The Dos & Don'ts Of Gay Clubbg | Mistry of Sound

Contents:

• THE BT LGBTQ+ AND GAY CLUBS LONDON
• THE BT GAY BARS LONDON
• THE 10 BEST LONDON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LONDON
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
• GAY BARS AND CLUBS SOHO
• THE DOS & DON'TS OF GAY CLUBBG
• NIGHTCLUBBG: GAY CLUBBG ’70S LONDON
• THE 10 BEST LONDON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LONDON
• LONDON GAY CLUBS
• KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

THE BT LGBTQ+ AND GAY CLUBS LONDON

While London’s queer nightclub scene has seen some sad, untimely partur, such as the Coleherne (briefly the Pembroke), London’s olst gay bar until s closure, and the Joer’s Arms, there are still some long-standg venu and new-ers to the scene workg hard to keep London’s queer nightlife alive.

Heaven, Charg Cross Cred: Lda Brdley, via Heaven One of the bt-known, most historic gay clubs London statned up s inic Charg Cross spot. Royal Vxhall Tavern, Vxhall The Royal Vxhall Tavern is a te slice of LGBTQ+ history London – a Gra II Listed venue that was famoly raid by police 1987 amidst over-policg of London’s gay muny. BJ’s Whe Swan, Limehoe Another longstandg London gay bar, which has been gog strong for over 30 years, is BJ’s Whe Swan East London.

The Glory, Haggerston The Glory pris self beg one of East London’s bt gay bars, drag hotho, LGBTQ+ performance venu, nightclubs, and curators of London shows, ftivals, ntts and battl. 24 plac sorted by traveler favorBars & Clubs • Gay BarsTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentGay Bars • Dance Clubs & DissTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentBars & Clubs • Gay BarsLeicter Square / Shaftbury AvenueWhat travelers are saygBier than expected but service was fast and iendly. Loted the heart of London, Comptons is a mt-vis gay pub that guarante an credible experience.

THE BT GAY BARS LONDON

Brilliant staff (pecially Jack, the fabulo bar manager and cktail maker), fabulo cktails and a relaxed atmosphere for all whether gay, straight or somethg else.

A beguilg, alternative London gay bar. The Glory pris self beg one of east London’s bt gay bars, drag hotho, LGBTQ+ performance venu, nightclubs, and curators of London shows, ftivals, ntts and battl. Comptons of Soho Photo:, Shutterstock Comprisg of two bars and a quieter lounge area, Soho’s Comptons pub has been a staple the cy’s gay scene sce 1986.

THE 10 BEST LONDON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LONDON

Halfway To Heaven, Trafalgar Square Loted between Charg Cross Statn and Trafalgar Square, Halfway To Heaven is a tradnal gay pub and baret show bar wh a laid-back ground floor and club-like basement area. Kgs Arms, Soho Loted on Soho’s Poland Street and open sce the 1700’s, the iendly Kgs Arms was one of the first spots Soho to serve the gay muny, billg self as a ‘gentlemen’s bar’ the 1970’s. Officially a gay bar sce 1981, ’s now a firm favoure wh the LGBTQ+ muny – ‘bears’ particular – om London and around the world.

From tablished legends of the gay scene to on that play baret and everythg between, there’s somethg for everyone here. 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'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE

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". The area is also known for s ncentratn of bars, nightclubs, gay venu and strip jots – all of which are nsired sful Islam.

There are gay venu most ci and towns. ’s most remote gay bar) you uld probably fd one place to wet your whistle.

GAY BARS AND CLUBS SOHO

Chanc are, your first tentative steps out onto the London queer scene were ma or around Old Compton Street, the shg of London’s mastream gay culture.

The inic Royal Vxhall Tavern is one of the olst gay venu the cy and ss, as you may have gused, Vxhall. Chanc are you probably won’t be starg down that barrel of that gun a gay club eher then pal. Csg a venue to ll out an expensive plummer bee you and your pals thought ’d be a great plan to smash up the toilet after your first h of gay gra gak isn’t exactly the pnacle of allyship.

THE DOS & DON'TS OF GAY CLUBBG

Gay men do not have any more right to touch a woman’s breasts than a straight man whout nsent. It’s been 50 years sce homosexualy was crimalised this untry.

NIGHTCLUBBG: GAY CLUBBG ’70S LONDON

A mere 30 years later, sectn 28 was passed - makg an offence to promote (talk about) homosexualy schools and only 5 years ago same sex marriag were not legal. Though the number of LGBT+ venu London has seen a cle the last or so, the cy's gay scene isn't ailg yet – fact, a handful of excellent new venu have opened recent years around the cy.

The hight ncentratn of LGBT+ spac n still be found around Old Compton Street Soho, a former red light district that's been heavily gentrified recent years, but remas London's gay heartland.

This Soho stalwart tends to attract a slightly olr crowd of gay guys and has a reputatn for beg cisy. It’s closed on Mondays and Tudays, but hosts a r Sunday pub quiz and gets pretty packed on Friday and Saturday nights when the small dancefloor fills up wh a largely, though not exclively, gay male crowd. Loted Clapham, a 15-20 mute tube ri om the cy centre, this tradnal gay pub-club is a perennial favoure wh LGBT+ Londoners who love an unpretent party.

THE 10 BEST LONDON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LONDON

Keepg the gay flame burng out wt is this tradnal gay pub Ealg, a leafy suburb that’s about 25 mut by tube om central London. Before 1976, gay venu London me two tegori. There were the members’ clubs that provid dner and dance, pl baret, for the stately-homo set.

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.

LONDON GAY CLUBS

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. 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.

KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

Talullah ttified to Bang’s unifyg effect on the gay unrground. 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.

Adams Leicter Square was another Wt End gay club playg all the latt dis sounds. 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. But took the arrival 1978 of the Embassy Club Bond Street to really brg an element of glamour to the gay dis scene.