Save Plastic People - Sign The Petition, Y'all.

If you’ve been looking at your Twitter, Facebook or even the newspapers in the last week you’ll undoubtedly have noticed that one of London’s most celebrated clubs, Plastic People, is under threat from closure by the Police due to an "abuse of licence" and reported "public nuisance." Described by goers as simply "four walls and a dancefloor," to many it's been a cultural gateway that has provided a musical education for the last 16 years. With the simple bar, wooden floor and a pitch-black dance floor lit only by a tiny red light above the DJ booth, it has played host to legendary London club nights such as Balance, The Blueprint Sessions and Co-Op. Home to the seminal club night FWD>>, it’s been the birth place for many of UK renowned bass music genres such as 2-step, garage, dubstep and funky. While also playing home to Non-Sense, CD-R, Gullyver, Warm and Voices Collective, DJs such as Theo Parrish, Four Tet, Erol Alkan, The Bug and Loefah have all held residencies there; not to mention the hundreds of influential DJs who’ve passed through its doors.

The support for the club's current plight has been immense; the Facebook group 'KEEP PLASTIC PEOPLE ALIVE' drew in over 13,000 members in its first week. The official online petition, launched as a result of the public outcry highlighted by the facebook group, currently stands with just over 4,000 signatures. Letters can be sent over to the ‘Friends Of Plastic People’ committee by anyone who wants to send over their message of support direct to the appeal board, and residents in the Hackney area can write directly to the council.

Join the Facebook group HERE to get all the information necessary to register your opinion; and sign the petition HERE.

Below we’ve gathered some quotes from our favourite journalists, DJs and regulars to the club, who have spoken out to give their messages of support.

Keep Plastic People alive.

Sam Shepherd aka Floating Points - Producer/DJ
“There isnt a single message from anyone that makes Plastic look like a place that would promote 'public disorder.' Plastic is a mecca for DJs, in that you are guaranteed that the people are there for the love of the music and the clarity of the soundsystem. I will not be alone in saying it is among one of the best clubs in the world, dedicated to advancing culture. It is like you're walking into your living room with an amazing soundsystem!”

DJ Zinc - Producer/DJ
“Definitely one of the best small clubs in the world.”

Melissa Bradshaw – Writer
“If Plastic were to close it would mean that the authorities in this country actively want to put an end to grass roots creativity. It would also mean that they'd take away what keeps young people occupied, inspires them, and helps them spread their wings. On a personal level I'd also be heartbroken - I can't imagine London without Plastic and I think I might not want to live here anymore.”

Gilles Peterson – DJ
“Best little club in the UK well, best little club in London - you can't dismiss Sub Club in Glasgow. These places are crucial to the well being of our cutting edge club culture, Plastic People has been the most vital club since the Blue Note shut down all those years ago a home to Dubstep (the UK's most serious musical export these last 5 years) and through Ade's approach and touch a club at the pinpoint of 'keeping things real' in the spirit of Larry Levan it must not close.”

Benji B – DJ
“London owes a lot to Plastic People and it will be incomprehensible for the city to lose such a free thinking and pure music space. It is absolutely ironic that the authorities should want to shut down a venue that is founded on such a positive vision. I for one will do everything in my power to try to ensure that this won't happen. If Plastic dies, Shoreditch is over for good, and London will never be the same again.”

Tony Nwachukwu - Producer/DJ/CD-R
“If Plastic was to close it would mean the death of quality music and sound in London. The support has been overwhelming and growing steadily, it proves just how much Plastic People has touched people.

Charlotte Kepel – Manager Plastic People
“Every time I log on, there are more and more people who've joined the Facebook group. I mean we knew people liked Plastic, but this massive support gives us real arguments to make us fight this revocation even more. We are a cultural venue, where music is the key. It would be great if the police could read all the messages.”

Alexander Nut - DJ, Eglo Records label boss
“People need to be proactive, Twitter and Facebook is all good, but people really need to be sending letters and emails directly to the police and council. It would be a huge loss on a creative and cultural level. It's a special place that allows music lovers to experience music/dj's/clubbing etc in a very pure and undiluted form. For those of us who care about sonics/sounds, space/environment it’s very important.”

Mark Pritchard - Producer/DJ
“Plastic People isnt a club where I see a lot of people out of their heads. It's more about the music and the sound and people coming together to experience that. When the sound is good and the atmosphere is right, you don't need any enhancement from anywhere else; the experience itself is enough to take you somewhere else.”

Ben Simons - DJ/Non-Sense/started the FB group
“Where else in the world can you see legends in all genres playing to less to 200 people. Since the opening night of the venue, I knew I would never stop coming. I DONT INTEND TO STOP NOW. What the authorities need to know is how culturally relevant this little inoffensive, safe and blessed basement actually is.”

Martin Clark - Writer/DJ
“Plastic People is a music venue, people go there for the music. I've been hundreds of times and never seen any trouble. If people want to get mashup they go to any venue. When they want to hear amazing upfront music on a great system they go to Plastic People.”

Charles Holgate - MC/Manager/MusicPR
“The beauty of Plastic People is that its soul and integrity, not commercial popularity or viability, which determines the music played within.”

Ben V - Writer/regular
“Far from a conventional club, the space has hosted numerable fundraisers and memorial events, including for Haiti, James Brown, and Hurricane Katrina. The latter had Chris Ofili making one-off posters to help raise funds. Another remarkable evening, was the RNID-supported event Deaf Jam, where Plastics’ soundsystem was utilised to allow hearing-impaired ravers to feel the good vibrations. If London is to claim to be culturally cutting-edge then spaces like Plastics that pump blood through the Arts underground must be recognised.”

Alice Moxie – DJ
"There is no other club in London like Plastic People. It's responsible for pushing some of the worlds greatest DJs and stays true to promoting good underground music. If it were to close down it would be a devastating loss for London's club scene."

Mike Burns - DJ/Regular
“I have attended no other cultural establishment more religiously. Its closure would displace a community and be a devastating blow for cutting edge UK music. A review of its licence seems totally misguided when faced with the venue's cultural significance. The scale of the response highlights the attachment so many have towards Plastic People. The way it's touched so many lives shows that it's more than just a Shoreditch nightclub; it's a community.”

Robin Pasricha - DJ/ Dirty Canvas
“There seems to be a concerted effort by the police to clamp down on any sort of antisocial behaviour in the area in the past year. It’s easily my favourite venue in London so it would be a real blow. I first starting going there in 2005/6 for FWD, which was a major influence on me, i may not be doing what i do today without Plastic. The sound system is obviously amazing and I’ve never been to any other club that’s got such a strict quality control musically, while always having a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.”