CLOSER TO HEAVEN

Since opening its doors in 1979 Heaven had become London’s premier gay club. In the early 80s entering the 2,000 capacity night spot, situated under Charing Cross’ arches, still had the frisson of the forbidden, the thrill of danger. Years later Neil Tennant would tell the BBC going there was “nerve-wracking… a bit scary… magic.” It was a heady experience, the main floors flickering with lights and lasers, the sound system pumped out hard, electronic disco with pulsating sequencers. Accompanying him invariably would be Chris Lowe, dancing to music that “made you feel you could achieve anything”. Lusty adrenalised floor-fillers became part of their developing sound, especially those made by NY producer Bobby O from Passion by The Flirts to Native Love by drag queen Divine. These 1982 productions were, Tennant thought, “the secret of pop music”, arcane sounds woven into early PSB, like hip-hop. But the gay underground soon went mainstream. DJ Pete Waterman who dubbed these outrageous records “silk short shifters”, would take Hi-NRG into the charts with SAW, as would New Order’s ’83 Blue Monday, whose nods to Donna Summer and Sylvester showed disco’s enduring influence, four years after record burnings at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Back in ’82 booming out of Heaven’s speakers would be Patrick Cowley’s I Feel Love remix, Weather Girls’ It’s Raining Men and Boys Town Gang’s version of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, the Frankie Valli classic later interpolated into PSB’s camp ’91 dismantling of U2.