Shrewsbury Liquid and Diva nightclub to reopen
Tuesday 5th October 2010, 2:20PM BST.
A Shrewsbury nightclub is to undergo a £250,000 refurbishment which will create up to 50 jobs, it was revealed today.
Efektiv Leisure Ltd has bought the lease for the Liquid and Diva nightclub in the town’s Raven Meadows. And bosses of the leisure firm today said they hoped the club would open by the end of the month, following an overhaul.
Paul Cowen, new general manager for the club, said it would be called Onyx and Blu and would have a new colour scheme, carpets, lighting rigs and projections.
He said the venue would open with a VIP launch party on October 29.
Mr Cowen said: “We’re on site from today. There will be quite dramatic changes so it will look quite different.
“It will be a mainstream nightclub for the people of Shrewsbury. We hope to make a success of it.
“There will be vacancies for door and bar staff and management positions,” he said and added that plans and licensing applications were submitted to Shropshire Council today.
He said it was planned to open the club from 10pm to 3am three to four days a week and he said they were hoping to attract special guests for the launch night.
Efektiv, based in Luton, bought the lease from Luminar Leisure and has signed a new agreement with the building’s owners, the UK Commercial Property Trust, managed by Ignis Asset Management.
Liquid and Diva nightclub has been shut for a year following the death of Darren Griffiths.
Luminar had been trying to offload the site for months after two doormen were jailed for the manslaughter of father-of-four Mr Griffiths following an incident at the club in June last year.
Daryl Brown, 33, of Wellington and Neil Stokes, 23, of Spring Gardens, Ditherington, were jailed in May.
By Emma Kasprzak
UK News
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Oh what joy, the people of shrewsbury can’t wait to see the look on the new owners faces when they realise that no matter what, people are simply not going to go to their club because of what happened when it was liquid and diva. I think the end of this premises as a nightclub was clearly spelt out last year….
People will not go here again, just wait and see.
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no your wrong im afraid, this is your opinion but clearly stated below in others comments they want it open, it was not the building that made what happened happen was it? and you cant blame new staff either, dont judge before its opened!
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Cant wait for this to re-open! Very Excited!!
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You will be the only one in there love!
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No she wont
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What a waste of time, no one is going to go there, the chance of a club ever opening again there and doing well was more than ruined. Who in there right mind would go there afdter what happened. New ownwers or not Shrewsbury people will decide with there feet and no go.
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you can polish it all you want. Its still and always will be an awfull place to go.
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Very true!!
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Much as its good to see businesses opening again, they should’ve abandoned the two tiny clubs and made one decent size club. Can’t swing a cat in either of them.
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true
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An interesting move indeed, I suspect the lease was assigned at either nil cost, or with Luminar Leisure Plc. providing an incentive to the purchaser to take it.
Definitely an establishment with a very tarnished past. Only time will tell as to whether this venture works out. The main concern of many is that a new management and a re-branding will not change the culture and behaviour of the door staff, many of whom are likely to be carried over ex Luminar employees anyway.
Spend your money more wisely. Instead of Ravens Meadow once a week, go to Birmingham’s Broad Street or to Chester once a fortnight and stay over. You’ll enjoy it more, that I guarantee!
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We moan we have no nightlife then when someone comes in and takes a place which was awful before but now actually might be quite good, we slam it down straight away.
What happened was disgraceful but it has nothing to do with the new owners who are giving us something to be proud of. How many other towns Shrewsbury’s size have a decent club like this will be. Maybe just give it a go and leave your pre-conceptions at the door.
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I agree, folk are saying the place is rubbish before it even opens..
whatever anyone ever has a go at in Shrewsbury its always either Too small, too big, too loud, too expensive or too ugly.
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That has alot to do with the fact the manager is describing it as a “mainstream nightclub”. So it’ll be exclusively aimed at people who want to get ruined and pull.
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Thats what Nightclubs do,
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that`d be me, canna wait! tee hee
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it will always be chav central unless they regenerate the outdoor environment, in the bar may be nice but the concrete is awful as in the surrounding car park, pavement and mall
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Why don’t they just take it all down and build a new place, how many ‘new’ openings and overhauls can one place have…Tiffanys, Park Lane, Liquid….same ole same ole…
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I’m with LH. Knock the wall through and put us onto the national live music circuit with a decent venue to attract top artists. Last thing we need is another rip-off airhead trap for people who know how to breed but don’t know how to listen to adult music.
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Agreed!
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Thinks you don’t have a clue about life and you obviously hold many stereotypical views of youngsters today and to be frank, think you sound pathetic and don’t have a clue about the majority of decent youngsters that are there!!!
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I think you have no idea of what youngsters were like in previous generations, and your lot are no better than our lot, and in a lot of ways much worse. You might be different, but you are judged by the actions of your generation.
Anyway, The clubs been a dive for decades. its a place to get wrecked and pull a fat slapper, no amount of rebranding is going to change that.
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Only a matter of time before the trouble starts again with the underage drinkers,little girls pretending to be wags or Jordan wannbe.
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Thinks what happened there last year was horrid and terrible however i think its really harsh of people to automatically link the two nightclubs together as this is a different chain of nightclubs and had nothing to do with what happened at liquid.
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I think people should at least move on now and give the new place a chance. It will no doubt be new owners, management and doorstaff. The place is starting on a clean slate as far as I am concerned!
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Bring back Park Lane!! Those were the days
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Here here – do you remember the over enthusiastic dry ice machine? Made the club experience a lot more mysterious.
