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| Clubbers Lament Demise of Fabric, a ‘Totem’ of London’s Dance Scene | Clubbers Lament Demise of Fabric, a ‘Totem’ of London’s Dance Scene |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — For fans of one of London’s most fabled nightclubs, the party is over. | LONDON — For fans of one of London’s most fabled nightclubs, the party is over. |
| This week, the local authorities shut down Fabric, a nightclub that helped put the British capital’s electronic music scene on the global stage and entranced a generation of clubbers from all walks of life. The message from officials was clear: The drug-fueled hedonism would no longer be tolerated. | This week, the local authorities shut down Fabric, a nightclub that helped put the British capital’s electronic music scene on the global stage and entranced a generation of clubbers from all walks of life. The message from officials was clear: The drug-fueled hedonism would no longer be tolerated. |
| The decision by the Borough of Islington to revoke the license of the 2,500-capacity nightclub came after the police had asked the borough council to close the venue after the deaths of two 18-year-olds in recent months. According to the council, both had taken MDMA, a drug better known as Ecstasy. In 2014, the police had also asked the council to review Fabric’s license after the deaths of four others in the previous three years were attributed to drugs. | The decision by the Borough of Islington to revoke the license of the 2,500-capacity nightclub came after the police had asked the borough council to close the venue after the deaths of two 18-year-olds in recent months. According to the council, both had taken MDMA, a drug better known as Ecstasy. In 2014, the police had also asked the council to review Fabric’s license after the deaths of four others in the previous three years were attributed to drugs. |
| Clubgoers, music critics and D.J.s who made their names at Fabric described the club’s demise as a blow for British culture and a threat to London’s place as a global capital of electronic music, for which Fabric was both a laboratory and a temple. | Clubgoers, music critics and D.J.s who made their names at Fabric described the club’s demise as a blow for British culture and a threat to London’s place as a global capital of electronic music, for which Fabric was both a laboratory and a temple. |
| It was also seen as a death knell for nightclubs in London, where venues are already being pushed out by creeping gentrification, the lack of business from some millennials short on cash, and austerity-conscious local governments that are more favorable to luxury apartment buildings and shopping malls than to loud, raucous music clubs. | It was also seen as a death knell for nightclubs in London, where venues are already being pushed out by creeping gentrification, the lack of business from some millennials short on cash, and austerity-conscious local governments that are more favorable to luxury apartment buildings and shopping malls than to loud, raucous music clubs. |
| In August 2015, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, a group that represents owners of pubs, bars and restaurants, published figures showing that half of Britain’s nightclubs had shut down since 2005, including dozens in London. | In August 2015, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, a group that represents owners of pubs, bars and restaurants, published figures showing that half of Britain’s nightclubs had shut down since 2005, including dozens in London. |
| The closing of the club reverberated among revelers around the world; a stop at Fabric was a must-do on any clubber’s trip to London. Several regulars, who said they viewed Fabric as a second home, gathered on the steps of the club this week, some overcome by tears. | The closing of the club reverberated among revelers around the world; a stop at Fabric was a must-do on any clubber’s trip to London. Several regulars, who said they viewed Fabric as a second home, gathered on the steps of the club this week, some overcome by tears. |
| Kevin Ford, a drum and bass producer also known as DJ Hype, wrote on Twitter that he was shaken by the news. “For 15 years I was privileged to be part of greatest underground club in the world, I am lost for words right now,” he wrote. | Kevin Ford, a drum and bass producer also known as DJ Hype, wrote on Twitter that he was shaken by the news. “For 15 years I was privileged to be part of greatest underground club in the world, I am lost for words right now,” he wrote. |
| Kate Simko, a D.J. and composer who was born in Chicago and lives in London, has been playing at Fabric for nearly a decade. She said that the closing was a huge setback for the global electronic music scene and for the local area’s cosmopolitan spirit. | Kate Simko, a D.J. and composer who was born in Chicago and lives in London, has been playing at Fabric for nearly a decade. She said that the closing was a huge setback for the global electronic music scene and for the local area’s cosmopolitan spirit. |
| “Fabric is a place where people from all socio-economic backgrounds, colors, and sexual orientations, tourists and people from finance come together next to edgy club kids in sneakers and mohawks,” she said. “Electronic music is the music of our generation, and I am devastated. Just as clubs in New York have been pushed out of the center and replaced by shopping venues and luxury apartments during the last decade, now this is happening here.” | “Fabric is a place where people from all socio-economic backgrounds, colors, and sexual orientations, tourists and people from finance come together next to edgy club kids in sneakers and mohawks,” she said. “Electronic music is the music of our generation, and I am devastated. Just as clubs in New York have been pushed out of the center and replaced by shopping venues and luxury apartments during the last decade, now this is happening here.” |
| Fabric was one of the last megaclubs in central London. Local councils have been cracking down on late-night licenses as the gentrification of formerly bohemian neighborhoods like Hackney, Dalston and Shoreditch push the counterculture to the outer fringes of the city. | Fabric was one of the last megaclubs in central London. Local councils have been cracking down on late-night licenses as the gentrification of formerly bohemian neighborhoods like Hackney, Dalston and Shoreditch push the counterculture to the outer fringes of the city. |
| Last year, an article in The Guardian lamented “the slow death of British clubs” and pointed to, among other things, the hysteria of overzealous authorities. Last year, the Arches, a Glasgow superclub, was closed after a woman collapsed outside. | Last year, an article in The Guardian lamented “the slow death of British clubs” and pointed to, among other things, the hysteria of overzealous authorities. Last year, the Arches, a Glasgow superclub, was closed after a woman collapsed outside. |
