Durham's Official Student Newspaper

By Laetitia Eichinger and Elizabeth McBride

Palatinate understands that a speaker fell from the upstairs ceiling, creating a large hole in the dance floor of Klute on Sunday night and reportedly leaving a live wire exposed.

Klute released a statement this afternoon saying, “the issue has been fixed” and that it will be open tonight (27th May) for students to “have a groove”.

Palatinate visited the establishment on several occasions since the incident and the club did not appear to be open, but it is not clear if this is due to the incident. The club has stated the issue “has not caused us to close for any day [sic]”.

A student who witnessed the incident told Palatinate that they carried the speaker outside after it hit them on the shoulder, but that the “live cable” carrying a “strong electrical current” left “floating above the door” to the smoking area was the biggest safety concern.

The student, who is tech trained through Durham Student Theatre, says that they were able to work with a friend and the bouncers “to make sure that the situation remained safe”.

They describe how their friend “stood with the cable above the door” whilst they ensured that nobody came too close. The friend was allegedly shocked by the cable but did not suffer any serious injury.

The student praised Klute bouncers for being “quick to act” by closing the club early. Another witness expressed concern, saying that “it would be nice to know that our safety is guaranteed by venues on nights out”. They explained that the cable was left hanging only about a metre away from them.

Klute are yet to publicly comment on the incident, but Palatinate understands that the nightclub has not opened its doors since.

Klute is notorious for being awarded the title of “second-worst nightclub in Europe”, before taking the top spot by default when the original winner of the title burned down.

It is also well-known for employing a young Dominic Cummings, former senior political adviser to Boris Johnson, as a doorman or helping to take the club’s earnings during summer holidays from Oxford University.

The nightclub was previously run by Mr Cummings’ uncle, but is now owned by Tokyo Industries, who state on their website that they operate 47 of the “coolest bars” in the UK, with each venue aiming to capture “the interests of a local market specific to that location”.

Klute claims to be Durham’s “favourite student nightclub” on their website, and warns clubbers to “wipe their feet on the way out” on account of its notoriously sticky floors. 

Palatinate previously discovered that Mr Cummings is still, in fact, named as the sole director of dormant company Klute Limited.

Palatinate has contacted both Klute and parent company Tokyo Industries for comment, but has not received a response.

Note: This article has been edited in the light of Klute’s statement.

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