this is bbc news. we will have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hours straight after this programme. # we've lost dancing... covid has meant this has been the view on the dance floor. # we've lost dancing... venues like this have been closed now for over a year. the question is, as everything starts to open up, will the clubbers want to come back? when the clubs reopen, the appetite will still always be there, and we will run straight into the club when we can. and i don't think that'll go anywhere. the government don't understand what we do. they think about a dj as someone — last orders at the bar, and all that stuff. totally dated view,

and everything. the interaction between - yourself and the dance floor, that's what djing is all about. but will that be gone forever for some because of the pandemic? 16 months ago, this was just a normal weekend. now, it seems kind of alien. after over 500 days, i'm left wondering if we've lost dancing. in march last year, the prime minister made an announcement that would have a huge impact. we are collectively telling, telling cafes, clubs, bars and restaurants to close. we are also telling nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms, and leisure centres to close on the same timescale. in a matter of seconds, djs used to playing to thousands lost their connection with their fans.

when borisjohnson made that announcement, clubs were expected to be closed for a few weeks. more than a year on, like most venues across the country, the welly in hull is yet to reopen. hi there, how are you? yeah, i'm all right. welcome to rainy hull. it nearly disappeared entirely when the pandemic hit — saved by aaron mellor, who owns a number of venues across the north of england. totally as it was left when you had your last night here? yeah, i mean, we didn't own the space when we had last night here, but when it had its last night, nobody really... door opens loudly. it's always look like this, just a lot darker. yeah, let's switch the lights off. laughter. yeah, but the idea is to keep it pretty much the same as it is, you know? venues like this are grassroots music venues, so you know... if it had a carpet, it would be a sticky carpet. that's very much part of the atmosphere. it's been run by terry spoma, who's been putting on nights here since the early rave days. when it closed, were you gutted?

the whole city was gutted! i mean, i've honestly — fat tears have been involved in the music industry — i've never seen the city —— 30 years of being involved in the music industry — i've never seen the city so gutted when a venue closed. when i heard it closed, it just felt. .. somebody needs to be saving these venues for the future. at this stage, their hopes of reopening, like most venues across england, are pinned on 2ijune. my bank manager thinks it's madness. you know, but you've got to have some belief that we will get through this. do you reckon the government really understand your industry? do you think they understand what it will take to get a nightclub open by 2ijune? i've sat on a few select committees, and it's quite clear the government just do not understand the nightclubs sector and its benefit to the economy. you know, they are stuck in the world of the 1990s when you had chrome handrails and 2am slowdowns. that's not what nightclubs are doing.

we are generating new music, new creative talent. and music internationally is one of our last great british exports, you know, we export music around the world better than any other product. and the government seems to not really connect the dots on that — that without venues like the welly, then we don't have new music that we can then export. they paint a pretty bleak picture — but are clubs really that under threat if they can't open on 21 june? i've come to chat with radio one dj arielle free. music ends. post malone, that is "better now." i've had your breakfast covered this morning. i'll be back again next week. she used to have a busy schedule djing, so she knows the scene inside out. i feel like everyone was saving their money for this moment. but i also know, like, a lot of people's mental health has been affected massively because people go into the club at the weekend — it's not just about, you know, going and getting mashed up with your mates. it's actually pure escapism, it's having that moment for yourself. maybe you've worked relentless hours all week, and you just want to let your hair down and have some fun

with your mates. for me, that's why i go clubbing. i love walking into clubs in london and knowing that for the next 5—7 hours, it'sjust about me dancing to some tunes with my mates. and, you know, when you've had a really hard week, like, trying to earn those pennies, that's what we live for, we live for the weekend, don't we? so i feel like there's going to be a lot of mental health effects, as well. i'm actually adapting to being in social environments, as well, that'll be quite hard for some people. but the pressure to make that first tune the best one — or the last tune of the evening of people's first dance back, i think, is probably more important than the first one, because that's the one they'll go home, like, singing. hopefully, if it's a good gig. it's been more than 400 days since the clubs shut and, aside from illegal raves, the dance floors have been hauntingly empty. until now. here in liverpool, we've been invited to a test event which is being run by the government to see how clubbing can happen more safely. yusuf has run the famous circus night for around 20