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Well I can see the good and the bad in this. I have some very fond memories of oth park lane and Liquid incuding an encounter with an ever so classy girl in the womens toliets. But on a sour note this place was a nightmare you had every bloke in there acting like a p****d up ninja and wanting to fight the world and some eyesores. Didnt realise the made crop tops for guys. I think the idea about this being turned in to something simlar to a Carling Academy would be a great idea and would generate a lot of interest.
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it could use a lick of paint IMO
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I’ve not lived in Shrewsbury for a long time, out of interest, is Pews still open by the Abbey?
Talk about a small nightclub! Used to have a lot of fun there with the slappers from the Art School. Decent DJ and late drinks. Fond memories.
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Your not allowed to be called Tyrone..
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That, my friend, is where you are very wrong.
From now on you will be called Phil. I will be the only Tyrone.
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Damn you ‘Barry’…
It is clear for all to see that i am the true Tyrone on this page..your clown like tactics have me in fits of pitty and rage…be gone with you now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Good lord, pews.. now that’s a blast from the past. Unfortunately that is now a fairly sickly drinking/nightclub spot called C21, full of wannabe wags (as someone mentioned earlier). I went there once & it was pretty dull.
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I can’t believe all the negative comments how ridiculous. OK we all know that what happened with Liquid and Diva was a tragedy but you cant blame new owners on what has gone before…. the slate has been wiped clean. And as for the comments about a mainstream nightclub… yes thats what Shrewsbury is crying out for… we have Reflex which is a dire outdated club – how many ppl really like 80s music! I can’t wait for the new club to open and me and my flatmate will definitely be going and so will all our friends!!!!
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Give it up mate, its dead an buried for good this place, the company thats taken over it have taken a big risk. Shrewsbury will never have a decent night club again. It sjust a town for bars now.
10 quid they have less than 200 people go on opening night, if it opens, by that i mean the council have to agree yet and we know what they are like.
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The Fridge – now that was a night club…
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Ahhh, The Fridge! Goth and Punk Central. Sticky carpets, rubbish beer, great music. Never any trouble there, which is more than can be said for Park Lane next door.
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Park lane was about the best venue for shrewsbury.BRING IT BACK PLEASE
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we need classic and old-school… Park lane 90′s style
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Agreed!
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Until they actually start taking the safety and security of their customers seriously by insisting on proper ID, security airport, properly trained doorstaff, scanners, xray machines and drug sniffer dogs etc, these places will always degenerate into the scuzzy places they have in the past. Speaking as someone who also has fond memories of Park Lane in the mid 80′s, I wouldnt feel safe going in now.
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If you were at Park Lane in the ’80′s there are several other good reasons for you not going clubing with a bunch of teenagers. Fear of scuzzy places should be a long way down the list.
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IT WILL DO OK BUT NEEDS THE NAME TUCK OF MAY BE PUT THE PARKLANE NAME BACK AND BRING BACK THE PARKLANE DJS THAT MADE SHREWSBURY A HIT 3 ROOMS WAS A HIT THEN AND STILL CAN BE WITH THE RIGHT MUSIC AND FACES
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Ask your parents if they have been in Shrewsbury all their life, about our two night clubs. Sabrina on the Dana and Donaghue’s in Mardol all open till 10.00 pm 6 nights a week.With no alcohol allowed. Happy days.
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I haven’t lived in or around Shrewsbury for many years but having read the nonsensical and over protective comments of Her Majesty’s Coroner relating to the recent and tragic death of a young man in the town I hope this nightime venue isn’t near an unfenced area of river Severn.
Incidently I question the coroners inquest verdict of accidental death. I believe the verdict should have been one of misadventure.
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I’m glad it’s reopening, all the vile chavs will now leave the other bars/ clubs in town alone
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This place will never work.
Shrewsbury does not have a market for a big club and thats a fact.
Buttermarket Now Shut,Reflex is going to be re-branded,Eaden another huge loss.
People do not have the money anymore,even Friday nights nobody about anymore,we have one busy day Saturday and that is not enough to cover the bills on a super club.
Then we have the fact that a man was killed there,im shocked they have let this place re-open as a club.
Some things you just cant get away from,I’m sure that mans family still live round here and will not be happy is open,it does not matter how you change a place or what you do,I will never go there…..
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I just read a comment about all the negative comments and that the slate should be wiped clean !
When a person’s life was lost the slate will never be clean and thats nothing to do with the new owners,they should have done their market research and listened to the people of Shrewsbury and they would know what they want and its not for this club to re-open !
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I can not wait til it re-opens, i mean im only 16 but i go to the under 18′s night, top cats used to do them but they were shockingly dull and now that has closed down too, liquid was a laugh (: .. at the end of the day we all know what happened when it was liquid and diva but new owners and staff can not be blamed for this, it will be 100% different and alot more secure cos theyre obviously aware of what happened too and are ready to face ups and downs of people going to thier club, if you dont wanna go then dont SIMPLE! but some people would love for it to open again and im one of them (: go ONYX and BLU
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I’m assuming the new owners will choose to use a different company for their doorstaff… Bring back Rod and his team! They were fabulous doorstaff, always kept their cool and they kept the staff safe too.
I’d like to see the dj’s from park lane return too, like DJ Mickey T mentioned earlier.
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I will be the first in the cue!!
all you people moaning dont have to come!
it wont be a dive im 19 and is all my age range are talking about we cant wait if your to old then stay at home and watch countdown!
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