For the uninitiated, Tramp in London is a members only nightclub, opened in 1969 by the son of a bookmaker, Johnny Gold, which became one of the most famous nightclubs in the world. It has hosted a vast array of celebrities, royalty, nobility, and high-society types, and was featured as part of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal as Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II's son, was accused of dancing with Virgina Roberts, who claimed they were forced to do so.
We'll take describing it no further, as it's simply not necessary. Tramp is so well known it even has it's own Wikipedea entry, so lengthy explanation's of it's history are not required. Save as to mention that in November 2023 it went out of business, and closed. The excited chatter currently is that it's soon to re-open by new owner's. In our view, it will fail again.
The bitter truth that few seem willing to admit is that Tramp succeeded because there were no alternatives at the time. Going out in 1960's West End London meant either stuffy gentleman's clubs, seedy Soho dives, and little in between. Anabell's was launched precisely as an antidote to this, however, it simply became another spot for the highest of society. Therefore, Tramp, being a spot in London to drink, dance, and socialise, free from stifling dress codes, and oppressive social cliques, was rather unique. This meant it attracted the great and the good from the arts, who would not feel comfortable in Anabell's, and who frankly wouldn't be welcome in White's or the Aetheaneum. And where the arts go, all else follow.
This continued to be the case that through the 1970's and 1980's, as while options began to emerge, there were still few. Not to mention, Tramp had already established itself. This is quite difficult for people to realise now, but London had very few nightlife options for a very long time. However, this began to change come the late 1980's, and into the 1990's as London boomed, so also the hospitality started to boom. New and exciting alternatives started emerging. The member's club scene saw the Groucho Club in 1985, Soho House in 1995, and from 2000 onwards there has been an explosion, with hundreds of options in the membership venue scene, and literally thousands of ordinary options to choose from many of which are superior to Tramp in their own right.
For this reason Tramp lost it's allure. Anyone who actually socialises in London would have walked past Tramp in the years from 2000 to 2023, and seen that it still attracted a clamouring crowd of wannabee's and tryhard's. But there was just no good reason for someone who wanted privacy, and a smart venue, to choose it with it's faded glamour. So, like many, many other nightlife venues in the West End, it went out of business.
But wait, now it has a new owner, a former banker turned nightlife empresario, who intends to turn Tramp into a destination once again. As we said already, and the title indicates, we doubt it will succeed. The location isn't particularly good, and never has been. Jermyn Street is a strange spot, as a shopping street it's excellent, and restaurant's can do well, but it just doesn't have the feel of a modern nightlife area. This is one of the reason's it might have failed before, better spots with better locations are everywhere. Throwing a load of cash at the place to make it look modern won't change that.
It also appears from an interview with the new owner that they have unusual ideas about what makes a place good. In a recent article in the Evening Standard (link), the new owner said they want it to become more of a "home from home", and plan to remove the dance floor, saying "people don't go clubbing anymore". Which is flatly wrong, and they simply do. Having a dress code, which is antithetical to the entire point of Tramp. Along with a bizarre rule of no single sex groups. An entirely contradictory decision, because, if you want to turn it into more of an intimate relaxed vibe then preventing people from coming with friends unless they are a mixed sex group makes no sense.
The new owner simply seems quite confused. They appear to want everything at once, they seem to want it to be a Soho House, and a traditional St Jame's members club, and a hang out spot. It also is quite evident that some success in life and with other venues has left them in a disconnected bubble where they're unable to perceive quite how out of touch and strange their ideas are. We can assist here. Tramp succeeded because there were no alternatives, and failed because it wasn't interesting or special enough in location or concept to compete when alternatives emerged, and trying to emulate others in a confused manner with it isn't likely to succeed.
We might be wrong, and Tramp London will become the centre of nightlife culture all over again for the next 30 years. However, it seems very, very unlikely.
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