Fabric nightclub closed until further notice as Islington Council suspends licence over drug deaths

A night out at Fabric in Farringdon (Picture: Fabio Venni/Creative Commons licence CC BY-SA 2.0) Archant

Farringdon “superclub” Fabric’s licence has today been suspended until further notice after two boys died of drug overdoses there.

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Fabric club in Charterhouse Street Fabric club in Charterhouse Street

The first boy, 18, died on June 25, while a second, also 18, died on Saturday morning after being taken ill outside the Charterhouse Street club.

Yesterday the venue announced it would not be opening this weekend so the circumstances of the boys’ deaths could be investigated – but today Islington Council confirmed it had suspended Fabric’s licence altogether following a review requested by the borough’s police team.

There will be a full review hearing within the next month that will decide the club’s longer-term fate.

“Officers felt the need to act due to concerns about the safety of those attending the club because of the supply of class A drugs in the venue and the recent deaths of two young men linked to the club,” said a Met spokesman.

A file image of a night at Fabric (Picture: Fabio Venni/Creative Commons licence CC BY-SA 2.0) A file image of a night at Fabric (Picture: Fabio Venni/Creative Commons licence CC BY-SA 2.0)

“London has a world-renowned night-time economy and people should be able to enjoy it safely, without concerns of serious crime.

“The Met is committed to fully playing its part in keeping people safe.”

An Islington Council spokesman said: “After two recent drug-related deaths, the Metropolitan Police applied for an interim suspension of Fabric’s licence.

“Fabric agreed not to contest this application, and a licensing sub-committee has today suspended Fabric’s licence.

"Officers felt the need to act due to concerns about the safety of those attending the club because of the supply of class A drugs in the venue and the recent deaths of two young men linked to the club" Met Police



“This will be followed by a review of Fabric’s licence within 28 days.”

A statement on Fabric’s website yesterday afternoon said ticketholders would be reimbursed through online music magazine and bookings website Resident Advisor.

Fabric has a capacity of 2,500 and opened in 1999. It frequently tops polls of the most popular dance music venues.

Two years ago, police called for a review of Fabric’s licence in the wake of four drug-related deaths in three years. A further four people had collapsed after taking drugs such as ecstasy.

Islington Council called for sniffer dogs to be used at the club’s entrance to tackle the use of recreational drugs, but this was overturned after an appeal by Fabric.

DJs Apollonia and Rick Maia were among headliners for the cancelled weekend events. The entry policy on its website reads: “Anyone found with drugs and/or weapons will be permanently excluded. [...] Fabric operates a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs, so called ‘legal highs’ and weapons. If we find drugs or weapons we will call the police.”

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