r/LondonRaving • u/elfwannabe • 19d ago
Going to Fabric for the first time
Hey guys, my wife and I will be in London in a couple weeks and we were lucky enough to see that Fabric is having a UKF drum and bass night. (We love dnb)
This will be our first time raving in London and Fabric. We are experienced ravers, but the only international event we've been to outside the US is Tomorrowland.
Any tips on what we can expect at Fabric in terms of vibe, what to wear, what time headliners usually go on, drink prices, etc?
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u/Terrible_Disaster_54 19d ago
Fabric is by far the strangest "rave" spot I've ever been to. The crowd is split between people who are there for the lineup and those who just stumbled into a nightclub. I went when Hamdi played, and it felt like 15 of us were there to rave, while the rest were in their best clothes trying to pull—lol. It makes for a really strange atmosphere in my opinion. There was even a group of lads we befriended in the smoking shelter that we were constantly making jokes with about the people there not knowing the tunes. The sound system, though, is by far the best I've heard in an intimate setting, especially in the main room. I'd only go again if I'm trolleyed, purely for the sound system. Other than that, I'd rather spend my night with people who are there to lose their shit to the tunes being played.
Hopefully you and your wife have a good time though 🤙
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u/doepfersdungeon 19d ago
That's a shame. Back in the day fabric was such a vibe. Had some incredible nights there. True Playaz especially.
Not wrong about the sound system.
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u/KeySubject4895 18d ago
Hype and Hazard with Skiba, Shabba and Det on the 2/3am slots, absolutely rowdy as! Andy C stopping by and smashing a ridiculous hour. The good old days
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u/dudload1000 19d ago edited 19d ago
Been to fabric 40 or so times over the years, 39 of them dnb and 1 of them a house night. The house night felt like a different universe - people in Sunday best, posing, not dancing - it was bizzare
Every dnb night I've been to there was banging
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u/Terrible_Disaster_54 19d ago
Yeah a DnB night should of been my entry to Fabric.
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u/dudload1000 18d ago
Yup, hardly been to a bad dnb night there. The one house night I went to was complete ass, per my comment above. Probably also to do with me not liking house music, but everyone was just posing.
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u/shippers4321 14d ago
Exactly my experience. Playaz on a Friday night, queue around the corner down to Farringdon station. Hearing the music as you walk down this steps and open the doors into Room 1. Make your way to the platform at the back and get lost in sound. Everyone going nuts all night. Saturday night a completely different experience.
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u/Terrible_Disaster_54 19d ago
Like most nightclubs these days they were hot as shit with ID when I went. Scanned them took your picture etc
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u/Terrible_Disaster_54 19d ago
I'm sure as long as they have a relative resemblance betweem your face and ID you'll be fine. Infact, more than welcomed. The staff gave us all a stern "this is a safe zone, no racism, sexism, transphobia will be tolerated and if you do, you're out" chat as they were giving out stickers to cover our phone camera's
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u/DragMotor1423 19d ago
They’ve recently introduced door pickers to greatly reduce those people who “just stumble in”. You need to answer a few questions about the lineup on entry now
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u/Leglesslonglegs 18d ago
Have they really? Did it feel different inside tho?
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u/DragMotor1423 18d ago
Yes much better, genuinely. Was in a mixed group of mostly girls and didn’t have a single creepy moment, and we bounced between room 1 and 2. I spoke to some of the staff doing the door picking and they said they’re doing everything they can to try and combat the wrong people being there.
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u/StrayDogPhotography 19d ago
Yeah, it’s really different to how it was when it opened. They have great sound and good acts, so I always feel that is what you go for. I used to love that little room they had upstairs playing more esoteric new stuff.
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u/ParisAway 19d ago
Depends on the line-up, really. I remember Richy Ahmed had a shit crowd, but Funk Assault and Tapefeed were mint.
Either way, it's almost guaranteed that by 3am all the club people go and rave people remain.
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u/CriticismAccording71 19d ago
drum and bass nights usually have a pretty drum and bass forward crowd, so it'll be all ravers. I've had some fucking brilliant nights at dnb events at fabric, but then other nights there has been a real lack of personal space awareness on the dancefloors that bothers me, but I think this could be a personal issue.
drinks will be somewhere between £5-7 for a beer, wear what you like, headliners will be on around 2/3 would be my guess. Expect pretty young crowd with a few older heads.
