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Please Don’t Stop The Music

Despite a petition with over 150,000 signatures notorious London nightclub Fabric has closed for good, but punters are asking if there is something the local council aren’t coming clean about…

Tuesday the 7th of September marked the end of an era for one of London’s most notorious nightclubs and struck a huge blow for the illustrious dance music scene it had long championed. The reason for Fabric’s suspension and subsequent closure was allegedly the deaths of two individuals as a result of drug taking on the premises on 25 June and 6 August, but new documents have emerged that suggest it may have been a pre-planned operation.

Islington Council’s official statement regarding the closure lists 11 bullet points justifying the decision. Two of these directly relate to the deaths of the two individuals. A further eight relate to an undercover police operation, aptly named Operation Lenor, that took place in the venue in July 2016. However, a closer look at the report suggests the police found no hard evidence punters were taking drugs inside the venue, leading critics to believe there is another reason for the closure.

It is well known that since 2010, Islington Council have lost half their funding, and with the Fabric site being such valuable central London real estate, could this all be a ruse to turn over the property to developers and bring in more cash? The council categorically say no, and have released the following statement:

“The decision of Islington Council’s licensing committee on Fabric’s licence was based solely on the evidence, submissions, and representations put before the committee. To suggest anything else is simply wrong. For the avoidance of doubt, Islington Council is not the owner of the building and has no financial interest in the site.”

Despite the official statement, some are still holding out hope that the decision will be reversed, with an online petition set up by resident DJ and promoter at the Farringdon club, Jacob Hansen, getting over 150,000 signatures. But with top DJs and musicians including Groove Armada, DJ Zinc, Rob da Bank and Fatboy Slim tweeting their support as well as labels Island Records and Virgin EMI Records, its clear that Fabric may have gone, but the music lives on.

For a monthly dance music fix subscribe to Mixmag, the world’s biggest dance music and clubbing magazine.

Images: Instagram @FabricLondonOfficial and Islington Council official statement

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