Reports of the death of London’s nightlife have been greatly exaggerated. On the one hand, you can understand why. There have been countless articles, think pieces and studies into Gen Z — the generation meant to have picked up the party baton for the 2020s — shunning drink and drugs, exploring “sober curiosity” and finding themselves too scared to dance in public. And the youth of London are no exception to these behavioural changes.
Then there are the closures. From The Glory to Corsica Studios, one in five of the capital’s late-night venues has closed since March 2020, and those still standing do so on shaky ground. The cost-of-living crisis has caused rents and operating costs to soar, choking venues more and more with each additional VAT hike and increase in National Insurance contributions.
