It democratised the capital’s (straight) nightlife which, until the 1980s, had mainly been controlled by a small coterie of fashion mavens, whose door policies made Albanian border guards seem lenient by comparison. The warehouse scene – or rare groove, as it later became known – helped changed London nightlife. Jay Strongman and Rob Milton were the DJs and its soundtrack, a kooky mixture of revival funk and rockabilly thrown together with hot rap, go-go and electro imports, was both catalyst and template for much of what would follow. Dirtbox was held in an old West Indian drinking den, up some stairs above a chemist’s shop. But lodged in most people’s memory is the birth of the Dirtbox in Earl’s Court, notable for what was then – and still is now – considered a London outpost, mainly home to itinerant Australians and a plethora of gay clone pubs. The Wag’s Chris Sullivan, inspired by a visit to New York, claims he was the first to throw a warehouse party, and he may be right. But constricted by licensing laws and closing times that were fun-averse, promoters began to take risks.