Liverpool DJ Lee Butler has announced that the city centre venue Club 051 will close in its current format at the end of the year. The venue, on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Brownlow Hill, will be taken on by new management under the name Mount Pleasant Warehouse.
History and Revival
The club, located in the belly of the 051 building, played a significant role in the UK's nightlife in the 1990s and early 2000s. While the iconic CREAM night at Nation attracted global superstars like Carl Cox and Sasha, the "0 five" relied on its resident DJs, including Lee and Dave Graham, and its family feel to draw punters.
From 2005, the venue did not host an event for more than a decade and was falling into disrepair until Lee and his team stepped in a few years ago to revive the site. In a Facebook post this evening, Friday, including a video, Lee said that over the last three years he and his team "walked into a venue that had been left in absolute ruins" and "made it our mission to bring one of Liverpool's most iconic nightclubs back to life".
Difficult Decision
Despite achieving that target, he alluded to the "incredibly challenging" reality of running a nightclub, including the "time, commitment, costs and work" involved. Therefore, the "difficult decision" has been made for Club 051 to cease trading under its current name and brand at the end of the year.
In his post, Lee said: "The end of an era…but the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Over the last few months, so many people have been asking me about the future of Liverpool's legendary Club 051, so I thought it was time to bring you all up to date with where we're at."
He added: "Three years ago, we took on what many people thought was an impossible task. We walked into a venue that had been left in absolute ruins, and we made it our mission to bring one of Liverpool's most iconic nightclubs back to life. It was a huge undertaking, and looking back, I'm incredibly proud that we did it. We brought the music back, we brought the people back, and most importantly, we brought the memories back."
New Chapter
Lee said "this is not the end of the venue", adding: "Club 051 has been part of the fabric of Liverpool's nightlife since 1991. Its heritage, its history and the memories created within those walls are something truly special. And one thing we were absolutely determined not to do was simply hand back the keys, walk away and watch another legendary Liverpool nightclub become abandoned, run down or lost forever."
He continued: "We've already seen far too many of our city's iconic venues disappear over the years. So, behind the scenes, we've been working incredibly hard to find the right people to take this amazing venue into the future. And I'm absolutely delighted to tell you that we've found them! They have some really exciting projects in the pipeline, and I genuinely believe this incredible building deserves the opportunity to evolve, attract a new generation and continue being part of Liverpool's nightlife for many years to come."
The venue will be completely rebranded for 2027, with a new identity and a new direction. While Club 051 will come to an end at the venue at the end of the year, the doors will not be closing on the building's future. Lee said: "And that, for me, is something worth celebrating. So...tell the next generation to check out @mountpleasantwarehouse on Instagram. For 051 - the brand: It's a feeling, it lives on. Our final show will be Boxing Night and tickets are now on sale on my website at www.leebutler.co.uk."
