Since it opened in 1993 how many of us followed the yellow brick road to the dancefloor in Garlands ?
Hundreds of thousands no doubt.
Whatever your age, gender, sexual orientation, this was a place for everyone. As long as you wanted to have fun and loved a nod to the eccentric, you were welcome. That is what made Garlands so special.
At a time when the rave culture was becoming the mainstream and other clubs and pubs still operated a door policy that insisted on stilettos for the girls and shirts and smart shoes for the guys, Garlands bucked the trend.
It was weird, it was wacky, it was wonderful.
You could wear what you wanted, drink a cocktail whatever your gender, dance to the best DJs or be entertained by the decidedly different.
When it started to become a bit more mainstream, people said it had lost its magic. Being different wasn't unfashionable anymore. Even footballers were spotted in Garlands for goodness sake. What had happened to the hedonistic pleasure dome?
But that didn't matter a lot to the people who loved the place and what it stood for. Garlands was a beacon, a shining light for Liverpool's inclusive nightlife. And now it's shutting its doors .
So why is it no more?
Well, every place has its day. Just as we lost the Cabin , then Nation the home of Cream , now we lose another trailblazer, a club that led the way.
For those of us who experienced it back in those early heady days we should count ourselves lucky and follow our yellow brick road to another dancefloor somewhere that keeps the magic alive.
