A popular club opened a second site in 2008 miles away from the original
Southport’s Superstar Boudoir
A staple of Liverpool’s night life scene launched a second venue in a bid to reach the far end of the region. Superstar Boudoir, a long standing cornerstone of the Pride Quarter, experienced so much success that opening another club just made sense.
Superstar Boudoir‘s reputation is laced with wild nights, eccentric characters, and incredible nights out, which is in no small thanks to the family at its core. Superstar Boudoir opened on July 4, 2000, with a red carpet welcome to the LGBT+ community.
Silk Tray, known at the time as Madame Boudoir, cut the ribbon to a new world of colour, glamour and glitter before hitting the decks to entertain the crowd. The venue launched with a litany of themed nights including Sunday School, a drag-heavy night aimed at “spicing up the weekend even if you had work the next day”.
On Saturdays, clubbers could dig deep in a “big dress-up box and a menu of icons that you can become with a superstar team giving it the old Stars in their Eyes treatment”.
Silk Tray (second right) is one of Superstar Boudoir’s founding members(Image: TRINITY MIRROR COPYRIGHT)
With business booming, Superstar Boudoir opened seven nights a week and saw Monday night karaoke, Tuesday’s Latin-inspired Rumpa Pumpa night, Superstar Speed-Dating-Services, and throwback Thursdays.
The business was so successful the company opened a second Superstar Boudoir in Southport in 2008. The old Glasshouse venue was given a £500,000 makeover including LED dance floor and waitress intercom service VIP booths.
Eurovision star Sonia was at the launch, accompanied by DJs Silk Tray, Ste Ep and Mark Pickup who took guests dancing throughout the night. the club was a success in the early days and became an integral part of the Merseyside LGBT DNA.
At the opening, Mark Pickup said: “Superstar Boudoir is an expression-free zone where like-minded people come together in fashion and fun whatever their persuasion. Whether you are black, green, red, purple with pink spots it don’t matter if you follow the golden rule – ‘Just be nice to each other’.
Southport’s Superstar Boudoir
“We’re all here together so let’s have a good time. When I first heard that they were opening a Superstar Boudoir in Southport I tried to get a phone number or email address to introduce myself.
“Then one day I got a phone call from them saying they were looking for a local DJ to join the Boudoir family. Our coming together was bizarre as we were seeking each other at the same time!”
While the Southport location was short-lived and it’s final day has been lost, the Stanley Street bar continued to thrive. Fast-forward to today and the company is celebrating its 25th birthday by being “as fabulous as ever”.
Manager Kevin Kirby told the ECHO: “It’s an achievement for all the staff past and present for keeping the venue a valued safe space for the community. Let’s hope it continues for another 25 years.
“It’s not just a club, it’s one big family where everyone is welcome. It’s the kind of place where you can go in alone and leave with a load of new friends.”