During my 20 years of regular and satisfied custom at the Shoreditch strip pubs one of the biggest changes I have observed has been the marked reduction in lunchtime trade since the early 1990s mainly due to changes in work patterns. This is particularly noticeable at Browns which years ago used to be packed especially later on in the week but is now often empty in the afternoon. In response to this Browns have recently announced that both drinks and table dances will be cheaper up to 5pm from now on and it is also in the process of refurbishing the place.
Talking of Alex she is currently the “agony aunt” for the Sunday Sport newspaper using her modelling name of Capri Ashby . Good news for Browns {and the White Horse come to that} though, stunning Argentinean Varona { Miss Shoreditch 2002} returned to the London strip scene in June after a year´s absence .While in that area of London a new luxury hotel called the St Gregory has opened in Shoreditch High Street about halfway between Browns and the White Horse so ideally situated for someone who wants to enjoy a full evening out in the area! The web site is www.saintgregory-hotel.com . The rack rate is over £200 a night but use of the internet produces more sensible rates of £96 weekdays and £49 at weekends. The Platinum Bar in Paul Street nearby has now started opening on Saturday nights from 7pm to 3am.It´s reported that the former Raymond´s Revuebar {which went bust a few months ago}site is to be turned into a gay club called Too2much.
Even with beauties like Elouise and Alex as regular dancers Browns is often quiet at lunchtimes these days.
I hear a new club in Stratford East London has opened apparently under the rather strange name of “Lunar Attic” { see www.lunarattic.co.uk } !
Congratulations to Natalie Murphy of Cheeky Models who produced a baby boy at the start of the month. While on this subject I hear that both Jo King founder of the successful London School of Striptease { seewww.londonschoolofstriptease.co.uk } and prior to that a stalwart of the strip pub circuit and former Browns star Australian dancer from the 1980s Bubbles are expecting their first children in July.
Outside London the new Nottingham club mentioned in last months column has now been named as Senorita´s {see www.senoritas.co.uk}and is based in the Lenton Lane industrial area over an existing club called Isis. Longer term readers of this column may remember that Nottingham is a famously anti lap dance council and so this is the first club to actually gain a public entertainment license and not have to operate as a private members club. The large new club {capacity 650} is actually the one originally to be called the “Crocodile Lounge” mentioned in the column in early 2003. It opened on the 5th of June and is open Saturday´s only for previews in June before a full time opening in July.
The FYEO club in Park Royal {the UK´s first} has started having fetish themed nights on Sundays. Talking of FYEO the group has put in an application to open it´s 7th club nationwide in notoriously anti strip Glasgow. There are also strong rumours in Bristol that Spearmint Rhino are going to open a club there on the waterfront. Entertease has a new strip pub called The Falcon in Tadley, Herts Sunday evenings only at present. Ripley´s first club the Matrix won a temporary 6 month license early in June and is expected to open soon.
News of 3 new agencies in London one called Lapland { see www.LaplandUK.com } and another called Eden both specialising in private type events. The 3rd is the Burlesque agency specialising in stag type events { seewww.Burlesque-Agency.com }. The large nightclub chain Luminar is to run a national pole dancing competition called Pole Idol. There will be no nudity involved and cash prizes are available. Details via the web site www.misspoleidol.com or telephone 01753 522828 .
Central Chambers was named as one of the top 5 in a ” best night out in Bristol ” competition run by local radio and was hoping to win outright as I write this. Stockport´s High Society club re-opened after it´s various problems on June 3rd. Tiffany´s in Aldershot now under new management has won the right to open until midnight every night. The lease on the former strip pub Honeypot´s in High street Slough is up for sale for £40,000 details viawww.fleurets.com
News that a 4th Plymouth club called “Fantasy World” has got a license to open and should join the others before the end of the summer. This club will be the 3rd one to open in Union Street in the centre of town in the last 3 months or so. In Wales a club called Jammo´s in Tenby has obtained a license to hold topless pole dancing nights once a month and wants to operate throughout the later part of the week through the summer. It currently runs “rave” nights and gets lots of complaints about drunks leaving the premises early in the morning.
The Sunday Sport roadshow is back touring the country and promotional material features strip-magazine´s April covergirl Amazom { seewww.taniaamazon.com }.In Scotland a dancer called Soraya Wilson caused a security scare at Aberdeen Airport after being found asleep in the cockpit of the air ambulance clad only in a G string !
In Edinburgh the new club Liqourice got itself into trouble by handing out rather explicit flyers for the new club.
It has emerged that the Glasgow study of lap dancing clubs mentioned in last months column which was set up with the sole intention of discovering bad news is to be undertaken by a radical feminist called Julie Bindell who has no doubt already written the conclusions and will just be looking for evidence to fit. Talking of repressed councils Manchester now has a new attraction called ” Babe Wash” where bikini clad dancers from local clubs will hand wash your car on Monday nights !
The cases involving the use of illegal girls against the owner of Dublin´s Lapello club Chris Kelley came to court at the end of June, I assume cases against all the other club owners are due. The outcome is not known as I write this.
– Tyke
Author: Saxon
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