Gatecrasher at The Republic: 19 photos taking you back to days of famous Sheffield superclub in 90s and 2000s

Gatecrasher at The Republic in Sheffield city centre in the late 90s and noughties had as big a cultural impact as The Hacienda in Manchester had during the 80s, DJ Andi Durrant has suggested.

Gatecrasher actually began life in the Midlands before moving to Sheffield, where it took up temporary residence at venues including The Leadmill and The Adelphi before finding a permanent home at The Republic, a former warehouse on the corner of Matilda Street and Arundel Street.

There it developed into a superclub, with Judge Jules as a resident DJ and Paul Van Dyk among the big names it attracted, while celebrities flocked to the venue. It played a big role in the rise of trance music and in the late 90s was named club of the year two years running.

Gatecrasher’s 1999 New Year’s Eve party at the Don Valley Stadium has earned legendary status, attracting 25,000 revellers who enjoyed a night fit to end the millennium. Sadly the music died in 2007, when flames ripped through the building, which has since been replaced by a 243-bed student block called Gatecrasher Apartments.

Gatecrasher is remembered with huge affection by those lucky enough to have been there, with many fans describing its days as the best of their lives.

Resident DJs to return for Gatecrasher 30th Anniversary Show in Sheffield

They will get the chance to relive that era when the Gatecrasher 30th Anniversary Show comes to Don Valley Bowl, where it will be set within a giant big top, with acrobats and more funfair-themed attractions, on Sunday, September 3.

The all-day event, running from 3pm to 11pm, is the last day of the three-day Rock N Roll Circus, featuring Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Self Esteem, along with special guests, on the first two days.

It is being staged in collaboration with BBC Introducing and will feature the likes of Dutch DJ icons Ferry Corsten, Ilan Bluestone, Ruben de Ronde, Mark V, and Sander van Doorn.

Sheffield DJ legends Corey Mahoney, Simon Brown and Sandy Turnbull have now been confirmed to start the closing party in style alongside the likes of BBC Introducing top picks, Lee Parkinson and Charla Green.

Gatecrasher ‘thrilled to be back in our spiritual home’ of Sheffield

Some of the resident DJs who opened and closed the Gatecrasher nights during the 90s and noughties will return to support the headliners on the newly announced second stage.

The Gatecrasher Classical orchestra will be there too, playing some of the planet’s biggest trance anthems; live artists and vocalists will perform classic tracks like 'As The Rush Comes', 'Skydive', and ‘Bullet in The Gun'; and the sound system will blast out tracks and remixes from legendary names including Armin Van Buuren, DJ Tiesto, Faithless Ferry Corsten, Gouryella, Paul Oakenfold and Paul Van Dyk.

Amid all the 90s nostalgia, revellers can tuck into treats from the street food village and sup local beers and cocktails.

A spokesperson for Gatecrasher, said: “We are thrilled to be back home in Sheffield, our undoubted spiritual home. We look forward to seeing old friends and making new amazing memories delivered by the Dutch legends and local heroes that helped us conquer the trance world all those years ago.”

Tickets are on sale now at: linktr.ee/rnrcircus.

To help get you in the mood and take you back to the days of Gatecrasher and The Republic, we’ve dug out some of the best retro photos from our archives of clubbers dancing the night away there during the early noughties.