25 key moments that led to Fabric reopening

When news first filtered through on August 11 that fabric would be voluntarily closed the following weekend while a police investigation was conducted into drug deaths in the venue, the severity of this move and the near-fatal impact it would have on fabric wasn’t immediately apparent.

The deaths were tragic and required a serious response, but the likes of Warehouse Project had survived similar tragedies in the past, and fabric was fresh off winning an appeal against strict measures such as sniffer dogs and ID scanners in the wake of drug-related deaths the previous December.

However, when fabric remained closed the following weekend, it began to become clear that the club and, symbolically, UK nightlife was facing a pronounced threat. Campaigners mobilised into action, and while the club faced a significant setback with its licence being revoked after a lengthy review hearing on September 7, they didn’t give up. The battle to save fabric waged on, and in a victory for people power and the potency of protest, the club is now set to reopen.

See a timeline of the key moments in the campaign below.

After news broke that fabric would be closed for a second weekend running and concerns began to grow about the club’s fate, the Mayor of London, who had vowed to protect the city’s “iconic club scene” is his campaign, came out in support of the Farringdon nightspot.

Khan would later downplay his ability to influence to outcome of fabric’s licence review to the vexation of many who now saw his campaign pledges to fight for nightlife as empty promises, but starting the fightback on the footing with public vocal support from the head of the capital’s local government at least showed fabric weren’t fighting completely alone against the powers that be.

The launch of the #SaveFabric petition by Jacob Husley, promoter of the WetYourSelf! party that took place in fabric, spotlighted the strength of fabric’s public backing. Widely shared across social media, the petition informed many of the plights of the nightspot. Within a week it had clocked up 100,000 signatures, and drew a response from Sadiq Khan. It now stands at 160,000, the population of your average London borough, making the case in favour of fabric strongly known.

“Don’t let London lose a jewel in its clubbing crown,” urged Sasha as more and more prominent voices began to lend their support to nightspot.

This may seem like an odd choice, given it was the event that revoked the licence of fabric, but occurrences within the room added fuel to the fire that ensured fabric wouldn’t go down easily. Fabric made its case cogently, with evidence given by reputable figures such as Fiona Measham, co-director of charity The Loop that aims at reducing the harm caused by drugs, and the artist Kate Simko, and impassioned speeches voiced on the floor from co-founder Cameron Leslie and on the steps afterwards by NTIA chairman Alan Miller that inspired many. The strength of the case for fabric ensured people weren’t willing to accept the result as a fair outcome.

The dust hadn’t settled from the licence appeal, and wasn’t allowed to settle, on September 7 when it was made apparent that the UK dance music community weren’t about to roll over. "I'm wondering whether or not the likes of me, the likes of Jazzie B, Norman Jay, Pete Tong for that matter, should just trade our MBEs in, melt them down and put them in a pencil-pusher's coffee, so it can taste a little bit sweeter for him today, so he feels more successful in killing counter culture and culture itself,” said the Metalheadz co-founder. Strong words!

September 7 saw a flurry of activity. Just that morning, in the very early hours of the day the hearing panel had made its decision known and fabric’s licence was revoked. But the same day, the wheels were already well in motion to organise the fight to reopen. Making this known on September 8, with outlined steps on measures that would be taken such as the Fund For Fabric, kept an engaged audience passionate and the spirit behind the campaign alive.

The Mayor of London showed he was still welcoming advice from expert sources even if his hands were tied in terms of actions. This also drew the immortal response from Four Tet: “Have invited Sadiq to Brixton in October. If he shows up and requests a reload on ‘Skeng’ we might have a chance.” Can anyone confirm?

In the days before the licence hearing, Labour’s MP for Islington South and Finsbury heavily criticised the police’s attitude towards fabric, later labelling it “disgusting”, and in the wake of its licence being revoked she came out equally strongly in lending her support, detailing the club’s “cultural significance” and confirmed she had held talks with the owners. Any prominent backers fabric secured from outside the sphere of dance music marked an important win.

The same day that Emily Thornberry released her statement, respected psychiatrist specialising in the research of drugs, Professor David Nutt, published an article in The Guardian blaming the government’s “backwards drug policy” on drug-related deaths.

