NEWS
EVENTS
Your Worst Night Mayor
Other | Tuesday 20th October 2015 | Cais
With a loss of over 1,400 clubs and venues since 2005, it’s no surprise that going out in London is slowly being replaced by the phrase that may come to define the year 2015: “Netflix and Chill.”
To combat the decline of nightlife in a city we once considered the world’s clubbing capital, London Mayor Boris Johnson’s Music Venues Taskforce (yes, this actually exists) has decided to appoint another kind of mayor, a swankier, cooler mayor to show the highest levels of British government why going out in London and getting obliterated in front of a killer live band or DJ is just what this city needs to drag it kicking, screaming and pub-crawling into the 21st Century.
We were absolutely gutted when we had to say goodbye to the West End’s End club and Cable in Bermondsey. These were two of the biggest legends in London Nightlife. Then it was farewell to Elephant and Castle’s Coronet, 12 Bar Club and Madame Jo Jo’s of Soho, Plastic People on Curtain Road, the list goes on and on.
Whether labelled a public nuisance, swallowed by gentrification or by being in the way of the massive Crossrail project, venues have become second-class businesses and their loss is costing the city billions every year and keeping people at home with a takeaway and a pack of Carling instead of hitting the clubs with their friends, buying drinks and partying until morning.
So what can we expect from this new nightlife mayor? Will they understand that clubbing in London is a way of life and that live music inspires us? Will we see new venues popping up with designated outdoor cannabis areas so people can hang out and smoke up in a chilled out and safe environment?
Can we expect people who’ve partied a bit too hard to be helped by the police instead of arrested? Take note Mayor of the Night because this could turn into a very positive thing. Most people just want to have a good time, hear some music and dance. This should be real and it can be done. We’ve seen that by going out in Amsterdam and now we want to bring some of that magic home.
We know it’s a bit of a stretch but maybe we could have a mobile booze tanker converted from an old fire engine to patrol the streets of after hours London looking for sober people? How about that for a water cannon, Boris? Maybe it’s too much.
We know you’re currently busy tackling small children on a rugby pitch in Japan but please, do we really need another estate agent or Costa on every street? Well the answer, clearly, is absolutely fucking not and we want a mayor of the night who understands that. Let's see some new artists break onto the scene at some new venues. Let's turn up the bass and make London nightlife once again something we can be proud of.
