More often than not in London, cultural institutions close down only to turn into luxury flats or some other kind of corporate hellhole. Finally, the reverse is true. The old big Ikea in Tottenham has been transformed into a multi-level, multi-room cultural space. The meatballs and Billy bookcases have been swept away (although the royal blue exterior remains) to make room for three separate dancefloors, five different bars – including a 25,000 sqft bar in the main 15,000 capacity room – 48-metre-long LED screens and an outdoor terrace and food court.
Broadwick Live are behind the new venue, whose previous ventures have included the much-missed Printworks and the og Drumsheds by Lee Navigational Canal. They’re also the folks behind Depot Mayfield in Manchester where you’ll find The Warehouse Project. So, high hopes for the ‘festivals, large-scale entertainment, private parties, fashion [and] exhibitions’ they’ve promised the space will be used for.
The whole site comes in at a whopping 608,000 sq ft and they’ve kept Ikea’s escalators that will transport partygoers up from 35 security and ticket lanes into the cavernous party den. While Drumsheds will mostly be a clubber’s paradise to begin with – its opening season features shows from Bicep, Marcel Dettmann, Marco Corola, Kelly Lee Owens, Loco Dice, Girls Don’t Sync, Sherelle, Skepta and Jammer, DJ EZ and Todd Edwards, along with takeovers from BuggedOut! The Hydra and Piano People – Broadwick Live has also said it will be programming orchestras, ballet and community events in the future. Let the fun times commence.