| Fabric’s closing also feeds into the debate about the criminalization of recreational drug use. There were questions about whether the authorities were making an unfair example of Fabric, with the club’s supporters contending that those determined to obtain drugs would find a way of using them at the club, with or without tough security checks. | Fabric’s closing also feeds into the debate about the criminalization of recreational drug use. There were questions about whether the authorities were making an unfair example of Fabric, with the club’s supporters contending that those determined to obtain drugs would find a way of using them at the club, with or without tough security checks. |
| The problem of drug abuse has affected venues across the world, including in the United States, where security checks, free water stations, first-aid tents and ambulances on call have become commonplace at major music festivals. | The problem of drug abuse has affected venues across the world, including in the United States, where security checks, free water stations, first-aid tents and ambulances on call have become commonplace at major music festivals. |
| In its decision to close Fabric, the Islington council said the two teenagers had been able to sneak into the club without the drugs being detected, and had also bought drugs inside the club. It criticized Fabric for having what it called “grossly inadequate” security. | In its decision to close Fabric, the Islington council said the two teenagers had been able to sneak into the club without the drugs being detected, and had also bought drugs inside the club. It criticized Fabric for having what it called “grossly inadequate” security. |
| The council said that undercover police operations at the club had revealed patrons displaying symptoms such as “sweating, glazed red eyes and staring into space, and people asking for help.” | The council said that undercover police operations at the club had revealed patrons displaying symptoms such as “sweating, glazed red eyes and staring into space, and people asking for help.” |
| Fabric said in a statement that it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision. “Closing Fabric is not the answer to the drug-related problems clubs like ours are working to prevent, and sets a troubling precedent for the future of London’s nighttime economy,” it said. | Fabric said in a statement that it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision. “Closing Fabric is not the answer to the drug-related problems clubs like ours are working to prevent, and sets a troubling precedent for the future of London’s nighttime economy,” it said. |
| Cameron Leslie, the club’s co-founder, told The Guardian this week that since opening 17 years ago, Fabric had adopted a stringent safety approach, handing all confiscated drugs to the police and calling the authorities if anyone was suspected of dealing in narcotics. | Cameron Leslie, the club’s co-founder, told The Guardian this week that since opening 17 years ago, Fabric had adopted a stringent safety approach, handing all confiscated drugs to the police and calling the authorities if anyone was suspected of dealing in narcotics. |
| Hundreds from the music industry denounced Fabric’s closing, and a petition to prevent its demise had more than 155,000 signatures by Thursday. | Hundreds from the music industry denounced Fabric’s closing, and a petition to prevent its demise had more than 155,000 signatures by Thursday. |
| The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has been pushing to make London more of a 24-hour city by opening the subway for all-night service on weekends, said he was “disappointed.” | The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has been pushing to make London more of a 24-hour city by opening the subway for all-night service on weekends, said he was “disappointed.” |
| Before the club was closed down, Mr. Khan had told the council that Fabric was important to a nighttime economy in London that contributed 26.3 billion pounds, or about $35 billion, to the city’s coffers every year. | Before the club was closed down, Mr. Khan had told the council that Fabric was important to a nighttime economy in London that contributed 26.3 billion pounds, or about $35 billion, to the city’s coffers every year. |
| “Clubbing needs to be safe, but I’m disappointed that Fabric, Islington Council and the Metropolitan Police were unable to reach agreement on how to address concerns about public safety,” he said in a statement. | |
| Mazdak Sanii, chief operating officer of Boiler Room, a platform that streams D.J. sets and dance parties online, said that the consequences of the decision would ripple across the city. | Mazdak Sanii, chief operating officer of Boiler Room, a platform that streams D.J. sets and dance parties online, said that the consequences of the decision would ripple across the city. |
| “It’s a huge totem on the London night-life scene, the premiere destination for the world’s biggest D.J.s, and I think the closure is going to have a totally massive impact on the music scene, on dance music culture and on the night-life economy,” he said. | “It’s a huge totem on the London night-life scene, the premiere destination for the world’s biggest D.J.s, and I think the closure is going to have a totally massive impact on the music scene, on dance music culture and on the night-life economy,” he said. |
| “I think it’s got more to do with gentrification, noise complaints and path-of-least-resistance policing than it does with public safety. It’s all a bit post-Brexit apocalyptic,” he added, referring to Britain’s vote this summer to leave the European Union. Some critics say leaving the bloc will make the country, and its culture, more inward-looking. | “I think it’s got more to do with gentrification, noise complaints and path-of-least-resistance policing than it does with public safety. It’s all a bit post-Brexit apocalyptic,” he added, referring to Britain’s vote this summer to leave the European Union. Some critics say leaving the bloc will make the country, and its culture, more inward-looking. |
| For many, Fabric was more than just a music venue. Jacob Husley, 35, a promoter and D.J., said in May that his favorite experience there came when a Polish couple in their 70s turned up, downed a shot of tequila each, high-fived the D.J. and danced until 5 a.m. | For many, Fabric was more than just a music venue. Jacob Husley, 35, a promoter and D.J., said in May that his favorite experience there came when a Polish couple in their 70s turned up, downed a shot of tequila each, high-fived the D.J. and danced until 5 a.m. |
| “I took them upstairs to the balcony and brought them some tea — because they wanted to have tea,” he told The Evening Standard. “They were really sweet, they were on the balcony with their hands together ballroom dancing.” | “I took them upstairs to the balcony and brought them some tea — because they wanted to have tea,” he told The Evening Standard. “They were really sweet, they were on the balcony with their hands together ballroom dancing.” |