Co-Op @ Plastic People, 2004 (photo: BBK Rade)

Plastic People on Curtain Road in Old Street has not only been one of the most forward-thinking and exciting clubs in London Town for almost a decade, it’s also the sort of club which meets the definition of the word ‘club’ – a place where people get together, where everyone knows each other, where people feel part of a community.

Of course we could go on about the custom built sound system and how the Funktion Ones were delivering crystal clear sound long before every other club in London cottoned on. Or how not only some of the best nights in London have found a home here – from Co-Op to FWD>> and CD-R to monthly Theo Parrish and Fourtet nights – but also how owner Ade has convinced many of the biggest DJs (from Louie Vega to Madlib, Moodyman to Jerry Dammers from the Specials and Flying Lotus) to play in this smallest of spaces.

Plastic has consistently been London’s most original and exciting spot to hear music and one which, from the outset, has been defined by the love of music. People go there to dance and not to get off their faces, which is why it’s astounding and distressing to hear the news that the Police have put up a notice outside the club advising the public of its intention to revoke the license for:

1/ PREVENTION OF PUBLIC NUISANCE
2/ PREVENTION OF CRIME ANTI DISORDER

Apparently, during raids in December, the police found evidence of cocaine usage in the ladies’ toilets and in the DJ booth. The second allegation has been vigorously refuted – anyone who has ever been to Plastic will know that the DJ booth is pitch black and, besides, none of the DJs are remotely likely to be snorting coke either while they’re DJing or after their sets.

Benny Blanco, a DJ and promoter at the club, has created a KEEP PLASTIC PEOPLE ALIVE facebook group which has attracted 6,000 signatories (and counting) in the space of 48 hours. The disbelief from everyone is plain to see. The accusations laid at the club are plainly ridiculous – the club has never had any overt drug use not has it attracted any trouble. When clubs like SE1, the Egg and the Scala have all had fatal shootings in recent years and have managed to stay open, surely they cannot close down Plastic for traces of cocaine unless there are ulterior motives?

This could all be a storm in a teacup. The venue must appeal before 11 March and will be able to see what evidence the police has prepared against it. Police attempts to close other venues in the area have been risible and their flimsy evidence has often not enough to secure a court injunction, so it’s definitely far from over.

But is this the sign of the times? The sort of city-wide policy which Mayor Giuliani brought to New York? Or a sign of the changing face of Old Street which, let’s face it, has been getting less and less alluring with every passing week? Do people even want to go to Plastic where they have to get searched every time they come back into the club, where they can’t stand in the street and chat to their friends, where the club has to close at 2am? Probably not.

It’s a sad state of affairs but when Plastic’s owner, Ade, spends more time in Berlin than in London, it’s a sign that counter-cultural practices in London with any sort of integrity are not only financially unviable (it’s pretty clear that Plastic hardly makes any money) but also now politically inexpedient.

A member on the KEEP PLASTIC PEOPLE ALIVE group noted that Plastic is one of the few black-owned clubs in London. It’s also worth mentioning that Ade has been running Plastic since it was on Oxford Street at the age of 21 or something. It’s a miracle his club has stayed open this long, attracting all the top promoters and the best acts who would give their left-arm to get a soundsystem or a crowd like they’d find here.

Whatever the outcome – whether the police get their way or the ‘power of the people’ is vindicated – at times like these you appreciate just how important a club like Plastic People has been in a lot of people’s lives. And, to tell the truth, I wouldn’t mind seeing Plastic somewhere other than on Curtain Road coz damn I been there 100+ times and could do with some variation in my life.

join the KEEP PLASTIC ALIVE facebook group