Hey Janine, I remember you well! 3. next. Its flagship night was Trade the original afterparty. Zen's Dartford First Flicks in the 1980s and later Zen's, the nightclub on Essex Road was more recently known as Air & Breathe. or one of his friends in the first arch of muscle-alley. In one fell swoop, however, the Cross, Canvas and the Key were culled in favour of the regeneration of Kings Cross. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. I used to go to Whoop it Up every Friday during 1998-2002; it was a fantastic place to go. Joe Blogs, Great article Tom and indeed sad loss for Londons once outstanding clubland. Great article. A former Goth club with 2/3 rooms over 2 floors. Written by. New venues although arguably more suitable in some considerations like Matter just dont possess the necessary special ingredient like the late great Turnmills anymore. This labryinth of a club was under the arches of London Bridge station and got packed out with sweaty 20-somethings without fail every weekend. Those that were there will never forget and those that werent would wish they were if they knew. 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. Then Dane Bowers went and ruined it all. Jon Cook. People from across the capital will flock to Herbal, an exposed brick warehouse which regularly hosted big name DJs. So goooood memories!!!! 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. 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. The venue hosted international DJs as well as some seminal club nights such as broken beat fix Co-op and dubstep-founding FWD>>. 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. No sensible drinking cautions, no smoking bans, and generally less moderation of everything. Sir Bob Geldof had his stag do at Limelight before he married Paula Yates in 1986. Hilarious times. Fabric is the Only venue to stick to its principles avoiding putting in any old rubbish that draws a crowd. Luckily they are putting up a great fight, so Ministry wont find itself demolished just yet. 9. Turnmills was the first and best, never surpassed and so fondly remembered, well as much as my pitted brain will allow. Or many others, would not stop writing and remembering about them. Sad to see the blandification of London continues. 051. Great article. 15. 7. Visibility. I think great venues have heritage. The place declined to the point that, by the 1980s, it was a strip club but was bought out and re-styled as a members only A-list speakeasy in 2012, now attracting Noel Gallagher, Mark Ronson, Harry Styles et al. 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. I dont think so. 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. In its 80s heyday, Limelight was one of London's top nightclubs and a hangout for the decade's biggest celebrities. http://www.amazon.co.uk/CROSS-1993-2003-Jonathan-CUTTING/dp/B0010786KI. I couldnt do it now, but I so glad I did it all then. Its a members only club but the present owners are open to granting membership to those who arent necessarily currently gracing the cover of Hello! Its a hardback coffee table monster, full of lovely photos and quotes. A great venue Would love to have a peek! 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. 8. Stars from the world of the music who were regulars at the nightclub included Boy George, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Steve Strange. Weve picked our Top 5 such venues, all of which were in stumble-home-from distance for Kentishtowners (thats why theres no Club UK for example, if youre wondering). RIP Turnmills, Im glad I was there to experience it. In the 90s, it was all about wild weekly party Love Muscle, one of the capitals most renowned gay nights. 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. Luxury London is not responsible for the content of external sites. When Limelight fell out of favour as a celebrated nightspot it was sold and in 2003 became a Walkabout bar. Excellent piece Tom. 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. Fact is we WERE around when these incredible bastions of modern culture were in their pomp negotiating a route through the tunnel room at Turnmills, walking up that incredibly long slope towards the cab rank at 5am after The Cross and getting hopelessly lost in those pokey rooms at the bottom of Bagleys. We do have to move on though and surely there are opportunities for a new generation of people who want to create new nightclub venues, with fresh ideas. The regulars often spent hours preparing for the night, and the morning the night morphed into. Having recently celebrated its 50th birthday, Tramp has changed remarkably little in the half century since the small door on Jermyn Street in Mayfair opened its doors. best dominic madden, Sundays @ The End with The A corner crew slapping the walls to Malcom Duffy. 12. 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. 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. The End just had to be #1 Well, sort of in fairness as all venues involved being pretty blitzed. I remember having to take my shoes off for them to be searched. It was in King's Cross's golden triangle of night clubs which all shut down in the face of the area's redevelopment. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Something went wrong, please try again later. I DJed at the Cross 13th birthday and was given a copy of the book on my way out. It was around 2000 and I remember those times as probably the best of my life. Kids going out today wont realise its a tragedy, but it is. 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. 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). MyLondon's brilliant newsletter The 12 is absolutely jam packed with all the latest to keep you keep you entertained, informed and uplifted. 3 books with local connections, Two cultural winter highlights: La Maupin and LuYang, 3 things to consider: Makers Market, New Wine Bar and Live Jazz, Leigh Hunt and the secret history of 13 Mortimer Terrace NW5, Its 10 years since Fields Beneath, Camden Brewery, The Grafton and Pizza East opened, The Parakeet, Kentish Town: what you need to know, The Parakeet Kentish Town: ex-Brat chef in the kitchen, A beginners guide to.Harringay Green Lanes. Breaks my heart to see whats happened. These days? Good to see http://givingupdrugsforlent.tumblr.com/ in full swing again this year. Memorable days and nights. 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. Were you a Crank? 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. Great article. Best crowd ever! Great memories though. Many a themed student bash was hosted at London Bridge's notorious Cable Club in the mid 2000s. The article was well written and for a change the comments are a nice read as well. These cookies do not store any personal information. It was the place to go. Despite pioneering an anything goes party culture in London, by the late noughties, the buzz was fading. I would also like to add The Blue Note to this list of sadly missed. I will never forget it. Bagleys was always my favourite. The arcade room downstairs But if you were part of that tiny privileged crowd then you would have been drinking, dancing and pestering David Bailey to take your portrait in Scotch of St. James. Killjoy councils, student debt and stolen phones: the slow death of British clubs, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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. 