Sweaty cellars, plastic glasses, cigarette smoke and popping hangovers
These are the memories most of us have of clubbing in the 90s and 2000s.
Every city had its legendary shabby nightspots, where your feet were glued to the carpet and you stumbled out completely hammered at 4 a.m.
Such was the case with Ealings Club Azur – which was viewed as such a questionable hangout that people gave it the catchphrase, “Are you sure?”
READ MORE: “Everyone Was Naked”: Tourist Tells About A Hilarious Accidental Visit To The Naturist Spa In Kentish Town
Michael and Magdalena have been happily married for 16 years
The club is now known as the Red Room, but it started out as the legendary Ealing Jazz Club, where icons like the Rolling Stones played.
Many Ealing youths had their first experiences making out with a complete stranger or getting pounded and throwing up in the alley outside. It doesn’t exactly scream for romance.
But for some stars who lined up in the basement right next to Broadway, people actually met their life partners as well.
Magdalena McNicholas was one such person who walked into Club Azure one night and without knowing it, met her future husband.
She recalls her friend dragging her there in 2003 after telling her to stop sulking after breaking up with her ex-boyfriend.
The club had a reputation for being for the “divorced and desperate” but Magdalena says she was neither – she just couldn’t bother going out and meeting another guy.
“My boyfriend came and said ‘let’s go out,’ so I changed and we went to Club Azur,” says Magdalena.
Not much jazz is played there today
“We went to the club and there was one guy who was really talkative and funny and another guy was with him and didn’t say much.
“He seemed calm, but then he started following me everywhere.
“My boyfriend was talking to the funny guy, but I couldn’t find her anywhere later. I then went across the street to the store with his friend and he bought me some flowers and a copy of the Daily Mail.
“I gave him my number and he called me the next day!”
The couple quickly bonded and met at All Bar One in Ealing.
Then Michael kept asking her for something to eat, but she kept saying that she wasn’t hungry.
After about six months she gave in and they went to the nearby Italian Carluccio.
A year later, Michael suggested. He told Magdalena that he intended to call her with the champagne at Le Pont de la Tour in London but it was too expensive so he literally filled the bottle and asked the question when they went home instead.
The couple married six months later.
Magdalena and Michael’s three children
Magdalena says: “We found out that Chelsea is as expensive as Ealing, so we went for Chelsea!
“I remember we were on the subway on our way back and people laughed and said he was too stingy to buy a taxi. But we wanted to take the subway and people laughed and cheered everywhere. It was great. “
Now, after 16 years of marriage and three children later, the couple lead happy lives in Northfields. They just celebrated their wedding anniversary on August 12th.
“There were no affairs, no big problems, no mistrust,” says Magdalena. “Sometimes we argue about the children, but that’s normal.”
Not all of her friends were so lucky. She knows three other friends who all met their partners at Club Azur. One couple are still happily married and have twins, but the other two are now divorced.
Perhaps the terms “are you sure” or “divorced and desperate” were deserved!
Still, she fondly remembers Club Azur as a place where “decent” music was played, requests from the DJs could be made, and where she happily drank Bacardi Breezer – watermelon-flavored, of course.
MyLondon The 12’s brilliant new newsletter is packed with news, views, features and opinions from around the city.
Every day around 12 noon we will send you a free 12 story email to keep you entertained, informed and cheered. It’s the perfect midday reading.
The MyLondon team tells London stories for Londoners. Our 45 journalists cover all the news you need – from town hall to your local streets.
Don’t miss a moment by signing up for The 12 newsletter here.
She says she is dressed in “sporty sexy” clothes and loved dancing with her pals.
But when she smacked Michael in the eyes, she said that she felt like he wasn’t trying too hard and “was someone you could trust”.
Your instincts must have been good.
She still loves to dance today and says that she is planning a trip to the club – which is now the Red Room – with her pals.
“Looking back, we think it’s funny that we met there now,” she says. “But I’m glad I don’t have to meet anyone these days. It’s all so complicated now, everything online.
“I have great memories of those times.”
What used to be your favorite nightspot in London? Share your memories with us by emailing martin.elvery@reachplc.com