Legendary Ayr nightclub announces sudden closure

Vinyl formerly known as Club De Mar announced its sudden closure this week

A nightclub in Ayr, famed for its role in the 90s rave scene, has closed its doors this week due to licensing issues.

Vinyl, which was formerly known as Club De Mar, became a favourite of clubbers after opening in December 1989.

It became Ayrshire's oldest nightclub before closing in 2017. It has operated under the rebranded name of Vinyl for the last six years.

Owners say they will now focus their efforts on hosting large-scale events.

Under the Club De Mar name, it played host to acts such as the Bay City Rollers, Showaddywaddy and The Drifters.

More recently it played host to up-and-coming DJs including Ayr's own Ewan McVicar.

The platinum-selling DJ credits his time as a regular DJ in the town's "legendary clubs" Club De Mar and Furys as inspiration for a music festival he staged in the town last year.

• Tell Me Something Good: The rise of Ewan McVicar

The venue played an important role in Ayrshire's rave scene back in the 90s and early noughties alongside clubs such as Hanger 13 inside the Ayr Pavilion and the Metro in Saltcoats.

The club has blamed licensing regulations put in place by the local council for the sudden closure.

Ewan McVicar was a regular DJ at Club De Mar

On Facebook, a spokesperson said: "We have not made this decision lightly but due to the nature of the statement of licensing policy set out by South Ayrshire Council Licensing Board, and the changing nature of nightlife in the post-Covid era, it has become increasingly difficult to operate as a 'nightclub'."

Current rules mean pubs and bars are permitted to stay open as late as nightclubs.

The statement said a decision not to permit "differential opening times" between different types of licensed premises has made it "no longer viable" to operate a nightclub in the council area.

As a event space the venue will work with promoters and artists to host one-off large-scale events, with the first, an evening with DJ Subterra: KIMMIC, due to take place on March 29.

The statement of licensing policy approved by councillors in October noted a request to amend the policy to allow a distinct type of license for nightclubs to be introduced but felt the current policy didn't need to be amended.

A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: "The licensing board took a decision last autumn to maintain the current licensing policy. A public consultation informed their decision."