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Heaven (nightclub)
Encyclopedia
Heaven is a Superclub
in London
, England
which appeals predominantly (but not exclusively) to the gay
market. It is located underneath Charing Cross railway station
in Central London, just off Trafalgar Square
.
. Norman, an entrepreneur, took his knowledge and used it to create an entirely new form of gay club on a larger scale in the arches beneath Charing Cross railway station, once part of Adelphi Arches, a large wine-cellar for the hotel above. Heaven quickly established itself as the centre of the (then understated) gay London nightlife. Until Heaven, most gay clubs were small hidden cellar-bars or pub discos. Heaven brought gay clubbing into the mainstream and finally got a club to rival New Yorks
gay super club at the time The Saint.
In 1982, Heaven was acquired from Norman by Richard Branson
's Virgin Group. Branson was one of the first to identify the burgeoning 'pink pound' and saw the club as an investment opportunity. However, as one of the first gay clubs in London, and one of the first openly-so in the world, it courted controversy, frequently appearing in the tabloid press, especially in the famous News of the World
headlines about alleged ecstasy
use in the nightclub in 1989.
Heaven became home to the Megatripolis
club in October 1993 until October 1996 hosting visits from Allen Ginsberg
, Terence McKenna
and Ram Dass
and DJs including Derrick May and Mr C.
The club was refurbished in 1998 and re-opened as a mainstream nightclub to challenge other larger nightclubs in Central London which had since appeared with the growing popularity of house music
. Clubs like Trade and The Fridge
had constantly challenged Heaven's long standing reputation as the only major gay nightclub in London.
, Vanessa Amorosi
, Macy Gray
, Divine, Jessie J
, Sylvester
, Eurythmics
, Billie Ray Martin
, Baby D
, Grace Jones
, Eartha Kitt
, Loleatta Holloway
, Martha Wash
, Black Lace
(where the audience threw bottles to show their disdain), Sophie Ellis-Bextor
, Aqua
, a-ha
, Pet Shop Boys
, The Saturdays
, Miley Cyrus
, Adam Lambert
, Lady Gaga
and most notably Cher
who launched her single Believe there in 1998 to a packed crowd. Cher was introduced onto stage by close friend Ben Kingsley
. The singer was so scared by the amassed crowds, that once on stage she mimed to only two songs instead of the intended five.
has often been credited with being one of the first DJ's in the UK of the now customary style of audio mixing
(when previously two records had normally only been segued together by fading one in and the other out regardless of tempo).
Through the direction of Heaven's original stage manager David Inches, Heaven has always tried to find and employ DJs who played and most often produced new sounds and mixing styles. These DJs then usually went to find greater acclaim in the mainstream or gay music industry. Original Heaven DJs have included: Ian Levine
, Marc Andrews, Marc Monroe, Ian D, Jon Dennis, & Wayne G.
The club was host to the seminal Troll nite at the Sound Shaft in Heaven between 1988 and 1990 which started the career of DJ's such as Daz Saund
.
One of Heaven's most famous DJ's Marc Andrews left his main Saturday night residency to join rival club The Fridge
based in Brixton, followed also by Marc Monroe. Their Saturday night presentation "Love Muscle" created significant competition and created a change in the balance of the pink pound market.
In 1998 as part of the relaunch of the venue, it was decided to try broadening the appeal of the venue by including an indie night as part of its new Monday night, Popcorn, called Room Two. At this time Popstarz was riding high and a number of other gay indie nights had followed in its wake, proving that it could be financially viable. However, only Popstarz had done it on such a scale and it was on a Friday - it was unproven whether it could work on a weeknight. Although it took over six months the whole night, as well as the indie floor, became immensely successful. Although the indie floor is no longer the night is still running and helped launch the careers of a number of DJ including Gordon John and Mikey Four.
At the beginning of the 2000s, Heaven adopted a more mainstream tribal house and disco based sound employing DJs originally resident at other major gay London nightclubs such as Gonzalo (a DJ originally resident at Trade
, Salvation and Action).
