Islington News: Clubbers' emotional farewell to Turnmills, Clerkenwell

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Islington Tribune - by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 28 March 2008

Our Grooves expert Charlotte Chambers was in the crowd

Clubbers’ emotional farewell to Turnmills, legendary venue of choice for the stars

WHEN news first spread that Turnmills was closing down, thousands of retired clubbers knew straight away they had to be there.
They dusted off their smiley-face T-shirts and white holey tights, and headed off into the night for a party that they knew would be unforgettable. They weren’t disappointed.
The Chemical Brothers came on first, and filled the dancefloor instantly with their chart-topping hits.
I wish I could tell you how the crowd kicked off when Fatboy Slim entered the fray but it was just too damn cramped as hundreds toughed it out to be near their heroes on the main stage.
Both acts had made their name under the hallowed arches of the Clerkenwell club and were back to pay their respects, as were the crowd.
Fittingly another house legend, Danny Rampling, called time on the club’s 25 years of dance when he spun his final record on Monday morning.
Unless you’re a clubber and unless you like house music, Turnmills will just be a set of attractively arranged bricks that would make a nice apartment block.
But to anyone who spent even one night there, Turnmills was a clubbers’ secret garden of fun. A place to go and play with your friends like you used to at school, and lose yourself in an evening of hedonism and music.
Sadly it was a victim of its own success – its presence brought business into the area and in the end it was priced out of its own backyard.
The grown-ups always ruin the kids’ fun.

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