http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/09/world/europe/fabric-nightclub-london.html 2016-09-08 17:02:16 Clubbers Lament Demise of Fabric, a ‘Totem’ of London’s Dance Scene The deaths of two 18-year-olds in drug-related cases led the authorities to close down one of the capital’s most fabled electronic music venues. === LONDON — For fans of one of London’s most fabled nightclubs, the party is over. This week, the local authorities The decision by the Borough of Islington to revoke the license of the 2,500-capacity nightclub came after the police had asked the borough council to close the venue after the deaths of two 18-year-olds in recent months. Both had taken MDMA, according to the borough council. In 2014, the police had also asked the council to review Fabric’s license after the deaths of four other people in the previous three years were attributed to drugs. Clubgoers, music critics and the D.J.s who made their names at Fabric described It was also seen as a death knell for nightclubs in the capital, where venues are already being pushed out by creeping gentrification, the lack of business from some cash-strapped millennials and austerity-conscious local governments that are more favorable to luxury apartment buildings and shopping malls than loud, raucous music clubs. In August 2015, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, a group that represents owners of pubs, bars and restaurants, published figures showing that half of Britain’s nightclubs had shut down since 2005, including dozens in London. The closing of the club reverberated among clubbers around the world; a stop at Fabric was a must-do on any clubber’s trip to London. Several devastated regulars, who said they viewed Fabric as a second home, gathered on the steps of the club this week, some overcome by tears. Kevin Ford, a drum and bass producer Kate Simko, a D.J. and composer “Fabric is a place where people from all socio-economic backgrounds, colors, and sexual orientations, tourists and people from finance come together next to edgy club kids in sneakers and mohawks,” she said. “Electronic music is the music of our generation, and I am devastated. Just as clubs in New York have been pushed out of the center and replaced by shopping venues and luxury apartments during the last decade, now this is happening here.” Fabric was one of Last year, an article in The Guardian lamented Fabric’s closing also feeds into the debate about the criminalization of recreational drug use. There were questions about whether the authorities were making an unfair example of Fabric, with the club’s supporters contending that those determined to obtain drugs would find a way of using them at the club, with or without tough security checks. The problem of drug abuse has In its decision to close Fabric, the Islington council said the two teenagers had been able to sneak into the club without the drugs being detected, and had also bought drugs inside the club. It criticized Fabric for having what it called “grossly inadequate” security. The council said that undercover police operations at the club had revealed patrons displaying symptoms such as “sweating, glazed red eyes, and staring into space, and people asking for help.” Fabric said in a statement that it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision. “Closing Fabric is not the answer to the drug-related problems clubs like ours are working to prevent, and sets a troubling precedent for the future of London’s nighttime economy,” it said. Cameron Leslie, the club’s co-founder, Hundreds from the music industry denounced Fabric’s closing, and The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has been pushing to make London more of a 24-hour city by opening up the subway for continuous service on weekend, said he was “disappointed.” Before the club was closed down, Mr. Khan had told the council that Fabric was important to a nighttime economy in London that contributed 26.3 billion pounds, or about $35 billion, to the capital’s coffers every year. “Clubbing needs to be safe, but I’m disappointed that Fabric, Islington Council and the Metropolitan Police were unable to reach agreement on how to address concerns about public safety,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC. Mazdak Sanii, “It’s a huge totem on the London night-life scene, the premiere destination for the world’s biggest D.J.s, and I think the closure is going to have a totally massive impact on the music scene, on dance music culture and on the night-life economy,” he said. “I think it’s got more to do with gentrification, noise complaints and path-of-least-resistance policing than it does with public safety. It’s all a bit post-Brexit apocalyptic,” he added, referring to Britain’s vote this summer to leave the European Union, which some critics say they fear will make the country — and its culture — more inward-looking. As news of the decision to shut down Fabric spread, some shared their cherished memories of the club. Jacob Husley, 35, a promoter and D.J., said in May his favorite experience at Fabric came when a Polish couple in their 70s turned up at the club, downed a shot of tequila each, high-fived the D.J. and danced until 5 a.m. “I took them upstairs to the balcony and brought them some tea — because they wanted to have tea,” he told The Evening Standard. “They were really sweet, they were on the balcony with their hands together ballroom dancing.”