6 great lost British nightclubs - mirror 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. 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. Thanks Julian. Wow. 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 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?) This made me rather emotional. 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. They also gave these out at the closing party in a goodie bag with a poster and a sleeping mask! Astor Club - Wikipedia Great article. 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. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. In 2018 it was bought by chain The Deltic Group and given a. The licence was subsequently restored, but the business was unable to avoid going into administration. Real friendships were made, some that lasted a few hours and some, decades. Keep us up to date with how your inspiration is getting on. Reliving my 20s again still with a younger GF (cliche alert) and the new wave of EDM. 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. London's lost nightclubs in pictures - Time Out London One for you beer and one for the otherThat place was magic. Zen's Dartford First Flicks in the 1980s and later Zen's, the nightclub on Essex Road was more recently known as Air & Breathe. Punters at The Bubble Club, The Que Club, 1996. In the 1950s and 1960s, especially with the growing popularity of the Gateways nightclub in Chelsea, . -d(-L-)b-. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. I stood at one and there was one in between us, unmanned. In its 80s heyday, Limelight was one of London's top nightclubs and a hangout for the decade's biggest celebrities. London's lost nightclubs in pictures A new book by DJ and writer Dave Haslam offers a fascinating glimpse into London's clubbing history. In one fell swoop, however, the Cross, Canvas and the Key were culled in favour of the regeneration of Kings Cross. You had, in all probability, just left Turnmills, the first club in the UK to receive a 24 hour license. 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. (1989) " London Nights ". I will never stop thinking it was incredible. Maybe we can campaign to put a blue plaque up on the inevitable bland glass front of its replacement I wonder what on earth it would say?! 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. We need a new visionary. Remind trade on sat nite dj smokin joe the paradise at angel station the lazerodrome in peckam carl cox at m.o.sound crazy nite misss you. To order the clip clean and high res visit http://www.kinolibrary.com. The works. It was almost impossible due to vibration from the soundsystem Later feeling sick in the stomach because of the same reason. Sir Bob Geldof had his stag do at Limelight before he married Paula Yates in 1986. Didnt boy george have a residency there? 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. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 59 old bars and nightclubs we wish we could bring back for one last It later became the Cat's Whiskers club, the Ritzy then Caesars Nightclub. Perhaps its biggest night was FWD>>, which moved there after Velvet Rooms closed, and the club played a significant role for the the whole dubstep scene. 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. Now the industrial area, which was once a high-density party hotspot, is the site of one of the capitals biggest modern developments. Fantastic to look through it every so often and remember what wasa very much loved and much missed club . Egg Sando, Panadera: Londons best 4.50 sandwich? 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. It hosted huge weekend parties that were at hit with House music fans. 15. No sensible drinking cautions, no smoking bans, and generally less moderation of everything. Bagleys was always my favourite. Memories from each venue for sure. Or many others, would not stop writing and remembering about them. Nuff Said. The demise of seminal clubs like Shelleys In Stoke, Quadrant Park in Liverpool and Coventrys Eclipse should also be documented. No 6 - Bagleys - London Bagleys was one of London's largest venues throughout the Nineties. 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. 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. I do remember my first time in Trade and deemed it like the descent into Soddom and Gomorrah .. and there were many happy times there after!! I half remember a night at Bagleys sitting in an ice cream fridge next to the dancefloor. When Limelight fell out of favour as a celebrated nightspot it was sold and in 2003 became a Walkabout bar. Me and my brother went there, 2 days before we flew out to Zante in 1994. Fantastic and long-needed article, thanks for bringing back the memories. 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. Nowadays the capital's former red light district is swanky. the cross in king cross the best partyever is vertigo italian style, thanks Joel glad you like Electric and the Van Dyk show smashed it. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. I was there solidly for several years and partook in all you have mentioned above (and more). Before the Millenium Dome became the O2 Arena we know today it was home to a couple of nightclub's. The place has many special memories for many people. Ruby Violet: NW5s pioneering ice cream parlour to close, Let It Roll Records closes. lol, The tranny on stilts 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. Was often at Bagley's but it was never my first choice. (1989) "Megamix". Electroworks (I think this was the name?). These cookies do not store any personal information. Eight Liverpool nightclubs from the 90s everyone still remembers These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. What I would say is be glad we are the ages we are. Visibility. This former gin distillery was home to one of Londons all time greatest club nights: Trade. Enjoyed the trip into nostalgia very much.. For a year or so, this was an explosion of androgyny, increasingly bizarre and fabulous homemade fashion and lashings of clunky, proto synths. By the 1990s gay venues across the country started to transform. It had to close due to Network Rail redevelopment in 2013. Never crossed my mind that even the buildings would be gone. Velvet Rooms on Mondays was one of the only places to continue getting even more spangled Wicked. I remember me and my brother went up to Soundshaft one night (I was about 22), with, erm, a couple of associates.. Anyone who is anyone has DJd there over the years (as the endless MoS series of album releases testifies), including Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong and Armand Van Helden. 