Vauxhall institution Barcode closes its doors for the last time on Saturday May 30th. But before you take one last spin beneath those disco balls, take a walk down memory lane with manager Michal Pryzasnyski and brush up on your Barcode history.
“On Saturday 30th May we’ll be opening doors to Barcode in Vauxhall for the very last time. We would have been celebrating Barcode’s 9th Birthday in 4 weeks’ time and although it’s almost a decade of clubbing, for me it all seems as if it happened just yesterday.
My first day was weeks before the venue was due to open to the public in June 2006. It was all wooden walls, concrete floor, cables hanging everywhere…I never imagined at that time that this place would become not only my ‘place of work’ but a place I could call home for the next 10 years. But even with the powerful and amazing Funktion1 sound system praised by many and the sky of disco balls above the dance floor, it would have been nothing without the people who helped to create this place!
One of my earliest memories of Barcode is the image of the legendary and absolutely fabulous DJ Tallulah, in his extremely long coat playing on a night called ‘MezzoDisco’ – always treating us with some fantastic tales. Then there was a Sunday tea-dance party called ‘Diablo’ with the outrageous Powder Puff Girlz. On one night I bumped into a ‘lady’ who was doing a sound check in the back room before her performance, we had a nice chat – it was Rebeka Brown who later that night performed her anthem ‘Sun Rising Up’ – this track will always conjure up memories of Barcode.
“The biggest thanks should go however to the person who always stood behind all of it, overlooking, advising and supporting – to Mr Troy Wear: We thank you!”
Then month after month Barcode was getting stronger and stronger, always welcoming and always friendly: ‘Funk You’ on Fridays, ‘Industri’ with Minty and Brent and Paul on Thursdays (we used up loads of tequila on those nights). We had a crazy Sunday night called ‘Backyard’ with Heidi Liscious and her life-sized white sheep, not to mention the fantastic Russella making pancakes on the dance floor!
In 2009 Barcode launched one of my favourite Friday nights, ‘Our House’ with Superstar Djs Hi-Fi Sean and Severino. A year later Balearic styled ‘Matador’ with Manuel and Oliver M entertained with dancing boys of Raul Gonzales. ‘Music is the Answer’ was a new monthly party celebrating New York House brought by Patrick Lilley, who later moved the iconic ‘Queer Nation’ to Barcode. In May 2010 Wayne G presented ‘Bump’ where one of the guests was duo Moto Blanco. Later Daz Saund with Leonardo Glovibes introduced us to ‘Funkarama’ hosted by Dorian Black.
Barcode was always changing, keeping the Vauxhall nightlife vibrant, buzzing and exciting! The end of 2010 was marked by Pagano’s ‘Deviate’ with Italian gang Massimo Paramour and Marco Gee amongst others. In the following years we introduced a cruise night ‘Fitladz’ and Saturday nights with the very successful DirtyDisko by DMS Collective, Higher – created by one of our most talented and longest serving resident DJs Steven Artis. Then there was TikTok, with Spanish stars: La Pequena, Deborah Ombres, Raul Pony and Borja Pena.
Over time our fantastic customers became friends, as did the staff, DJs and hosts – the Barcode family. The biggest thanks should go however to the person who always stood behind all of it, overlooking, advising and supporting – to Mr Troy Wear: We thank you!
Now it’s time to write a new chapter, but please come to visit Barcode one more time for the last dance on Saturday 30th May.”
• TikTok, Barcode’s final party, is on Saturday 30th at Barcode (69 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP), 8pm-super late. Free before 10pm, £10 after. Barcode Dog Tag holders, £8.
