Fabric - The Decline of London’s Club Scene
Fabric. A wound still fresh in the minds of many UK clubbers and underground music lovers alike.
For me it was the community; the sense that every person in the building was united under a common front. The love for the music, or the love for partying with like-minded individuals. Whatever the reason for attending, the vibe was definitely one of solidarity. I still remember my first visit to Fabric — so many memories made over the course of a single evening. Subsequent visits were always incredible, but nothing quite compared to the first experience of this very venue.
For so many artists, performing at Fabric was like a rite of passage. Many of the venues esteemed residents have nothing but kind words and fond recantations of their time spent with the club, and many of the up and comers I have spoken to dreamed of performing their first sets there. Fabric was a cornerstone for underground music, and will hold many memories for all that performed there, old timers and newcomers.
By now the majority of people affected would have read and re-read both the official and unofficial reasoning’s for Fabric’s closure; the official story that the prevalent drug culture within the club had resulted in the unfortunate deaths of two young adults over the summer months, inevitably leading to the demise of the club, the unofficial story behind the premeditated ‘Operation Lenor’ and Islington Councils desperate scrabble for the £200m funding they attempt to acquire from the Museum of London. Whichever reason is the true cause for the premature ending to Fabric’s story, ravers, artists and travellers alike will surely mourn the loss of such an iconic UK venue.
As we know, Fabric’s team are currently appealing for the decision to be revoked. However, as politics are now involved, the chances of the appeal coming to fruition are slim at best. Signalfire and my thoughts go out to the entire team during this time and I wish them all the best of luck with the appeal and future endeavours should the appeal fail.
So what next for London nightlife and the underground music scene? Unfortunately over the last couple of years we have seen a tremendous decline in the amount of music venues in operation, with the close of Cable, Plastic People and Brixton Mass to name a few. Luckily venues such as Electric Brixton are still thriving and incorporating underground nights into their rosters, with High Focus Records and DEEP MEDi regularly frequenting this site for their events. However, with the cost of living and operating in London constantly on the uprise, does it become a case of ‘who’s next’ in this war on club life? I for one hope this is not the case.
Make sure to do what you can to support Fabric during their appeal — log onto www.fabriclondon.com to see how you can help!
Thanks for reading.
Matt — Signalfire
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