LGBTQ+ Community

THE DESIGN OF A DECADE

July 21, 2011

The Shadow Lounge is as much a part of Soho’s character as Cilla Black is part of its furniture, and this month the inimitable club spot celebrates ten years of air-kissing queers and hot ‘n’ heavenly bar hunks! General manager, Tolis Simpson, shares his ten favourite Shadow memories…

OPENING PARTY: JULY 2001

Shaun Given was there from the opening, that’s the first key moment: him dressed as the Pope and saying “Come kiss my ring.” There were queues outside two streets down, free drinks all night, and a scale at the entrance where anyone overweight would get weighed and not let in! Oh the things you could do those days! It was the hardest door to pass through. But what a result. It started the whole Shadow Lounge craziness.

GOLD PARTY: MAY 2009

Second I’d say the Gold Party was my second key moment. It was the birth of our once a month, members-only events. All the original VIPs were there from Cilla Black, David Furnish, Patrick Cox, Graham Norton, the Pet Shop Boys, Paul O’Grady, Ruth Lorenzo, William Baker. It was amazing to see them all together again.

NYE 2010/11

Last New Year’s Eve was our biggest night ever. It broke all records. Free flowing champagne, sushi, dancers, showgirls, open ‘til 6am and anyone who was anyone was there. Such a nice, quality NYE with the best people celebrating with us.

GREATEST HITS PARTY: 9TH BIRTHDAY JULY 2010

The 9th Birthday had lots of celebs. It was a celebration of the new dance floor when we turned it into a spaceship and did the big reveal. Camper days haven’t existed before or ever since!

KYLIE AND WILLIAM BAKER: JULY 2008

Well, what can we say, the best underwear ever, boys went crazy for some of the goodie bags – there were even fights for those on the dance floor – but when Kylie walked in nothing mattered. Everyone just went quiet. The highlight, of course, was Kylie going up to the DJ to sign all his Kylie records. Wat a star.

RUTH LORENZO: SEPTEMBER 2009

I have never seen so many Spanish (and nice!) people in one room. And the screaming! I was too scared to go downstairs, so I stayed up doing the door because the screaming was deafening. The girl is a star. They really did love her. Since then she’s been to every party of ours. A haven for her.

PATRICK COX: OCTOBER 2001

Patrick Cox’s coming out party with David Furnish and Elton John. Oh Patrick, what a star, what a friend, what an amazing first night experience for him (and us!) to welcome him to the gay scene like this. A highlight for certain when one of my waiters popped the champagne and the cork hit Sir Elton! Everyone just gasped thinking he is going to go mental, but he was the funniest guy.

JORDAN: MAY 2008

I think it was when she split up, just as she divorced Peter Andre and her hairdresser brought her over. She was definitely not as misbehaved as they make her out to be. She’s actually much nicer from what all the tabloids say. She was very lady like. Not even one topless picture in there!

TINA COUSINS: AUGUST 2009

Our biggest charity event for Stonewall raised thousands of pounds. Tina is a dear, dear friend. I remember after the party it was just five of us: Matthew, her best friend, and three of mine and we started getting really drunk so I asked her to perform my favorite song of hers ‘Killing Time’. I gave her the microphone and she started singing and dancing just for us, five people on the dancefloor screaming.

10TH BIRTHDAY AND RENOVATION: JULY 2011

Well, I’d like it to be about the future, our renovation. The greatest moment for sure will be this 10th birthday party. Ten years later, still ten years ahead is our motto. We are gutting everything, from glasses, buckets, tills, serving areas, stock, decoration, toilets, entrance. It’s time to look into the future, to another ten years, which if they are near as successful as the past ten, I’ll be the proudest manager ever.

The Shadow Lounge (5 Brewer Street, Soho, W1F ORF) celebrates ten years with a full refurbishment from Monday 25th July. The official 10th Birthday Party is on Thursday 28th July – beg, buy or steal your ticket asap!