An iconic LGBT+ bar is closing its doors for the final time this week in the latest hammerblow to London’s nightlife, with its owner admitting he has fallen out of love with Soho.
G-A-Y Bar owner Jeremy Joseph said it was “time to say goodbye” to the venue after 25 years, adding, “when you lose the love for what you are doing it is hard to carry on.”
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Back in January, Mr Joseph announced plans to sell the venue just weeks after battling to reopen his other venue, Heaven nightclub, where a member of security staff was accused of raping a woman. The staff member was found not guilty.
It comes just days after Corsica Studios in Elephant and Castle announced it would be closing its doors in early 2026, as redevelopment of the site goes ahead.
A recent report from the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) revealed that one in four late-night venues has closed since 2020. Nearly 800 UK on-trade businesses have closed since 2020, with just 2,424 late-night venues in operation — a drop of 26.4%. London had 433 late-night venues in March 2020, but now has just 343.
G-A-Y Bar will now serve its last customers on October 4 and 5.
“Although I’m happy with the decision and it’s the right thing to do, I wanted to do it under the radar. I wanted to just go because I don’t think there’s anything to celebrate with the state of Soho at the moment,” Mr Joseph said.
“It’s sad. I’m not just giving up my business but my home, but when you lose that love for what you are doing it is hard to carry on.”
Mr Joseph told The Standard that Soho has been “his life”, he has a fierce love for it, but said it had lost its “vibrancy”, it’s “naughtiness”, and claimed there seemed to be no love for Soho from the powers that be.
“Hospitality is on its knees at the moment and no one seems to be doing anything about it,” he told The Standard.
“If you look at Old Compton Street, it’s largely restaurants now. All of the LGBTQ+ venues are owned by a large corporation, and we are losing these independent venues.
“It is the right time to go, and I want to go remembering the good times of Soho,” he lamented.
Mr Joseph said he would love to open another bar in the future, but not until the Soho he knew and loved returns — one that includes reclaiming its LGBTQ+ identity.
“Pride was the final nail in the coffin, for me, I think. On Old Compton Street, less than 40% (of business) had flags up. They were happy to take the money but not happy to show the support for the community.”
He also told The Standard that he no longer feels safe walking through the West End at night.
“It’s lawless at the moment, you can get away with anything,” he said.
“I lived and worked through Covid, and outdoor seating was amazing. It had this electric atmosphere. It brought back a new life to Soho, and it felt safe again, but when that was taken away it was the biggest mistake.
“Since reopening, the streets have gotten worse and worse. Greek Street, for example, is not safe to walk through on a Saturday night, and that has spilled onto Old Compton Street now.”
Mr Joseph told The Standard he recently had to make a 999 call from his other LGBTQ+ venue in Villiers Street, claiming it took police eight hours to respond.
He said there had been separate incidents in Leicester Square and on Old Compton Street that same night, which had stretched police resources thin.
“This is not an attack on the police, they just don’t have the budget or resources,” he said.
Mr Joseph said the closure of G-A-Y would allow him to focus on keeping Heaven open, which he said is now his “top priority”.
In February last year, Mr Joseph said that Heaven’s landlord, The Arch Company, wanted to put rent up by another £240,000, on top of an £80,000 automatic increase.
Following a two-year process, and costs more than £100,000, a rent arbitration review has gone in Heaven’s favour.
With the closure of G-A-Y Bar, Mr Joseph hopes Heaven will be a central hub for the LGBT+ community.
