From the creators of Printworks and The Drumsheds, a new club arrives in London
A few weeks ago we learned about the imminent fate of Printworks. The mythical London club will close its doors. However, under the sleeve the founders of the place had been working on a new rave space that they recently unveiled and today we want to share with you. In this article, meet the new London club: The Beams.
Mention the name Simeon Aldred to you and you probably wouldn’t have the slightest idea who he is, but if we tell you he’s the man who helped transform an abandoned newspaper printing press into the legendary Printworks, you’ll probably start to adore him. As director of Broadwick Live, Aldred brought life back to a 55,000-square-foot building located in Canada Water, London. Today, the fame of this venue is worldwide.
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The Beams’ concept
Farewells bring something new. With the departure of Printoworks from the market, comes The Beams. A new venue that responds to Braodwick’s specialty: taking abandoned, “unusable” spaces and giving them not only a musical but also a cultural rebirth. The Beams will be located on the north bank of the Thames in Silvertown. And it will be less than half a mile from another complex that the group is opening: Dockyards, but we will talk about it in another article.
The Beams is named after the light that filters through the ceiling and windows. Quite an interesting concept and one that unintentionally motivates ravers to dance until exhaustion. Or until dawn. The place will clearly focus on electronic music and will be filled with disco, techno, house, garage, and other sounds that represent the spirit of London.
New use of former factories
“Modern industrial revolution,” an approach pursued by The Beams from the location in which it will reside. By law, the site will remain an industrial space. And while no more syrup will come out of it, what will now be created are modern cultural assets. Possibly sculptures or theater sets that can then accompany the design of stages and events. In addition, the place will also host photo shoots, fashion shows and exhibitions, commercial projects, among others.
An interesting fact: Aldred says that Broadwick already includes 20 sites that have been repurposed for conversion into clubs in the near future. Of these, five are about to open. In addition, they are not ruling out expansion. They are targeting abandoned factories in Spain, the United States, and many others in the United Kingdom. A very innovative proposal that comes from the inspiration of Printworks and will be replicated in the coming years in many places around the world: old factories will be the new clubs.
First programs coming soon
One person on YouTube says, “I don’t want Printworks to close. But I’m happy they’re trying a new place, it won’t be the same but it’s something!” Someone on the side comments, “Top notch, it should accompany Printworks and not replace it” – Respectable opinions that may or may not change as the months go by and as The Beams performs its first shows.
Broadwick Live and LWE, promoters of the space, plan to perform twelve shows every Saturday between October and December of this year. It will open on October 1st with Michael Bibi presenting ELOVATE, the Solid Grooves frontman’s new concept. You can get all the details of this and the following stages in this article. Also, you can buy your tickets for any of the events and learn more about The Beams at their official website. Here is the link.
