Steve Swindells

Founder of The Lift Club night, initially at The Gargoyle Club, Dean Street, Soho, Steve Swindell's involvement with The Lift is a significant part of his story.

The Lift was the first-ever gay club in the UK to play streety, black music to a genuinely mixed black/white/gay/male/female/funky crowd and it became a major success story throughout the '80s. Swindell's played a crucial role in the club's development, which was a landmark throughout the decade. The club's success was due to its unique blend of music and community, attracting a diverse audience and setting a new standard for LGBTQ+ nightlife in the UK. Swindell's contribution to The Lift and his subsequent work as a club promoter and party organizer have left a lasting impact on the music scene and the LGBTQ+ community.

In an interview for online club retrospective forum ' Shapers of the '80's Steve describes how the famous Paradise Garage Club in New York inspired him to create it's transatlantic cousin:

"
Early in 1982, I was in New York City and spent several memorable nights at the legendary Paradise Garage, an extraordinary gay club in a former car park where 3,000 people of all ages, colours and backgrounds danced to the funkiest, loudest black music imaginable. I can remember thinking: why isn’t there a gay club that plays music like this in London and attracts a totally mixed black, white, gay, straight, up-for-it crowd? In the early 80s, most gay clubs played anodyne and dreary so-called ‘gay disco’, or ‘high-energy’ music and were populated almost exclusively by mustachioed white males – generally known as clones. I resolved to do something about it.

If there was one hotspot in London that year it had to be The Gargoyle Club, which had last been fashionable in the 1930s. It occupied the fifth and sixth floors of an office building in Meard Street in Soho. It was operating as a fairly seedy strip joint until 10.30pm after which it was transformed into different club nights run by various promoters. The club was only accessible by a tiny lift. Visiting the club one night, I had a light bulb moment after noticing several clutches of cool-looking (definitely not cloney) mostly black, gay men in dark corners of the room, clearly enjoying the amazing music and fantastic energy of the night.

The idea of The Lift was born. Why shouldn’t I launch London’s first ever, underground, hip, diverse and inclusive gay club night right there?"

Steve went on to create some of London's most popular themed club nights and singing showcases, including : Jungle ; Bad; Downbeat (at Browns, WC2), and Groove at WKD (Camden) until around 1992. A creative powerhouse, Steve continues to write, make and record music, and has found his creative oasis in Margate, where he remains active in the arts social scene.

Photographs : Courtesy of Steve Swindells

Links : steveswindells.substack.com steveswindells.bandcamp.com instagram.com/swindellini

Source: https://shapersofthe80s.com/clubbing/69-dean-street-and-the-making-of-uk-club-culture/