Background
The collective dates back to a club night called Duckie that started in November 1995 in south London pub the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, created by producer Simon Casson – also known as “Simon Strange” – and compere Amy Lamé. They were joined by DJs Mark Wood and Mark Johnston - who called themselves The Readers Wifes - and box office artistes under the name of “Father Cloth and Jay Cloth”. Further members of the collective include Dicky Eton, Casson's co-producer, Mark Whitelaw and Robin Whitmore, director and designer for Duckie's larger shows respectively.
Burston indicates that at the start of Duckie’s tenure the RVT was somewhat in decline: “Lack of investment meant the venue remained dark during the week, only coming to life at the weekend with Duckie and … the Dame Edna Experience.” Burston also records that the opening of the gay nightclub Crash promoted Vauxhall’s potential for hosting such ventures, leading an influx of mainstream clubs into the historic gay area. The survival of Duckie, positioned in direct opposition to mainstream commercialised gay culture, highlights the effectiveness of their niche appeal.
Despite this, and the potential in new audiences attracted by the larger clubs, Duckie’s growth was again challenged in 1998 when Lambeth Council and property developer CLS Holdings attempted to flatten the RVT to make way for a supermarket complex. Duckie was instrumental in defeating this threat: as Burston notes “The performance club Duckie, which had breathed new life into Saturday nights, mounted a vigorous press campaign, protesting outside Lambeth Town Hall and saving it from the bulldozers.” In 2005, businessmen Paul Oxley and James Lindsay bought the RVT at public auction, bringing new investment to the venue and providing Duckie’s Saturday nightclub with a secure location into the foreseeable future.
Read more about this topic: Duckie (group)
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