The Astor Club was a nightclub which operated in Mayfair, London from the 1930s to the late 1970s. End of story.. Great article Tom. In 2018 it was bought by chain The Deltic Group and given a. And its not true that they are being lost despite fans interestfans lost interest, or they would all still be milking it! New venues although arguably more suitable in some considerations like Matter just dont possess the necessary special ingredient like the late great Turnmills anymore. Something went wrong, please try again later. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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. London's lost nightclubs in pictures A new book by DJ and writer Dave Haslam offers a fascinating glimpse into London's clubbing history. Kids going out today wont realise its a tragedy, but it is. 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. Great article. So goooood memories!!!! The five-storey building is rather wonderfully detailed inside and out. 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. MyLondon's brilliant newsletter The 12 is absolutely jam packed with all the latest to keep you keep you entertained, informed and uplifted. (1989) " London Nights ". Still, this wasnt the reason the venues got turfed; the bailiffs were eventually called in as a result of long overdue rent and bills. I remember them all so well!! October 2018 the anonymous landlord of the former chapel won planning approval from Westminster council to upscale the venue into a major performance venue on the West End's arts scene with a restaurant and basement bar, run by Stone Nest. Great article Tom. Zen's Dartford First Flicks in the 1980s and later Zen's, the nightclub on Essex Road was more recently known as Air & Breathe. First there was Matter and then there was Proud2. Peter Gatien is mentioned in the lyrics of three songs: 17. Bring your dancing shoes and prepare for a night packed with tunes from the likes of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Beyonce and Jay-Z as we introduce the best R&B events . Even if we cant and possibly shouldnt prevent their almost inevitably fleeting existence. 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. It hosted huge weekend parties that were at hit with House music fans. By the 90s, everyone from Desmond Dekker to the Prodigy had played there. magazine. Great article, had some great and messy nights at most of them. 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. The venue reopened as Electric Brixton the following year, but as owner Andrew Czezowski told the South London Press when it was put up for sale: Whoever buys it, if they buy it, they are only getting bricks and mortar., Cable, London Bridge2009-2013This cavernous 1,300-capacity club, located beneath the railway arches of London Bridge station, was as renowned among clubbers for its airport-style security as for its bass-heavy parties and rapid rise as a significant dance music brand. Bagleys was always my favourite. Have some great memories from that place when the people from Hooj used to celebrate their parties there. The End and AKA, West End1995-2009A venue that just seemed to stick in the hearts of all who frequented it, the End was an intimate basement club run by Mr C and Layo, tucked just behind High Holborn. Slightly off topic but I fear for the Camden Brewery bars license once the new posh flats open at Talacre. The works. I wouldnt even know where to go nowadays for a night out. It was like a small amphitheatre with the DJ the absolute centre of attraction, he says. Clubs in Mayfair London are the most prestigious nightclubs in town. Redferns/Getty Images . Fantastic to look through it every so often and remember what wasa very much loved and much missed club . Ive worked in Turnmills from 1996 right to the very last night in 2008. The councils motives were questioned soon after, however, when it was revealed the club had already been ringfenced for demolition and development over the next few years by the owners. Keep us up to date with how your inspiration is getting on. 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. Turning around and seeing floor fountains and Mail on Sunday readers sipping lattes and eating Danish pastries made my heart sink. Glad you like it Phil. Wednesday 10 June 2015. Believe it or not King's Cross was once the party hub of London. Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas this year was truly magical and a top clubbing moment, but some periods of your life can never truly be repeated. The Grosvenor Cinema opened in 1936. Its also a shame to lose 93 Feet East recently too. Today the building is, quite fittingly, home to an arts organisation with new plans afoot to take the arts venue into the future. People from across the capital will flock to Herbal, an exposed brick warehouse which regularly hosted big name DJs. 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. musical boundaries being broken, relationships being formed, inspiration etc, is then taken and truned into something else. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The licence was subsequently restored, but the business was unable to avoid going into administration. 