The Candy Bar - relaunched!

It seems hard to believe, but The Candy Bar will be 15 years old this year. Part of the proliferation of gay venues that opened in Soho in the mid '90s, it's still London's only full-time women's venue, catering to a crowd that isn't adequately served elsewhere.

Originally launched by promoter Kim Lucas, who painted the walls pink and introduced lap and pole dancers, it's been through several owners and is now part of the hugely successful Ku Bar group, owned by leading Soho gay businessman Gary Henshaw.

The venue will still be run by women, for women - or 'by girls, for girls' as the press release puts it. Sandra D, who runs the popular girls' night Ruby Tuesdays at Ku, has been put in charge at the new-look Candy. In the week that the venue is relaunched, she talks us through the changes and tells us what to expect.

What prompted Gary Henshaw to buy the venue?
'I'd like to say that it was me and the massive success of Ruby Tuesdays at Ku. But I know it's Gary's good business sense too. He saw the potential of a girls' bar, and totally surprised me one evening when he said he'd put in an offer on Candy!'

How is the new Candy Bar different to the old Candy Bar?
'It's all the best bits of Ku - great drinks prices, cool decor, friendly staff and compelling club nights - but run by girls, for girls. We've opened up the music policy to appeal to all gay women and we've totally got rid of the pink. I hated that colour!'

One common complaint about the old venue was that the bar staff weren't always very attentive.
'The girls who currently work at Candy are not the girls who worked here a couple of years ago - but they are still getting the bad press! The present team are really lovely. They're friendly, fun and they work hard. It was them, more than anyone else, who persuaded readers of the Pink Paper to vote Candy as Best Women's Venue of 2010. I'd encourage ladies to come and experience for themselves the good customer service we have today. I'm confident that they'll be pleased.'

You've introduced some new nights. Can you talk us through them?
'Monster is our new Saturday night. It's all about monster hits we know and love, from the last few decades. Us girls know how to party, and that's what we'll be providing each and every Saturday. Wednesday night is EcLekTra, which is all about bringing dirty electro to Soho. It's no secret that us girls love electro. So why shouldn't we have an electro night each week? We have Coco Yeah from Koochooloo as the main resident, and then we're getting other talented DJs from the scene to join her as guests.'

Are there any others planned?
'Of course there are! I want to have something happening every night. We've missed that on the girls' scene for a while now. There are some exciting nights on the horizon, but for now I'm focusing on the relaunch. Then I'll be channelling all my energies into filling the evenings with cool club nights every night of the week. And we look forward to celebrating Candy's fifteenth year as London's top lesbian bar in the not-too-distant future.'