Despite many clubs complaining of falling business the boom in investment in new and existing clubs in the UK seems to have if anything increased in the first months of 2008. February saw the opening of both FYEO City road {the 22nd opened by Pamela Anderson right fresh from her strip at the Crazy Horse in Paris} the UK’s largest club and The Rembrandt in Tooley St both in central London
Another new club is the Red Rooms in the former Browns/Bada Bing nightclub in Great Queen St, Holborn which now has dancers 6 days a week. I know of at least 3 other clubs still in the pipeline for central London including one from the large Leeds based AEG group. I understand that Club Afrique in Canning Town has also started lap dancing nights.
The long established Venus club near Smithfield has just had a major refurbishment with new VIP rooms and the like and it now open to 4am Monday to Wednesday and to 5am Thursday, Friday, Saturday. A new strip pub in Dagenham is the Ship and Anchor, Monday and Friday lunchtimes and another is the Mitre in North Woolwich Thursday and Friday afternoons. A new Alastair Watts pub is the Green Gate in Plaistow East London Friday and Sunday afternoons starting in February. The wonderful ex Miss Shoreditch Shannon has made a comeback working at the White Horse,
Outside London the Flirtz club of Skegness has opened another branch in the former Bar Humbug at Friar St, Nottingham and I understand that Tiffany’s of Exeter is about to announce a 2nd branch to open in Devon in the Spring. The Chill club in the Isle of Man has started having regular lap dance nights outside TT week for the first time.
The Crispin club in Kettering is expecting to start lap dancing later this month, the town’s second club. Entertease has a new venue called Image on the front at Southend on Friday and Saturday lunchtimes close to the long established Forrestors strip pub.
Talking of Southend Capone’s nightclub there is running a big pole dance competition starting in February and finishing in June. The club Midnights in Wellington, Shropshire has re-started lap dance nights after abandoning them last year. A new {to me anyway} club has opened in Lothian Rd, Edinburgh called the Sapphire Rooms see www.elegance-eq.co.uk, . A first club called the Liquid Lounge has applied to open in staid Worthing and another called The Vaults in Harbourside, Torquay has had it’s application turned down but will probably appeal. Another new club is opening in central Liverpool but I have no name yet.
On the other hand Blackpool {which now is the only significant “topless only” place left in the UK I know of} council has approved a law aimed at preventing any more new clubs opening. Whether this would stand up in court is of course another matter.
The council has also ordered Wildcats to close for 4 weeks after seeing evidence of sex acts on CCTV there, they are still open as I write this pending appeal thougfh the ex Manager there has been fined £10,000. Wildcats are also involved in a court case involving Hull Rugby League winger Gareth Raynor assaulting one of their bouncers in Blackpool before Christmas. Club Oops at Aldgate is having trouble with Tower Hamlets council for no obvious reason.
Sophisticats in the West End of London is being sued by former waitress Moka Namaoui for unfair dismissal. The owner of Bar-a-cuda in Londonderry has had to stop strip shows under pressure from the local Police though he claims other pubs also have shows. Minnesota Jaxs in Eastbourne has been turned down for a full nude license again.
Peter Stringfellow has come out in support of Boris Johnson’s bid to become London Mayor and offered him the use of his 2 clubs for fund raising events.
Grace of Brighton has had to take down a poster of a scantily clad girl popping a champagne cork {too suggestive apparently} after complaints to the Advertising Standards Agency. Portsmouth club Elegance has a new web site www.elegance-eq.co.uk, as has Zena who has a travelling strip show in the highlands of Scotland , . Another with a new web site to me is top Canadian pole dancer and ex stripper of the year Imadoll , though not much on it as yet.
Club Eden in Braintree now has a web site, . A first club called Whispers is opening in Kilkenny in Eire. A new agency called Flash Dancers has emerged
The very long established Browns/Griffin group has had an excellent revamp of their website see www.browns-griffin.co.uk
Tyke
Author: Saxon
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