12. Now, is that the same Tom Kihl I employed in the heady days of Covent Garden based vegetarian restaurants? In the middle years of the 60s this was the place to be seen. Pete x. Im good thanks Pete. But we've been getting all nostalgic and wishing we could have a final drink at Limelight. Surely he must be out by now. It later became the Cat's Whiskers club, the Ritzy then Caesars Nightclub. Luckily they are putting up a great fight, so Ministry wont find itself demolished just yet. I took a diversion myself up York Way a while back and took similar snaps of Bagleys and The Cross. Since June 15, non-essential shops have been able to reopen and now leisure attractions are starting to open as well. So move I did, all the way from Helsinki. But sadly it never recovered from the initial closure and was put up for sale in 2010. 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. 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. 18. Saw Joey Negro play there a few times. 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! Thanks Liam. 9. The place has many special memories for many people. Doesnt seem that long now. (1989) " London Nights " is British Europop duo London Boys ' biggest hit single, released in 1989 from their debut album, The Twelve Commandments of Dance. Well, sort of in fairness as all venues involved being pretty blitzed. Located in the west lodge outside Euston Station, it ran from 1995 to 2008. The place was a really important hub for the fledgling dubstep family, says 6Music DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, who went to FWD>> religiously in the mid-2000s. Didnt boy george have a residency there? Reminded me of my mis-spent but highly pleasurable youth on the dance floors of a London. Or did that go the way of the marbles?! Don't skip a beat and sign up to The 12 newsletter here. This week, Boris Johnson has been considering a decision that will affect the future of Londons most famous nightclub. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section. Great article. 14. It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. Never crossed my mind that even the buildings would be gone. Will come back around and write more. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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. 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. It was 2 for a beer which was great value at the time. In the 1990s, the scene reverted back to Soho, revitalised by new style bars like The Village. The historic venue, which hosted game-changing concerts from the likes of Oasis, Manic Street Preachers and Nirvana, was bulldozed in 2009 to make room for a bigger ticket hall at Tottenham Court Road tube station. Sorry the plaque should be pale blue with a Dove on it. 13. Bagleys/Canvas, Kings Cross1991-2007Like a legal rave, Bagleys was a huge multi-room warehouse club that held some of Londons biggest Saturday night parties. circa 1990. And there are also some intriguing facts about the nightclub's sister venues across the pond. A dominant hair design was de rigueur. I dont think so. A great article , and so sad that many of these truly iconic places may be but a memory in the minds of millions . 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. One for you beer and one for the otherThat place was magic. 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According to its owners, the time felt right to move on. Great article. 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. Great article. I love this article! As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. The End was the brainchild of DJs Mr C and Layo. Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news, views, features and opinion from across the city? I worked at AKA for many years. The Blitz Kids were the gang who unofficially ran the club, with members included Gary and Martin Kemp from Spandau, dance choreographer supremo-to-be Michael Clark and Siobhan Fahey (later of Bananarama). Or many others, would not stop writing and remembering about them. 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. 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. What is the Cross Book? 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. have always wondered where he is now and what hes up to. 10. I remember me and my brother went up to Soundshaft one night (I was about 22), with, erm, a couple of associates.. Happy days. 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?) In 1987, Rachel Macmillan, granddaughter of the Conservative prime minister Howard Macmillan, died aged 31 after a night at the Limelight. The spot is now a lap dancing club called The Red Rooms. Sign up to our weekly email. Must be sat looking pretty on a fair few coffee tables to this day, The cross & turnmills, nothing did or has come close. I couldnt do it now, but I so glad I did it all then. Fictional clubs. It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. 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. George Michael often arrived at the nightclub accompanied by a woman before he came out as gay. The massive venue had a 24 hour drinking licence and a 4,0000 people capacity. Pretty sure the very last ones got dished out at the end of that rather special final bash, Xmas 07. There was no place to hide. I used to do the guest list at Freedom! Sad to see the blandification of London continues. #5 Where could you find warehouse raving complete with funfair rides right in the heart of the capital? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. We put a swimming pool onthe terrace one night, fairground rides another. Ironically, the development never happened and the club was eventually reopened as the Den and Centro. 