The Copacabana – London’s First Gay Nightclub
Where the Clone scene took hold
The Copacabana on Earl’s Court Road opened in the late 1970s as the first public nightclub in London with a specifically gay clientele – previous clubs had been private members’ venues or coded bars; the Copa was openly, unapologetically gay. It was here that London’s Clone scene took hold: inspired by San Francisco’s Castro, it was all tight 501s, checked shirts, pencil moustaches and a confident, physical joy.
Upstairs, Harpoon Louie’s was considered the most popular gay bar in London until the late 1980s. Picture a young man arriving for the first time in 1979 – he’d seen it in a magazine: men like him, dressed alike, dancing together, completely free. The building is now a Jollibee restaurant.