Towards the middle 2000's the music policy of Heaven's main dance-floor became more credible and underground. During that time and until October 2008 Heaven's Saturday night exclusive resident DJs Pagano and Nick Tcherniak played a variety of styles including Progressive House, Techouse, Deep House and Electro, thus ending Heaven's original Saturday night sound.
In October 2008 MAMA Group bought Heaven and moved into the venue its Friday and Saturday night events previously hosted at The Astoria. The club plays mainly Pop music and Commercial Dance under the G-A-Y brand.
and Bedrock
(run by DJ John Digweed
) who eventually took up a permanent residence on a Thursday night until 2005.
After the 1998 refurbishment, Heaven enjoyed a real buoyancy in terms of custom, and was very popular. The dotcom revolution and the economic upturn of 1999–2000 meant that customers had a lot of disposable income.
and later to original resident DJ Ian Levine
. It can be described as having disco origins and influenced by the emergent house music
style. Examples of this style of music include Yvonne Elliman
's - "Love Pains", Company B
's - "Fascinated", Eria Fachin's - "Savin' Myself", Donna Summer
's - "I Feel Love", Abba
's - "The Visitors", The Pet Shop Boys
- "It's A Sin
" or "Always On My Mind", and Divine's - "Native Love" - The Flirts
"Calling All Boys", "Passion" - Tantra's "Hills of Katmandu" - Rose Laurens
"Amercian Love" - Patrick Cowley
"Menergy" -Boys Town Gang
" Can't Take My Eyes Off You
" - Viola Wills
"Stormy Weather " -
Carol Jiani
"Hit N'Run Lover" - Taffy's
" I Love My Radio" - Sharon Redd
" In the Name of Love" - Gazebo "Masterpiece" - Bobby O
"She Has A Way" - Lime
"Your Love
" , Angel Eyes
" - Sylvester " Take Me To Heaven", Do Ya Wanna Funk" .
, for example Fire. On the latter point, however, Heaven now has a 06:00 drinks licence, and in fact is the only venue in Westminster to have one.
Another source of competition has been other places for gay men to meet: sauna
s/Gay bathhouse
s, and websites such as Gaydar
. Other niche venues specialising in areas of gay sub-culture have also sprung up including fetish
, BDSM
, sportswear and uniform
clubs.
through its jointly-owned subsidiary company G-A-Y Ltd. MAMA Group's partner in G-A-Y, Jeremy Joseph, promised at the time, "The next couple of weeks I will spend getting to re-know Heaven and will be making plans that will include a major refurbishment." He emphasised that G-A-Y only ever rented their previous venue, the Astoria, which they moved out of this summer. That meant they couldn’t change its run-down interior, but Joseph will be in a position to invest in Heaven. He promised clubbers that G-A-Y’s Saturday nights will return at the new venue, as will the Friday night Camp Attack. But he also said he would be trying to retain Heaven regulars.
Although advertised as a gay event, the production style of the events have toned-down the gay ethos. The club occasionally features drag queens, however, nowhere near as many as previous years. This has led to Popcorn attracting criticism from the gay community and accusations of Heaven "selling out" and losing its core values as a gay venue.
Media coverage of Porn Idol resulted in Jeremy Joseph being banned from 10 Downing Street
by David Cameron
's staff, having previously been invited to an event for leading figures in the gay community.
Superclub
Superclub is a term used to refer to a nightclub owned and managed by a dance music record label, such as The Haçienda club, which was owned by Factory Records...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which appeals predominantly (but not exclusively) to the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
market. It is located underneath Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
in Central London, just off Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
.
Early history
Heaven opened in Dec 1979. It was opened by Jeremy Norman (cf Burkes Peerage). The interior was designed by his partner Derek Frost. Norman had started an earlier club, The Embassy, in Bond Street in 1978. The Embassy had taken London by storm and is generally seen as the London equivalent of New York's Studio 54Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
. Norman, an entrepreneur, took his knowledge and used it to create an entirely new form of gay club on a larger scale in the arches beneath Charing Cross railway station, once part of Adelphi Arches, a large wine-cellar for the hotel above. Heaven quickly established itself as the centre of the (then understated) gay London nightlife. Until Heaven, most gay clubs were small hidden cellar-bars or pub discos. Heaven brought gay clubbing into the mainstream and finally got a club to rival New Yorks
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
gay super club at the time The Saint.
