If you were amongst the teary-eyed crowd on Monday night as Bicep bid Printworks London goodbye to ‘Glue’ and a remix of Sully’s track, ‘Hives’ you’ve probably spent the past few days mourning the loss and reminiscing on those final moments dancing with friends in what for many of us, became a second home and safe space on the weekends.
From Friday the 28th of April until May 1st, London’s most notorious institution opened its doors one final time, welcoming in 1000s of Printworks family members for one last dance. With over 65 DJs taking to the decks, the weight of this monumental moment in rave history didn’t go a miss, seeing off the venue with a mix of euphoric and emotional sets.
For its penultimate day, Printworks presented an absolute exploration into all things electronic with high-energy techno sets from HAAi and Effy, followed by a deep house performance from the Prospa duo in Inkwells.
Over in the Presshalls, Peggy Gou finished her final ever performance at the venue, warming up ravers for the unannounced special guest. As the first beats of Bicep echoed through the space, screams of elation kicked off what would be an extremely emotional final set before the lights came on, the crowd embraced those around them and Printworks closed its doors for the last time.
To cure a little of your post-rave depression, we come bearing some good news, Broadwick Live have officially announced Printworks will return in 2026. Whilst the venue, plans and pretty much everything else remains a mystery, some remanence of the rave space we used to escape reality, listen to mind-bending music and for many of us, houses a piece of our soul, will return in some semblance to London in three years time… See you there.
Big up Printworks 2017-2023