years, and has been asked to put on the event. we're getting a sneak peek around the place. i think making sure that i play the right records at the right time — because that's the essence of djing. i'm a technical guy, but it's about the right music at the right time. so i've got to do that for 3,000 people for the first time, really, in 14 months. do you think that the night—time industry, nightclubs, djs, clubbers have been supported through this? i think it's been dreadful, the way they were treated. but i understood — ifound out why they were treated so badly — and it's because, even though the music industry is the fifth—biggest economy in the uk, more than steel and fisheries who get support no problem at all — it's because the government don't understand what we do. they've literally no idea. they think that a dj is someone who kind of plays in a pub, you know, last orders at the bar, all that stuff. totally dated view

and everything. starved of a chance to dance, the excitement is huge. music plays. those attending are clearly having a great time. to get in, they've had to prove they're free of covid and commit to doing another test after the event. hot since 82 will start his set with his own special mix. borisjohnson, distorted: we've been asking people to stay at home. stay at home... telling nightclubs, theatres, nightclubs, nightclubs, - nightclubs... to close on the same timescale. now these are places _ where people come together and, indeed, the whole purpose

in many cases of these - businesses is to bring people together. - but the sad thing is, - i'm afraid, today, for now, at least physically, _ we need to keep people apart. to keep people apart... # to keep people apart. music starts. with no gigs to play it at recent times, he's also using the event to test new music on a live audience. this tune has been signed by yusuf — a sign of how important djs being together is. i've been invited to hot since 82's studio to see how life's changed over the last year. music plays.

usually you make these records in the week, and you get, you know, the weekend comes and you can play these 3—4 times at the weekend, then come back on monday and make those small tweaks that you can hear when you play out live. you've got yourself pretty busy throughout this, haven't you? it's notjust, sort of, a year off — you've been streaming and trying to do many things. yeah, i work with a great team and we're always trying to push the envelope, whatever it may be, doing the stream in a hot air balloon, which was super scary. but it takes you off the bucket list. doing a stream on a pier in the northeast. it's keeping the viewers and listeners engaged, as well. and i don't want to keep it stale for me, you know, we're in lockdown and i'm not playing any shows. i want to get out there and play music, and i want to keep it interesting for myself, as well, because this is who i am, you know? i'm a dj. i drive over to hull to catch up with terry and aaron as they try to get the welly back, ready, and open for 21 june.

that's the date they've been given to work to — but it all seems in some doubt. that's because of a new variant of covid, first discovered in india. right, what's changed ? we're just trying to get the place ready. there's that uncertainty of when we'll be able to open. they've got this new indian variant coming through, and that's putting 21 june into some kind of question. we've been doing some socially—distance events — so you'll see in the room here, we've got some tables laid out for a gig on saturday night. can you manage a business with that level of uncertainty over you? it's just super difficult. you can'tjust open a venue like this with one week's notice. we're booking acts and telling them they're12—18 months down the line. the thing is, we've got to plan anywayjust in case we can open. i mean, hopefully, i'm feeling positive, i'm keeping positive because when the news came out about the indian variant, it does affect you mentally, because you think, "i've just put three months of planning again." i think the thing that really strikes you there is the uncertainty — that's the word they kept mentioning, how uncertain

the future feels to them. they were saying that they're worried about rumours going around that maybe the government might let them open on the 21st, but put restrictions on the number of people that can come into the venue. that, they say, isjust unworkable — and that means there's a big cloud hanging over the venue and a lot of concern. when you look at the stats, clubs have been battered over the past few years. and the pandemic threatens even more of them. six years ago, i made a documentary asking, where have all the clubs gone? what was this, then? this used to be liquid. this was literally - the biggest place to go. we have no real need to come here for a night out any more. back then, half had a shut in the past decade. that stat came from industry expert kate nichols, who now heads up uk hospitality. she's agreed to meet up for an update — and appropriately, outside a closed down club. since then, we've lost a further 25%, and a significant number of those have closed during the pandemic year.

