The Story of the London Dungeons - A Brief History of The SeOne Complex
Reported by benz
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Submitted 13-12-04 21:04
London Bridge. What do those words make you think of? For me, I cannot disassociate those two words from a mental image of one of the capital’s best loved clubs – The SeOne Complex. Suggestively situated next to the London Dungeons, this immense, barren venue is one of London’s largest and most popular, with 5 rooms catering for up to 3000 clubbers at a time. As a preview for Lashed’s 1st Anniversary at The SeOne on December 18th, I delved into the seedy underbelly of London Bridge clubbing to find out more about this magical venue…
So tracing things back a little, until about 4 years ago, The SeOne was known as The Drome. The club, which consists of the space under the railway arches of London Bridge train station, originally came into existence thanks to the efforts of squatters and their illegal parties. The space was formerly a car park by day, but once the squatters took it over, it was party central. It is one of the few clubs in the country that can boast such an ingrained heritage of partying and dance music – it definitely adds to the whole ambience of the venue if you know about its long-standing status as a haven for dance mad hedonists. The SeOne website is sketchy on details, but it seems that at some point it was decided that the venue should be made legal – and this is how The Drome came into existence. It was a very basic, stripped down club, with fairly rudimentary facilities from what I hear. The parties were the stuff of legends though – the infamous Raindance events were (and still are) guaranteed sell-outs, and early Antiworld parties were well-known for being totally off the planet. The Antiworld crew still refer to The SeOne as their spiritual home.
Over the past 4 years, immense improvements have been made to the club under the new ownership (and new name). Vastly superior air-conditioning and plumbing, state-of-the-art soundsystems and lighting rigs, sprung wooden floors in two of the biggest rooms, leather sofas, potted plants (!), new licks of paint…they have basically kept the essential structure and feeling of the venue, but made it as nice as possible within those constraints. Being inside it feels very different to most other clubs you will go to. Especially when all 5 rooms are open, and there are stalls selling jewellery, laughing gas, food (and sometimes mushrooms!)…it feels so vast and spacious, and so…excuse the cliché…underground. The simplicity of the club (no stairs remember, it’s all on one floor) is to its advantage.
There’s no doubt about it – this club is premier league stuff. Just look at the calibre of events hosted there…Tidy, Frantic, Raindance, Antiworld, The DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Awards…these are big hitters clearly. But it’s not only the big boys that use this venue – Deep Blue, comprising of the smaller arches at the back of the club, is one of the nicest small club spaces I have ever been to. More intimate events can regularly be found here, further extending the SeOne Complex’s musical scope.
Deep Blue, looking sumptuous
If you’ve been before, you’ll know the crack. If not, what are you waiting for?
with many thanks to Daf for the photos
LASHED: The Anniversary
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On:
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Saturday 18th December 2004
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At:
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S.E.One [map]
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From:
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8:00pm - 06:00am
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Cost:
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£13 Early Bird Tickets, £16 SuperSaver, £19 Saver, £22 Standard
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Website:
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www.lashedworld.com
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Ticket Info:
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ADVANCED TICKETS:
THE EARLY BIRD TICKETS: £13.00 +bf
SUPERSAVER TICKETS: £16.00 + bf
SAVER TICKETS: £19.00 + bf
STANDARD: £22.00 +bf
The Six ways to get your tickets:
1. Frantic Office
Credit / Debit & Cash Sales
Call 07949 618035
2. Ticketweb
Credit/Debit Card Sales // 24hr Hotline & Online Sales
Call 08700 600 100 or logon to www.ticketweb.co.uk
3. ClubConnexion
Credit / Debit Card & Cash Sales
0870 246 2050 or logon to www.clubtickets.com
4. Cyberdog Stores (London)
Camden: 0207 4822 842
5. E-listlondon.com
Online ticket purchase and advance guest list booking: 07908 809 077
6. Maria
Cash sales, will meet clubbers in North or Central London.
07813 684 399
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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After our sold-out Lashed events saw thousands of avid clubbers take by storm SeOne in London, Scotland, Russia, Finland, the infamous Hell’s Angels Bulldog Bash and six exclusive parties in Ibiza, we decided to hit, not only the capital, but the whole country with an armament of roof raising parties. The mythical club full of nostalgia, Heaven in London, will declare the festivities open on November 5th with five rooms of musical excellence, crossing over all different styles from hard dance to trance to house to electro and breaks so that no one is spared. The exuberance will then spread across the UK and Ireland with its second victim being The exuberance will then spread across the UK and Ireland - The Arches in Glasgow, Revolution in Ireland, Coach in Northern Ireland, Air in Birmingham, Evolution in Cardiff, SeOne in London
and The Works in Nottingham.
Our annual Christmas bash, that attracted more than 2,500 clubbers last year, The Anniversary, will be held at SeOne in London with an array of top international DJs that will break
all the rules of music policies.
Be reassured, this won’t be the end; Lashed will be celebrating with the release of a CD in January 2005 that will reflect the frantic vibe of the parties and the best dance music around. And if this wasn’t enough, you will be able to satisfy your need of Lisa Lashes’ furious brand of music with a BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix on 5th December 1-3am, after three years of absence on the airwaves… it will rock!
Room One - Hard Dance – Lisa Lashes, BK, Tidy Boys, Lisa Pin-Up, NuEnergy Collective, Paul Glazby, A-Star, Andy Whitby, Ed Real.
The line-up of this room is the absolute reference to the quality of our parties. Once again, we have pushed the envelope to create the ultimate show! You can’t go wrong with these DJs who will make your heart beat at its maximum and blow your mind off with their hard, fast and dirty tracks. This is going to be bigger and better than any other party you have ever experienced.
Room Two - Lashed Breaks Session – Freq Nasty, The Freestylers DJs, Matt Canton, Lashes Breaks, Max Cooper - 3 decks, Steelo
This room will dedicate its sound to those dirty basslines, fat beats, pumping rhythms and frenetic scratching. Due to the success of our irreplaceable breaks sessions, we try to set our standards even higher after each party. This time, we have indisputably managed to reunite THE best artists and talent of the genre for you under the same roof. This is the biggest breaks line up of the autumn anywhere, anytime!
Room Three - Hard Dance - Internationally Lashed - Rob Tissera (Italy), Proteus (Finland), Karim (France), Tara Reynolds (Australia), Eduardo Herrera (Brazil), Jay Pidgeon (Ireland), Paul Henry (South Africa), Donna Birt (New Zealand)
How to go round the world in 10 hours without leaving one room or how to be hit by some of the finest sounds from outside the UK. This room will be dedicated to top international DJs that have made it big in their respective countries and that will literally explode our dancefloor. Be ready to give them a warm welcome!
Room Four - Balearic Lashed – Griff – Manumission, Savers, Bass Spankers, Filthy Rich.
Maximum dirty dancing is required with these funky vibes. Our DJs will give you a reminder of your summer holidays in Ibiza, and for those who have never been there, you’ll find out what all the hype is all about right here. Our DJs are regulars at the Devil’s Island and know exactly what tunes will set the room on fire.
Room Five - Lashed-techno – Dave Angel, Filterheadz (Live), BK (Techno set), Dave Randall, Paul Christian.
This room is solely dedicated to the genre that has had the most influence on dance music over the past decade. It has never gone out of fashion and actually keeps getting better. Its incessant quality means that it is still perceived as the edgiest sound of electronic music. Whether it’s a DJ set or live performance, our tremendous line-up will only confirm this.
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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