XXL is believed to be the last “bear” club in London, and DJ Fat Tony, a close friend of Elton John, regularly performs to 2,000 people a night. But gay clubs have been closing rapidly in the capital, declining in number from 125 in 2006 to 53 in 2017, according to research by University College London. Photograph: Native LandsDJ Fat Tony, whose real name is Tony Marnach, said: “London can’t afford to lose another big gay venue. We [still] need gay clubs because the world we live in is not going forwards, it is going backwards. Ames and McNeil said they had proposed an LGBTQ cultural venue in the new development but the plan had not been adopted.

Source: The Guardian June 28, 2019 09:39 UTC