Or did that go the way of the marbles?! Anyway, as the corridor joined Soundshaft to Heaven (and Heaven being pretty legendry), I decided to go to the loo. Wow, it was a long time ago. 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. By the 90s, everyone from Desmond Dekker to the Prodigy had played there. It hosted huge weekend parties that were at hit with House music fans. 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 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. 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. A real eye opener, that night. It became louder and louder. This made me rather emotional. 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. George Michael often arrived at the nightclub accompanied by a woman before he came out as gay. 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. Wednesday 10 June 2015. 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 Ive loved reading ur write up about the old clubs and the memories came flooding back with the pics!! Hilarious times. 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. Hope you are too. 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. Sat 30 May 2020 17.00BST 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. End of story.. There was no place to hide. The Walkabout bar closed after its parent company went into administration in October 2009. What I would say is be glad we are the ages we are. By the mid-1990s the venue was no longer used as a cinema, instead functioning as a music venue, nightclub and snooker hall. 15. Reminded me of my mis-spent but highly pleasurable youth on the dance floors of a London. 051. Acts to have played The Scala include Foo Fighters, The Killers and Coldplay. Will come back around and write more. Cheers Mike. Its sad though, as these were truly iconic clubs I am not from UK, but had a chance to party in Turnmills and The Fridge at their best times I felt everyone is equal kind of things there. 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. But it was torn down in 2009 to make way for the new Elizabeth Line. The End just had to be #1 Or many others, would not stop writing and remembering about them. Joe Blogs, Great article Tom and indeed sad loss for Londons once outstanding clubland. but it went wrong after the terrible stabbing on a bank holiday sunday night. To order the clip clean and high res visit http://www.kinolibrary.com. But at least theres still Visions Video Bar. Speaking to the Guardian after its closure, Marcus Harris, who co-ran the venues long-running indie night White Heat, described it as a community of fringe culture. The likes of Oasis and Nirvana played there and it hosted regular LGBT club nights. Its really sad that the times have achanged and in a reflection of this, all these fantastic places are being bulldozed. 3. next. 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. The Whirlitzer seating in The Cross Garden We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The best til last- no one did it like The End. You had, in all probability, just left Turnmills, the first club in the UK to receive a 24 hour license. 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. 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. 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. 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Vauxhall became the locus of gay clubs from 2000. It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. 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. 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. But its about the memories though, for me. 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. Ah. Ironically, the development never happened and the club was eventually reopened as the Den and Centro. thanks for the article, spent many crazy nights/days in all of these places, Velvet Underground aside. I used to do the guest list at Freedom! 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! Standouts would have to be Logical Progression and Gallery at Turnmills, Buzzin Fly, Ram and Underwater @ The End and Type and the mighty Peace Division @ The Cross happy, happy times. This former gin distillery was home to one of Londons all time greatest club nights: Trade. Every club claims that its all about the music but in Plastic Peoples case, the ideology really did manifest. 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. The clientele these days is more likely to include the sons and daughters of sheiks and potentates quaffing Cristal and dancing to mainstream RnB but the restaurant area (yes, this is one of those kinds of nightclubs) still sees the odd A-lister float by when theyre in town. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. In the middle years of the 60s this was the place to be seen. Thanks for the article, brought back awesome memories! 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. Visibility. (1989) " London Nights ". . London's night-time economy is estimated to contribute 17-26.bn in . And good to see you the other night (I was in the ridiculous blue jacket). 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. During the 1990s, photographer Steve Eichner documented the rowdy, over-the-top debauchery that was New York City's club scene and nightlife. Matter, Greenwich2008-2010It was perhaps always a slightly over-optimistic proposition opening a nightclub in Greenwich, let alone one inside the Millennium Dome, but if anyone was going to have a good stab at it, then it would be the pair behind Fabric: Cameron Leslie and Keith Reilly. A perfectly acceptable thing to do at the time. Egg Sando, Panadera: Londons best 4.50 sandwich? The Astor Club was a nightclub which operated in Mayfair, London from the 1930s to the late 1970s. 2. Plus I think Friction was there for a bit to. 9/10 you lose 1 point for making me feel old! I remember Bagleys that was a long time ago. People may rave about London's nightlife, but compared to other big cities, clubs and bars shut early and are expensive. And since the turn of the Millennium some of our city's best party establishments have had to close. He was about 50 years old and massive. The End was the brainchild of DJs Mr C and Layo. Kids going out today wont realise its a tragedy, but it is. Located in the west lodge outside Euston Station, it ran from 1995 to 2008. I will be following developments closely. I remember having to take my shoes off for them to be searched. Fabric is the Only venue to stick to its principles avoiding putting in any old rubbish that draws a crowd. I dont think so. Zen's Dartford First Flicks in the 1980s and later Zen's, the nightclub on Essex Road was more recently known as Air & Breathe. 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 club was renamed Canvas in 2003, when Billy Reilly took over the club, also opening the Key and the Cross next door, creating a golden triangle of clubbing in N1. Wow. Nice article Tom, brought back some memories. A most excellent post Tom.. The gay scene in London has always been centred around the West End, especially Soho. The End on a Friday and Turnmill on a Saturday were more my thing. The spot is now a lap dancing club called The Red Rooms. Nuff Said. However, I do hold dear the fact I took advantage of the last ever NYE at The End..needless to say Laurent Garnier did not disappoint:). 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. I lived in London back in the late 90s early 00s and went to all of these clubs. 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