FIRE has been at the forefront of London clubbing for many years now. In it peak it remain packed virtually non stop from Thursday night all the way to Monday afternoon. It broke the mould with an innovative 'LightBox' room by installing what must have been the the first time we saw a multi pixel wall and cieling in a club. Slowly over the years Fire has grown taken over one railway arch after another...and even jumping across the road to take over Area.
With such success it also has been at the centre of much politics...dividing a scene as it empire grows.
Although Fire has had a few face lifts, nips and tucks, it is currently undergoing under a major redevelopment. Recognising that the flames that use to fuel the fire are burning a little dim, we catch up with Fire owner Craig Elder to find out what will relight the club into the burning beacon of the London gay scene.
Why have you decided to renovate Fire at this time?
Over the past 7 years or so, we have constantly improved and updated Fire, we redid the main room when we first bought the club, then the Mirror arch, then built The Lightbox, then refitted the Lounge and then most recently the garden and smoking area... The main room has been on my Radar for ages and getting it done before the bank Holiday and the start of the final quarter made sense all round.
Will all of Fire be renovated or only certain rooms?
It's the main room that's getting the major refit at Fire and we are also building a brand new much bigger stage at Area and no we won't have to close at all, our guys are working around the club opening hours.
What can we expect FIRE to look like after you have finished?
I'd rather not give too much away... come down and see, but it's enough to say, the main room will look different
Is this inline with a certain vision you have for Fire?
My `vision' has always to keep both venues at the cutting edge and give our customers the best in the UK
Where do you come up with your ideas an inspirations?
I get ideas from everywhere really, sometimes I will see an effect in a music video or a film and try and translate that to the club, also I am constantly looking at what innovations big design companies have etc... I like to be the first to try new thing.
As the owner of both AREA & Fire, have you found AREA's increased popularity having an impact on Fire in terms of crowds and the type of clubbers?
The London clubbing scene is always in a state of flux, a few years ago it was all about massive weekly Saturday nights and now the emphasis has changed, Onyx has helped reshape Friday nights which has given A:M a boost and Beyond is busy each week which boosts Later at Fire.
After the renovations what clubs and brands can we expect to see at FIRE?
It's very much a continuation of evolution, I don't think I will ever stop... at Fire we have Gravity, rudeboiz, A:M, later and Orange every week, with regular parties like Queer Nation, Lovechild and special events like As One.
Could you give us a brief history of yourself as a club promoter/owner.
Orange started life as a party for friends and then took on a life of its own, we were responding to customer demand, then we moved to Vauxhall and I got the taste for rebuilding and refitting clubs and knocking down walls and have no plans to stop any time soon
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Our big priority at the moment is the work on both venues, refitting the main room at Fire and the new stage and blackbox at Area... I still get really excited about this job and nothing beats putting on a brilliant party. xx
