Que Club

The Que Club was a music venue in Birmingham, England that was famous for hosting many well-known bands and club nights.^[1] As well as hosting famous acts, the Que Club became a centre for alternative culture, including the rave music scene.^[2]

The Que Club was located in the Grade II-listed Methodist Central Hall in Birmingham. The venue was opened in 1989 after the building was purchased by Rod Stewart's former manager Billy Gaff.^[3]

Artists performing at the venue included Altern8, Blur, David Bowie, Carl Cox, The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Massive Attack, Shed Seven and Run-DMC.^[4][5]

During this time, the building still served as a place of worship when not in use as a venue.^[2]

The Que Club closed in 2017.^[6] A documentary film, In The Que, has been made about the club.^[5] A retrospective exhibition to celebrate the legacy of the Que Club was held at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 2022.^[3][7] The photographer Terence Donovan visited the Que Club in 1996, and his photographs of the rave scene there have been exhibited.^[8]

Post-closure significance and heritage concerns

Since its closure in 2017, the Que Club has remained a prominent subject in discussions around Birmingham’s cultural heritage. The building, the former Methodist Central Hall, has been listed on the Heritage at Risk Register due to its deteriorating condition. Campaigners and local preservationists have expressed concern that without urgent investment, one of Birmingham's most historically layered venues might face irreversible damage.^[9]

In the Que documentary and cultural memory

In 2022, as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, a major retrospective documentary titled In the Que was produced to highlight the venue’s impact on the city’s social and musical identity. The film was created by the Birmingham Music Archive, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and premiered during the Commonwealth Games cultural programme.^[10]

Preservation and redevelopment discussions

Local authorities and heritage bodies have been in dialogue over the future of the Central Hall building. While redevelopment proposals have circulated since the early 2020s, concerns remain over maintaining the site's historical and architectural integrity, particularly the role it played as the Que Club during Birmingham’s rise as a UK nightlife centre.^[11]

Continuing legacy

Although the physical space no longer functions as a venue, the Que Club remains active in cultural memory. Its influence persists in Birmingham’s music landscape, with clubs, artists, and festivals citing it as a foundational institution. Former attendees and creatives continue to organize events and publish retrospectives to honour the spirit of the club, ensuring that its legacy endures beyond the walls of the now-silent Central Hall.^[12]