Vlt 139, London - gay cise & fetish club London - Travel Gay

Contents:

• NIGHTCLUBBG: GAY CLUBBG ’70S LONDON
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
• LONDON GAY CLUBS
• VLT 139LONDONMENUHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETGUTHO & B&BSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSDANCE CLUBSLBIAN BARSCISE CLUBSSNASGAY SOHOMASSAGETHEATRECABARETSSHOPSGYMSCAF & RTRANTSSERVICATTRACTNSCY GUITOURSGAY MAPUK EVENTSGAY WEDDGSVLT 139
• LONDON GAY CISE CLUBS

NIGHTCLUBBG: GAY CLUBBG ’70S LONDON

DJ Tricky Dicky was one of the first promoters to grasp the ia of the one-nighter – hirg out a pub or bar for the night, jt to put on a gay night. His Dick’s Inn Gay Dis operated out of straight venu as far afield
 as Croydon, Ilford, Bishopsgate and Eton, packg a few hundred gay boys and girls at a time. Wh his pop and soul mic reviews and dis chart Gay News, Tricky Dicky received verage om a gay prs more terted polics, cema, theatre and opera than the mercial gay 1975 Tricky Dicky held a one-nighter lled Fangs unrneath a hotel Paddgton and, much to his surprise, the place was full to pacy, wh 600 dancg queens 
lappg up every mute.

The night didn’t last long
 due to terference om
 the venue’s owners, who
 were none too happy about
 homos takg over their 
space. 1976 was a groundbreakg year for gay dis London, thanks to the arrival of Bang, London’s first gay superclub.

Gary London, already rint at the Sundowner on straight nights, took his spiratn for Bang om the big gay clubs 
of New York, LA and San Francis. For London’s scenters and disphil, a trip to Bang s early days, wh s vastns and hedonistic dis energy, uld be as liberatg as gog on a Gay Pri march (whose numbers those days were srcely bigger than a Bang crowd). Speakg at the time Gay News, London proselytised for the newly overground clubs: “Diss create the right environment for gays.

LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE

Legendary gay dis DJ Talullah, who
 up until his untimely ath 2008 was still DJg London and abroad, had first-hand experience of New York dis at s height.

However, the number of smaller gay diss that thrived durg this perd proved that Bang certaly didn’t have the monopoly on hedonism or dis. The Rabow Dis, hoed unrneath the Rabow Rooms Manor Hoe, was advertised Gay News as playg all the bt Amerin soul and funk, but also boasted dis mic on the playlist.

Meanwhile, Chris Hill DJ’ed at so-lled “New York gay dis” nights such as Wt End Affair at Crackers Soho and East End Affair at the Lacy Lady Essex. Lus then went back to Earls Court to take his rincy at the Copabana, a much-need large club for the area, then still the hub of London’s gay scene, givg the regulars of The Colherne and Bromptons pubs some late-night actn.

LONDON GAY CLUBS

But took the arrival 1978 of the Embassy Club Bond Street to really brg an element of glamour to the gay dis scene. Jeremy Norman, chairman of historil high-society gui Burke’s Peerage, was spired to open The Embassy after numero trips to New York clubs, where the openns and signer dg-fuelled liftyle of the cy’s flourishg gay life ntrasted wh London’s parochial feel (you uld still get banned some venu for sniffg poppers). The Embassy was signed for an upmarket, mostly gay clientele who wanted somethg ls provcial and clstrophobic.

The Embassy was immortalised the vio for Sylvter’s “You Make Me Feel Mighty Real, ” but ultimately s populary was s downfall, as the upmarket straight crowd outnumbered the gay element.

At s time of openg, Heaven was the biggt gay club Europe, markg Norman’s attempt to extend his Embassy achievements while retag a re gay crowd. The key figure on the cks was Ian Leve, who as rint DJ at the Blackpool Mec had been at the heart of the Northern Soul scene, broang s rem to embrace dis after wnsg New York gay clubs on trips Stati huntg rare soul.

VLT 139LONDONMENUHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETGUTHO & B&BSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSDANCE CLUBSLBIAN BARSCISE CLUBSSNASGAY SOHOMASSAGETHEATRECABARETSSHOPSGYMSCAF & RTRANTSSERVICATTRACTNSCY GUITOURSGAY MAPUK EVENTSGAY WEDDGSVLT 139

Leve was among the first on the gay scene to tly embrace mixg, keepg the tempo steady and puttg paid to the Motown medleys monplace at Bang, Copas or Sndals. Heaven’s attractns may have been s mic and lights, but s prime purpose was for cisg and Norman was termed to prevent straight punters om takg over, enforcg a rigoro gay men-only door policy.

The London Eveng Standard, reviewg Heaven’s openg night, liberated: “Heaven’s biggt headache uld be terrg London’s non-gay disphil who uld end up tryg to pass for gay to get past the elegant bouncers at the dis’s equivalent of the Pearly Gat. Gay dis, Boystown or hi-energy (named after Evelyn Thomas’s h of the same name), beme the soundtrack to the clone scene that took over Heaven and gay Earls Court. By the 1980s, the mercial gay scene was takg off and dis fell out of favour as electronic, hi-energy sound took hold.

Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love. There are more than 60 untri wh laws that crimalise same-sex sexual acts acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, cludg Sdi Arabia. 'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022.

LONDON GAY CISE CLUBS

Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife. The uple, who live London, said a "really betiful memory" was on the way home when one of their sons shouted out of the black b wdow to Trafalgar Square, "My dads jt got married" and cheered "Yay, gay marriage". When Heaven opened s doors to the dis-hungry gay hedonists of London 40 years ago this month, was clared the hippt place Europe.

“Heaven’s biggt headache uld be terrg London’s non-gay disphil who uld end up tryg to pass for gay to get past the elegant bouncers at the dis’s equivalent of the Pearly Gat, ” he not born 1979 may know the club’s fabled history as the early home of hoe mic and have seen featured vios and documentari. But back then, for members of London’s burgeong gay scene, the arrival of Heaven was the moment when a rich hidn culture beme part of mastream nightlife. ” Ellitt adds that, to mark the big birthday, the club has won permissn to operate as a marriage venue, wh the first ceremony to take place on 15 December, almost exactly 40 years after the openg Heaven’s arrival had an impact, drew on strands of alternative dis culture already threadg through the cy the 12 years sce homosexualy had been crimalised.

Ctomers at tablished gay dancefloors and discreet venu, such as Bang, Napoleons, Sndals and Catabs, had ially moved on to a club on Old Bond Street lled the Embassy, opened 1978 by Jeremy Norman. But Heaven was a place that changed perspectiv and brought the two muni, gay and straight, together, ” says Whyte. In 1981, The News of the World nmned the place as “more like hell”, and eight years later the Sun me down hard on dg Carey at GAY 2003.