fabric to reopen under strict drug control

The iconic Farringdon nightclub, fabric, has announced it will reopen its doors, following a hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrate’s Court on Monday, the 21st of November. The club was closed in September after two 18-year-olds tragically died of drug-related causes at the venue this Summer. An appeal date had been set for the 28th November, after a successful campaign including widespread support from the community, however a settlement has now been reached. The new licensing agreement has been signed by both the club and the council and was approved by judge Robin McPhee.

It includes 32 new and stringent conditions, which include: roles such as “premises supervisor”, head of welfare, head of security and search captains; a new welfare team trained by the drug charity, Loop, to detect clubbers at risk; increased CCTV surveillance for signs of dealing; drug awareness training for all staff; ID scanners at the entrance; no entry for under 19s; and lifetime bans for clubbers caught using or in possession of drugs.

A joint statement has been released, with fabric saying: “fabric accepts that its procedures in relation to searching were insufficient, as were its procedures to prevent the consumption and dealing of drugs within the club itself.”

“fabric accepts that the police acted reasonably in making the application for a review and that the authority’s sub-committee was fully entitled to revoke its licence.” The decision has been met with celebration from DJs, artists, and fans of the club. Chase and Status and Annie Mac opined on Twitter, commending the decision as “brilliant news” and “amazing, amazing, amazing” respectively.

Thanks must, in part, go to the huge swell of support from advocates of the club. Following the club’s closure in September, the club launched the #saveourculture campaign. At time of writing, it has raised over £320,000, with donations in the £1000s from artists, venues and members of the public. The club acknowledged this in its statement: “We owe everything to our supporters. We really would not be here today without your unparalleled support and generosity. So many different people stepped up to put their voices to our cause, artists from all corners of the music community, fellow promoters who have put on huge events from us and clubbers from around the world who all united behind us.”

Perhaps this marks a change in the tide of club closures in London. London Mayor Sadiq Khan recently appointed Night Czar, Amy Lamé, in order to address the loss of much of London’s nightlife. Is public support of venues like fabric finally being represented by its political counterparts?