THESE pictures show the state the Bas Vegas nightclub complex was left in after the final party before its recent closure.
Darren Guyon, who managed Liquid and Envy, NewYork NewYork and JJ’s on Festival Leisure Park, under various guises for 14 years, released the pictures on Facebook as he told of his heartache following his last visit to the venue which is now being demolished.
Mine's a pint: Deserted club bar
Heartache: Darren Guyon (centre) before the closure
Caught short: Toilet with no bog trolls in sight
Mr Guyon also thanked the estimated five million revellers who danced the night away in the clubs since they opened.
He posted, on the venue’s Facebook page, pictures showing the empty and trashed state of the inside of the clubs after the final party last month.
He visited the building a week after the last event on February 28.
Eerie: Cleaners were allowed the day off after the closing party
He wrote: “Well this is strange. It’s Friday night and it feels like there is something missing. For 14 years I have made my way to Bas Vegas to open up the clubs that we all know and love.
Now they have gone, the keys have been handed back and the building is now empty. A little bit like my heart at the moment.”
He thanked several staff and DJs who have worked at the venue, but added: “Above all, I want to thank each and every one of the five million customers we have had since we opened the doors.
Let's work: Contractors set to work dismantling interior straight away
Buddies: Last night in full swing
“You are the ones that made Basildon such a pleasure. You are the ones that made Bas Vegas a clubbing Institution. Thank you.”
Regulars responded to the photos in droves. Fran Queenbee Baker said: “Such a shame to see it go. I had lots of memories in here. Brought a tear to my eye seeing these pics. Was such a good club.”
Luminar Leisure, which owns the former superclub, wasted no time in razing the nightspot just two weeks after it closed for the last time.
Lights: These scenes are now a thing of the past
The club complex has been there since the park opened in 1997 Luminar is replacing the complex with three restaurants and a kids’ soft play centre which are likely to create 70 jobs.
Proposals for the site, nicknamed “Bas Vegas”, were announced last autumn, and include renovating the closed SkyBar club into a bigger venue to replace the nightclubs.
Girder on the dancefloor: Industrial equipment replaced revellers on these dance floors above and below
Strike a pose: Girls get down on the final night
American-theme restaurant chain Coast to Coast, which has 12 branches across Britain, is one of three businesses signed up for the Festival Leisure Park revamp.
Under the plans, Liquid, Envy, JJs and New York New York nightclubs closed, with the company which runs them opening a smaller club in the neighbouring former Sky Bar.
Closed: Will the last person out of Bas Vegas please turn off the lights?
One for the road: Discarded drinks bottles from night before (above) and more trashed loos (below)
The new club will be open until 6am from Thursday until Sunday every week.
Mr Guyon added: “Watch this space because I promise you that very soon the future of clubbing is coming to Basildon where we will once again establish ourselves as the iconic destination we deserve to be.”
Wild night: Walls smashed up inside venue
Demolition: Building being demolsihed
Sign off: Snapshot of a night to remember
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