The process of turning Trip City into a screenplay has made me revisit a great deal about London, and the places I used to go (in my head at least). It's very much made me focus on the nightclub culture that I left behind, almost twelve years ago. I still keep in touch with a few of my old crew, especially Sean McLusky and Michael Holden... Sad to say, a lot of the old venues have been closed down. I even heard that the WAG CLUB on Wardour Street had been converted into a Bhangra Disco.
All that being said, for anyone who remembers, the likes of Love Ranch (at Maximus, on Leciester Square) and Merry England (at the Cafe De Paris) were indeed landmark events in British Club Culture. We would see everyone on the opening nights: Shane McGowan (from The Pogues), Mick Jones (from the Clash), Paul Rutherford (from Frankie Goes To Hollywood), and even Bjork (who came to the opening night of Merry England)....
That night I was 'doing the door' with Reece Sandell. Reece was in a sharp suit, but me and Sean were in full Cavalier Drag, to fit in with the Merry England theme. Our costumes were rented from 'Angels.' Mine had allegedly been worn by Oliver Reed, in the late '70's production of The Three Musketeers. It was a terrific night. One I will always remember, not least for an atmosphere fuelled on endless supplies of Special-K and the like.
The picture above is me in the lobby with Bjork. Margie always has a chuckle about this picture. So do I. My facial hair was at its' most esoteric peak at that point...
Anyway, you should support Sean McLusky's record label '1234 Records.' To some he is a great pioneer in the business of music and nightclubs... Well, he always was to me, at least...
VISIT 1234 Records
VISIT Sean McLusky's Sonic Mook Experimet
