A history of Heaven nightclub, from cutting edge gay club to controversial 'mainstream' venue

Through the AIDS epidemic, the fiscal clang and adjacent parts of Covid, the gates to Heaven person remained open. Then, past week, 1 of the nightclub’s information guards was charged with the rape of a pistillate who was turned distant from the club.

The doors to Heaven instantly slammed shut, arsenic per the Metropolitan Police’s petition to Westminster Council. The information defender is presently being remanded successful situation and a licensing committee has ruled that Heaven’s intoxicant licence should beryllium suspended for up to 28 days until a afloat proceeding tin instrumentality place.

Located successful betwixt the arches of Charing Cross railway station, Heaven has been a cardinal fig successful the city's queer nightlife country since the time it opened successful December of 1979. 

From its buzzy beginnings successful the aboriginal 80s to its 90s revamp and 2000s popular ubiquity, Heaven has go 1 of the longest moving cheery nightclubs successful Europe.

Now, its estimation risks being marred by the behaviour of its information staff, starring to the impermanent suspension of its licence. It is chartless erstwhile the nine volition reopen.

In airy of the club’s troubled present, we look backmost astatine Heaven’s past, from fledgling cheery club, to London nightlife leader, to “mainstream” popular venue. 

Heaven's communicative began successful 1979, erstwhile the venue was purchased by the British entrepreneur Jeremy Norman. Norman had been known for moving The Embassy nine successful Old Bond Street successful 1978, which was wide considered to beryllium the London equivalent of New York's Studio 54. 

Heaven positioned itself arsenic the cardinal fig of London’s cheery nightclub country which, until then, had been mostly made up of (physical and figurative) underground nine nights oregon disco nights successful pubs.

This precise insubstantial reviewed the nine upon opening, and declared: “Heaven’s biggest headache could beryllium successful deterring London’s non-gay discophiles who could extremity up trying to walk for cheery to get past the elegant bouncers astatine the disco’s equivalent of the Pearly Gates.”

And we were right. Heaven rapidly became the beating bosom of the city’s cheery country and made a sanction for itself musically with its unit of nonmigratory DJs.The archetypal manager, David Inches, and autarkic promotions manager, Kevin Millins, sought retired DJs who would go exclusive to the nine and had a new, absorbing benignant of nine music. 

The archetypal Heaven DJs see Tony De Vit, Colin Holsgrove, Marc Andrews, Marc Monroe, George Mitchell, Ian D, Tallulah, Jon Dennis, Rich B, Wayne G, and Steve Whyte. Live performers from the aboriginal days of Heaven see New Order and Bronski Beat.

By 1982, Heaven had caught the attraction of different British entrepreneur. Richard Branson, seeking to put successful the “pink pound” (i.e the LGBTQ+ economy), viewed Heaven arsenic a invaluable summation to his Virgin Group portfolio and purchased it from Norman for £500,000.

Branson became an adjacent bigger instrumentality of Heaven the longer helium owned it - successful 1997, helium sponsored Pride successful London and that Christmas helium went to Heaven for the festivities. Back successful the day, erstwhile radical called Heaven “Virgin's Achilles' heel”, Branson would say: "It volition beryllium the past spot I sell." 

A bid of reliable nights emerged, including Asylum Thursdays successful 1983, with nonmigratory DJs Colin Faver and Mark Moore (S'Express) and Pyramid Wednesdays successful 1985. 

Around this time, Heaven besides became 1 of the archetypal clubs successful the state to play a caller benignant of euphony emerging from Black and queer communities successful Chicago: house. At 1 point, Heaven hosted American DJ Frankie Knuckles, who would spell connected to beryllium known arsenic the “godfather of location music”.

The AIDS epidemic deed Britain successful precocious 1981 erstwhile John Eaddie, a 49-year-old impermanent location proprietor from Harrogate, died of an AIDS related unwellness that December, making him the archetypal AIDS-related decease successful the UK.

It wasn’t until 1985, erstwhile Heaven was thriving nether the ownership of Richard Branson, that AIDS hysteria truly swept the UK. By that point, determination had been 58 recorded deaths and 1 apprehension of an AIDS diligent nether the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1985. This was the archetypal and lone usage of the regulation, but it made the wide statement connected AIDS glaringly obvious. 

In the publication Queer Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London's Fierce History by Dan Glass, erstwhile Heaven regular Ian Johns talked astir his experiences astatine Heaven during the AIDS crisis. “I was lasting successful Heaven, talking to immoderate guys talking astir herpes and I was going, 'Well, I don't privation to get that, it ne'er goes away.' And idiosyncratic said to me, 'Oh no, there's a caller 1 now. There's a caller VD, a venereal illness that is affecting radical who are cheery men successful America, wherever you conscionable support getting flu and past you die. 

“I'm going 'Ah! You can’t dice from VD.' And past we dilatory started proceeding stories. And past suddenly, you heard astir a person of a friend, past a friend, past an ex and it escalated from determination really…"

Meanwhile, a caller cause was sweeping the nine scene. It was called MDMA, and it made everyone unbelievably happy. Everyone but The Sun, who ran headlines similar “Fiver For A Drug Trip To Heaven In Branson Club" successful 1988. 

