90's London

[Sweetasstevia]

I've lived in London for nearly 25 years now but rarely get into the centre these days (I last worked in town in 2008.) I'm always stunned how much things have changed and have been feeling very nostalgic lately for the London of my uni years and youth: 1990 - 2000.
For starters I miss how Covent Garden used to be with the mechanical toy museum and Neal street East around the corner. I miss burgers at Ed's Diner and Jonny Rockets. I miss seeing arty films at the ICA, the montepulicano lounge club and whirligig, the mad market in South Kensington and how Camden used to be before it got all posh!
What things do you miss?

Old ravers

Anyone go to that shop near seven dials that sold loads of mad clubbing clothes, I had a black top with a uv picture of a anime girl holding a gun? Used to feel so cool browsing clothes in there

The crypt Tethers. I never went in there, preferred Mass upstairs. That was good. I think.

Mrsfrumble IIRC the Dive Bar was in the basement of a pub(?) on the corner of Gerrard Street in Chinatown, near the car park. Think it's a Chinese restaurant now.

Have been thinking more about all the different club nights + bars in the 90s. In the Britpop years I spent a fair bit of time at The Good Mixer in Camden. There was also that easy listening revival with the Karminsky Brothers and Blow Up at the Laurel Tree. Had one or two disco nights at Carwash (+ another disco revival one I can't remember).

Used to go to Bar Rumba on Shaftesbury Avenue with a soul loving colleague after work. Also remember going to the Blue Note over in Hoxton during that acid jazz period and later on for drum + bass. And Heavenly Social nights @ Great Portland St, then over at Turnmills. And a couple of nights at a jungle club in Angel - think it was called Paradise - was supposedly cool, but was a bit rough and sweaty

mrsfrumble

The veggie place in Chapel Market is still there - used to go there so many years ago , then worked near there for many years until recently so used to go there again - and I swear the decor hasn't changed . At all ..

tethersend YY to Marathon Bar - some cracking nights there!

What a brilliant thread. Did anyone hang out at the Arts Club on Frith Street or the Green Room in Adam Street or Shuttleworths back when Maurice and his cats were ruling the roost?

Loved Ken Market, Hyper Hyper, Flip, the Stockpot and so many of the other places mentioned. Foyles was wonderful because it hadn't actually entered the 20th century (some time near the end of said century).

Camden Palais, anyone? The Town and Country Club? I saw INXS there when they were young and gorgeous.

oh christ, Caspers telephone exchange on princes street. I had my work xmas do there on year (i was an 18yo receptionist for a pager hire company - hiring pagers!!! try telling that to the young uns of today) and my boss loomed down my cleavage drunkenly and asked if i was an extra in Moll Flanders and started a competition for all the sales guys to chuck brussel sprouts down my top aaaah those were the days

Fin yes re Arts Club! Remember once staying in there til 3am on a Wednesday night then getting up to go to work the next morning.. Those were the days!

Fin I saw the Specials at Camden Palais when I was 12, 1982. It was at a Capital Radio disco night

Hurray! I knew there'd be someone who remembered it back when it was all grubby and grimy!

Also used to love going to Chinatown for a meal and getting lager served in teapots after time had been called. I bet that doesn't happen any more, or does it?

Do you mean the Arts & Theatre Club on Frith St? If so it's still there!

It is still there. It's not what it was, though!

Looking at my last post... think the place in Hoxton Square was the Bass Clef and later became the Blue Note (does anyone else remember?).

Or actually, maybe I'm not what or who I was. That's probably more like it.

Ah

I definitely went to the Blow Up club night a few times.

The old Foyles was really something, wasn't it? I applied for a job there when I was a student. They turned me down, which was probably a blessing in disguise!

stubbornstains I was there at the last night of the Samuel Pepys. God I miss that pub. Had one drink at its soulless replacement and couldn't bear it. I miss old Hackney when it was interesting and more real.

I only moved to London in 1999 but it has changed so much since then. Started off squatting in Clerkenwell and moved around from there. Hung around with a multinational band of squatters. I was young and broke and managed to get myself sorted out over the years. It would be so much harder to do that these days. Depressing.

Foyles really was hilarious. It was so difficult and confusing to find anything and when you did, it was even more confusing trying to buy it. No wonder they finally modernised it.

HeyLuciani I remember the Bass Clef/Blue Note very well - drum and bass night on a Sunday. Tax on the door was £6 and Goldie would DJ. So hipstery - before hipsters were even a thing!

I went to a crisis thing at the blue note, Jarvis cocker was the dj, that was a good night (off work sick the next day ) '97 I think.

HeyLuciani
a flatmate of mine was working at Charlie Chester and we were going there for free drinks. The basement was fab.

Reading this thread and all those clubs and caffes i felt for a second the fumes around me, the smell of smoking on the clothes...It will never be the same again!

I d love a night at Astoria at Tottenham Court Road!

I really miss 'my' London.

Oh and a kebab at Dionyssos after Astoria, how did we forget that? The old dionyssos, the small one before they move next to Astoria.

Love this thread! I lived in London 1996-2000.

Loved pulcinella pizza in Old Compton St, and Benjys used to have queues for the cheap sandwiches!

I remember going to a dodgy unliscened place where they served beer in teapots.