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All good things...
Patrons past and present bid a sad farewell to The Atik (AKA The Cav)
By STEPHEN RAFFERTYSINCE ITS HEYDAY in the 1960s as a thriving
dancehall, through its evolution as the venue in
the 70s and 80s to see upcoming bands who
would go on to become global superstars, The
Cavendish - in one form or another - has stood
the test of time.
The popular club can take the credit (or
blame) for spawning thousands of Edinburgh
romances over the last 60-plus years, but its
future is now in doubt after the most recent
tenants REKOM UK called the last dance after
failing to secure a new lease, as revealed
exclusively by The Edinburgh Reporter.
Regular clubgoers to Atik, as “The Cav” was
most recently called, lost out on the chance to say
goodbye to one of the city’s most revered dance
venues as the final night on 21 January was
exclusively booked by a student organisation to
celebrate the Chinese New Year.
The property is owned by Silvermills Estates
and Land Limited, a family-owned firm of
successful Edinburgh property developers
founded by entrepreneur and former director of
the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Duncan Lonie.
Speculation in property circles suggested the
prime site in the heart of Tollcross could be
earmarked for a student accommodation
development but there are no current active
planning applications to support that, while
others have suggested returning the venue to
nightclub use at some point in the future can’t
be ruled out.
Local councillor Finlay McFarlane admitted he
would be concerned if The Cav was redeveloped
for student accommodation. He said: “It is a great
shame to lose one of Edinburgh’s most popular
nightclubs that will have catered to generations
of locals across its long and colourful history. The
actual premises sits on a huge piece of land right
in the heart of Tollcross and therefore I join local
residents in being very interested in the landlords
proposals for what will come next.
“Speculating the future of the site, be it the
next chapter of The Cav’s life as a nightlifeinstitution or, preferably, helping to meet the
need for city centre high density social housing is
a moot point at this moment in time. What many
local people will worry is that we will be
presented with yet another student housing
scheme proposition by developers looking to
squeeze a profit margin out of the site by
exploiting students with their extortionate rates.”
The venue started life in the 1940s as The New
Cavendish ballroom and was soon established as
Edinburgh’s premier dancehall, playing host to
ballroom and jive, with dancers flocking to the
club for its famous “sprung dancefloor”.
In the late 1960s, “The Cav” gave way to
Clouds and an updated format which through
the ‘70s welcomed the top bands of the day,
including Pink Floyd, Ultravox, The Stranglers,
Sham 69, Adam & the Ants, Siouxsie and the
Banshees, The Skids, and the Buzzcocks.
After a five year spell as Outer Limits and then
The Hoochie, another name change in the early
1980s introduced Coasters and an experimental
phase as a roller disco, but the venue remained a
top draw for emerging and established acts with
the likes of U2, The Jam, The Ramones, Simple
Minds, Depeche Mode, Culture Club, Dexy’s
Midnight Runners, Big Country, Culture Club,
New Order, Soft Cell, The Smiths, Nick Cave and
the Bad Seeds, Simply Red and many others
gracing the stage.
In 1991 The Cavendish was once more the
name above the door at 3 West Tollcross, before
changing yet again to Lava & Ignite during which
time it welcomed guests including Calvin Harris,
Basshunter and Example. Since 2017 the club has
traded under the Atik brand and featured in a
nightclub scene in the film T2: Trainspotting.THE FILMHOUSE Gorgie City Farm,
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s
Modern Two, Prentice Centre and many
more community loved facilities are
threatened with closure. For example, The
Muirhouse Millenium Centre, which houses
the LIFT project, in North Edinburgh, is
facing financial difficulty. Concerns about
the lack of future core funding could mean
the risk of closure. When community
facilities are not funded properly, it is not
just the centre which loses out. The families
who depend on them for support and help,
particularly during the cost-of-living crisis,
are left without a lifeline.
The Scottish Government have starved
Scotland’s councils of funding for years and
they show no sign of stopping. Do not just
take my word for it.
The Accounts Commission also
highlighted the impact of Scottish
Government austerity on Scotland’s
councils. William Moyes, Chair of the
Accounts Commission, said: “It’s clear the
financial situation of councils is
increasingly fragile. Councils are having to
deal with the effects of inflation, the
increasingly desperate cost of living
impacts and rising demand for services,
whilst at the same time delivering vital day
to day services to their communities.”DIFFICULT CHOICES
Increasingly difficult choices about
spending priorities will need to be made.
An increasing amount of council funding is
either formally ring-fenced or provided on
the expectation it will be spent on specific
services and national policy objectives.
This supports the delivery of key Scottish
Government policies yet removes local
discretion and flexibility over how these
funds can be used by councils.
Unless The Scottish Government
increases funding to local authorities,
community, culture, and sport groups
will not be able to support essential
community centres such as the Muirhouse
Millenium Centre. I will continue to support
and help community groups, culture
and sport groups, to highlight their
concerns, campaign for extra resources
and ensure funding is not cut from local
Lothian groups.
COSLA, which represents 32 Scottish
councils, issued an SOS call to “Save our
Services” Let us all say, “Enough is Enough”
and put pressure on the Scottish
Government to increase council funding,
which will mean they can fund local
projects and groups. I will continue to press
the government to deliver fair funding for
Lothian councils.OPINION: FOYSOL CHOUDHURY
Labour MSP for Lothian