Draft:G-A-Y Late

G-A-Y Late was a single-level gay nightclub in Soho, London, England, operated by the G-A-Y brand and owner Jeremy Joseph until its closure in December 2023.

The club operated in the Central London gay scene throughout the 2000s, and was operated alongside its sister venue the Heaven Nightclub in Charing Cross and the G-A-Y brand.

G-A-Y Late operated later opening hours than its other sister venue on Old Compton Street, hence its name, staying open from 10pm until 3am, 7 nights a week.

Nightlife
G-A-Y Late was one of the sole venues in Central London that had the licensed capacity to open as a nightclub on a Sunday evening. Thus, it was popular within the community on the nights that other clubs were not open.

The club comprised of one elongated room on one level, with a lowered step to dance floors at either side. The bar was situated in the middle, and multiple dance platforms were added and removed during its tenure. The club relied on an array of lights and screens, upon which G-A-Y brand posters were displayed.

The music in the venue varied throughout the week but mainly comprised of 80s pop, disco, and current chart hits, alongside anthems associated with the LGBTQ+ community.

The venue reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic to extended opening hours, from 6pm until 3am, and saw a great resurgence in attendance from the community.

Closure
On November 24th, 2023, it was announced by owner Jeremy Joseph on his X (Twitter) and Instagram that G-A-Y Late would be permanently closing as of 10th December, 2023.

The closure sparked shock within the London Gay community and news coverage of the announcement within both LGBTQ+ and mainstream media ensued.

Mr Joseph cited multiple issues leading to the closure, calling it "impossible" to continue to keep it open. Constant building works, the use of the road nearby for parking, poor accessibility, late night safety issues, and lack of police support were quoted by Mr Joseph in his statement.

In the same statement, it was announced that its sister venue G-A-Y Bar (on Old Compton Street) would be operating under new opening hours until 1am. It was also confirmed that no staff would lose their jobs as a result of the closure.

Furthermore, Mr Joseph announced that he planned to recreate "an updated version of G-A-Y Late" at its sister venue Heaven, utilising two of the rooms in the multi-level superclub over "more nights". This was coupled with a successful application to Westminster City Council for a capacity increase at Heaven, alongside a wheelchair accessibility promise for the venue and interior works.

The sign from G-A-Y Late was taken to Heaven and placed on the wall in the entrance foyer. The closure of G-A-Y Late sparked conversations within the community and local government about safeguarding of the community nightlife.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, in an interview with Gay Times, expressed sadness at the announcement of the closure, further acknowledging the need for LGBTQ+ safe spaces in London.