0ne bit of the industry that's not been allowed to reopen at all since march. so while we saw stabilisation in 2018—19, i think we will see an accelerated closure rate through this year. a lot of her concerns are shared by club owners like simeon. he runs the depot in manchester, the drum sheds, and the massive print works here in london. we're 500 days in, we are absolutely exhausted. we've gone from a team of several hundred to tens, with the government saying, "we're all about to open, now stop, now start, now stop." every time that happens, we lose tens of millions of pounds. why is it you think they don't get it? why is it that this industry keeps telling me they feel abandoned ? i don't think we've been forgotten, ijust don't think they care. that's the fundamental. i don't think it's about being forgotten, we've been lobbying hard. the science is really difficult about opening venues. but we've done test events months ago, we've got the data, we know how to do it, we have world—class health and safety producers in this country. and to be honest, to totally ignore us isjust not good enough.

his worries about opening and being forced to shut are exactly what happened in the netherlands. my friends were all buying tickets to everything, - and now it'sjust. all cancelled again. and i feel bad about it, - but i understand it completely. like for me, it's- a logical reasoning. the government here says it doesn't want to close the night clubs again like has happened in the netherlands. it says it understands how difficult the pandemic has been for the sector, and it continues to do everything it can to back it. it points to an unprecedented £353 billion package of support which includes things like the furlough scheme, protection from being evicted, and grants to help them reopen. but that doesn't remove uncertainty for clubs and promoters. it's meant djs used to playing huge packed—out venues and now events like this — the estate festival, which is all socially distanced. you spend all that time

in the studio for this. you know, whether it's a festival, a club, whatever — it's all about this. the 21st, though? no, it's not gonna happen. to be honest, i wasn't super optimistic about it anyway. but i mean, it's for the best. it must be for the best, because we don't see the statistics — these are the guys that see all that, without getting too political and whatnot. so if it needs to be a few more weeks for us to finally be unchained, then is what it is. if the 21st doesn't happen and it gets pushed back, that's all right for a big event like this, but those smaller promoters and smaller djs, that's a problem, isn't it? it's all about the new wave. because i'm an established artist and it's easy for me to just pick up from where i left off — hopefully. but for the other people building up the momentum, i hope that's not eradicated. and the promoters, the little promoters, or the big—time festival promoters, it's all like a domino effect, isn't it? so let's hope that we can try and rejuvenate the industry,

because it has shone within the last few years, i know that. clubs have faded, clubs haven't been in for the last 20—25 years, it is happening. so let's hope that we can try and stimulate the industry again and keep it alive. you can make a thousand tunes in the studio, but you're making it for an audience outside, a festival, club, whatever. it's the first time hot since 82 has played the finished version of his new track "heater" to a crowd. music plays. it's strange, having spent time with him in his studio... it's quite nicejust to see him doing what he does, and obviouslyjust loving being back on stage. music continues. applause. that was amazing, it was nice

to play out for the first time in a long time since the circus in liverpool. tried a few new records — a few of them were all right. laughter. a few of them need a good mix—down. but apart from that, yeah, it was good. so will he get back to playing in a club again? and is that 21st date going to go the way of christmas and get changed at the last minute? i'm back with yusuf to see the government announcement on this. here we go. when we set out on our road map to freedom a few months ago, . we were determined to make progress that was cautious i but irreversible. this opening up over the last . three steps has inevitably been accompanied by more infection, and, in the worst—affected - areas. . . how are you feeling now? in terms of waiting — anxious, waiting to see what the outcome will be?

it feels like we're about to go over another cliff, unfortunately. we will hold off step four openings until 29july — l except for weddings, i they can still go ahead with more than 30 guests, provided social distancing i remains in place. so, how do you feel right now? well, it's confusing because he keeps on making word mistakes, for a start. he said "29july", and i think he meant the 19th. and so that... ..was a shock to the system. i'm hoping he didn't mean the 19th, and that'll be four weeks away, that would be painful. but manageable, possibly. i think i've met you now 2—3 times, and every time i come away from meeting you, i realise you're a very positive, upbeat guy with a lot of energy. today it feels quite different. you feel like, it's a bit of a cliche, but like the wind

