For many years it was one of Europe’s largest newspaper printing factories, but after a monumental transformation and extensive renovations, Printworks London was revealed to the public in 2017, and quickly became one of the UK’s most esteemed electronic music venues. With a 6,000-person capacity, it was a unique and welcomed addition to London’s nightlife. Over the years the warehouse space has continued to expand and evolve, and scenes from the Press Halls main room have become iconic. An instantly recognizable view, the booth overlooks the far-reaching dancefloor, while atmospheric lighting and LED shows — including a huge huge wall-like array behind the DJ — project throughout the vast corners of the warehouse and its surrounding balconies. In 2021, the club revealed a newly refurbished smaller room, Inkwells, that offered a more intimate clubbing experience, lined with industrial concrete pillars, low ceiling and equipped with an impressive sound system.
2023 has marked the final season of the club in its current form, and perhaps its most successful yet. It’s been a year of even more experimentation; the space has been used for live orchestra performances, fashion shows, and new state-of-the-art production and lighting was installed, taking the audio visual experience to a whole new level.
Over the years Printworks has hosted an array of different ideas and concepts, artist takeovers, live performances, and in-house programming. Headliners have included Moodyman, Helena Hauff, Bicep, Charlotte de Witte, Skepta, Nina Kraviz, Sub Focus, Marco Carola, Honey Dijon, Maya Jane Coles, Adam Beyer, Peggy Gou, and the extensive list goes on. This year saw the introduction of DNB Allstars with Hedex, Bou and Harriet Jaxxon among those playing, and LGBTQI+ music festival Body Movements also made its Printworks debut, representing queer collectives such as Little Gay Brother, Adonis, Big Dyke Energy and more. This season also saw the return of takeovers from Glitterbox, The Hydra, Defected, FWD>>, ANTS, Afterlife, Anjunadeep, La Discotheque, and a debut from FUSE.
As well as presenting line-ups that celebrate all forms of electronic music, Printworks recently incorporated classical music and live orchestras to its programming. As well as collaborations with the London Jazz Festival, in March the London Symphony Orchestra took to the Live Room stage to perform alongside MC and alto-saxophonist Soweto Kinch for a sold-out live show.
“Printworks’ legacy stretches far beyond the physical space, changing the way the capital celebrates music and culture. Six years ago, when adversity saw important venues closing their doors, the Broadwick Live team took on the mighty challenge to open one of the largest scale cultural venues that London has seen,” says a representative from the club. We can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store next.
London, United Kingdom
