From the Kinolibrary archive film collections. Four Aces, Dalston1966-1998In what was, ostensibly, a simpler time for Dalston, the Four Aces was the areas flagship club. The sad fact of the matter is that there aren't the same options there used to be. At that time the venue was owned by Terry (cant rememember his surname) and hed made his money from jiffy condoms and then for some reason he got involved with starting up bagleys as a venue Its flagship night was Trade the original afterparty. 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. The Astoria, Soho1976-2009Not even Londons largest live music club could stand in the way of the Crossrail development. Herbal, Shoreditch2000-2009It was small (and sweaty) but Herbal consistently pounded out some of the best drum and bass in the capital, filling out every Sunday for Grooveriders seminal night, Grace, as well as regularly hosting the likes of Goldie and the Metalheadz crew. Reliving my 20s again still with a younger GF (cliche alert) and the new wave of EDM. Ask Billy if there are more? "Harlem Desire '89". However, its worth taking a moment to remember that nightclubs, by their very essence, shouldnt outstay their welcome. circa 1990. These might have often been dank, crumbling, smelly old places, but they are where countless people enjoyed some of the most intense and vital moments of their lives. The plan was to go up there, see someone and come back. In the 1980s some clubs opened up in Earls Court, where the rent was cheaper. We also ran revesceen magazeen As of 2021, MoS now also has its own record label, gym, cruise ship franchise and full size members only shared workspace on Borough Road incorporating private offices, a cinema, meeting rooms for hire and a full service restaurant. Back then, the huge 2,000 capacity venue was a Saturday night lockout and one . 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. It was the trend-setting precursor to London's super clubs, and transformed the terrain of LGBTQ clubbing in the capital. . The End & AKA were a true second home. 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. In one fell swoop, however, the Cross, Canvas and the Key were culled in favour of the regeneration of Kings Cross. 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?) Ruby Violet: NW5s pioneering ice cream parlour to close, Let It Roll Records closes. 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. Killjoy councils, student debt and stolen phones: the slow death of British clubs, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Ill email you! Lead singer of the pop group Visage Steve Strange (left) pictured with Boy George at London's Limelight. Wow. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section. 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. It closed after an issue with underage drinking was reported in 2009, before re-opening as Electric Brixton. 3. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. In its 80s heyday, Limelight was one of London's top nightclubs and a hangout for the decade's biggest celebrities. 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! 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 Kingsland Road venue was once "the coolest bar around." Turnmills building being totally destroyed is the ultimate, inexcusable vandalism though. 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. I will be following developments closely. 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. Me and my brother went there, 2 days before we flew out to Zante in 1994. Madame JoJo's closure was a massive blow to Soho 's nightlife scene. 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/. Thanks for the article, brought back awesome memories! 10. Regulars over the years have included Michael Caine, Keith Moon and Jack Nicholson. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Amen. 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. Remember one night trying to adjust the needles for them not to jump on the vinyls. 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. Dirty, worn, in your face, street cred with banging, hard but funky beats. We WERE there, we DID live it, and now were sentimental old bastards. 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. Big small club! These exclusive extracts and photos tell the story of. Sad to see the blandification of London continues. And good to see you the other night (I was in the ridiculous blue jacket). Former DJ Magazine Deputy Editor Tom Kihl investigates what happened to the clubs that once dominated London's nightlife. Want the best food, film, music, arts and culture news in London sent straight to your inbox? Reading this article has caused me new inspiration watch out London. -d(-L-)b-. But the magic was gone weve since seen the end for the Den, too. The arcade room downstairs Fabric is the Only venue to stick to its principles avoiding putting in any old rubbish that draws a crowd. We need a new visionary. Isnt that, now, the Apple shop? Now, as then, this is still the party spot for the rich and privileged, with a fair smattering of showbiz excess included. 9. Slightly off topic but I fear for the Camden Brewery bars license once the new posh flats open at Talacre. But the party was brought to an abrupt end after a stabbing there led it to lose its licence and subsequent closure. 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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. Great article. 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. Clubs in Mayfair London are the most prestigious nightclubs in town. thanks for the article, spent many crazy nights/days in all of these places, Velvet Underground aside. Glad to have been part of that London dance scene. Councils across London are cracking down on late night licences. We went to the opening night of Fabric. Unfortunately, I cant say I experienced all of them. We then went our seperate ways. Nick, the big bald black guy who always had a smile on his face, pretty much the master of ceremonies at Turnmills. 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. 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 walked into the toilet and my brother was stood at the urinal. 2. The End just had to be #1 The venue hosted international DJs as well as some seminal club nights such as broken beat fix Co-op and dubstep-founding FWD>>. Astoria in Charing Cross Road was London's largest live music club for years. Hes right. Gaz ran a weekly night there from. Redferns/Getty Images . 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! This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Sorry the plaque should be pale blue with a Dove on it. THANKS. 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. 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. 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. Nice read Scary thought that Ive actually worked at all of them!!! Ah. In the 90s, it was all about wild weekly party Love Muscle, one of the capitals most renowned gay nights. 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. Velvet Rooms on Mondays was one of the only places to continue getting even more spangled Wicked. Trying to find your mates The Grosvenor Cinema opened in 1936. End of story.. 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. Sign up to our weekly email. 051. The Whirlitzer seating in The Cross Garden Read more: Has Covid-19 ended Sohos indie spirit for good? 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. 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 triple-bowed frontage of the Ace Cinema viewed from the south-west.