knocked out of your sails. yeah. is that how you feel about it? it's exactly that, i feel like the wind's been knocked out of my sails — and notjust for me, you know, thinking about the journey that we've all been on over the past 14, now 15 months. but yeah, i'm gutted that so far, the movie isn't ending with a happy ending just yet. this is going to be the most bitter pill to swallow. but, as they say, it's darkest just before the dawn. he's clearly really frustrated — but what about the other djs we've met? casablanca! how are you? i'm all right, how are you? i mean, i'm overwhelmed, i and wanting to dive right in. well, crack on. i decided it was time to catch up with arielle at her local record shop. you need to buy this record. laughter. what do you recommend? it's genuinely an incredible record, yeah. oh, i might have to get it then. i you want to pick up the float,

then we'll head to the park? ok, let's do that. lets do it. now i should say it's very rare that anyone buys a record that quickly off one of my recommendations. but actually, there is a reason why arielle was on the hunt for something a bit different. shall we head to the park? yes! i spent lockdown making music, and actually, i'm really, - really happy because it's - something i've always wanted to do that i didn't think. was possible, but it's also had me connect- with djs and friends. | like, i've now got to the pointj where i released my first track so i'm really thankful. about that because it's allowed me to flex that muscle i when we've been stuck at home and not able to play- to a crowd, and whatnot. it feels a bit doom and gloom, but what's your assessment of where we are with dance music once the clubs finally reopen? i think the appetite is still there. -

over 700,000 people have lost theirjobs in the live i events industry, and they've had to retrain going - into different industries. and whether they're coming back... - i know so many people who've gone to work at warehouses . for sainsbury's and amazon, and things like that - because it's much more solid and stable. - so i think the appetite - for clubs is there, ijust hope that people who make it. all happen can survive this again and again. well, it's19july — four months on since we came here to the welly. many of the people that work in here frankly never thought this day was going to happen. there's been so many ups and downs. but tonight, the welly is going to party. with just a few more hours to go until the doors open, there's still plenty left to do. feels like we've been closed for 16 months, and we're opening last—minute again. laughter.

not on purpose, but i think we kind of, we weren't fully sure that 19july was going to happen, so 21june happened and that was pushed back. so it's almost like a relief in that it's trying to get staff in and try to get security in, and get everything working again. you don't want to build yourself up because we've had so much disappointment over the last 16 months that it's like, you know, until today, you don't actually believe it's going to happen. tonight, there'll be no vaccine passport checks. the government urged clubs to do it, but it's not a legal requirement. but then, just 17 hours after the clubs could reopen, there's news. 0nly tonight, as we're waiting to have a chat with you, borisjohnson�*s got up and said that come mid—september, basically vaccine passports are a thing for nightclubs. this is a fast—moving story — do you feel that you're being brought along in thejourney? i think the problem is that the whole way through this, we've been told that vaccination passports wouldn't be a thing, then it was dropped on us last monday that vaccination passports — clubs were being urged to do vaccination passports. but the technology isn't working properly yet, and the demographic we appeal

to, the 18—25s, haven't had a chance for their second vaccine yet. so that was really difficult. now i've almost got a sense of relief that it's september, because it then gives us time to get ready and at least prepare for that. when it was announced on last monday, i was in a panic, thinking we've sold all these tickets to people who won't be able to get vaccination passports, and how do we deal with that? there is not long to go now. and as the queue begins to form outside, it all starts to feel very real. it's the first time i've been to a nightclub to be honest. the first time you've been to a nightclub? yeah, literally my birthday was on the wednesday of the week we shut down. what is it that you've craved about going to a nightclub, what is it you wanted to do? i don't know. just experiencing it. i haven't experienced it before. so, it'sjust going to be a new thing for me. i don't feel as scared - about it, really, because we've all been all over the place . with the government going, "oh, you can't do this, you can't do that." -

do you have any worries about being in a crowded venue? yeah, ido. i feel like i'm a massive hypocrite but, like, - i'm here because i want to be! i'm just so over it now. it's a big moment. for some, their first—ever night out. for many, a return to a venue they haven't been to for ages. for aaron and his team, the first night at the welly has opened since he took it over. a bit nervous with a lot of people, but not because of covid, it's more like around the eyes, you know what i mean? other than that, it's all right. because you're just not used to being in a big crowd any more? yeah, 100%, yeah. music plays. it's really nice to see everyone smiling and happy. we love that. yeah, we both had covid real recently. we came out of our isolation like a week ago. we both had it at the same time. i just feel scared for

