The 'underdog' nightclub that brought Ibiza to Norwich
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.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Statesman
a day ago
- New Statesman
The Gold loses its shine
Photo by BBC / Tannadice Pictures The BBC's second series of its crime drama The Gold, about the 1983 Brink's-Mat heist, picks up where things left off: about half the loot that the robbers stole from a security depot near Heathrow remains unaccounted for. The gold – worth over £110m in today's money – turned out to be rather more than the six lads could handle, and in the first series they all (more or less) ended up paying for their greed. The show's creator, Neil Forsyth, took a calculated risk in choosing to concentrate on the robbery's aftermath, rather than the theft itself – which was dealt with in about five propulsive minutes. Instead, he homed in on the gangsters' increasingly convoluted attempts to convert the bars into the lavish lives they'd always dreamed of. This time round, the investigation is being led again by DCI Boyce (a sturdy but rather dull Hugh Bonneville), with help from perky DIs Jennings (Charlotte Spencer) and Brightwell (Emun Elliott), plus a new addition, DI Lundy (a classy Stephen Campbell Moore). In the last series, Boyce was sceptical of the talents of his underlings but came round; now, they get along famously. Still, the investigation is under threat from paper-pushers higher up, who feel it's dragging on too long, costing too much and failing to produce any wins that can be published in the newspapers. Amid a few irritating tics is the series' insistent use of the word 'villain'. Do criminals really self-identify as villains, as they do here? Do coppers chasing such villains also refer to them as villains? It seems unlikely, but they do here, over and over. On that note, the villains in our sights are John Palmer (Tom Cullen), a gold-dealer-turned-fraudster living it large in Tenerife, and Charlie Miller (Sam Spruell), a run-of-the-mill crook who, unlike Palmer, isn't a real person but an amalgam of various people. Also in play, most enjoyably, is disgraced lawyer Douglas Baxter, a fictional character played with delicious waspishness by Joshua McGuire. Baxter has been struck off, we learn, after being caught taking cocaine at a steakhouse, and he is soon persuaded by Miller to start laundering huge wodges of cash for him. More than any other character, Baxter feels decidedly imaginary: he is, he believes, one of the finest legal minds of his generation; aged eight, he was accepted into Mensa. It's hard to believe such a clever-clogs would ever consort with a low-life so obviously doomed as Miller – but Baxter is excellent company, so his lack of credibility is quickly forgiven. The series is, like its predecessor, easy on the eye, with an invigorating soundtrack and solid performances. But the script tends towards the grandiose (DCI Boyce loves a little speech), and as the action flits between London, the Caribbean, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Tenerife, it can be hard to follow. When a bunch of dead-eyed Russians turn up in Tenerife, wanting their money laundered too, you just want them to go away and stop complicating things. After being criticised for presenting gangsters with a rosy tint in the first series, particularly the robber and killer Kenneth Noye (played with dash by Slow Horses'Jack Lowden), the second series tries to darken Noye's portrayal. In the first, Lowden's Noye was a Robin Hood type inclined to see his trade in class terms: 'That's how England works,' he remarked at one point. 'That lot have it and us lot nick it.' Noye's killing of a police officer was covered but felt random and underpowered, and the series didn't go up to 1996, when he murdered a 21-year-old on an M25 slip road. Even so, Palmer comes across as rather appealing: a 'villain', to be sure, but a warm and handsome one, who bids his colleagues goodbye at the end of the working day, loves his kids and gives his wife thoughtful presents. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Forsyth has confirmed that there will not be a third series, and the Brink's-Mat lemon does feel sucked dry by the end of this one. Still, taken together, both series are a real achievement: not particularly innovative television, but dependable and made with palpable craft and commitment. The Gold BBC One [See also: The People's Republic of iPhone] Related
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
A star cast leads in true crime story The Gold, airing on BBC1 tonight
