Trends

In Flux

The seismic shift taking place in London’s nightlife

With Dalston’s Visions and The Alibi closing within a few days of each other, east London’s reputation for indelible nights of partying may finally be coming to an end. But London’s nightlife has always been a step ahead of restrictive licensing, and there are plenty of party spots managing to stay under the radar.

Fold’s 600-capacity venue in an industrial estate near Canning Town means the parties go late. With 24-hour access to the Jubilee line and London Overground and a tailored soundsystem (un)limited at 110db, Fold is likely to be the first of many clubs pushed out to the borders that can go all night and all day (with a 24 hour licence to boot). But that’s not all. There’s more in the works, including a membership scheme which means clubbers can purchase padlocks and reserve personal lockers in the venue (#UJLoves the idea of partying hands-free), as well as the ability to accept cryptocurrency on-site (BitCoin for beers anyone?). Go see for yourself – their first batch of shows are on sale now.

While we’ve had plenty of time to turn up to Printworks’s untamed press halls since its launch in 2017, the vast space in London’s Docklands still has some surprises up its sleeve. The launch of Printworks Live this spring added an extra 3000 capacity and their programme for autumn and winter is one of the best we’ve seen in years: Bicep have booked in a three day-to-night run for the live space, AfterLife and CircoLoco will be over from Ibiza and The Hydra’s mega lineups will be some of the most talked-about before the year’s over.

And if you’re determined to keep the party in Hackney, try Earth. The abandoned Art Deco cinema in Dalston launched as Hackney Arts Centre, but has just revealed a new rebrand. Expect to find an underground concert hall, restaurant, bar and theatre stacked on top of each other when the labyrinthine project opens later this month. As one of the last businesses to pass their license through Hackney Council before the changes came underway, we’re expecting big things.

By all accounts, it’s time for nightlife in London to change. And keep an eye on Catford, Deptford and Peckham too – south of the river still knows how to party late!

By AS-H

Originally published on
4th September 2018

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