Heaven

Heaven is a venue located in London that was opened in December 1979. At the time, London was in a state of decay and gloom due to the rise in unemployment, and Heaven was seen as a splash of color and flamboyance to counterbalance the otherwise gray capital. Heaven quickly became the focal point of London’s LGTBQ+ scene, which until then had been based in small hidden cellar bars or pub discos. It was the brainchild of Jeremy Norman, responsible for the Embassy club, which was seen as the nearest London had to Studio 54 in New York.

Heaven has been a venue that has constantly reinvented itself over the years. It has hosted a variety of events, from gay club nights such as “Bedrock,” “Pyramid,” “Shoom,” “Rage,” and “Megatripolis,” to live shows featuring bands who wanted to play at an off-the-wall venue. Notably, New Order played their first London show here in 1981, and Nick Cave’s original band, The Birthday Party, played a storming set in 1982 that is still spoken about today.

In 2008, MAMA Group went into partnership with G-A-Y founder Jeremy Joseph and purchased Heaven from the pure group. G-A-Y was moved over from the Astoria and has since featured notable performances by Adele, Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Miley Cyrus, One Direction, and many others. Additionally, the UK’s busiest Monday night, Popcorn, continues to pack them in each week with a rousing all-nighter featuring the best house and R&B.

Over the course of the last decade, some of the best live bands have graced the stage here, both established artists and up-and-coming. Heaven is now central London’s only one-thousand-capacity venue for live music, and its sound and lighting system is comparable to anything else on offer to live music promoters in other venues. The atmosphere created for live music in this basement space, so full of history right underneath Charing Cross station, is unique and the question is often posed why it took some three decades into its time before it was discovered by live event promoters.