When clubs die: A look back at five legendary club closing parties
Back in April, Dance Tunnel in Dalston announced that it would be shutting as a result of an impossible âlicensing climateâ in Hackney. Now the venueâs last weekend has finally arrived. But there is a silver lining: an opportunity for a mega free-entry blow-out on closing night. Londonâs clubs have a tradition of going out with a bang; let's revisit some of the greatestâŠ
Talkin' Loud and Saying Something, 1991
© Dave Swindells
On Sunday afternoons in Camden in the late â80s and early â90s, you could mooch around Camden Lock Market â or you could sidestep the stalls and jump into Talkin' Loud and Saying Something at Dingwalls. The painted-black venue was rough and ready, but the atmosphere generated when Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge and Kevin Beadle played was really special. They mixed music for the finest jazz dance crews â soulboys and girls, ravers, trendies and tourists â creating a magical freestyle fusion: hard bop, Brazilian beats, hip hop, Latin breaks, house, Stevie WonderâŠ
The queue for the finale snaked down Camden High Street and the sweat streamed down the walls. âI donât know how many encores we played,â recalls Patrick Forge, âbut the final tune was âFamily Affairâ by Sly & The Family Stone, because it was like a family breaking up.â Amazingly though, the club spirit lives on at brilliant bi-annual parties â the next one on December 4 at (the new) Dingwalls.
The Wag, 2001
© Chris Sullivan
It was May Day in 2001, but the West End was nearly deserted after