One of the world’s most famous nightclubs, Fabric, is currently in danger of being shutdown. London Evening Standard reports that police are threatening to revoke the club’s license, claiming that over the past three years, four of its patrons have died after taking MDMA, ecstasy, and other popular club drugs. The most recent death was September, when an 18-year old girl collapsed and later died in a hospital after buying MDMA from within the club. The club also has been the center of 12 drug possession & distribution instances between April and October of this year. Still, many fans of Fabric, which has been voted the best club in the world twice by DJ Mag, are crying foul over such a potentially harsh punishment. Fabric has been a staple in the UK club scene for over 15 years, but authorities believe revoking its license after four deaths could stop an epidemic of drug-related incidents before the numbers increase. As the club’s fate hangs in jeopardy, police are also calling for stricter security measures to be instituted: drug dogs, ID scanners, and metal detectors, even though patrons are already vigorously searched upon entry.
Should Fabric close down, it would be the end of a historic club that has been on the cutting edge of the underground scene. Fabric has hosted talent such as Adam Beyer, Marco Carola, Luciano, Carl Craig, and countless others. It’s also spawned a CD series, with mixes from John Digweed, Stacey Pullen, Claude Vonstroke, and Joseph Capriati (coming in February 2015). The controversy at Fabric is only the latest international example of clubs and festivals trying to crack down to prevent drug-related deaths. Though this is nothing new in the United States; the amount of drug-related deaths at festivals this year rose exponentially, which led to extra security, most notably at this year’s Electric Zoo Festival. But as stories like these spread across the internet, one can only wonder: are shutdowns really the answer? Or is it finally time to force the conversation of drug education into the spotlight?
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Image: Resident Advisor
Story: The Standard
