With The Guardian calling 2024 the year of the “precipitous decline of UK nightclubs”, it’s evident that the clubbing industry has been struggling. A Capital On Tap report even suggests 57% of London’s clubs will close by 2030 – but 2025 could change that.
According to the report, London lost nearly 18% of its clubs and pubs between 2022 and 2025. Based on these figures alone, the UK capital is on chart for a steep decline. However, a string of new London clubs have already opened this month alone.
One of the latest clubs to open its doors is Peckham’s 120-capacity HONOR. Nestled underneath a Peckham Rye station archway, the venue is kitted out with a TW AUDiO PA-SYS-ONE soundsystem and has already hosted some events since opening on 4th April.
The venue is being run with the help of DJ Oneman. “HONOR was initially born out of the want to honour DJs and scenes that I appreciate,” he told Resident Advisor . “That’s what built the idea of HONO. It’s thinking about the whole aspect of what clubland and nightlife is all about, and everyone who encompasses it. Sound, light, atmosphere.”
“I like to describe HONOR as being in the end of a lit cigarette. It’s dark, orange and smokey,” he added. “I’m very lucky to be given this opportunity. An opportunity to create a space where the DJ and live culture I love can thrive in the heart of London’s most vibrant community.”
While HONOR is an intimate clubbing haven, other clubs are offering bigger nightlife experiences. No90 Hideout is a newly renovated 450 capacity space in Hackney Wick’s No90, while an abandoned Shoreditch warehouse has been transformed into the 1,500 capacity Unlocked.
According to Unlocked’s launch video, the venue occupies “a once illegal rave venue [that has been] abandoned for a decade” to revive the “fading culture” of East London.
The new venues will hopefully serve as a clubbing renaissance and bring new life to an apparently declining club scene.
Capital On Tap’s findings also hinted at a decline in clubbing across the UK. The report predicts that Leeds, Brighton and Bristol will also lose upwards of 60% of their clubs by 2030. Elsewhere, Sheffield and Liverpool are predicted to see a 50% decline.
However, it could be looking up – the injection of new venues isn’t just exclusive to London. A new club space is set to open in Liverpool on 2 May.
Kapsule will be opening a space within within Invisible Wind Factory’s former wind turbine factory. The club is a collaborative effort from the Invisible Wind Factory and Sun Palace Sound System – the only UK unit who work with a quadraphonic RLA system.
As a result, Kapsule has got its hands on some pretty powerful sonic power, boasting a 4-point high-fidelity soundsystem and substack.
