Drumsheds to remain open following licence hearing surrounding recent drug deaths and stabbing

North London superclub Drumsheds is to remain open under “modified conditions” following a licence review by Enfield Council earlier this week.

A licence hearing was held on Tuesday, 7th January, in the wake of two drug-related deaths and one non-fatal stabbing at the venue late last year, which prompted the Metropolitan Police to launch an investigation. An initial emergency hearing was held at Enfield Council on 12th December. 

According to a report on London Centric, a licensing committee decided that venue operator Broadwick Live should keep its licence with additional requirements, adding that council officers and police will “continue to monitor the premises to ensure these conditions are in place”.

While the Met were reportedly pushing for the venue’s capacity to be reduced from 15,000 to 9,999 attendees, and for the introduction of mandatory ID scanning and “bomb detection dogs”, Drumsheds has successfully managed to push back against these conditions. The exact details of the “modified conditions” the venue will now be required to uphold are expected to be announced later today (8th January).

Cllr Susan Erbil, Cabinet member for Planning and Regulatory Services at Enfield Council, said: “Enfield Council’s primary concerns remain the safety and wellbeing of its residents. Today, the licensing sub-committee heard the representations provided to them by the police and representatives on behalf of the venue management and agreed that the premises licence holder should retain their licence with modified conditions.

“Council officers and the police will continue to monitor the premises and undertake compliance checks but it is the premises licence holder’s responsibility to ensure the conditions are upheld.”

The Metropolitan Police’s investigations into the death of a 27-year-old man who attended an event at the 15,000-capacity venue on 12th October are currently ongoing. According to London Centric, the man sought treatment from the venue’s medical staff after taking drugs. After being allowed to return to the dancefloor, he visited the medical facility a second time before being transported to North Middlesex hospital in a private ambulance with three other attendees. The man later died in hospital, while another attendee was left in intensive care. 

According to London Centric, another man was reportedly taken to hospital after a non-fatal stabbing at an event on 16th November. Police arrived at the venue to find a victim with “several lacerations over his body”. According to an account by police constable Francis Peters, who asked for the Drumsheds’ premises licence to be reviewed, security staff at the venue were “uncooperative” with police on the night. Officers considered shutting the entire club down that night but let the Jamie Jones-headlined event continue “due to the size of the crowd and the lack of resources” to safely disperse them.

The Met are also investigating the death of a 29-year-old woman, which they believe to be drug-related. On 7th December — when Drumsheds hosted The Hydra’s Bicep event — the woman allegedly brought MDMA into the club, which she then mixed into a drink. She was later found in the bathroom by Drumsheds’ medical team who took her to the on-site medical facility and then transferred her to hospital where she died shortly after.

Police concluded that it was “poor searching of customers at the venue” that led to drugs being let into the space. This led to increased security measures being introduced for a UKF anniversary event the following week, but according to London Centric, these new measures led to lengthy queues and reports that staff struggled to manage the crowd at its entrance, leading to hundreds of complaints and a petition to refund ticket holders.

Drumsheds has also been criticised over “aggressive” security as well as claims of overcrowding and “unsafe” queues at an event that took place on 13th December. A website demanding accountability for the club has been created, including screenshots of complaints from attendees, photos of crowds, and a link to a petition calling on the venue to issue refunds to those affected.

Last year it was announced that year-round onsite drug testing would be introduced at Drumsheds and The Warehouse Project by The Loop.

Drumsheds is also set to be the venue for the returning Red Bull Culture Clash in March.

In a statement shared with DJ Mag, representatives for Drumsheds said: 

We are pleased to confirm that following a detailed review of our practices and operations, the licensing authority of Enfield Council has approved our continued operation at full capacity at Drumsheds.

Throughout this process, we have proactively introduced a number of additional conditions to further mitigate risk and support the licensing objectives, and we value the collaborative and positive working relationship we have with Enfield Police, who have never sought to revoke Drumsheds’ licence.

Over the past several months, Enfield Police and the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) have worked closely with our operations team to strengthen safety and welfare measures at the venue. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to ensuring the well-being of our guests and team. 

Drumsheds is proud to be a platform for some of the world’s biggest artists and performers across a variety of genres, and as one of London’s leading large-scale event spaces, we remain committed to delivering exceptional shows and cultural experiences that contribute to the city’s global reputation as a hub for live music and entertainment.

We are pleased with this outcome and we look forward to continuing to bring world-class talent and unforgettable events to Drumsheds.