Memories from the Dancefloor
4.8/5
Critic Rating
Memories from the Dance Floor is a docu-series celebrating LGBTQ+ venues and unravelling the forgotten history behind queer nightlife across the UK, as host, Damian Kerlin, dives into 20th century queer culture and the opening of iconic super clubs.Damian is joined by founders, artists, promoters and patrons to unpack the expressions of queer identity after dark, colourfully told by the community that lived it.Interviewees include Jeremy Norman, founder of Heaven, Ian Levine, Hi-NRG music producer and DJ, Amy Lame, London Night Czar and BBC 6 broadcaster and Jeremy Atherton Lin, author of Gay Bar: Why We Went Out as...
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian • Jun 8, 2024
"It’s small details such as this that I love. What’s appealing about this series is its sweetness; nothing particularly dramatic happens, but you get a sense of gradual blossomings, of people moving into their true selves, and it’s completely lovely. …"
Score: 5
Hannah Verdier • The Guardian • Feb 9, 2023
"Fresh podcasting voice...in the audio equivalent of an epic evening out. From escapism to reality, it captures the unique experience of a clubbing community."
Score: 4.5
Fiona Sturges • The Times UK • Feb 5, 2023
"While the tone of the series is broadly celebratory, this is not a hagiographical history. The gay activist Marc Thompson pulls no punches as he recalls Heaven catering to an overwhelmingly white clientele...Elsewhere, Memories from the Dancefloor does a good job of evoking the freedom and joy of Heaven’s early years, even if it skims rather too lightly over the club’s musical legacy. The production can also be rough around the edges: if only someone had thought to interview Norman, whose testimony dominates the opening episode, in a studio rather than over Zoom."
