A Fond Farewell to Tra, London’s First After-Hours Gay Club

Contents:

• A FOND FAREWELL TO TRA, LONDON’S FIRST AFTER-HOURS GAY CLUB
• LEGENDARY LONDON GAY CLUB NIGHT TRADE ANNOUNC 30TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY
• THE 10 BEST LONDON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LONDON
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
• LONDON GAY CISE CLUBS
• THE BT LGBTQ+ AND GAY CLUBS LONDON

A FOND FAREWELL TO TRA, LONDON’S FIRST AFTER-HOURS GAY CLUB

Legendary London gay club night TRADE has revealed ial tails of s 30th-anniversary party. Mastermd by Lrence Malice, was billed as a gay club but attracted a diverse crowd and, thanks to s DJs like Tony De V, beme famo for phg the breakneck hard hoe sound (“he took techno and basilly mped up a b, ” says Malice) the time, most clubs end at 2 or 3am and after-hours parti were illic, even dangero. The Aids epimic had also epted and Malice wanted to create a safe environment for gay men – wh a pumpg soundtrack.

LEGENDARY LONDON GAY CLUB NIGHT TRADE ANNOUNC 30TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY

“It was a ridiculoly homophobic time, ” says Malice. “I wanted straight people to show that gay people are not a problem – that we n mix.

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

”Tra was billed as a gay club but attracted a diverse crowd and beme famo for s hard hoe sound. ” An article first prted 1994 Gay Tim, now republished on digal dance mic anthology DJ History, perhaps sums up Tra’s signifince bt: “Here there’s a real sense of belongg, of muny, ” says s wrer Richard Smh. Real-life celebri would often try to jo , too: the Beckhams, Alexanr McQueen and Björk are jt some of the name-drops, though Cher and Axl Rose were turned away for beg mandg, or the se of Rose, homophobic.

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

The 2000s had brought wh later licenc and, as club end tim shifted to 5 or 6am, a new wave of parti spng up to help punters bounce om dancefloor to dancefloor, many of them ls gay-centric but still wh a smopolan, mixed crowd.

It’s upled wh a memorative exhibn, lled Often Copied, Never Equalled, assembled by one of the dited “Tra babi” at the Islgton Mm om Friday and which will feature flyers, the late Tony De V’s rerd box and other assorted ’s mise spotlights not jt how after-hours events have gone the way of the dosrs but also how gay nightlife on the whole has changed. “I thk everyone’s sectned themselv off a ltle b, pecially on the gay scene: you get ‘this is the twk night’, ‘this is the hipster night’, and ’s a shame bee mixed/gay crowds aren’t really gettg together like they were. “I n’t live up to the expectatns of those that jt want hard hoe and not beg able to troduce qualy new mic to the younger gays bee they’re not terted, ” he explas.

LONDON GAY CISE CLUBS

“The young gay people who are to ntemporary DJs go to straight clubs. Tryg to get young gay people to go to a gay club where they have a cent mic policy is jt impossible.

THE BT LGBTQ+ AND GAY CLUBS LONDON

24 plac sorted by traveler favorBars & Clubs • Gay BarsTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentBars & Clubs • Gay BarsLeicter Square / Shaftbury AvenueGay Bars • Dance Clubs & DissTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentWhat 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. 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.