What’s the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Soho in London? Yeah. We thought so. The sex industry is huge here, and you can’t avoid it. While Soho is a nightlife hotspot, there’s no denying that the sex industry dominates here. It doesn’t take much of a glance to see price lists, or signs inviting you into many of the rooms here. However, most people forget that Soho is so much more than just that. It is one of the hottest nightlife spots in London, with amazing pubs, clubs, restaurants, and more. Taking up just a single square mile in London, Soho is bustling. It is also an area that hasn’t been afraid to change.
So, we want to take you on a journey through the evolution of Soho’s nightlife. We’ll start in the 1960s and work our way forward.
The ‘Original Soho’
You could say that the original Soho started back in the 1960s. It was around this time that Soho started to become known for the number one thing it is now known for. In the 1960s, Soho was ‘gangster’ territory. Walk into any pub in the area back then and you might have caught a glimpse of some West End gangster doing a dodgy deal, or at least knocking back a pint or two.
It was at this time that Soho started to develop its ‘seedy’ reputation. Prostitution and pubs were pretty much the go-to activities back then. Those who didn’t want to engage in illicit trade, or were somewhat fearful for their life, probably wouldn’t have stepped foot in Soho.
The 1970s
The 1970s couldn’t have seen a bigger change to Soho. While we are sure a bit of illicit trade still went on in the area, things really did start to change. In the 1970s, particularly around Wardour Street, major film companies started to set up shop in Soho. You weren’t a film company if you weren’t doing business here.
This marked a huge change to the Soho culture. Pubs, restaurants, clubs, and markets still dominated the nightlife. However, the type of clientele that would frequent these areas changed. The film companies brought in a lot of international people. Soho wasn’t just a place for Londoners, it was a place for the world.
It was around this time that the sex trade in Soho started to take off too. If you weren’t a restaurant, bar, or club in Soho, then you were probably selling something related to sex. However, this started to be stamped out in the 1980s when the local government refused to renew licences for many of these trades.
Into the 1990s
By the 1990s, Soho nightlife was in full swing. Head through Soho at any time of the day, and you’ll see countless people meandering through the streets. You’d see market traders by day, and people promoting their bars and clubs by night. Things changed heavily in the 1990s, for the better.
There was a lot of competition for business in Soho, and many of those businesses were not able to survive. So, at the start of the 1990s, a lot of bars and restaurants began to shut down. This was especially apparent around Old Compton Street. The low rents meant that a new type of business owner moved in, and the dynamic of Soho changed once more.
Old Compton Street became the go-to area for the gay community seeking nightlife. It has remained so to this day. Many of the cades and shops that opened around Old Compton Street were not necessarily targeting the gay community, but they knew that this was where the bulk of their cash would be coming from.
Casinos
For a long while, the bulk of the nightlife in Soho was based on pubs, clubs, and prostitution. Then, more relaxed gambling legislation shook things up a little bit more. Head to Soho now, and the nightlife also involves casinos. This includes a particularly big one in the form of The Hippodrome Casino in Cranbourn Street, the Grosvenor Casino in Coventry Street, and the Horizons Casino in Leicester Square. Here, fans of gambling can play into the early hours of the morning, partying at some of the hippest casinos in all of London. While you won’t find a ton of slot machines like you would at Online Slot UK, the casinos in Soho focus heavily on social experiences, including card games and roulette (well, OK. There are a few slots, too).
From what we’ve seen, these casinos are always jam-packed with people whenever they’re open, and they’ve brought a load of cash into Soho. New cash, from very rich people. Although, some would argue that this is changing Soho a little bit, more on that soon.
The Changing Food Scene
Need a good night out? Well, you’ll need a good bit of food too. Anybody who has been to Soho will notice that the food on offer here has changed markedly over the years. Back in the 1960s (no, we don’t expect you to have been to Soho back then), Soho was full of cheap cafes and eateries. Places where you could eat for a couple of quid and still get loads of change. While those places still exist in Soho, the bulk of the eateries now are higher-class restaurants. Ones that you’ll often see written about in one of those big tourist guides. We suppose that this is the sort of thing that happens when rents start to climb quickly. Still, if you’re looking for a quality bite to eat, then Soho is where you’ll want to be.
Into the Modern Era
Unfortunately (for some), Soho hasn’t finished changing yet. Higher rents in the centre of London have started to drastically push up the cost of owning a business here. We’re now starting to see a good chunk of the businesses in Soho disappearing, and getting replaced with apartment blocks.
Some claim that Soho is going through a period of gentrification, and it is not hard to see why. While many of the buildings that scatter Soho remain, the vibe has completely changed. It doesn’t quite feel like ‘Party Central’ like it used to, even though it does still have a bit of a party vibe going on. The whole atmosphere feels a bit classier, and some people are not massive fans of that, especially when Soho was always one of the places in London that would break the ‘norm’.
Still, Soho has gone through a lot of changes to its nightlife over the years. We are sure that people have been worried about each of the changes that have happened. Yet, Soho has always thrived. It has always come out on the other side. While the Soho of the past has long gone, we feel that Soho will continue to offer that awesome nightlife experience for years and years to come, even if enjoying that experience ends up being a whole lot more expensive than it would have been a couple of decades ago.
