Fabric is a nightclub in Farringdon, London, built inside a former Victorian cold storage warehouse on Charterhouse Street, directly opposite Smithfield Market. Founded by Keith Reilly and Cameron Leslie, the venue first opened its doors on 21 October 1999 after a conversion of the building that took more than three years, and was designed around a simple formula: a serious sound system, a forward-looking music policy, and three distinct underground rooms carved out of the building’s original brick vaults.
Since its opening, Fabric has become one of the most influential electronic music venues in the world, twice voted the world’s number one club in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 Clubs poll. The club survived a major crisis in 2016 when its license was revoked following two drug-related deaths, only to reopen months later after a public campaign and a deal struck with local authorities, cementing its reputation as a resilient fixture of London’s nightlife.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Farringdon, London, England
- Type: Nightclub / electronic music venue
- Opened: 21 October 1999
- Capacity: About 1,600
- Rooms: Three rooms with independent sound systems
- Famous for: DJ Magazine’s World’s #1 Club (2007 and 2008)
Three Rooms Carved Into a Victorian Warehouse
Fabric occupies a converted 19th-century cold storage facility that once served the neighboring Smithfield meat market, and its underground brick vaults were shaped into three separate rooms, each with its own independent sound system. Two of the rooms include stages for live performances alongside DJ sets.
Room One is the venue’s signature space, built around a ‘bodysonic’ dancefloor fitted with hundreds of bass transducers embedded beneath the floor so dancers feel the bassline as much as they hear it. The club’s programming has long followed a weekly rhythm: bass-driven genres like drum and bass and dubstep on Fridays under the FABRICLIVE banner, and house and techno on Saturdays led by long-running resident DJs Craig Richards and Terry Francis.
Closure, Campaign, and Comeback
In September 2016, Islington Council revoked Fabric’s license after two drug-related deaths at the venue, effectively shutting the club down. The decision drew immediate backlash from DJs, musicians, and fans who argued the closure punished a venue that had invested heavily in safety and security.
A public crowdfunding campaign raised more than £200,000 to support the fight to reopen, and Fabric struck a deal with Islington Council and London’s Mayor to reopen in 2017 under stricter conditions, including ID scanning, increased CCTV, and lifetime bans for anyone caught with drugs. The club has continued operating since, remaining a fixture on DJ Magazine’s Top 100 Clubs list.
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Fabric FAQs
When did Fabric nightclub open?
Fabric first opened on 21 October 1999 in a converted Victorian cold storage warehouse in Farringdon, London.
Why did Fabric close in 2016?
Islington Council revoked Fabric’s license in September 2016 following two drug-related deaths at the venue. It reopened in 2017 after a public campaign and a deal with local authorities that added stricter security measures.
What is Fabric’s capacity?
Fabric holds about 1,600 people across its three underground rooms, each with an independent sound system.
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Photo: Lolita Montana / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.