Two iconic naughty noughties clubs have reopened in London. But will Gen Z care?
The owners of Boujis and Mahiki both have new clubs. Adam Bloodworth asks if the glory days of ‘naughty noughties’ posh partying can appeal to Gen Z
Picture the scene: it’s two o’clock in the morning and a throng of paparazzi are muscling for space outside Boujis nightclub in South Kensington. Tara Palmer-Tompkinson and her gaggle of It Girls are greeted by a blitz of white light. A kilometre away on the King’s Road, Prince Harry has exited Mahiki, but not through the door, by fleeing down the fire exit like Spider-Man. It was the age when celebrities actually went out clubbing, and photographers were making a packet.
In the era before social media, this was work. Before the grid there was only Backgrid, the photo agency that could zoom pictures into a newspaper when print deadlines were still in the early hours. It was helpful for both the celebs and the paparazzi that going clubbing was something people still did on a Friday night. Nowadays folk don’t tend to party in the same way, but back then they went out for the sake of it to drink from plastic treasure chests full of fruity booze. They chugged to the sound of Dizzee Rascal, Wiley and Tinie Tempah. Booze was cool, and being a wreckhead was God-tier.
As Gen Z stopped drinking, the ‘naughty noughties’ were becoming a distant memory
For a whole host of reasons – a shift in values, the cost of living crisis, moaning neighbours and the fact it was an extremely unhealthy way to live – that era has ended. The two flagships of the London scene, Boujis and Mahiki, both shuttered, the former in 2016 and the latter in 2021.
As Gen Z stopped drinking, the ‘naughty noughties’ were becoming a distant memory. But then both clubs reopened in one form or another. Boujis came back in March 2023 under the name B London (a second branch, Gallery, followed this year). And Mahiki founder Marc Jacques-Burton recently launched The Rex Rooms on the King’s Road site of former legendary club 151, a venue loved by both princes, Diana’s former lover James Hewitt, Prince Andrew, Palmer-Tompkinson and, well, the whole gang. So is – whisper it – west London cool again?
“This is one of the most private rooms in the world,” says Jacques-Burton, dressed like a noughties indie kid and sitting in the back booth of The King’s Room, the VIP area of his new Rex Rooms. At Mahiki Jacques-Burton hosted DiCaprio and Jagger, as well as the meet-cute between Elon Musk and the British actor Tallulah Riley (the couple were married twice and together for eight years). “My friend was at MySpace at the time so he came down with Elon Musk, and Tallulah was there with another group,” says Jacques-Burton. “When you create a private room like you have here, where people have been vetted, people’s guards are down. They feel more comfortable mixing. That’s where they first met and I suppose the rest is history now.”
He hopes to recreate the formula and so far it seems to be working. With backing from film producers and the movie star Jason Mamoa, Machine Gun Kelly is one of the early names happy to have been papped here. But the whole point, these days, is discretion. “Fifteen years ago when we had Mahiki and Whisky Mist, if you had a superstar in the room people would notice them but that was it. Now everyone feels like they’ve got to get a selfie with them. The reason we’ve kept this room small and private and shut off from the main room is because we do realise the times we’re living in.”
Has former regular Prince Harry been invited back to throw shapes to the punk, rock and nostalgia playlist? “If people want to come, they end up coming. That’s probably not the answer you’re looking for…” In the main room next door, the Instagrammers are lured by lion’s mane cocktails served in mushroom sculptures.
A half an hour walk away and with a private exit into the grounds of Will and Kate’s gaff Kensington Palace, Gallery is a shocking sight for Knightsbridge. It has a Brutalist concrete grey door and inside, the club is industrial, inspired by stripped-back east London warehouse-style venues like Fold, which has a 36-hour licence.
“When we had Boujis and Mahiki it was the heyday of clubbing,” says Carlo Carello, formerly of both. “People had big expense accounts,” he says but now the Bribery Act and the general political climate mean those days are “long gone”. His new gambit plays into the trend for Gen Z mainly wanting to see famous DJs; in other words, event clubbing.
The message is clear: this is a serious club for West London. “Our main clubroom showcases some of the world’s best DJs. We’ve focused on sound quality, lighting, every single detail. What makes this place special is the core room is for music lovers,” says Carello. Pete Tong, Seth Troxler and Prospa have been early names.
But we’re still in Knightsbridge, really. He points out a “seductive French boudoir-themed room” hidden from the main space. Perhaps that’s where you might find the treasure chest filled with pineapple flavoured vodka. The question is: can West London blend the kitsch nostalgia of the naughty noughties and attract the cool kids from Gen Z?
Adam is deputy editor of City PM The Magazine
Read more: Why Gen Z loves ‘Tenniscore’, the preppy Wimbledon dress code
Read more: It’s an exciting time for clubs in London – just not in Soho