The 15,000-capacity venue has been allowed to remain open after defeating efforts by the police to substantially cut its capacity following two drugs deaths.
I hope that one day clubbers will be able to safely buy regulated MDMA at clubs instead of this charade. Drugs are part of the club culture. Picture a drunk crowd and contrast it to a crowd high on E. If clubs ran solely on alcohol people wouldn’t dance, there would be brawls and everyone would limp home by midnight. So clubs play this game where they search people fully expecting some drugs to enter the venue. It’s a disservice to people who die from adulterated drugs or just from not being educated on their use or potency.
I don't know what they are about with the "more searches" - it is impossible to avoid drugs in a club, you just need to put the necessary means for mitigations. Indeed I think many deaths could be avoided if we talked more openly about the risks. It's also funny how nightlife is being pushed more and more to further areas of London that are traditionally more residential and neighbours don't want to see any clubber even shopping at Tesco.
People want joy in their lives. You can only go so far in protecting them. Obviously tens of thousands have had a great time. Good journalism though. Thanks
In tbe 90s I was a cop in Camden in London. Huge nightclub on empty ground in Kings Cross. Thousands inside. Regular shooting stabbings glassing. No one saw nothing. Ever. Everyone was in the toilets.
These sad deaths aren't caused by the venue, they're caused by a failed policy of prohibition and aggressive policing that pushes people into the arms of criminals and means the only drugs available are cut with god-knows-what.
You're never going to wipe-out drugs. What you can do is try and manage their consumption, and make sure the people taking them are doing it as safely as possible. Other countries do it, it's long past time the UK did it too.
Interesting to see the Boroughs behave the same way with licensing night clubs as with planning for new development - concentrated pockets on a huge scale rather than being more permissive across the borough. The pocket approach avoids annoying Nimbys across the borough, even if it might enrage the few immediately impacted and create management and infrastructure problems in the way the article describes
Yeah but it's funny how this does not work either - I find the fact of the neighbour complaining about "people in drugs in Tesco" very significant: they do not want to see young people even mildly intoxicated ANYWHERE. I mean, on the other hand, was this time the first that this neighbour saw someone on drugs in a Tesco...?
There is something really f ed up about clubs. Even clubs in an industrial state are not safe anymore (I know neighbours complained about The Cause, and The Cause is surrounded by NOTHING, just because it is in their borough and "safety" and stuff)
I have been to Drumsheds several times, and it is simply not true that there is “poor searching of customers at the venue”. Drumsheds has the strictest drug searches I have experienced in London with a drug sniffer dog that searches most customers. The dog finds drugs on people all the time (you can see that when entering). Of course, some people must still manage to get their drugs in, but it is not because of poor searching.
Pretty depressing that this is now, despite being a charity, an ultra corporate venue, playing Chas'n'Status etc. Back in the day the kids would have taken over themselves and it would have been the absolute perfect place for hastily convened, free for all, rave!
there are a few, just a few, remaining underground venues in London, but to be honest they are also at risk - remember how Set Venue suddenly stopped doing events for whatever reason just when it was starting to be mildly known (probably a licence issue).
London Centric has done more useful and interesting journalism about London in the last six months than the Evening Standard has managed in about five years. Keep it up!
I hope that one day clubbers will be able to safely buy regulated MDMA at clubs instead of this charade. Drugs are part of the club culture. Picture a drunk crowd and contrast it to a crowd high on E. If clubs ran solely on alcohol people wouldn’t dance, there would be brawls and everyone would limp home by midnight. So clubs play this game where they search people fully expecting some drugs to enter the venue. It’s a disservice to people who die from adulterated drugs or just from not being educated on their use or potency.
I don't know what they are about with the "more searches" - it is impossible to avoid drugs in a club, you just need to put the necessary means for mitigations. Indeed I think many deaths could be avoided if we talked more openly about the risks. It's also funny how nightlife is being pushed more and more to further areas of London that are traditionally more residential and neighbours don't want to see any clubber even shopping at Tesco.
People want joy in their lives. You can only go so far in protecting them. Obviously tens of thousands have had a great time. Good journalism though. Thanks
Welfare guys that are well trained should be mandatory though
In tbe 90s I was a cop in Camden in London. Huge nightclub on empty ground in Kings Cross. Thousands inside. Regular shooting stabbings glassing. No one saw nothing. Ever. Everyone was in the toilets.
I gave up.
Guess it was better when everyone was on E.
Bagleys?
Sunday morning early turns. Literally carnage. And they wonder why I detest humanity.
These sad deaths aren't caused by the venue, they're caused by a failed policy of prohibition and aggressive policing that pushes people into the arms of criminals and means the only drugs available are cut with god-knows-what.
You're never going to wipe-out drugs. What you can do is try and manage their consumption, and make sure the people taking them are doing it as safely as possible. Other countries do it, it's long past time the UK did it too.
Interesting to see the Boroughs behave the same way with licensing night clubs as with planning for new development - concentrated pockets on a huge scale rather than being more permissive across the borough. The pocket approach avoids annoying Nimbys across the borough, even if it might enrage the few immediately impacted and create management and infrastructure problems in the way the article describes
Yeah but it's funny how this does not work either - I find the fact of the neighbour complaining about "people in drugs in Tesco" very significant: they do not want to see young people even mildly intoxicated ANYWHERE. I mean, on the other hand, was this time the first that this neighbour saw someone on drugs in a Tesco...?
There is something really f ed up about clubs. Even clubs in an industrial state are not safe anymore (I know neighbours complained about The Cause, and The Cause is surrounded by NOTHING, just because it is in their borough and "safety" and stuff)
I have been to Drumsheds several times, and it is simply not true that there is “poor searching of customers at the venue”. Drumsheds has the strictest drug searches I have experienced in London with a drug sniffer dog that searches most customers. The dog finds drugs on people all the time (you can see that when entering). Of course, some people must still manage to get their drugs in, but it is not because of poor searching.
Pretty depressing that this is now, despite being a charity, an ultra corporate venue, playing Chas'n'Status etc. Back in the day the kids would have taken over themselves and it would have been the absolute perfect place for hastily convened, free for all, rave!
Top notch journalism anyway.
there are a few, just a few, remaining underground venues in London, but to be honest they are also at risk - remember how Set Venue suddenly stopped doing events for whatever reason just when it was starting to be mildly known (probably a licence issue).
London Centric has done more useful and interesting journalism about London in the last six months than the Evening Standard has managed in about five years. Keep it up!
Thanks! Not bad given it’s only been going three months!
Great article. hope there is some more digging around the questionable "charitable" structure
Excellent article
Great article…