The Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club is one of London’s best venues. It must be saved, by Adam Bloodworth
One of London’s most iconic venues is facing closure. The Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club in east London has for 20 years been home to some of the best nightlife in the capital. But the final curtain may have been drawn: owners are trying to sell the building.
A rally today saw over one hundred people gather on the streets to protest against closure and 11 thousand have signed the petition. Equity, the performing arts trade union, said: “It is crucial that any outcome will ensure that LGBTQ+ performance can resume at the club at the earliest opportunity. BGWMC is a vital source of work for Equity members and many people rely on this space to earn a living.”
Here are seven reasons why the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club absolutely must be saved.
1) IT IS ONE OF THE FRIENDLIEST PLACES IN LONDON Everyone’s willing to chat and everyone wants to be friends. Unlike most places in London, there’s a feeling of safety and community about the Club. If you know it exists, you’re probably trustworthy, and so everyone dances with everyone. In a city like London that can often be incredibly lonely and anonymous-feeling, that’s a wonderfully special thing. As Equity pointed out at the rally to save the venue, hundreds of artists make a decent chunk of their living from performing at the venue, which has events on most nights of the week. It has been a steady income provider for decades and with the overall loss of London venues — 3,000 since the pandemic, including bars and pubs — it is becoming harder for performers to find places for paid work. The Working Men’s Club has been a valuable employer for the live events economy.
3) IT HAS AN ORIGINAL BANKSY ON THE WALL OUTSIDE One of the most famous things about the building is the Banksy outside. A giant yellow flower is still visible on the edge of the building although most of the rest of the artwork has worn off. Called Yellow Lines Flower Painter, the piece was installed in 2007. One blogger even claims to have seen the artist themselves painting the flower onto the wall, as documented on the London website Londonist.
Read more: Rally to save Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club from closure as thousands sign petition
4) IT STAGES PERFORMANCES YOU WON’T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE IN LONDON We’ve seen full-on nakedness, people feeding other people food regurgitated from their mouths, ping pong balls going in places they really shouldn’t be and so, so, so much more. Programmers at the venue have a love for scheduling the most boundary-pushing cabaret on the London scene, finding a place for eccentricity to be represented for both audience members and performers. You don’t have to go to something super edgy, the venue also runs RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing nights and pop nights in celebration of the biggest divas on the planet. Whatever your vibe, the Working Men’s Club will probably have a night that suits, and the venue is open until 2am on weekends so book Sunday off and head out late without worrying about the consequences.
5) MORE THAN TEN THOUSAND LONDONERS HAVE SIGNED THE PETITION TO SAVE THE VENUE An online petition to save the venue has generated over 11 thousand signatures in just over a week. The description reads: “Equity urgently calls on the committee of BGWMC to halt plans to close the doors on drag and cabaret events at the club and pause any plans to sell the venue. “We ask that they engage and meet with the community of regular performers and punters to discuss options to preserve BGWMC as a venue that so many value. Equity would be willing to facilitate this, as the trade union for drag and cabaret performers who are at risk of losing vital work and income from these plans.” You can sign the petition yourself by visiting the website at megaphone.org.uk/petitions/save-bethnal-green-working-men-s-club
6) HEARD OF MIGHTY HOOPLA? THAT FESTIVAL? That wouldn’t exist without this venue. Sink the Pink, the legendary London club night, threw their early parties here almost 20 years ago. Their colourful costumes and messy performance style became so popular that their nights were frequently sellouts, and they graduated to putting on bigger and better events until their founder launched the Mighty Hoopla festival. 30,000 attendees go every year, and they basically have the Working Men’s Club to thank.
7) THE BUILDING IS AN AMAZING STEP BACK IN TIME Opened in 1887 as a working men’s club, the building still retains many of its original design features, including the beautiful listed frontage. Inside it’s more of a 1970s vibe, with retro red tiled flooring and coffered wood fittings, with a simple bar. There’s absolutely nothing fancy about the Working Men’s Club, but it is one of the cosiest venues in the capital — a portal to a much simpler time. It’s just the perfect setting for the live performances. 8)
SO WHAT’S NEXT? Sign the petition and follow Equity UK on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook for guidance on how you can help. Spread the word about the venue’s troubles to help raise awareness and generate conversations about the importance of cultural spaces in our capital.
Follow the Working Men’s Club on social media at @BGWMC on X, Instagram and Facebook or visit the venue’s website