FOR decades The Groucho Club was the secret haunt where the rich and famous engaged in legendary acts of debauchery. The private venue in the centre of London’s Soho was the place where you might see supermodel Kate Moss leaving at seven o’clock in the morning. You may have dodged members riding bikes through the lounge or find Blur bassist Alex James sleeping under the snooker table.
Over the years, regulars included singers Robbie Williams , Freddie Mercury , Liam Gallagher , Lily Allen, her dad Keith, Mighty Boosh funnyman Noel Fielding and model Cara Delevingne . In the main lounge, mobile phones are banned, allowing members to relax without their brawls, clinches or drunken exploits being recorded. There were few rules, and the ones that did exist — particularly no drugs — were often broken.
Read More on Showbiz An upstairs room was nicknamed the Peruvian Procurement Department for the alleged availability of cocaine. But a letter is circulating claiming that the 39-year-old institution is “almost dead” due to high prices and a “less fun” attitude. Many colourful members have been kicked out, and beloved manager Bernie Katz died in suspicious circumstances after being “retired” in 2017.
PR man Mark Borkowski, a member since the Groucho opened in 1985, thinks the club can no longer accept the kind of hedonism witnessed in its Nineties and Noughties heyday. Most read in Celebrity He says: “I have seen some extraordinary sights, but times have changed..