The Gold on BBC1 returns for a second series, following the aftermath of the shocking real life Brink's-Mat robbery on 1983 Inspired by real events and several conspiracy theories, The Gold (on BBC1 tonight, June 10th, at 9pm) is a thrilling drama about the largest robbery in world history. The theft of £26 million worth of gold bullion from the Brink's-Mat depot in Heathrow in 1983 sparked a decades-long chain of events. Series two, starring Hugh Bonneville, Tom Cullen, Stefanie Martini, Stephen Campbell Moore, Sam Spruell and Tom Hughes, started last night, to pick up the story. After several years of investigation and multiple court cases and convictions, the police realised they had only ever been on the trail of half of the Brink's-Mat gold. The opening credits announce: 'This is our story of the other half.' It follows the conviction of some of those involved in the theft and handling the gold as well as the criminal fortune the money created. Last night's episode saw Miller (Spruell) contact financial advisor Douglas Baxter (Joshua McGuire), having heard that he could clean money - so he gave him £10 million to invest. However, it seems that greedy Baxter decided to blow some of the cash on a Rolex and several bottles of champagne. Baxter also tries to use his new job to kickstart a new business. In tonight's second episode, as the police investigation continues, it becomes a tense, high-stakes journey into international money laundering and organised crime. The detectives embark on a series of dramatic manhunts as they desperately try to solve the longest and most expensive investigation in the history of the Metropolitan Police. *The Gold continues on BBC1 tonight at 9pm There's plenty more on TV tonight - here's the best of the rest.. THE YORKSHIRE VET: AT HOME WITH THE GREENS, 5, 9pm Clocking in at 96 years old, Steve Green is surely the oldest working farmer in the country. Side by side with Jean, his wife of 45 years, the elderly couple still get up at 6.45am every day to keep their Stoneybrough Farm ticking over. This charming little series follows the endearing pair as they reminisce and also look to the future of their farm, aided by long time vet and friend Peter Wright, who describes them as 'like two smitten teenagers'. Jean says: 'When I first came it was all farm, but now it's nothing but houses and we're the only ones keeping farming going. There'll be no green acres left.' After researching the history of their Thirsk farm, they discover the land dates back to 1706, so they wonder if any of the spirits of Stoneybrough remain. Paranormal investigators are called in for a ghost hunt. In other news, calves Toffee and Apple get pneumonia and Jean wants a tattoo. TRAINWRECK: THE ASTROWORLD TRAGEDY, NETFLIX Fans at the tragic Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas, recall the horror of being caught in the deadly crowd surge in this compelling documentary. On November 5, 2021, American rapper and singer Travis Scott stepped on stage to perform his set at Astroworld. But what should have been the best night of the festival-goers lives quickly turned into a catastrophe that left ten of them dead and hundreds injured. One woman recalls: 'I'm like, 'Oh my God, I can't take a deep breath' I fell on someone, because people were falling on me.' Another festival-goer adds: 'The music started playing and you just felt your whole body move forward. And then the wave comes back.' Featuring exclusive interviews with survivors, paramedics and festival staff, this film looks at the events of that night and the aftermath. It also speaks to safety experts and security staff, delving into the critical failures that led to the disaster and questioning who is responsible. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? BBC1, 9pm Actor, writer and comedian Diane Morgan – better known as clueless historian Philomena Cunk – is unsettled to find herself having to genuinely go in search of the truth as she talks to experts to uncover her family history. Diane's father died six years ago. They had started a family tree, but there are still mysteries to solve. Diane assumed all her dad's family came from the North of England, but remembers him talking about 'German Charlie'. She's also keen to investigate rumours of a Scottish connection. EASTENDERS, BBC1, 7.30pm It's tense as Elaine stews over George helping Cindy at The Albert. Just as things start to thaw between them and Elaine surprises George with a gift, Junior storms in with a revelation. Kat is still shocked by the explicit video on Alfie's laptop, not realising that Tommy is the culprit. Yolande is hurt when Patrick makes excuses to get out of giving her a massage. Wedding planner Kim is frustrated by some snags for Kat and Alfie's big day.
Daily Record
15-05-2025
- 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."
