Historic Soho venue’s license revoked for good

Music fans were left mourning the loss of another one of London’s live music venues last week, after Westminster council permanently revoked the licence of Madame JoJo’s in Soho, after their appeal against the initial ruling failed. For years, this had been the home of White Heat, an indie night that’s seen the likes of The xx, Adele, Lorde, and Horrors grace it’s stage before they made it big, as well as being a favourite haunt of Imperial’s own Alternative Music Society. The council’s decision was seen as inevitable by many, considering the planned revamp of the whole area by developers.

However, the council maintains it was solely made on account of an incident on the 24th of October, when the bouncers at Madame JoJo’s and neighbouring Escape Bar attacked a punter with baseball bats after a verbal altercation. The punter is alleged to have responded to initial insults by throwing bottles at the door staff after which they retaliated by wielding bats they kept in a bin bag on site at Madame JoJo’s.

The head of Westminster’s licencing committee called it “an organised assault” and Escape Bar’s license was also suspended. Despite the council saying that they had taken evidence from several parties including the police, fans of the club are convinced it was an inside job.

Supporters have also pointed out that this was an isolated incident and that the total revocation of its licence conveniently coincides with the planned regeneration of the area surrounding Madame JoJo’s. Soho Estates, that has now repossessed the club, owns hundreds of millions of pounds worth of property across the West End and put in an application in September of last year to demolish the buildings that currently stand in the vicinity. Permission was granted, with local business owners and affiliates of the club nights run at Madame JoJo’s dismissing it as part of an unwelcome ‘blandification’ of the notoriously seedy, but quirky location.

On the 29th October various promoters and performers from the venue’s vast array of nights marched from Soho Square to the headquarters of Soho Estates in protest. It didn’t seem to achieve much and White Heat’s Facebook page reported that no-one answered when they rang on the door of the property firm’s office.

Soho Estates owns the copyright to the name ‘Madame JoJo’s’ and a new club is expected to replace it after redevelopment. As well as being one of the few venues in the area to have kept its seven-day-a-week 3am licence, Madame JoJo’s had, quite possibly, the widest variety of club nights in London.

As well as being home to White Heat every Tuesday for six years, it has a rich history of alternative cabaret, burlesque and jazz dating back from the 50s. At the news of its closure, punters and promoters alike reflected on how suited and booted burlesque fans would share the dance floor with the first arrivals for Free Your Soul, the weekly Afro House night.

Despite the fact that his company is ready to redevelopment the area on which the club stands, many Soho die-hards are grateful to infamous porn-baron Paul Raymond for buying up large parts of the red-light district in the 60s and essentially just leaving it alone. As well as having been one of the few unkempt sections of the West End left, the diversity of Madame JoJo’s is unmatched. As well as boasting a wealth of cabaret and drag shows, indie fans have been flocking to White Heat for years. Where else could Dev Hynes of Blood Orange (but back then of Lightspeed Champion) been seen jamming out with a baby-faced Alex Turner of The Arctic Monkeys?

Since Cheap$kates’ home, Moonlighting, shut in September White Heat was probably the last place in W1 where drinks were still £2.50 each. Grotty but fabulous, much like its clientele, one anonymous student recalled, “I’ve only been there twice but both times I saw penises”.

The owners of Banquet Records in Kingston, who run New Slang, a similar indie night showcasing new bands, showed support for White Heat promoters Marcus Harris and Matty Hall, saying “Chances are New Slang wouldn’t exist without White Heat. Good people doing a good night. They’ll be back.”

But will they? The petition to save Madame JoJo’s had nearly 8000 signatures at last count, but chances are this Soho haunt is gone for good.

For now, White Heat is being shared between The Lexington and Electrowerkz and hopefully its loyal fanbase and excellent track record will mean it will find a permanent home in the near future.