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. Im surprised The Gardening Club wasnt there. http://www.amazon.co.uk/CROSS-1993-2003-Jonathan-CUTTING/dp/B0010786KI. Killjoy councils, student debt and stolen phones: the slow death of British clubs, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. But its about the memories though, for me. The Walkabout bar closed after its parent company went into administration in October 2009. thanks for the article, spent many crazy nights/days in all of these places, Velvet Underground aside. 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 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. Hilarious times. Shelves in the loos. The Cross, Kings Cross 1993-2007Speaking to Time Out after its closure, Billy Reilly, who ran a road haulage company in Kings Cross before opening warehouse venue the Cross, admitted that back in 1993 he, didnt know Judge Jules from Judge Dredd. Losing those places feels like losing a family member never to return. Plus Lion & Unicorn and LGBTQ History Month, Black History Month 2022: 5 picks across Camden, Foodscape: own a vertical plot in Londons first urban farm, Queer Jubilee: Drag at Zabludowicz, Queer Britain and Mighty Hoopla, LGBTQ History Month 2022: top 10 Camden & Islington highlights, My Boy Danny: the acclaimed play tackling LGBTQ hate crime, Where to find the summer special issue and whats in it. The gay scene in London has always been centred around the West End, especially Soho. Good to see http://givingupdrugsforlent.tumblr.com/ in full swing again this year. What I would say is be glad we are the ages we are. Nowadays the capital's former red light district is swanky. The sound shaft and heaven where legendary , as was the London Astoria, Fascinating to read about the origins and teams behind such monumental moments in Londons clubbing history. 2021-2023 - Luxury London. . Worse than that, advanced ticketing is now the only option promoters are now willing to risk, destroying that brilliant spontaneous thing of being in the pub and deciding who you wanted to see and where (knowing you had a good choice of reliable venues that you knew inside out.) 10. Some of the greatest nights of my life have been at FWD>> at Plastic People.. 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. Wow, it was a long time ago. At the Astoria I met a bloke who ended up being my significant other for a decade. Acts to have played The Scala include Foo Fighters, The Killers and Coldplay. It was made for DJs by DJs and those who fumbled fumbled spinning the decks were quickly called out by the crowd. Depressing isnt it? At the fulcrum of the acid house scene, it became absurdly popular, partly thanks to its strawberry scented smoke machines and strobe lights. As you pointed out Fabric is the benchmark for a well organised, respected, profitable club in the modern era but you only have to look at the demise of Pacha to see what a dangerous game financially it is nowadays. 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. But in the 1990s it was plagued by bad publicity and following a drug-related . Were you a Crank? We list 18 things you might not know about the Limelight club, the building it was in and its links to the US. Even more so for you, of course! 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. You had, in all probability, just left Turnmills, the first club in the UK to receive a 24 hour license. Its a hardback coffee table monster, full of lovely photos and quotes. Was often at Bagley's but it was never my first choice. 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. 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. Sir Bob Geldof had his stag do at Limelight before he married Paula Yates in 1986. Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s - The pace of progress eh? Velvet Rooms, Soho1993-2003Ibiza party man Nicky Holloway kickstarted this central London club originally named Velvet Underground after his previous project, Milk Bar, lost its lease. Regulars over the years have included Michael Caine, Keith Moon and Jack Nicholson. 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. 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. An earlier version said incorrectly that the Turnmills site was developed into flats. And some ex-boxer DJ? Its flagship night was Trade the original afterparty. My favourite break-time activity was to go up to the rafters and watch everybody raving. 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. Magic was created on those dancefloors and longstanding relationships and friends. Cramming into clubs packed with big hair, booze and pounding music was a rite of passage in the 1980s and into the 1990s. Many thanks This article was amended on 11 September 2016. Electroworks (I think this was the name?). 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. Last minute gifts? 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. We also ran revesceen magazeen Hey Janine, I remember you well! Joe Blogs, Great article Tom and indeed sad loss for Londons once outstanding clubland. Something went wrong, please try again later. 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. I also have a book given out on The Ends 10th birthday which is a coffee table book but still good. but it went wrong after the terrible stabbing on a bank holiday sunday night. Peter Gatien produced the 1993 film A Bronx Tale after having produced it as a one-man play. Thats brought back some memories. Special times in special places all round though. Isnt that, now, the Apple shop? Stealth on a Thursday night, marvellous http://wharferj.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/stealth-the-blue-note/ LuvDup were djing (one of them fell over on the stage), Princess Julia was stood by the decks dancing.
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