The Blow Up Metro Club, Soho2001-2009Crossrail dealt the West End club scene another blow, taking the scalp of the Metro with the same swoop of the sword that ended the Astoria. Hes right. Sad to see the old clubs flattened, but everyone clearly took so much from their experiences there that I hope the post is also a real celebration. It has St Martin's Art College in Granary Square and Thomas Heatherwick's upmarket shopping centre Coal Drops Yard. Great article and very sad reading. Turnmills building being totally destroyed is the ultimate, inexcusable vandalism though. Sign up to our weekly email. The importance of the issue has been recognised in the Mayor of London's decision to appoint a Night Tsar with responsibility for the night-time economy and the debate surrounding the 2016 closure, and subsequent reopening, of Fabric one of London's most famous clubs. http://www.amazon.co.uk/CROSS-1993-2003-Jonathan-CUTTING/dp/B0010786KI. Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s Former DJ Magazine Deputy Editor Tom Kihl investigates what happened to the clubs that once dominated London's nightlife By Tom Kihl March 1, 2013 T his week, Boris Johnson has been considering a decision that will affect the future of London's most famous nightclub. Councils across London are cracking down on late night licences. I was there at the closing parties on the last two nights without leaving! I remember having to take my shoes off for them to be searched. -d(-L-)b-. Fabric is the Only venue to stick to its principles avoiding putting in any old rubbish that draws a crowd. Last minute gifts? Astoria in Charing Cross Road was London's largest live music club for years. The very social cafe upstairs, the dense dry-ice on the main floor with the mesmerising lasers, hottest guys, new bizarre sounds, the knowledge that the rest of England was sleeping and had no idea that such hedonism was taking place on a Sunday morning and night (you missed out Warriors) all fuelled after an initial polite and orderly wait in line to see Nick (is he out yet?) It was around the corner from Angel station. (1989) "Megamix". In one fell swoop, however, the Cross, Canvas and the Key were culled in favour of the regeneration of Kings Cross. Doesnt seem that long now. Oh, the most impressive handlebar tash I have ever seen on a Man. Its a shame that the ones boarded up or abandoned arent brought back to life. Anyway, as the corridor joined Soundshaft to Heaven (and Heaven being pretty legendry), I decided to go to the loo. At the Astoria I met a bloke who ended up being my significant other for a decade. The street was home to the 1980s Batcave nightclub where regulars such as Robert Smith, Marc Almond and Alice Coop. The triple-bowed frontage of the Ace Cinema viewed from the south-west. 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. Despite the epic interior, or perhaps because of it, the venue struggled to pull in the punters during its later years, blaming the recession for its eventual closure. The Whirlitzer seating in The Cross Garden Stealth on a Thursday night, marvellous http://wharferj.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/stealth-the-blue-note/ The West End night spot was based in a former chapel on Shaftsbury Avenue until its popularity declined and sadly, it was sold on and converted into a bar.

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