This Bank Holiday Sunday HeatUK break the hard dance ice at yet another London venue. After taking hard dance into some of the best venues in London (try the Rock, Turnmills, The Coronet, The Cross, and Pacha for starters!), The Grand in Clapham is next on the hit list. The venue, often compared to a restored version of the former Camden Palace, has a similar layout which includes royal boxes and breathtaking balconies. During the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s The Grand was the stage for such high profile acts as The Kinks, The Beautiful South, Jamiroquai and The Verve performing. Venue owner Adam Lloyd was once associated with the Rock and is partly responsible for helping HeatUK make the transition from backyard party to respectable nightclub. Scottie Schwarz spoke to Adam to preview what his venue has got to offer clubbers this Bank Holiday Sunday!
The sparkling new Clapham Grand in all it's glory
Scottie Schwarz: Firstly Adam, you go way back with the bars and clubs in London – can you tell us a bit about how you first got involved?
Adam Lloyd: I was spending so much time in them people use to get me confused with working there. I suppose I figured if I’m here all the time I may as well get paid for it. Basically some idiot offered me a job.
SS: You’re pretty much responsible for getting Heat, (which was only a backyard party at the time) into a proper venue. The events were completely rammed during the unlikely Saturday afternoon time slot. In many ways this revolutionised the face of clubbing. Clubbers no longer had to go out until 6am and discard Sunday. The effects can still be felt today, with great parties such as Tilt emerging and continuing that great Saturday afternoon vibe.
AL: Piers who owned the Rock at the time says that it is still one of the great mysteries’s of life. (I was a trouble shooter for all his clubs)
SS: How does somebody at a glam venue like the Rock hear about a Heat backyard party? You must have your ear to the grapevine.
AL: In the clouds you mean along with my head. As you know I was never a clubber but a lot of people I knew who weren’t clubbers either were talking about these backyard parties and what a great party it was, I love new ideas!
Those legendary Saturday afternoons at The Rock
SS: Tell me a funny story about those HeatUK Saturday afternoon parties at the Rock - you must have a dozen?
AL: 700 clubbers going hard on a Saturday afternoon is funny enough. I remember once a couple of middle aged American tourists walking passed asked us what was going on and we told them it was an Australian Ballet production. The look on their faces when they left after two minutes still makes me laugh today.
SS: I promote a few events a month and that’s plenty. How the hell do you manage to fill a venue the size of The Grand week in week out with different events? And what makes a great manager of a venue?
AL: I’ve only been here 9 months but I guess the renovation has helped. I spent a lot of time with the Heat guys during the 2 years I was with them and picked up a couple of tricks, (not that they’ve worked mind you). I promote Saturday myself and bring in outside promoters for the other nights. I like to work closely with promoters rather than work distantly against them which I found to be common practice at other venues, why this is the case I have no idea. Working for a club and promoting clubs prior to owning one has given me invaluable experience, ‘when the shoes on the other foot’.
Adam Lloyd
SS: This Bank Holiday Sunday night sees the first Hard Dance event to be held at The Grand. The first time I saw the venue it reminded me of the former Camden Palace. Unlike the Palace, your venue has been constantly refurbished – what renovations have been undertaken since you came on board?
AL: It use to be The Leopard Lounge and had all this horrible dilapidated leopard skin everywhere (probably worked in its day). It was originally built as a Chinese theatre.
I brought out its original features, sexed it up. We ripped out all these red fold up chairs on the first floor, the ones you’d find in a cinema or theatre, and we replaced them with lounge seating much more customer friendly. I also smashed the bars down and built them more efficient and faster at serving. We added a 40m2 screen which can be hoisted out of site if need be. The visuals played on this look amazing it’s fucking huge, bigger than you’d find in some cinemas.
SS: One of the last events at Camden Palace was appropriately nicknamed ‘The Final Curtain’ back in February of this year. You were also involved when HeatUK threw their first night event at the Palace a couple of years ago. Do you think Sunday night has the potential to recreate the vibe from back then?
AL: That was one of the best parties/events I have ever been to or been involved in. We certainly have the ingredients to and we definitely have more freedom. I have basically handed a set of keys to the club to HeatUK and said go fucking mad. Knowing this maybe we should also call this ‘The Final Curtain’; I’ll be surprised if there’s anything left after Heat have finished.
Heat: The Final Curtain @ The Camden Palace
SS: What do you believe The Grand has over other venues in London?
AL: Apart from the beauty of the building its owners are up for anything.
SS: This Sunday night clubbers are going to experience The Grand with extra sound, lighting, and also a colour laser – but there’s plenty more surprises in stall. Can you give the HarderFaster readers a sneak preview of why we’re so excited about this gig?
AL: When Frenchy plays the track ‘I wander through the Tulips’ by Nana Missouri. Let’s just say I’m a very excited person who has an extra special reason to be very excited. Just come on down and check it out we are going to blow the roof off.
SS: I’m glad to see this Sunday the bar doesn’t stop serving till 3am. I get really annoyed when you go to a venue which is open until 6am and the bar stops serving in the early hours. Do you think London’s antiquated drinking laws will ever be abolished for something a little more practical?
AL: For some reason there are people out there who just don’t like to see us having fun, your guess is as good as mine.
SS: I know you’ve had some strange requests from staff wanting to work this night, where will I find Adam Lloyd at 3am this Bank Holiday Sunday?
AL: At the bar with you and hopefully not on the stage doing my own routine like the last Heat party I was at.
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HeatUK, the club which first brought you events at the Rock,
The Cross, Turnmills and Pacha - now bring you another
clubbing first...
The Grand, CLAPHAM.
Through the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s The Grand hosted live
entertainment with major acts like The Kinks, The Beautiful
South, Jamiroquai and The Verve.
This amazingly restored theatrical building captures all the
excitement of the former Camden Palace with breathtaking
cascading balconies, VIP boxes, state-of-the-art sound
system and a giant 40m2 screen that forms an illuminating
backdrop for stunning visuals.
For this special one off event - we’ve brought together 7 DJ
‘legends’ of clubland to provide the biggest soundtrack for
your Bank Holiday Sunday! Ian Betts will be performing a
classic trance set and celebrating his new residency with
HeatUK! And the Thirsty DJs return to rock the second room
only weeks before we depart for Ibiza!
Flyer:
Region:
London
Music:
Trance. Hard Trance. House. Deep House. Funky House. Hard House. Breaks.