The return of The Colosseum
Reported by benz
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Submitted 31-01-07 21:30
A long time veteran of the so-called Vauxhall Triangle, Club Colosseum (or The Colosseum as it’s known to some) is a venue that was once frequently graced by the hard house-loving public. Nowadays it’s barely known by the younger generation, and those who used to go complained vehemently about the poor state of the venue. However, the club has been undergoing extensive refurbishment recently, transforming it from a worn-out, second rate venue to one that is suitably up to date with modern standards, and that won’t fail to impress in the hands of the right promoters. Frantic & Nu Religion are taking the place by the reigns on February 10th for Timeless Romance, and the hard dance scene awaits with baited breath to see what the results will be. We took a look around the venue with manager Hulusi Halil.
The Colosseum is owned by Sevan Leisure Holdings — a company that has owned the venue for many years, but not always as a club. “Sevan have had these premises for over 30 years” Hulusi says. “We saw great versatility and potential in its size, layout and location. Initially it was run as a conference and banqueting centre, then about 11 years ago we transformed it into the Colosseum. Since then we’ve hosted every type of club/dance event known to man. We own and run another club at Selhurst Park, in addition to bars, pubs and restaurants. All the key staff have been in the industry more years than they would like to mention.”
Following years of abuse from 100s of 1000s of clubbers, The Colosseum was in dire need of a makeover until recently. The fabric of the building was worn out, the bars were awkwardly designed, and there wasn’t nearly enough seating for a venue of its size. “We’ve completely refurbished, moved and installed new DJ stages, upgraded the lighting, and re-decorated anything that didn’t run away when approached with a paint brush!”
As for future improvements, he’s not resting on his laurels just yet. “We are always renovating and looking to improve....”
Another issue that the venue had was with the programming, and more specifically, the type of nights that they were often dealing with. Many of the more “urban” nights were causing problems, which eventually lead to Hulusi and the rest of his team deciding to steer away from these events and towards the less problematic genres. “We have some fantastic promoters on board now, with hard house nights such as Frantic, plus Salsa events, Bazillion and trance, along with our great gay event promoters.”
Well it wouldn’t really be much of a Vauxhall club without a gay night here and there, would it? The heritage in the area amongst the gay community is undoubtedly strong — with some groundbreaking venues such as The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, which became one of London’s earliest post-WW2 dens of same-sex iniquity. “Vauxhall is an ideal location with easy transport links, and so much going on. It’s like a clubbing village,” Hulusi adds.
With the addition of Area and Barcode to the area along with the refurbishment of The Colosseum, a new lease of life has been injected into Vauxhall in recent times. And in addition, with promotions like Frantic, Innovate and Polysexual all trying out new venues this year, it looks like the hard dance scene and its localities are getting a refreshing kick up the arse in 2007. If Timeless Romance pulls it off, you could be hearing a lot more about The Colosseum this year...
Photos courtesy of Sam Chamberlain and Evolution99. Not to be reproduced without permission.
TIMELESS Romance
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On:
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Saturday 10th February 2007
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At:
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The Colosseum [map]
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From:
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21:00 - 06:00
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Cost:
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£8 + BF Early Birds
£13 + BF Savers
£17 + BF Standards
More on the Door
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Website:
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www.myspace.com/franticuk
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Ticket Info:
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Ticketweb - 08700 600 100 / www.ticketweb.co.uk
Clubtickets - 0870 246 1840 / www.clubtickets.co.uk (Buy 5 get 1 FREE)
View Tickets - www.viewtickets.co.uk
Cyberdog Camden - 0207 482 2842
Never Enough Maria - 07813 684 399
Frantic HQ - 0207 247 4121
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Frantic’s glorious 10th year starts with a bang on New Year’s Day with our 0101 Party at Vauxhall’s intimate but perfectly formed Hidden – and you lucky people will only have to wait 5 weeks for your next installment of Frantic magic!
Frantic are teaming up with Nu Religion to celebrate Valentine’s Day and the history of the hard dance scene – with nothing but 100% solid gold anthems and 100% classics all night long. The line-up takes in some exclusive, rarely seen sets, headline-grabbing big names and the finest of the new wave of young, passionate hard dance DJs. We’ve got 3 cutting-edge live PAs from K90, Greg Brookman and the superb Eryk Orpheus, big hitters like Rob Tissera, Lisa Pin Up and Phil Reynolds, and the biggest new stars of the last few years like Cally Gage, Andy Whitby and Amber D. Excited? Just wait ‘til you see it in full! Be ready to relive some of the most exciting clubbing moments of your life.
A Timeless Romance will be held at The Colosseum in Vauxhall, South London – a venue which we have used previously but has now been updated to cutting-edge standards. The club has been extensively refurbished in recent years and now looks and feels like never before. Frantic will be decking it out with extra sound, extra lighting, massive lasers, dancers, pyrotechnics and décor throughout the venue to keep with our dress code theme…
We want you all to get involved with the Valentine’s lurve theme and show your support by wearing Red or White in your outfits. We don’t care what you wear – as long as youwear either of both of those colours! Spread the love with Frantic!
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Flyer:
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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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Like the inclusion of a mop + bucket in one photo. 
. Shall definitely look out for future events.
this venue for as long as i can remember!
See u all there xxxxxxxx