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The 'underdog' nightclub that brought Ibiza to Norwich

The 'underdog' nightclub that brought Ibiza to Norwich

BBC News16-02-2025

A city centre building that housed an accountancy firm just a few years ago is now known as one of the best dance venues in Europe.The team behind Gonzo's Two Room on London Road, Norwich call themselves "underdogs", lacking the big budgets of nightclubs in London and Ibiza.This is the story of how it came to be shortlisted for the BBC Radio 1 Dance Awards prize for best venue in the UK and Europe.
Owner Mike Baxter wanted to create somewhere people could go for a night out that was not too commercial. "We wanted to make it a very clear and separate identity to anything else you would find in Norwich. We wanted a nice place for our friends and a nice place for our community."We weren't ambitious people by any means but one day we had the opportunity to buy the building."Our dad had hundreds of thousands of records growing up and so did we, we had CDs, and that's pretty much what we spent our money on as kids. "We were able to lean in and create the two-room, which is basically not for profit, but for the love of music."
Gonzo's booking manager Levi De Belgeonne said: "We're not Ibiza, we're not London, not Liverpool, Manchester - we haven't had the budgets of some of those huge clubs, so when we're trying to attract DJs to pay, we can't go toe to toe when it comes to the financials but we do have a lot of love."Norwich has always been known as a good city for local bands, for indie bands, big touring bands.Mr Baxter added: "We are an underdog story and I think artists love that... it's not just a faceless identity in a big city full of clubs and venues, it's a real part of the community."
He explained how the history of dance music in the UK stemmed back to 90s rave culture. "Lots of that was the illegal raves out on farms, the parties in the fields... some of the acts we have now were the teenagers themselves in the fields."For years after the rave scene, everything was locked up in the city. You would go to Ibiza for dance music, you would go to a super club. "For us to have found a way to bring that to Norfolk and make it so that people can celebrate that and see that in a small venue, I think has been really special." Social media and word of mouth is how Gonzo's has created a customer and fanbase. The nightclub has been shortlisted alongside 10 clubs in London, Manchester and Ibiza for the BBC Radio 1 Dance Awards prize for best venue in the UK and Europe. "I think the joke we've been making is we've heard of every one of those clubs except for us!," Mr Baxter said.
Gonzo's is known as a place to finish off a night out and it seems to draw people back time and again.Joe Savory, 21, said although it might not be able to match clubs in Ibiza, it had a "great atmosphere". He said: "I really do like it in there. It does get chaotic in there but I've only been there a few times. It is a good atmosphere if you like to have a dance and like your music."
The venue is also memorable for 34-year-old Rachel Martin, who said: "It was our first baby-free night out and my husband and I had a few drinks... it was awesome."We didn't get home until 06:00 the next morning, so great times. "I haven't been to Ibiza but anywhere that gets us to stay out until 6am in Norwich should probably get some sort of award." The winner of the BBC Radio 1 Dance Awards prize for best venue in the UK and Europe will be announced live on Radio 1 Dance from 18:00 GMT on 21 February.
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The Gold loses its shine
The Gold loses its shine

New Statesman​

timea day ago

  • New Statesman​

The Gold loses its shine

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A star cast leads in true crime story The Gold, airing on BBC1 tonight
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Daily Mirror

time3 days ago

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Jeremy Vine reported music legend's son for road offence and made him lose his driving licence
Jeremy Vine reported music legend's son for road offence and made him lose his driving licence

Daily Record

time15-05-2025

  • Daily Record

Jeremy Vine reported music legend's son for road offence and made him lose his driving licence

BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, who is a big cycling enthusiast, reported one British icon's son to the authorities after he caught him on his phone behind the wheel. Cycling guru and BBC star Jeremy Vine caused the son of a British punk rock icon to have his driving licence revoked after he snapped him engaging in an illegal habit while behind the wheel, according to reports. Baxter Dury, the son of the late Ian Dury, confessed to the humiliating moment while being interviewed on BBC 6 Music by Huw Stephens. He explained that he had been checking his phone in a traffic jam when Vine cycled past and caught him in the act. Ian Dury was a popular singer in the late 70s and early 80s' burgeoning punk rock and new wave genres as well as frequently troubling government censors with countercultural and suggestive imagery, such as in his UK Number One track Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick. ‌ Baxter, 53, appears to have followed in his father's footsteps. He had been driving back to his West London home from producer Paul Epworth's studio, where they had been working on his latest album, Albarone, when the BBC star caught him red handed and recorded him. ‌ Dury admitted to Huw Stephens: "Do you know what? This is a tragic story, but I drove there for the first half (of making the record) and then lost my licence." However, Baxter did not blame Vine for reporting him as he told the BBC that he probably deserved it, the Mirror reports. Baxter explained: "I got caught in a traffic jam, and Jeremy Vine took a film of me looking at Instagram, which he deserves to, I'm not arguing about (it). " He added: "Shouldn't probably say that publicly, he's probably in the other room, isn't he?" When the BBC Radio 2 presenter caught wind that it had been Ian Dury's son he caught, he shared his love of his father's work but did not apologise. ‌ He told the Mail: "This is very unfortunate. I would like Baxter to know that I love his dad's music. "I'm afraid mobile phone use in cars in London, particularly the posher parts, is an absolute curse. So I am quite tunnel-visioned about it. ‌ "'We have 1700 road deaths a year. Sorry to be serious about it. Best wishes to Baxter." Vine has recorded countless drivers disobeying road rules over the years, often exposing their actions on social media to raise awareness of the dangers cyclists face every day. However, last month, the cyclist revealed he had made the surprising decision to stop posting videos after receiving an overwhelming amount of abuse. ‌ The TV presenter has brought in hundreds of millions of views, without making a penny, across various social media platforms, which has also inevitably brought in huge waves of online trolling. He said on X: "I'm stopping my cycling videos. The trolling just got too bad. They have had well over 100 million views but in the end the anger they generate has genuinely upset me." Vine also shared that he had received serious death threats for sharing videos of drivers breaking the rules. ‌ Online trolls have branded him "England's biggest ***hole" and called for the Channel 5 debate host to be crushed by a lorry. After deciding to finally pack it in, the TV star said he would miss the conversations sparked by the videos, which could be about relatively small infractions. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. He said: "Some of the biggest videos were actually about the smallest incidents, like someone turning left in front of me. "People are happy to discuss it and I actually think that we'd all be safer if we all understood each other. People are going to drive 4x4s in Kensington and whatnot but they need to have a bit of care for me on a bicycle. "You might be in total control when you pass close by but the person on a bicycle doesn't know that. I just hope I was part of a dialogue about it."

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