Exhibition to explore demise of clubbing in Essex

Emma Edmondson, pictured, said the dance floor was the Tinder of the 1990s

Two former 1990s ravers are laying on a series of events exploring the rise and fall of the clubbing scene in Essex and across the UK.

Artist Emma Edmondson and writer Tim Burrows, both 41, grew up on opposite sides of the Thames Estuary but enjoyed mirroring experiences of the nightclub scene.

The pair are hosting an exhibition at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Basildon on Saturday as part of the 2025 Estuary Festival.

"The dance floor was the Tinder of the late 90s," said Emma.

The duo told BBC Essex that "before acid house, before Ibiza, there was Essex".

But in the last five years, about 400 clubs have closed in Britain – more than a third of the total number.

Emma says she is concerned about the demise of the nightclub scene, which once included Raquel's in Basildon

Emma grew up in Herne Bay over the water in Kent, but is familiar with the once iconic Essex clubs of Raquel's in Basildon, Talk of the South in Southend-on-Sea and Goldmine on Canvey Island.

Legislation was brought in by government in the 1990s criminalising unlicensed raves and large gatherings, and some of the county's best known venues started to close.

"Looking at the Southend strip and how all of those nightclubs have turned into bowling allies or are just laying empty... me and Tim wanted to interrogate what has actually happened to Southend, Basildon [and] south Essex's nightlife," Emma continued.

"There are very few places where we can commune with strangers unless we're commuting."

She said their project aimed to "reaffirm the social importance of the dance floor."

Emma Edmondson grew up on the Kent estuary, but remembers Essex's significance in the clubbing scene

Emma and Tim's events will start with an exhibition at 17:00 BST on Saturday in Unit 10 at Westgate in Basildon, which will include a video installation housed in a deconstructed frame of a noughties Ford Fiesta a series of sculptural paintings, and a panel discussion hosted by Tim.

The day will conclude with a Raquel's reunion event at the Owl and Pussycat pub in the town.

On Tuesday, Tim will talk again at Unit 10 about some of the themes in his new book - a collection of essays called "Clubbing and commune-ing in Essex" - joined by fellow Guardian writer Dan Hancox.

There were scores of people on the dance floor most nights at Raquel's in Basildon during the 1970s and 1980s

Tim, from Southend-on-Sea, said the Covid-19 pandemic had played its part in the decline of clubbing.

A recent Night Time Industries Association study of more than 2,000 people aged between 18 and 30 found that nearly two thirds were going out less frequently than the year before.

A separate YouGov survey of 18 to 24-year-olds showed Gen Z continued to be the most sober age group, with 39% of them not drinking alcohol at all.

"It's all of the usual things like rising rent, it's tuition fees being higher than they have been before - so students can't afford to go out as much," said Tim.