In 1982, Heaven was acquired from Norman by Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
's Virgin Group. Branson was one of the first to identify the burgeoning 'pink pound' and saw the club as an investment opportunity. However, as one of the first gay clubs in London, and one of the first openly-so in the world, it courted controversy, frequently appearing in the tabloid press, especially in the famous News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
headlines about alleged ecstasy
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
MDMA is an entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of drugs. In popular culture, MDMA has become widely known as "ecstasy" , usually referring to its street pill form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants...
use in the nightclub in 1989.
Heaven became home to the Megatripolis
Megatripolis
Megatripolis was an innovative, underground London nightclub created by Encyclopaedia Psychedelica editor and founder of the Zippie movement Fraser Clark, partner Sionaidh Craigen and partners JJ and Bugsy as well as later Tribal Energy and a great many others...
club in October 1993 until October 1996 hosting visits from Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, Terence McKenna
Terence McKenna
Terence Kemp McKenna was an Irish-American philosopher, psychonaut, researcher, teacher, lecturer and writer on many subjects, such as human consciousness, language, psychedelic drugs, the evolution of civilizations, the origin and end of the universe, alchemy, and extraterrestrial beings.-Early...
and Ram Dass
Ram Dass
Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
and DJs including Derrick May and Mr C.
The club was refurbished in 1998 and re-opened as a mainstream nightclub to challenge other larger nightclubs in Central London which had since appeared with the growing popularity of house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
. Clubs like Trade and The Fridge
The Fridge
The Fridge is a nightclub in the Brixton area of South London, founded by Andrew Czezowski, who had run the Roxy during punk music's heyday in 1977. It was originally started in 1981, in a small club at 390 Brixton Lane, and in 1982 above Iceland in Brixton Road with a radical decor that included...
had constantly challenged Heaven's long standing reputation as the only major gay nightclub in London.
Performers
Famous performances include Kylie MinogueKylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales have reached over 2 million worldwide.-Early life:...
, Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
, Divine, Jessie J
Jessie J
Jessica Ellen Cornish , better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English recording artist currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked...
, Sylvester
Sylvester James
-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:* Mighty Real UK #62* 12 By 12 * Immortal -Singles:-Additional recordings:*Lights Out San Francisco...
, Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
, Billie Ray Martin
Billie Ray Martin
-Career:Billie Ray Martin has had dance and pop hits in various collaborations and as a solo artist. Initially a guest singer for S'Express , she went on to work with the electronic/pop/house-music group Electribe 101. The group's only album was Electribal Memories because it disbanded...
, Baby D
Baby D
Baby D may refer to:*Baby D , a UK dance group*Baby D , Atlanta underground rap artist*Baby D, a fictional character in the 2000 film Next Friday-See also:*Baby Dee, American performance artist and singer-songwriter...
, Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
, Loleatta Holloway
Loleatta Holloway
Loleatta Holloway was an American singer, mainly known for disco songs such as "Hit and Run" and "Love Sensation", both of which have been sampled extensively.-Biography:...
, Martha Wash
Martha Wash
Martha Wash is an American R&B, Pop, Soul, House singer/songwriter known for her distinctive and powerful voice.-Early career:...
, Black Lace
Black Lace (band)
Black Lace is a British Euro pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, "Agadoo". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they finished seventh with the song "Mary Ann"...
(where the audience threw bottles to show their disdain), Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s...
, Aqua
Aqua (band)
Aqua is a Danish dance-pop group, best known for their 1997 breakthrough single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1989 and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group managed to top the UK Singles Chart with their first three singles. The group released two...
, a-ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
, Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
, The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
, Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
, Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
, Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
and most notably Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
who launched her single Believe there in 1998 to a packed crowd. Cher was introduced onto stage by close friend Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
. The singer was so scared by the amassed crowds, that once on stage she mimed to only two songs instead of the intended five.
DJs
Heaven's original resident DJ Ian LevineIan Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
has often been credited with being one of the first DJ's in the UK of the now customary style of audio mixing
Beatmixing
Beatmixing is a disk jockey technique of playing two songs at the same time so that the beats of one song occur at the same time as the other.-History:...
