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Electric Dreams is currently now only open every second Friday in the month at The Purple Turtle in Camden.
A press release about Electric Dreams can be downloaded in either rich text format (rtf) or as a pdf file
Past reviews of our club from various websites and magazines may be reached
from here.
The Purple Turtle
The Purple Turtle, 61-65 Crowndale Road, Camden, London (opp. Mornington Crescent tube). Admission £5 . Open from 10.30pm to 3.00am.
Website: www.purpleturtlebar.com
The venue is a small, gothic themed pub with an intimate atmosphere, and a decor rather reminiscent of a 70's Hammer Horror film set. Drinks are at pub prices with a special offer of test-tube shots at £1.00 each. Photos of the interior and exterior can be seen on our gallery page.
Address: 109 Cannon St, London, EC4N 5AD
Tel: 020 7626 8246
Nearest tube stations: Cannon Street (0 miles), Bank (0.1 miles), Monument (0.2 miles)
Nearest DLR stations: Bank (0.1 miles), Tower Gateway (0.7 miles)
Nearest train stations: Cannon Street (0 miles), Moorgate (0.5 miles), Fenchurch Street (0.5 miles)
By day bus: routes 15, 521, 17. London transport map: Map: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/monument-2175.pdf
By Night bus: N11. Map: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/cityoflondonnightbuses-13504.pdf
Electric Dreams was started on 13th January 1997, by a group of enthusiasts for eighties synth and new wave music. We had got to know each other through having met at some of the various eighties clubs that sprang up in London in the mid nineties. By 1997, however, most of these had either become defunct, or were playing very tourist-orientated, commercial eighties music that held no appeal for us. One of us (Stix) had had the idea of doing his own club, but had been unable to find a suitable venue. Things changed when Stix and Valeriun met at a party, discussed the idea of an eighties club, and decided to join forces. Valeriun had heard that the Thursday night at Gossips had recently become vacant, and so the club's management were approached, and after some negotiation Electric Dreams was started. Although its night was shortly afterwards moved to Monday, the club continued otherwise unchanged, and remains the only alternative club in London with a music policy of mainly eighties new wave, although goth, industrial, punk and even some contemporary grooves are often included in the mix according to the inclination of the DJ's, and requests from the crowd. This diverse policy is reflected in the people who come, who include " alternative " music enthusiasts of all kinds. Towards the end of 2004, Gossips changed management. It was renamed 'The Soho Lounge' and was used for more populist events than previously, such as R'nB nights and speed dating. Electric Dreams left in early 2005 after eight years at the venue. For a brief time we relocated to The Metro Bar, a similar small club venue in nearby Oxford Street, then we moved to The Purple Turtle in Camden, where we are based at present.
Gossips had a long history as a nightclub that dates from the early twenties. It occupies the cellar of an eighteenth century building in Dean Street, Soho, in the heart of London's West End. The venue has played host to some notable nights in the past, including Steve Strange's "Fame, Fame, What's Your Name - A Club For Heroes", the birthplace of the New Romantic movement, "The Batcave", the world's first ever goth club, and The Hardclub and Pure Industrial, two long running industrial/EBM nights.
In late 2004, new management was brought to Gossips.The venue was extensively refurbished and renamed 'The Soho Lounge'. The emphasis was changed from alternative music to R&B, private parties and speed dating nights.
If you are interested to read more about Gossips and the many nights it has hosted over the years, an OCR scan of an article which originally appeared in The Face magazine in 1983 may be read from here.
