Now we walk towards St James Street, get tantalisingly close but keep on going. And where are we headed? Our destination is 32-34 Old Steine, and the largest and surely the most famous gay club in Brighton: Revenge, which opened in 1991. The shop to the left of the entrance to Revenge was once a small gay bar itself: Vavoom, which opened in 2004.

If we walk to the corner and look left, we can see R-Bar at 7 Marine Parade. Once known as Kruze, it was created as a pre-club bar for Revenge (hence the name). 

On our right (over the roundabout), were two other gay clubs in the 1970s. The Palace Pier Hotel on the corner of Grand Junction Road and Pool Valley (opposite the Royal Albion Hotel), housed the men only Palace Bar below it; and the Queen’s Hotel at 1-3 Kings Road had its own underground venue: The Curtain Club.

The voices you are hearing are of:
Alex Fincher
Alfie Ordinary
Rupert Ellick
Allan Cardew

Sound editing:
Olive Mondegreen
Alex Fincher

Recommended Age: 16+
Content Warning: Mention of sex, adult language, adult themes, mention of substance use and violence.