(when previously two records had normally only been segued together by fading one in and the other out regardless of tempo).
Through the direction of Heaven's original stage manager David Inches, Heaven has always tried to find and employ DJs who played and most often produced new sounds and mixing styles. These DJs then usually went to find greater acclaim in the mainstream or gay music industry. Original Heaven DJs have included: Ian Levine
Ian Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
, Marc Andrews, Marc Monroe, Ian D, Jon Dennis, & Wayne G.
The club was host to the seminal Troll nite at the Sound Shaft in Heaven between 1988 and 1990 which started the career of DJ's such as Daz Saund
Daz Saund
Daz Saund is a British club DJ and Remixer from London, England.-Career:After getting his big break at the seminal Troll Nites at the Sound Shaft, Heaven, London in the late 1980s. Daz Saund then progressed to become resident DJ at the immensely popular Garage at Heaven nightclub...
.
One of Heaven's most famous DJ's Marc Andrews left his main Saturday night residency to join rival club The Fridge
The Fridge
The Fridge is a nightclub in the Brixton area of South London, founded by Andrew Czezowski, who had run the Roxy during punk music's heyday in 1977. It was originally started in 1981, in a small club at 390 Brixton Lane, and in 1982 above Iceland in Brixton Road with a radical decor that included...
based in Brixton, followed also by Marc Monroe. Their Saturday night presentation "Love Muscle" created significant competition and created a change in the balance of the pink pound market.
In 1998 as part of the relaunch of the venue, it was decided to try broadening the appeal of the venue by including an indie night as part of its new Monday night, Popcorn, called Room Two. At this time Popstarz was riding high and a number of other gay indie nights had followed in its wake, proving that it could be financially viable. However, only Popstarz had done it on such a scale and it was on a Friday - it was unproven whether it could work on a weeknight. Although it took over six months the whole night, as well as the indie floor, became immensely successful. Although the indie floor is no longer the night is still running and helped launch the careers of a number of DJ including Gordon John and Mikey Four.
At the beginning of the 2000s, Heaven adopted a more mainstream tribal house and disco based sound employing DJs originally resident at other major gay London nightclubs such as Gonzalo (a DJ originally resident at Trade
Trade nightclub
Trade is a highly successful, pioneering and influential gay nightclub started in 1990 by Laurence Malice and Tim Stabler. The idea for Trade came from the brief but seminal club nite Troll , at the Sound Shaft Heaven where some of Trade's first DJ's used to play...
, Salvation and Action).
Towards the middle 2000's the music policy of Heaven's main dance-floor became more credible and underground. During that time and until October 2008 Heaven's Saturday night exclusive resident DJs Pagano and Nick Tcherniak played a variety of styles including Progressive House, Techouse, Deep House and Electro, thus ending Heaven's original Saturday night sound.
In October 2008 MAMA Group bought Heaven and moved into the venue its Friday and Saturday night events previously hosted at The Astoria. The club plays mainly Pop music and Commercial Dance under the G-A-Y brand.
After the 1998 refurbishment
Heaven was highly profitable in the early part of the millennium, even though gay culture in itself had become progressively mainstream and less underground. Heaven's reputation ensured it was chosen by national promoters such as GatecrasherGatecrasher
Gatecrasher is an international clubbing brand made famous by the Gatecrasher dance music events held at the Gatecrasher One nightclub in Sheffield, England during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The event received awards such as "Club Of The Year" at the Ericsson Muzik Magazine Dance Awards in...
and Bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
(run by DJ John Digweed
John Digweed
John Digweed is an English DJ, record producer and acclaimed actor.-Biography:John Digweed began DJing around age 4...
) who eventually took up a permanent residence on a Thursday night until 2005.
After the 1998 refurbishment, Heaven enjoyed a real buoyancy in terms of custom, and was very popular. The dotcom revolution and the economic upturn of 1999–2000 meant that customers had a lot of disposable income.
The Heaven Sound
The original Heaven sound of the 1980s could be attributed primarily to the producer Giorgio MoroderGiorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
and later to original resident DJ Ian Levine
Ian Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
. It can be described as having disco origins and influenced by the emergent house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
style. Examples of this style of music include Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Marianne Elliman is an American singer who performed for four years in the first cast of Jesus Christ Superstar...