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. But in the 1990s it was plagued by bad publicity and following a drug-related . I remember one of their selling points was drinks at pub prices. Im amazed u didnt mention that John Newman was the father of both Danny and Paul Newman. Nice read Scary thought that Ive actually worked at all of them!!! These days? Believe it or not King's Cross was once the party hub of London. Well, sort of in fairness as all venues involved being pretty blitzed. The music was smooth and progressive, which moved into a feeling of just less than trance. It wasnt always such a corporate machine, however. The sad fact of the matter is that there aren't the same options there used to be. circa 1990. It most certainly is me. I played at the cross several times .. 4 me one of best uk clubs where i played great memories , I have the Cross book. Turnmills was the first and best, never surpassed and so fondly remembered, well as much as my pitted brain will allow. It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. It was like a small amphitheatre with the DJ the absolute centre of attraction, he says. Something went wrong, please try again later. Nice article Tom, brought back some great memories. So move I did, all the way from Helsinki. Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s - 88to98 Nick, the big bald black guy who always had a smile on his face, pretty much the master of ceremonies at Turnmills. Ive had experiences at all of these nightclub venues and brought back many memories reading your article. Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s - The pace of progress eh? Redferns/Getty Images . Joe Blogs, Great article Tom and indeed sad loss for Londons once outstanding clubland. 10. 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. 2. And since the turn of the Millennium some of our city's best party establishments have had to close. Luxury London is not responsible for the content of external sites. Its loyal following of drum and bass fans would flock there every Wednesday for Swerve, the legendary midweek session. The likes of Oasis and Nirvana played there and it hosted regular LGBT club nights. Bagleys moody security also trying to half in your gak. But at least theres still Visions Video Bar. Central to the Black jazz scene at the time, and closely linked with African. I worked at AKA for many years. Ministry of Sound. 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. 16. 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. At Camden a Palace, I met my best friend, who is now the godmother of my 7 year old son. Before and during the Second World War, most lesbian bars and clubs were found in central London. Great article. THANKS. If you were staggering down the Clerkenwell Road on a Sunday afternoon at around 4pm in the early 90s then you can consider yourself a true nightclub pioneer. 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. It was the image I had in my head before we got there of what Heaven might be like and then this guy walked in. All the London clubs now are appearing and disappearing like mushrooms. Proud2, Greenwich 2011-2012Following the closure of Matter, Alex Proud became the next investor to have a go at making a nightclub at the O2 work. Ive worked in Turnmills from 1996 right to the very last night in 2008. 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. 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. These exclusive extracts and photos tell the story of. A dominant hair design was de rigueur. 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 remember them all so well!! Want the best food, film, music, arts and culture news in London sent straight to your inbox? This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. . This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Wonderful write up of some of the clubs that paved the way for the scene today. A perfect storm of London property economics, redevelopment zones and major transport improvements (rather than any lack of interest from music fans) has seen off an unprecedented number of key venues in the last few years. For more news and featuresabout London directly to your inbox sign up to our newsletter here. It had its licence revoked after a "serious incident of disorder" in 2014 and its closure left many Londoners with heavy hearts. Ch N. Katz In Brick Lane was a small string and paper bag supplier until the late 1990's. Rising rents forced out the Owner after 57 years. 9/10 you lose 1 point for making me feel old! 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. Fictional clubs. Today, bar the indefatigable fabric, its secret warehouse parties all the way invariably cold, austere and over crowded, with awful sound and non existent facilities (one toilet between 500, anyone?) There are new plans to take the building into the future - but we really miss how it used to be. Limelight in London was one of a string of Limelight clubs owned by Canadian Peter Gatien - other Limelight clubs in the chain were in Hallandale in Florida, Atlanta, Chicago and New York City. If you were staggering down the Clerkenwell Road on a Sunday afternoon at around 4pm in the early '90s then you can consider yourself a true nightclub pioneer. And good to see you the other night (I was in the ridiculous blue jacket). Turning around and seeing floor fountains and Mail on Sunday readers sipping lattes and eating Danish pastries made my heart sink. Sad to see the blandification of London continues. Great memories though. 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. It was the venues teen parties that got it into hot water, however, when police found evidence of underage drinking there in 2009. 051. Sold out, obviously, although there might be a ticket on the door for 30. I used to be the membership girl at Freedom. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. how about PLEASED on a wednesday at the Velvet underground !!!