New Worthing nightclub and entertainment venue announces launch party with celebrity guests

Angels Bar and Club has been set up in a derelict High Street property near the seafront, which used to house Bar Ten. Hailed as an iconic venue for the town, the new owners want to ‘bring the good times back into Worthing’.

Following an extensive refurbishment, the club will have capacity to bring in 700 people, six days a week – excluding Sundays.

There is an upper balcony floor in the club and a chill lounge upstairs in the bar area, with both available as VIP areas on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays but also for other use on different themed nights.

Venue manager Christian Gourlay said the process to open has gone smoothly, with ‘a lot of support’ from Worthing Borough Council’s licensing department.

He said: “The venue will bring in a massive variety of people and talent into one place.”

Events manager Tim Lord said the venue will ‘will have something for everybody’.

He said: “Worthing has some clubs and lots of bars – which are great – but a lot of people who have given us feedback say the club scene in Worthing can be focused on a younger demographic. We are trying to gear everything here to be all inclusive.

"All the club nights we have will be themed to different age groups and music styles. We will have 80s and 90s themed nights, with LGBTQ+ DJs coming in.

"We will have much more of a party atmosphere to reach everybody. A lot of the older generations still want to go out to a nightclub and enjoy a fun time out.”

As a former, full-time musician, Tim said there will be a strong focus on live music, with open mic nights and gigs involving some big names.

He added: “We have got a big community of local musicians who will have the chance to work in a bigger venue, with a whole band set up.

“We can take them into the club next door and they can do support band acts for the bigger bands we are talking with.

"We are very much looking at being a big live music venue and we have got karaoke and comedy nights planned, with TV level comedians booked in.

"It’s all massively positive and looking at involving the local community in everything.”

Tim said there will be ‘a lot of focus on safety’, with clubgoers provided with anti-spiking drink covers. The club will also pay for taxis if customers become intoxicated.

“We are really aiming to bring everybody into a safe environment,” Tim said.

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Some people have been welcomed in to try the bar this week, with pre-launch events taking place on Saturday, February 4 and Saturday, February 11. DJs such as Gary Scott, from Worthing Pride, and Dubai-based Paul Rees will be performing, with free-entry before 11pm.

The venue will then officially open with a big party on Saturday, February 18th.

“We have got a really night planned,” Tim said. “We will have celebrity DJs from all over the world and lots of party events.

"We are trying to reach all different groups, with themed nights running each week for the local community. Towards the weekend is big party club days when we open it all up.

“The feedback from everybody has been nothing but positive. It’s a great venue with a great atmosphere.”

Since its conversion from St James’ Church more than 30 years ago, the building has been used as a nightclub or bar.

Tim said the club will ‘not be the same as it used to be’ with a ‘totally different team of people’.

"It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s been missing, especially coming out of lockdown. Bars and venues have struggled a lot and social nightlife has been impacted, as well as the whole entertainment industry.

"Some larger venues in Worthing have been closed for a long time. This town has got a history of creative arts and we are trying to be the next generation and put Worthing back on the map.

“The whole entertainment industry will benefit enormously from this place. It's a real passion of ours.”

Christian said the venue has created around 25 job openings, with recruitment ongoing for door and bar staff. If you would like to apply, message the management team at facebook.com/AngelsBarAndClub.

Christian added: “We will create more business for other people and other late venues, takeaways and taxi drivers. It’s great for Worthing’s economy.

“A new club in town should also generate more customers from out of town.”

Toby Rafique-King, joint general manager, said statistics show that club goers across the UK have recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

The new club owners, Group Entertainment Limited, also pointed to evidence that Brits were now spending more on drinks in nightclubs and bars than they did in early 2020 – and turning up earlier on a night out – with young people trying to catch up.

Bar manager Toby Rafique-King said: “We are optimistic.”

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