Nightlife Crisis: ZDR and Lucha Britannia latest to feel pinch

Nightlife Crisis: ZDR Events host Zara DuRose, above, has postponed London’s Blade Runner party from June 1 to August 3 at Union Club

NIGHTLIFE CRISIS: ZDR AND LUCHA BRITANNIA LATEST TO FEEL PINCH

The UK’s nightlife crisis means that a number of events — especially but not exclusively of the more alternative kind — are finding it increasingly hard, even in London, to attract big enough audiences to keep going.

Only ten days ago, social media was awash with the news that Lucha Britannia — the long-established, fetish-friendly, comedy wrestling cabaret night that began at Resistance Gallery before relocating, post-covid, to Village Underground in Shoreditch — was facing the possibility that its Friday May 10 event would be its last ever London night owing to “dire attendance and ticket sales”, a situation it attributed jointly to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the loss of venues in the capital.

Two days after Lucha’s show, on Sunday May 12, Zara DuRose, host of London’s popular ZDR fetish parties, announced that ticket sales for ZDR’s upcoming Blade Runner night on June 1 at Vauxhall’s Union Club “aren’t looking good with only 20 days to go”. Zara explained that after comparing the purchases from previous events over the same timeframe, “there’s a noticeable difference, and unless things pick up soon we’ll have to postpone Blade Runner for another date in the hope things improve later in the year”.

Shows set for ZDR’s Blade Runner, now on August 3, include burlesque artiste Vicky Butterfly (left) and circus performers Duo Millers

Zara added that it wasn’t just ZDR Events that had been feeling the pinch from the nightlife crisis recently. “Following conversations with other event promoters in our scene, a lot of us are in the same boat, and are also struggling to justify the time and money that go into organising these spectacular evenings for people to enjoy when there’s a huge risk of financial loss. Not to mention having half empty clubs without the usual buzz compared to previous years…”

Many people on the scene are aware that ZDR has previously had more than its fair share of venue problems — such as venue managements pulling out at the last minute after action by local councils. So sympathy, if not total surprise, would surely have greeted Zara’s additional revelation on May 12 that Wonderland, ZDR’s planned follow-up to Blade Runner in the Midlands in August, had now also run into venue difficulties.

Two days later, on May 14, ZDR announced that it had sought to resolve both problems by moving the date of Blade Runner back two months to Saturday August 3 (still at Union Club) — the date originally planned for Wonderland in the Midlands. At the same time, Wonderland itself has been postponed until summer 2025, when ZDR is clearly hoping that venue availability will have improved.

If you have bought tickets for Blade Runner but can’t make the new August date at Union, you can claim a refund until May 25. “After then we will not be able to offer refunds unless the event sells out, as per our usual T&Cs,” says the promoter.

Lucha Britannia founder Garry Vanderhorne with wife and co-host Kat, sporting matching outfits blending lucha libre and latex style

As for Lucha Britannia, we are waiting to hear how the event’s hosts see its future after its May 10 night. On the eve of that show, founder Garry Vanderhorne said: “For over a decade, Lucha Britannia has been a labour of love, a celebration of the eclectic spirit of London's nightlife which thousands of people have revelled in over the years.

In the face of adversity, he added, he hoped that the event’s “loyal supporters and the broader community” would rally behind the preservation of London's cultural heritage, to “defy the odds and ensure that the vibrant spirit of Lucha Britannia continues to thrive for years to come”.

There is no doubt that both Lucha and ZDR — and more London events by the look of things — are up against the harsh realities of people’s current economic circumstances. Alt/fetish audiences are known for their loyalty, but seasoned promoters also know that, when times are tight, the entertainments they provide may sadly become dispensable luxuries for people who are having to economise just to continue affording the essentials.

If you can keep supporting events like this during the nightlife crisis, please do. Because history tells us that when such events disappear — even if only in the expectation of this being a temporary measure until things get better — it can be a lot harder to bring them back than you might think.

Action at Lucha Britannia: the only kind of tumble we want to see, as this event tries to survive nightlife crisis (photo: Alistair Veryard)