Among his points detailing the ignorant approach taking by Westminster, there was a dig at traditionally Tory hobbies: "As I detailed several years ago, horse riding (particularly eventing) is statistically riskier than taking ecstasy , but stables are still open, even though one of the UK’s leading eventers, William Fox-Pitt, suffered a significant head injury and was in a coma for two weeks from a fall last year."

Not explicitly linked to the #SaveFabric campaign, but this result fired up a fanbase growing increasingly exasperated at the progressive approach taken on the continent in comparison to the UK. It also instilled confidence that a court battle would produce a fairer result.

AND WE’RE OFF.

This was momentous. It showed fabric didn’t just have the backing of signatures, but a genuine, deeply-rooted support for which people were willing to put their money where their mouth was. It gave fabric the ability to proceed full steam ahead into the legal battle approaching without fear of buckling into bankruptcy, and asserted the Islington council that the club was a force to be reckoned with, which may well have influenced the reopening agreement.

The fund currently stands at £326,673, with the likes of Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones and Eats Everything donating multiple thousands. An announcement on how this money will be used now is expected soon.

While fabric’s future was uncertain, it was heartening to see the record label arm of the operation keep going. First Scuba too charge of ‘fabric 90’, then Kahn & Neek and Nina Kraviz followed with ‘FABRICLIVE 90’ and ‘fabric 91’ respectively, then the whopping 111-track ‘#savefabric’ dropped featuring many of the world’s finest artists. The money generated by the releases was put towards the #saveourculture campaign, but they also served as a loud and clear proclamation from fabric of its importance to the dance music scene beyond the physical confines of its London club and reminded people what else they stood to lose.

The roundtable talk featuring Emily Thornberry MP, Amsterdam’s Night Mayor Mirik Milan, Bloc’s Alex Benson, Dalston Superstore owner Dan Beaumont, Goldie, Artwork and fabric co-founder Cameron Leslie presented a debate that put forward intelligent points on the importance of nightlife and helped combat the image of fabric and clubbing as the preserve of troublemakers.

The pressure on the police ramps up and they are forced to deny accusations of prejudice, a feeling that had been bubbling since details on the controversially named Operation Lenor were made public.

The announcements of a series of parties across the world, boasting bills with many of the biggest acts in dance music, with proceeds going towards the fight to save fabric and UK nightlife marked a subculture rallying together, rearing its head and making a bold statement on its unity.

This moment renewed hope and gave the dance music community and fabric a goal to work towards. Fabric also simultaneously released a transparency statement on how the fund money was being used, assuaging the concerns of people asking questions about the money.

Tim Griffith danced for 24 hours solid, spanning midday on October 7 to midday on October 8, outside the doors of fabric, raising over £2,000 for the club’s fund. Those who have sessioned 36hour stints in the club on its legendary birthday weekends were left kicking themselves that they didn’t get sponsored.

Hundreds of people marched from Hoxton to London Fields, carrying sound systems, “Save The Rave” placards, and vibes a plenty in a joyful day that highlighted all four components of PLUR still live strong in our unfairly maligned subculture.

"It’s not a war on drugs, it’s a war on people. The war on drugs is a war on you. It’s a war on alternate lifestyles. It’s a civil war – the state against the citizens,” said the Trainspotting author.

With the court now involved, the police and Islington Council no longer had an unfair advantage in the manner in which fabric’s fate unfolded, and at this point it began to show.

London begins to mirror the progressive approach of its European neighbours and appoints Amy Lamé to a position dedicated solely to protecting the city’s night-time economy. Khan was keen to stress Lamé’s role in fabric reopening, revealing: “In her first week in the job, my new Night Czar Amy Lamé held conversations with Islington Council, the Metropolitan Police and fabric.”

Fabric submitted its extensive evidence dossier, including 41 witnesses spanning drug welfare experts to a police officer in charge of Olympic Games licensing, to the court alongside its promise to run the club at the very highest level if allowed to reopen.

Talks for an out-of-court agreement take place, no doubt influenced by the strength of the dossier listed above and the promises of bolstered security measures, and conclude positively.

A judge ratifies the out-of-court agreement after fabric promises to 32 new licence conditions, including ID scanning, 19+ age requirement, increased CCTV monitoring and lighting, and a ban for a life for anyone caught attempting to buy drugs in the club.

Bring it on!

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, follow him on Twitter