This was made funnier by the information that The Sun didn’t recognize the quality betwixt acerb location (the genre of euphony that soundtracked MDMA’s rise) and acerb (the drug). "Junkies flaunt their craving by wearing T-shirts sold astatine the nine bearing messages similar 'Drop acerb not bombs'," work the report, seemingly ignorant to the information that everyone was doing an wholly antithetic drug. 

The reliable Heaven location nights of the precocious 80s gave mode to much ambient location successful the 90s, including the “seminal” Land of the Oz nights with DJs Jimmy Cauty and Alex Paterson, amended known arsenic The Orb. 

There were much resistance nights, too, with the Wednesday nighttime slot filled by Fruit Machine, a resistance nighttime hosted by DJ Miss Kimberly. Meanwhile, Fridays were store focused and Saturdays had an ever-changing taxable of antithetic parties.

By 1998, Heaven was accused of being “a spot tatty”, arsenic per a 909Originals retrospective, which led then-owner Richard Branson to unopen its doors and revamp the club’s interior successful clip for the caller millennium. In honour of the closure, Heaven hosted a ‘Demolition Party’, with legendary DJ Ian Levine providing the tunes.

When Heaven reopened it had a caller absorption connected sober socialising, selling coffees and reserving definite spaces to beryllium good distant from the thumping euphony of the superclub. Angela Reed, caput of selling and promotions for Heaven, told The Independent astatine the time: “It’s not conscionable a nightclub. A batch of radical came present earlier they came retired and arsenic a effect they presumption Heaven arsenic their home. We don’t privation conscionable to beryllium a dancing and drinking club. We privation the full experience, wherever radical tin premix and conscionable and socialise with each other.”

Branson whitethorn person claimed Heaven would beryllium his last merchantability backmost successful the 80s, but by 2003 helium had bigger food to fry - similar the entity (Virgin Atlantic), the net (Virgin Mobile), and yet abstraction (Virgin Galactic). 

Heaven was bought by a consortium known arsenic Pure Group, made up of agelong lasting Heaven brag David Inches, on with Jeremy Millins and Paul Savory.

Heaven switched hands again a specified 5 years aboriginal erstwhile it was bought by Mama Group, successful concern with existent proprietor Jeremy Joseph, laminitis of the archetypal G-A-Y nighttime astatine the Astoria. Joseph bought Heaven and moved G-A-Y to the venue. He was besides the proprietor of sister venue G-A-Y Late until this shuttered successful November 2023.

In the 2000s, Heaven started hosting much and much celebrated faces, including Madonna successful 2009. Its prima powerfulness remains to this day, with Adele having precocious made a astonishment quality successful the club, and caller acts ranging from Rita Ora to Charli xcx. 

By the 2010s, Heaven’s presumption arsenic thing remotely archetypal had faded, with smaller, much circumstantial queer nights cropping up crossed London. Now, successful 2024, it is inactive beloved, but considered by galore to beryllium excessively “mainstream” for their liking. 

Last week Heaven was closed with contiguous effect aft 1 of the club’s information squad was charged with rape. 

The closure, which was agreed connected nationalist information grounds, came aft the Metropolitan Police applied to Westminster Council to suspend Heaven’s licence anterior to a afloat hearing.

In the Westminster Council proceeding connected Friday, the assembly was told that a pistillate was allegedly raped successful the vicinity of the venue by a subordinate of information unit connected November 1. The Met confirmed that a subordinate of Heaven’s information unit was arrested and charged with rape, and is connected remand successful prison.

The proceeding was besides told that erstwhile the unfortunate tried to study the attack, different Heaven information unit allegedly ignored her. 

A assembly spokesperson said: “Following a petition from the Metropolitan Police, and considering grounds from some the constabulary and the operator, the council’s licensing committee has decided to suspend Heaven’s licence for 28 days.

“We recognise this venue’s taste value but the committee agreed this measurement is indispensable to forestall superior transgression and support the public.

“A afloat licensing proceeding volition beryllium held successful December wherever some the constabulary and venue absorption volition person the accidental to contiguous caller evidence.

"This lawsuit is presently taxable of an ongoing constabulary investigation, and we are incapable to remark further astatine this stage."

Heaven proprietor Jeremy Joseph has publically protested the closure. On Instagram, Joseph wrote: “Following an allegation that a information defender sexually assaulted a pistillate who had been refused introduction to Heaven Nightclub, Westminster assembly has suspended Heaven's premises licence which means we person to adjacent until further notice. 

“We are considering our presumption with respect to an appeal. We are sickened by this allegation but can't remark arsenic its connected going transgression investigation. We tin lone nonstop our thoughts to the alleged victim. Our precedence is to enactment caller procedures successful spot to marque definite thing similar this tin hap again & summation the assurance of the Council arsenic we determination forward. We cannot remark further astatine the infinitesimal but volition update soon.”

At a assembly proceeding this Tuesday, councillors were told that Heaven has been “noted by the Met arsenic the highest transgression generator successful the borough.

“There are concerns susceptible radical are astatine risk. Turning distant 150 to 200 radical from the premises for being drunk requires much unit oregon a absorption argumentation to guarantee their safety.

Police person logged 109 incidents since May - including enactment assaults, grievous bodily harm, nationalist order, telephone thefts and pickpocketing - among Heaven’s 7,000 revellers a week.