2. Same here. Cramming into clubs packed with big hair, booze and pounding music was a rite of passage in the 1980s and into the 1990s. With increasing interest in the 'pink pound', gay pubs and clubs proliferated in London and other cities and towns across the country. LuvDup were djing (one of them fell over on the stage), Princess Julia was stood by the decks dancing. 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. Turnmills, Clerkenwell1990-2008Another one of Londons fossilised superclubs, Turnmills was the first venue in the UK to get a 24-hour dance licence. 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. Peter Gatien produced the 1993 film A Bronx Tale after having produced it as a one-man play. But things turned sour after after a double stabbing took place in the club, leading to its licence being revoked. There was no place to hide. I remember them all so well!! (1989) " London Nights ". I took a diversion myself up York Way a while back and took similar snaps of Bagleys and The Cross. London Boys singles chronology. 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. Best London Club and Rave Venues that are now closed This week, Boris Johnson has been considering a decision that will affect the future of London's most famous nightclub. The gay scene in London has always been centred around the West End, especially Soho. Electric benefits from the amazing history of the Fridge. Slightly off topic but I fear for the Camden Brewery bars license once the new posh flats open at Talacre. Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s - The pace of progress eh? The Walkabout bar closed after its parent company went into administration in October 2009. Special times in special places all round though. There are new plans to take the building into the future - but we really miss how it used to be. But the party was brought to an abrupt end after a stabbing there led it to lose its licence and subsequent closure. I frequented all of these bar Velvet and had many a great night in all. 3. Glad to have been part of that London dance scene. We need a new visionary. I played at the cross several times .. 4 me one of best uk clubs where i played great memories , I have the Cross book. By the mid-1990s the venue was no longer used as a cinema, instead functioning as a music venue, nightclub and snooker hall. 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. Surely he must be out by now. Ive had experiences at all of these nightclub venues and brought back many memories reading your article. The smell of leather was unmistakeable! 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. To order the clip clean and high res visit http://www.kinolibrary.com. Lots of good memories but it was living on borrowed time even back then in the early 00s. By the 90s, everyone from Desmond Dekker to the Prodigy had played there. Astoria in Charing Cross Road was London's largest live music club for years. The End & AKA were a true second home. 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 always felt like it was on borrowed time after that. Some partners do not ask for your consent to process your data and rely on their legitimate business interest. Electrowerkz was the name!!! The best til last- no one did it like The End. #5 Where could you find warehouse raving complete with funfair rides right in the heart of the capital? Had some amazing times in those clubs, never to repeated in TBA East London warehouses. Hope youre healthy and happy Black Sheep Bar, Croydon. 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 It set the tone for mixed gay clubbing and for techno music especially to become more mainstream. Glad you like it Phil. (Photo by Carl Allen) 7 Sir George Robey/Powerhaus, Seven Sisters Road 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. Some of the greatest nights of my life have been at FWD>> at Plastic People.. 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. 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 likes of Oasis and Nirvana played there and it hosted regular LGBT club nights. Enjoyed the trip into nostalgia very much.. The duo ran the popular basement club in Holborn for years. It makes me feel quite sad how our communities are being transformed into bland faceless environments in some cases. 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. London's lost nightclubs in pictures A new book by DJ and writer Dave Haslam offers a fascinating glimpse into London's clubbing history. ; Beargarden Club - A St James's club in Trollope's Palliser novels; Bellona Club - Lord Peter Wimsey's club and location of a murder in Dorothy L. Sayers novel The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club Billiards Club - Setting for the improbably tall . 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. The music, the mixing, the vibe. Constant disagreements on how to regenerate the land behind Kings Cross Station went on for years. In the 90s, it was all about wild weekly. Pretty sure the very last ones got dished out at the end of that rather special final bash, Xmas 07. The works. Pete x. Im good thanks Pete. London, became a popular lesbian bar at the end of the 1990s. But Crossrail was the final nail in the coffin for the much-loved Soho venue. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section. "Harlem Desire '89". In the 1990s, the scene reverted back to Soho, revitalised by new style bars like The Village. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. And some ex-boxer DJ? I have one precious copy, sadly. According to its owners, the time felt right to move on. By the 1990s gay venues across the country started to transform. The Grosvenor Cinema opened in 1936. It was almost impossible due to vibration from the soundsystem Later feeling sick in the stomach because of the same reason. I used to do the guest list at Freedom! In the early 2000s it incorporated the successful Pitt Street club Sublime in the late 1990s, run by Simon Page. Because of the sleazy, druggy, mischievous late night vibe (exactly what makes such haunts so exciting), we tend to reduce their cultural significance. THANKS. 4. Nice article Tom, brought back some memories. Egg Sando, Panadera: Londons best 4.50 sandwich? All rights reserved. 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. I had some of the best days of my life there! 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! The End was the brainchild of DJs Mr C and Layo. Real friendships were made, some that lasted a few hours and some, decades. Madame JoJos, Soho1960-2014The legendary nightclub once owned by porn baron Paul Raymond seamlessly mixed the burlesque glamour of Soho with Londons contemporary music scene.

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