anyone that's not had it, because i feel like if you've not had it, you are going to get it now... look, strip away whether you think it's right or wrong to reopen clubs. i'm just struck that there's something quite magical seeing friends dancing and reconnecting on the dance floor. not as bad as i thought it would be. like, people—wise. yeah, the amount of people but they haven't let that many in really, have they? itjust means so much to the city. people just want to socialise and go back on the dance floor because music connects people, doesn't it? have you missed it as a promoter, manager, owner? absolutely. i mean, i think we go through life and just accept that these buildings kind of exist. it's only when they no longer exist that you realise just how important they are. you know, these places are cultural incubators,

and it is so vital that places like the welly and grassroots music venues like this continue to exist. so, hopefully we will come out of this and appreciate them more, because they are so vital to our industry of music and life, and everything. so, nightclubs are open, but the uncertainty we've seen along the way remains. for example, the prime minister wants to see the vaccine passports for entry, but many in his own party hate the idea. will we see that come into law by mid—september? either way, uncertainty is the big message we've heard along the way. for example, clubs have got massive debts that they've racked up during the pandemic. festivals have become

increasingly popular, and it's very difficult to get and keep a licence. people will always want to dance. that is undeniable. the thing that may be changing is where they want to do it. hello there. cloud features quite prominently in our forecast for this week. and with the grey skies come some relatively cool conditions for the time of year. northwesterly winds bringing all that cloud and some rather coolair, particularly at the start of the week, but it will often, if not always, be dry. just a bit of light and patchy rain here and there. this is the earlier satellite picture. you can see various areas of cloud. we've got low pressure up to the northeast, weak frontal systems which have been bringing cloud and some showery rain. there's quite a lot of low cloud waiting out to the west. and this is the set—up to start the week, with high pressure to the west, low pressure to the east, and that is what's

driving this northwesterly wind. quite a brisk wind first thing, especially for north sea coasts. as we go through monday, we will see some sunshine developing, the best of that across northern and eastern scotland, the eastern side of england, whereas further west, we will keep more in the way of cloud, perhaps some spots of light rain and drizzle at times, and some slightly heavier rain approaching northwest scotland and northern ireland later in the day. those winds only slowly easing. it stays quite breezy for all of us through the day and temperatures a bit below par, generally speaking — 17,18,19, maybe heading 20 degrees in parts of southern and eastern england. and then as we head through monday night, we will see this area of wet weather pushing its way southeastwards. the rain mostly quite light and patchy, but i think there will be the odd heavy burst. but with that, we're going to feed in an awful lot of low cloud, mist and murk, and that sets the scene for the middle part of the week. we still have this northwesterly wind, with high pressure and low pressure trapping us between the two, essentially, but that northwesterly wind picking up an awful lot of moisture, an awful lot of cloud and depositing it on top of the uk. so largely cloudy conditions on tuesday, a little bit of patchy rain and drizzle here and there. equally, that cloud breaking to give some sunny spells,

especially to the south and the southeast of high ground. temperatures, at best, 18, 19, 20 degrees — still a little disappointing. and then into wednesday, more of the same, really, more mist and murk and cloud, the odd spot of drizzle. best of any brightness to the east and southeast of any hills and mountains. and temperatures, well, maybe just creeping up a touch, 21 degrees there in london, 17 in aberdeen. and then as we look towards the end of the week, a quiet sort of day on thursday. by friday, well, there is the chance that we will see some rain pushing in from the west.

music plays.

welcome to bbc news, i'm david eades. our top stories: taliban fighters enter the presidential palace in kabul as they retake the afghan capital, 20 years after being forced from power. their arrival has sparked an exodus from the city, as afghans try to board flights out of the country, and president ghani flees. embassies are closing, diplomats are flying out, leaving afghan civilians, and former top officials fearing what lies ahead. imight i might face consequences that i'd never even dreamt of, and i guess that's the price that we pay for trying to make this world a little better. and in haiti, the search

for survivors, as the death toll from a huge earthquake rises to nearly 1,300.