Brilliant article. Gutted to see that the Turnmills building isn't there anyone, not only a great club but a lovely victrorian design

yeah will be replaced by another generic set of flats. Real shame.
Went to Bagleys and Turnmills, but never went to The End or The Cross. Both sounded quality.
Hope MOS can stick around.

It's very sad but I'm happy/lucky to have fond memories of 4 of the 5 - never made it to Velvet Rooms unfortunately.
Was a nice read.

thanks for the read

jack - shame you never went mate. The Key was amazing as well. fave club of all time

Great trip down memory lane on a cloudy Sunday morning.

Nice piece.

I still really miss The End. So many incredible moments hanging off the side of the DJ booth while Andy C and every other drum and bass legend tore the roof off back in the late 90s and early 2000s; the minus nights there in the mid 2000s; Laurent Garnier killing the main room.

Ah, we need these kinds of venues back again.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. The piece seems to have stuck a chord with a lot of people. Hopefully that is more for the celebration of the good times rather than sadness at the current destruction.

It just makes me feel lucky to have spent so much time at all of them, so I'm glad the post reminded people about some of their own amazing nights out.

Hopefully it also highlights that this stuff has huge cultural as well as personal significance, and we mark that, even as the developers obliterate the physical spaces.

Hardware at the End are the best nights I have ever been

I met my ex on the dancefloor of The End in August 2006, before going to The Key together for the Formulate after party - up on the terrace with those palm trees, sun coming up over London, a separate DJ and bar, hitting 20C by midday, wicked crowd, great vibe.

Anyone who missed these places, and arrived in the current 'warehouse party' phase, will never realise how much they missed.

I think the best thing about when all these clubs were around was the spontaneity and consistency it afforded.

For example, there never used to be an advanced ticket buying culture, so you could just decide what you fancied going to last minute and get in.

Also, the consistency in terms of knowing how good the club sound system was going to be. There are too many "warehouse" parties now where the sound system/installation is pretty pitiful.

This. I would welcome a return of the day when I don't have to buy a ticket 3 months in advance for an event I want to go to.

Hit the nail on the head.

same here. advanced ticketing kills the vibe, much better to get a word of mouth.
That said you evolve or die. With social media its almost impossible to keep something a 'secret' as such. Back then it was mobile phones if your were lucky!

Still Miss The End, probably on balance the Best club i ever went to, Lawler's Harlem nights there on Friday's were just brilliant, but loads of other's too, an almost perfect club Sadly gone but never forgotten!

Yep, I've said this for ages. You inevitably get a shit crowd more often than not.

Let's just admit it, eh? The current scene and these warehouse spaces and the nights in them are utterly fucking shite in comparison. Proper London clubbing died in 2008.

Yes it was a lovely thing to decide or persuade/be persuaded in the pub one evening to 'just nip to The End tonite, Laurent Garnier's playing', or 'fancy a bit of Turnmills tonite?'

now out of the question given tickets on the night to these 'TBA warehouses' are now on sixth release and £30 on the door.

But we still buy the tickets though. It's hard to turn away from it and risk going without.

So many good (and hazy) memories of those 5, especially Turnmills and The End. You could rock up at either of them and you'd know the music would be good, be it house, techno, drum'n'bass, I really do miss The End. Having said that, the last night they put on there was one of the best/longest/most emotional nights I've ever had in a club.

That was a really great article