It makes me feel quite sad how our communities are being transformed into bland faceless environments in some cases. Wonderful write up of some of the clubs that paved the way for the scene today. Something went wrong, please try again later. Great memories of perhaps the greatest clubbing/club music period history has known! Sold out, obviously, although there might be a ticket on the door for 30. Great article, had some great and messy nights at most of them. 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. Turnmills chutney still so much messy fun. Limelight in Atlanta was also a place to see and spot celebrities over the years. Peter Gatien is mentioned in the lyrics of three songs: 17. Wow. Same here. Didnt boy george have a residency there? The gay scene in London has always been centred around the West End, especially Soho. Nick, the big bald black guy who always had a smile on his face, pretty much the master of ceremonies at Turnmills. Want the best food, film, music, arts and culture news in London sent straight to your inbox? My favourite break-time activity was to go up to the rafters and watch everybody raving. Have some great memories from that place when the people from Hooj used to celebrate their parties there. Velvet Rooms on Mondays was one of the only places to continue getting even more spangled Wicked. Its industrial settings and position in the centre of London made it a unique offering. It always felt like it was on borrowed time after that. 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. We took a nostalgic look back at some of the capital's notorious nightclubs which have all closed since 2000. best dominic madden, Sundays @ The End with The A corner crew slapping the walls to Malcom Duffy. I will never stop thinking it was incredible. Since June 15, non-essential shops have been able to reopen and now leisure attractions are starting to open as well. The End, The Cross, Turnmills and Bagleys were all favourites. The Soul City nights in Covent Garden were also really good. OMG London clubbing in the 90s, was there ever a time in history that was better? Lots of good memories but it was living on borrowed time even back then in the early 00s. Astoria in Charing Cross Road was London's largest live music club for years. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. During the 1990s, photographer Steve Eichner documented the rowdy, over-the-top debauchery that was New York City's club scene and nightlife. I remember me and my brother went up to Soundshaft one night (I was about 22), with, erm, a couple of associates.. I frequented all of these bar Velvet and had many a great night in all. Plus I think Friction was there for a bit to. I couldnt do it now, but I so glad I did it all then. 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. 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. Peter Gatien produced the 1993 film A Bronx Tale after having produced it as a one-man play. Councils across London are cracking down on late night licences. morning, Available for everyone, funded by readers. I Did the lighting and laser systems at turnmills for many different promoters. 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. There are new plans to take the building into the future - but we really miss how it used to be. Remember one night trying to adjust the needles for them not to jump on the vinyls. At the fulcrum of the acid house scene, it became absurdly popular, partly thanks to its strawberry scented smoke machines and strobe lights. 9/10 you lose 1 point for making me feel old! Never crossed my mind that even the buildings would be gone. There was no place to hide. It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. Hilarious times. And good to see you the other night (I was in the ridiculous blue jacket). musical boundaries being broken, relationships being formed, inspiration etc, is then taken and truned into something else. 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. 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. All the new secret location parties `I work in these days are usually stuck in cold,dirty and faceless arches. 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. When the lease ran out, Turnmills left amicably, leaving the buildings owners to develop the site into an office block. 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 cross in king cross the best partyever is vertigo italian style, thanks Joel glad you like Electric and the Van Dyk show smashed it. 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. Keep us up to date with how your inspiration is getting on. London's night-time economy is estimated to contribute 17-26.bn in . I remember them all so well!! 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. I wouldnt even know where to go nowadays for a night out. 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. or one of his friends in the first arch of muscle-alley. Regulars over the years have included Michael Caine, Keith Moon and Jack Nicholson. I love this article! 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 am now all grown up at 42 with a respectable job and look like I am, a middle aged mum. I played at the cross several times .. 4 me one of best uk clubs where i played great memories , I have the Cross book. 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. Great article and very sad reading. 2. The End just had to be #1 6. Cramming into clubs packed with big hair, booze and pounding music was a rite of passage in the 1980s and into the 1990s. 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. Its really sad that the times have achanged and in a reflection of this, all these fantastic places are being bulldozed. It was around 2000 and I remember those times as probably the best of my life. 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. 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. I was there solidly for several years and partook in all you have mentioned above (and more). 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). Here are some of the South London clubs and bars that are sadly no more. It has St Martin's Art College in Granary Square and Thomas Heatherwick's upmarket shopping centre Coal Drops Yard. 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. Then Dane Bowers went and ruined it all. 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. We went to the opening night of Fabric. 10. Thanks to this article I have found a local website for local people. 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. Nobody came to Plastic People for the glamour or dcor. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. I found some of the pictures a couple of weeks ago including some rather x-rated ones. The single was written and produced by Ralf Ren Mau, and its cover artwork features . It was around the corner from Angel station. It most certainly is me. 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. R&B Clubs And Events In London. Best crowd ever! Its loyal following of drum and bass fans would flock there every Wednesday for Swerve, the legendary midweek session. 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. 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. Enjoyed the trip into nostalgia very much.. The club on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Brownlow Hill was one of the city's most famous venues in the 90s. In Berlin you can rave for days at the Berghain without ever having to leave and in Madrid no one hits the "discoteca" before 4am. The sad fact of the matter is that there aren't the same options there used to be. Im amazed u didnt mention that John Newman was the father of both Danny and Paul Newman. 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. Zen's Dartford First Flicks in the 1980s and later Zen's, the nightclub on Essex Road was more recently known as Air & Breathe. so much fun should be illegal. London's lost nightclubs in pictures A new book by DJ and writer Dave Haslam offers a fascinating glimpse into London's clubbing history. Jon Cook. Seems quite a few people would like to get their hands on The Cross book dont suppose youve got a lockup full of a last, forgotten batch? 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