G-A-Y (at Heaven)
Ex-owner Richard Branson’s all-conquering gay dance and cruise club Heaven — where in 1983 Frankie Goes to Hollywood filmed their “Relax” video — is now owned by HMV and home to G-A-Y club nights (formerly at the now-demolished Astoria, where G-A-Y guru and promoter Jeremy Joseph reinvented 80s sensation Bang!). Expect a decidedly young, pop-loving, good-natured, energised crowd, with the occasional big-name pop star appearing on stage. Thu to Sun nights qualify as G-A-Y nights, with Friday’s Camp Attack closest in spirit to the old days at the Astoria, while Monday’s mostly gay Popcorn — “hedonistic Latin-charged dance”, with retro-pop zone Secret Discotheque in Room 3, started in 1997 — possibly draws the club’s biggest crowds. And there’s Porn Idol on Thursday. Heaven originally opened in 1979. The Astoria shut in 2009.
Villiers St, London London WC2N 6NG