's - "Love Pains", Company B
Company B (band)
Company B was a Latin freestyle dance-pop/Hi-NRG trio formed in 1986 by Cuban-American producer Ish "Angel" Ledesma , featuring members Lori L. , Charlotte McKinnon and Susan Johnson. Before the groups self titled Album was released, Charlotte McKinnon left and was replaced by Lezlee Livrano...
's - "Fascinated", Eria Fachin's - "Savin' Myself", Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
's - "I Feel Love", Abba
Abba
ABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
's - "The Visitors", The Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
- "It's A Sin
It's a Sin
"It's a Sin" is a song recorded by Pet Shop Boys which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in 1987.-Background and writing:...
" or "Always On My Mind", and Divine's - "Native Love" - The Flirts
The Flirts
The Flirts were a female trio from New York City who had several dance hits and music videos on MTV in the early eighties when the channel was still in its infancy. The group was created and masterminded by American producer, Bobby Orlando aka 'Bobby O', an artist in his own right...
"Calling All Boys", "Passion" - Tantra's "Hills of Katmandu" - Rose Laurens
Rose Laurens
Rose Laurens is a French singer-songwriter, particularly famous for her 1982 smash single "Africa", number three hit in many European countries...
"Amercian Love" - Patrick Cowley
Patrick Cowley
Patrick Joseph Cowley was an American disco and Hi-NRG dance music composer and recording artist. He recorded in a style that has drawn comparisons to that of Giorgio Moroder and is often credited with pioneering electronic dance music.-Early life:Patrick Cowley was born in Buffalo, New York to...
"Menergy" -Boys Town Gang
Boys Town Gang
The Boys Town Gang were a San Francisco based disco and hi-NRG band. Their popularity peaked in the 1980s, when the group reached number 5 on Billboards Hot Dance Club Play chart with the single "Cruisin' the Streets", and number 4 in the UK Singles chart and number 1 in the Netherlands with their...
" Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Can't Take My Eyes off You
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. The song was among Valli's biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold record. It was Valli's biggest "solo" hit until he hit #1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You"...
" - Viola Wills
Viola Wills
Viola Wills was an American pop singer, best known for the 1979 UK Singles Chart #8 and U.S. Hot Dance Club Play #52 hit, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now". Other hits included further covers of the songs, "Both Sides Now" , and "If You Could Read My Mind" Viola Wills (December 30,...
"Stormy Weather " -
Carol Jiani
Carol Jiani
-Singles:* 1981: "Hit N' Run Lover"* 1981: "The Woman In Me" / "Mercy"* 1982: "Ask Me"* 1982 "You're Gonna Lose My Love"* 1982: "X-Rated"* 1984: "Dancing In The Rain"* 1984: "Touch and Go Lover"* 1984: "Love Now Pay Later"...
"Hit N'Run Lover" - Taffy's
Taffy (singer)
Taffy was a 1980s Hi-NRG disco singer, known for her hit, "I Love My Radio".The song, produced by Claudio Cecchetto, who was also behind all her previous hits in Italy, was released in the United Kingdom by Rhythm King's Transglobal Records and was originally a hit in France in 1985...
" I Love My Radio" - Sharon Redd
Sharon Redd
Sharon Redd was an American singer from New York. She was the half sister of R&B singer Pennye Ford.-Biography and career:...
" In the Name of Love" - Gazebo "Masterpiece" - Bobby O
Bobby Orlando
Robert Philip Orlando , also known as Bobby Orlando, is an American record producer, dance music artist, musician and songwriter.- Early life :...
"She Has A Way" - Lime
Lime (band)
Lime was a synth-pop group from Montréal, Canada, during the 1980s. The group was composed of husband and wife Denis and Denyse LePage, although two younger and more attractive singers, Joy Dorris and Chris Marsh, were chosen to tour and appear as the act. They are most noted for their songs "Angel...
"Your Love
Your Love (Lime song)
"Your Love" is a 1981 Hi-NRG single by Montreal-based vocal group, Lime. Along with the track, "You're My Magician", the single spent one week at number-one on the U.S. dance chart in April 1981....