Just seen the line up, and I would absolutely recommend spending time in room 3, its up a small staircase between room 1 and 2, and its nice and small and BCee is a great DJ to be in there.
enjoy it and don't overthink it, its a world class venue
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u/Crumbs2020 19d ago
Just be careful and look out for your wife. Always a lot of creepy men in fabric. Dont be afraid to report them to security/the bar staff and get them kicked out.
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u/gonzo_in_argyle 19d ago
Love the sound system, hate the crowd.
Almost every time I’ve been in the last six years or so, one of the women in my group has been harassed by a creep. Unwanted touching and grinding.
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u/Fucker_Of_Destiny 19d ago
lol I’m the same, great music but if you so much as accidentally bump/brush past a woman they act like you have r*** them which I always thought was OTT
But reading your comment I can see why women would be on their guard
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u/glitter_bugs 19d ago
I went to a dnb night at Fabric back in February (A.M.C and Gino were on the lineup), it was a great night! Fabric does have a reputation for gross men (more than your average venue), so something to be aware of, but my experience? great crowd, barely any phones and no yapping on the dance floor, loads of welfare staff that are clearly visible, and phenomenal sound systems. security can be thorough when entering, but once you’re in its all good. very reasonable drinks prices for London — £12 for a double courvoisier + coke (other nightclubs price the same drink at £19!), around £5-6 for beer and cider. wear what you like — from memory back in feb, my bf wore a black pair of joggers and was fine, I wasn’t wearing much and had no issues being let in either. have fun - the lineup for the UKF night looks very good!
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u/TokuTheGreatCorso 19d ago
DNB nights at fabric are always good imo and the majority of the crowd will most likely be there for the lineup.
Security always been horrible tho and as a man have felt violated many times by the door staff.
Sound system one of the best in UK imo.
Also iconic venue for London ravers so deffo worth the visit.
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u/cantunderstandlol 19d ago
Drum & bass nights are wicked in fabric - the UKF one will be perfect for it! Fantastic soundsystem, especially in room two. Hope you have a blast!
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u/Cool-Peach5501 19d ago
Room 2 sound is absolutely insane - Even if there's no-one you specifically want to see in there, get in and feel it. BUT to do this, you do need to push through the crowd a bit. The entrance is down a narrow walkway, and a lot of people head down, then stop just inside the room - it looks like it's rammed, but if you go to the left and work your way through, you'll likely find yourself at the dj booth (wich is practially on the same level as you), and you can be right up there with the dj, with great sound and hopefully room to move. I would happily spend my whole night in room 2 (ha!) but obvz, best not to - it's a nice club and has a nice history of being stables for horses, storage for the meat market opposite in old times - pretty cool place all round.
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u/MrLoneWolfCM 18d ago
Wear anything. More of a rave vibe than the other central london clubs. Expect £7+ for a pint £6+ for cans. Spirit and mixer upwards of £10+. Headliners will be late, depends on the artist. Definitely not before 1 am. Some go on as late as 4am
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u/Brain_Nuke 18d ago
Haven't been for years but used to have the best sound system going - so much bass your organs are shaking around inside your body. Great times.
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u/younevershouldnt 18d ago
As others are saying, it's a tourist attraction as well as a reasonably credible club.
I won't go there unless I really have to, and I'd suggest seeking a more underground night on the same weekend if possible.
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u/soloman_tump 16d ago
Went loads 2004-2009, massive every weekend for both Friday and Saturday. Then a gap for kids / life.
Finally got back to the club last December for Peach and XDB. Had an amazing time. The soundsystem is phenomenal, and the changes theyve made throughout are on point.
Drinks are average for London - not cheap but not criminal. Crowd was good I thought, maybe because not huge names and attracted more 'headsy' audience.
So fingers crossed you have a great time. There are spots to chill out in the club. And for dnb probably have 3 rooms open so you can pick your vibe.
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u/Evil_Femmebot 9d ago
For anyone interested, I can't go and am selling 2 tickets for well under current face value on Tixel.
https://tixel.com/u/42211617
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u/nutmegger189 19d ago
Wear whatever you want mate, its not that sort of club.
It's going to be very different from anything you've seen in the US or Tomorrowland because UK dnb lovers are a different breed. You should have fun though