FEATURE:
36 Against 52
IN THIS PHOTO: Park Lane's Drama nightclub/PHOTO CREDIT: Joe Plimmer for The Guardian
The Ongoing Issue of Racism in London’s Bars and Clubs
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I have been hearing great things…
PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash
about the new Whitney Houston biography, Whitney. The film is packed with revelations honesty from the much-missed star. Looking at an article that has just been published highlights one concern Houston voiced: not being seen as ‘black enough’ in the industry:
“Sometimes it gets down to ‘You’re not black enough for them. You’re not R&B enough. You’re very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them.’” This was Whitney Houston, reflecting on the first significant setback of her career, when she was booed at the 1989 Soul Train Awards. By that stage, she had already won 11 American Music Awards, two Grammys, achieved the biggest-selling debut album by a female artist in history and a record-breaking seven consecutive US No 1 singles. But, despite all this success, some black radio stations refused to play her records, and opponents, including the Rev Al Sharpton, labelled her “Whitey” Houston. For some, she was simply Not Black Enough”.
Maybe things have come on a long way – to an extent where black artists do not feel their life is in danger and they can survive in music: I do not feel we have come that far where there is equality and proper respect of minority artists. The article goes on to look at the differences in the industry today:
“Today’s black artists operate with the freedom Houston dreamed of, but they are never immune from scrutiny. Witness Beyoncé, whose stance in the early 2000s was seen as carefully apolitical by critics, but who suddenly rediscovered her blackness in the Black Lives Matter era and came out celebrating hot sauce and “Jackson 5 nostrils” in 2016’s Formation. Beyoncé had sung her own, Houston-influenced Star-Spangled Banner to the Super Bowl audience in 2004; when she returned for the 2016 half-time show, she practically gave them a Black Power military drill”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash
I do not think we have come so far where black artists have real freedom and get the same attention as their white peers. If we are struggling to see racial equality and balance in the music industry; that seems to be reflected in society as a whole. I have heard from a lot of black and minority club-goers about the policy on the door. It happens in many big cities but London still seems to foster a rather worrying racial profiling. I keep hearing of Hip-Hop and R&B clubs (and Grime) alienating its true, black clientele and gentrifying it. The loyal punters have to move to areas outside of London because they do not fit the ethos and ‘class’ of the joints. Spaces that were once awash with life and authentic energy have been replaced by a largely-white populous who see the music/spaces as fashionable – not vibing to the music and aware of its foundations. This marginalisation is not limited to Urban clubs in South London: areas like Mayfair, as this article shows are imposing racist and despicable policies:
“It is black women, critics say, who are the net losers in the current Mayfair club game. Fashion blogger Fisayo Longe recently described her experience at Libertine, writing that she was denied entry and was told it was: “Maybe because you’re black,” and “… probably because you’re not good looking enough”. The nightclub has denied this, saying the records from their ID scanner prove they have a varied demographic. “We can categorically state that we do not have a door policy that is based on the colour of people’s skin.”
…The near absence of any ethnic group from a social space in London is unusual enough for a city with a 40% non-white population. But it is all the more surprising in nightclubs that – as Drama and many other high-end Mayfair establishments do – play almost entirely black music. Those who claim black people are being deliberately excluded are becoming harder to ignore.
In 2015, the nightclub DSTRKT refused entry to a group of black women who say they were told they were “too dark” and “overweight”. The nightclub denied this and says the club was full. The same year, Cirque le Soir rejected a group of New Orleans Saints NFL players, despite the fact that they had reservations. The players reported being told it was because they were “six big guys” (none was over 6ft) and “too urban”. The nightclub denied this, saying the men were refused entry because they were in an all-male group”.
It is not as though those being turned away and discriminated against are bringing trouble with them and causing any distress. The black population who want to attend these clubs are either not seen as good enough or likely to cause some sort of unrest. Owners and staff at certain clubs claim it is not racism at work: it is about spending patterns and imagery. They see black patrons as having less disposable income and unable to afford the drinks on offer.
PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash
Maybe the white women (and men) finely dressed and, with their cash flowing, are better for the club than black attendees who, they see, as less well-off and ideal. Can one realistically feel black club and pub-goers are being denied entry because they are a little lighter in the wallet department?! It seems there are literal divisions between white and black patrons: cordons placed so the wealthier white in attendance can revel whilst black club-goers, if they are let in, are kept separate. This club-segregation is not a new trend: many people recall getting shoddy treatment and attitude over a decade ago. Those with lighter complexions – mixed-race patrons – are not as unfairly judged and turned away as the black population. There is a large and visible black population in London. Some areas have fewer black inhabitants but, largely, you see a mix of black, white and Asian people. Maybe there is tension in some areas – and forms of racism in every corner of London – but the black population give so much to the capital. If we feel there is more balance and fairness in the music industry regarding race – I debate that assumption – then one cannot claim there a reflection in the club and bar scene. Looking at the Mayfair club, Drama, and there are cases of discrimination and racism:
“A woman has claimed her daughter went to a London nightclub where black women were charged a higher entrance fee than white women.