" , Angel Eyes
Angel Eyes (Lime song)
"Angel Eyes" is the name of high-profile 1983 dance recording by Canadian duo Denis and Denyse LePage recording as Lime. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Dance Music Chart. The record received an epic club remix by noted duo M and M in 1985....
" - Sylvester " Take Me To Heaven", Do Ya Wanna Funk" .
Post 9/11
The September 11 attacks in 2001 sent a shock through the worldwide economy, especially affecting airlines. The Virgin Group, who at the time owned both Virgin Atlantic and Heaven, wanted to consolidate their business portfolio and concentrate on Virgin branded products. Although Heaven was part of Virgin Hotels group, it did not carry the Virgin logo, and had no open association with Virgin. This led to the sale of the club in 2003 to a consortium which comprised Paul Savory, Pure Group http://www.puregroup.com owner Jeremy Millins and original club manager, David Inches.Competition
Inevitably Heaven now faces increased competition from many other clubs which enjoy more liberal licensing regulations south of the river, in VauxhallVauxhall
-Demography:Many Vauxhall residents live in social housing. There are several gentrified areas, and areas of terraced townhouses on streets such as Fentiman Road and Heyford Avenue have higher property values in the private market, however by far the most common type of housing stock within...
, for example Fire. On the latter point, however, Heaven now has a 06:00 drinks licence, and in fact is the only venue in Westminster to have one.
Another source of competition has been other places for gay men to meet: sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
s/Gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouses, also known as gay saunas or steam baths, are commercial bathhouses for men to have sex with other men. In gay slang in some regions these venues are also known colloquially as "the baths" or "the tubs," and should not be confused with public bathing.Not all men who visit gay...
s, and websites such as Gaydar
Gaydar (website)
Gaydar is a worldwide, profile-based dating website for gay and bisexual men, women and couples over the age of 18. Although many of the individual profiles are publicly accessible on the Internet, to gain more functionality and interact with other users, a registration is required and a guest...
. Other niche venues specialising in areas of gay sub-culture have also sprung up including fetish
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
, BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
, sportswear and uniform
Uniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
clubs.
G-A-Y
On 22 Sept 2008, Heaven was purchased by the MAMA GroupMAMA Group
MAMA Group Limited is a live venue and artist management company which was founded in 2002 and is owned by the HMV Group. It is a parent company of a range of music and marketing businesses...
through its jointly-owned subsidiary company G-A-Y Ltd. MAMA Group's partner in G-A-Y, Jeremy Joseph, promised at the time, "The next couple of weeks I will spend getting to re-know Heaven and will be making plans that will include a major refurbishment." He emphasised that G-A-Y only ever rented their previous venue, the Astoria, which they moved out of this summer. That meant they couldn’t change its run-down interior, but Joseph will be in a position to invest in Heaven. He promised clubbers that G-A-Y’s Saturday nights will return at the new venue, as will the Friday night Camp Attack. But he also said he would be trying to retain Heaven regulars.
HMV
MAMA group was purchased by HMV on 23 December 2009. Heaven now functions as a concert venue during the early evening before club nights.Heaven Today
Heaven remains one of the best known gay nightclubs in London and one of the largest in terms of floor space in Central London. It hosts several large events, corporate events and has been used as a setting for music videos.Monday
Monday is perhaps the busiest night in Heavens week. The club plays host to a party called Popcorn! which plays pop and funky house music.Although advertised as a gay event, the production style of the events have toned-down the gay ethos. The club occasionally features drag queens, however, nowhere near as many as previous years. This has led to Popcorn attracting criticism from the gay community and accusations of Heaven "selling out" and losing its core values as a gay venue.
Thursday
Thursday plays host to "Porn Idol" a strip competition for men and women previously held at the Astoria, with £100 offered to the winner each week. The competition comprises several rounds, with £1,000 going to the season winner. It is preceded and followed by three rooms of pop, and also plays host to a night for gay women called "Gaygirlz."Media coverage of Porn Idol resulted in Jeremy Joseph being banned from 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
by David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's staff, having previously been invited to an event for leading figures in the gay community.