Brighton nightclub The Arch gets ready to reopen

The Arch in Kings Road Arches will open its doors on Saturday, June 26, if plans to lift all restrictions from June 21 go ahead as planned.

Clubbers will find a new soundsystem and two new rooms at the club, which has also announced a season of events featuring Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, Skream, Shanti Celeste and more.

The storied Victorian arches have been completely refreshed with stripped back and newly polished concrete floors, exposed steel mezzanines for overarching views and a stylish industrial decor throughout.

The Arch was about to celebrate its fifth birthday in March 2020 when Covid-19 hit.

It was forced to close and soon after had its bid for Culture Recovery Funding rejected by the Arts Council.

Damien Fell, Head of Music at The Arch and Life in the Park Festival, said: “Rather than resting on our laurels we decided to give this historic Brighton venue a new lease of life and committed to a big refurbishment, even though we did not receive the Arts Council funding.

“The last year has been extremely challenging; to keep the business alive we built a take away bar from the venue’s fire exit and dug in to get the job done.

“The Arch is looking the best it ever has and I can only sit here in awe of the work that has been done by the team as we set to reopen with Jamie Jones on Saturday 26th June.”

The space first opened in 1984 with the goal of being ‘a club for artists, run by artists who understand performers and their needs’ and has existed under various incarnations as The Zap Club, Digital and Coliseum.

Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, said: “The music community in Brighton is close to my heart; it’s where I live and I’ve been a part of it for decades.

“The Arch is also part of that and they’ve put Brighton’s nightlife scene at the centre of the UK underground movement for several years now.

“It’s been a struggle for them during the pandemic and it’s great to see them refurbishing the space.

“The club is part of Brighton’s musical heritage (I can remember the heady days when it was Zap Club!) and the team at The Arch are preserving that for future generations.

“I really hope to play there again this summer!”

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