Nadine Marsh-Edwards tweeted about her daughter's experience at the Drama, Park Lane nightclub in Mayfair, London.
She wrote: "My daughter went to a club in the West End last night. Black girls got charged £20 entrance fee - white girls £10... London life right now."
PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash
Her post was shared multiple times and picked up by Labour councillor for Mayfair, Soho & Fitzrovia Pancho Lewis who said he will "make sure the council looks into it".
You might argue I am singling out a particular club and exposing their policies. To be fair, the West End as a whole is under scrutiny because of its practices and ignorance. Black woman, especially, are seen, by some, as ‘too urban’ and not quite fashionable enough to fit in with the image of the club they attend. Others have reported being turned away at the door for having the wrong image or not enough money in their purse. Last year, I read the following article that put another club, DSTRKT, and some unsettling reports:
“On the night of the 26th of September, four women arrived at DSTRKT nightclub in London's West End. They had been invited by one of the promoters and had been assured space on the guestlist. West End clubs are dressy, and the group were ready for a night out—pre-drink selfies had been taken in tight polo-necks with clutch bags. However, when they got there, two of the women, Reshia McFarlane-Tapping, 27, and Tasha Campbell, 28, were asked to stand across the road so a manager could see them. According to the women, the manager told them they were "too dark" and "overweight" to be allowed into the club. None of the women went in...
...In the following days, another member of the group, Lin Mei, posted screenshots of conversations she'd had with one of the club's promoters after they'd been refused entry. The promoter told her the club "only wanna let to mixed raced girls in they said [sic]." When questioned further, he said, "I really care about the white crowd," and "the black crowd is the concern".
I know a lot of people who live in South and East London and it seems, with gentrification and new developments; the tone and calibration of clubs/bars means there is a definite ‘black quota’: a set number that is seen as ‘just right’ as not to offend white eyes and bring the good name of that space into disrepute. This is nothing new but, as the areas become more white and wealthy; social media is alive with angry and emotional testimony of black people turned away and told they are not what the club is looking for. Given a spate of knife-related deaths in the capital; there seems to be additional attitude and exclusion at many clubs - assuming black patrons are going to stir trouble and the young men will bring violence to the doors. It seems, alongside racism, is a rather sexist policy: more black women face issues and discrimination than men. There are D.J.s and bar owners who have a great relationship with West Indian, Caribbean and African men/women who bring them great music and are welcomed in. Whilst there is a great relationship and no issues in many London spaces; it seems, more and more, we are hearing about racial ignorance. Social media has made the issue more visible and brought stories to the people. One can argue a lot of cases of racial discrimination, before social media, went unchronicled and viewed.
There are a number of reasons why black patrons, women especially, are being turned away. Alongside the image profiling of many clubs around London; size and figure come into the debate. Many see this ‘ideal’ woman with a slender figure and a fashionable appearance. With many black women boasting fuller figures and more confidence (than their white peers); clubs see this as unideal and not what they are looking for. Money, sex and colour seem to be important than togetherness, music and sociability. I have seen an article from 2015 written by Frances Acquaah that documented her experiences:
“…And it’s not just a central London problem. A few months ago I was turned away from a club in south London, a venue notoriously known among black, Asian and minority ethnic ravers as racist. Though they were not as candid about the reason we were not gaining entry, they were happy to let the white women that followed behind me through their doors, as I stared in astonishment across the road.
Many wrongly assume that because there are some minority ethnic people inside partying, a club cannot be racist. It is a reasonable theory on the surface, and I suppose it is easier to believe than to admit that a city which boasts so much diversity – in London alone we speak more than 300 different languages – could be rife with issues that mirror life before the civil rights movement.
Let me assure you that tokenism is a thing. Unfortunately for me, the club had filled their black quota that night. Club managers have no problem letting black people in, but only if the ratio is right. Had I spent less time trying to take the perfect selfie, maybe it would have been someone else standing outside”.
West London is under the spotlight but a lot of clubs in all parts of the capital are being investigated. There are fewer areas where the loyal and long-serving black population are being given the same rights and access they enjoyed years ago. Working-class estates are being replaced and the high-street is a vastly different place – it feels less authentic, vibrant and mixed than ever. I walk around London and do see a cheerful and friendly black population. There are fewer black faces in the centre of London and, when going out at night, many of the clubs that used to have quite a balanced makeup are, now, largely white. Many of London’s black population are being priced-out and moving to the edges of the city; those who want to go on a night out risk facing stern bouncers and (are being asked) for I.D. – have we really come a long way and is the city fairer and more eclectic than the past?! So many clubs/bars that catered to the black population – from Afro-Caribbean bars to Grime clubs – are being rebranded and I wonder how clubs/bars justify their policies. Call it sexism, sizeism or a snobbishness regarding earning power and income. The fact that it is the black population being denied leads me to believe it all boils down to…
IMAGE CREDIT: Lea Clarin
UNAPOLOGETIC and unforgivable racism.