You Had to Be There: An Odyssey Through Noughties London, One Night at a Time.

by Jodie Harsh

'Gallops through the pre-mobile phone era with wit and chaotic energy.'Sunday Times
'A joyous rags-to-riches tale.'Financial Times
'Nostalgic, salacious and bitingly witty.' Joe Lycett
'A delicious, neon-soaked fever dream.' Munroe Bergdorf
'I couldn't put it down.' Annie Macmanus

The defining book on the iconic noughties-era of pop culture in London as told by DJ Jodie Harsh, who saw, did and survived it all.

Jodie Harsh arrived in London aged fifteen in 2001, heading straight off the train from Canterbury to her first club night at the Astoria. Intoxicated by this initial taste of city nightlife, she didn't leave the party for years, falling in with the right wrong people and exploring the sides of London best experienced under cover of darkness.

Throughout the noughties, from Camden and Soho to Mayfair, from Notting Hill and Primrose Hill to Hackney Road, the city was a messy, beating, slick and sordid melting pot. New music, new fashion, new art, all came together in a mad, dizzying rush before - and during - the financial crash of 2008. Different scenes collided, exploded, were reborn and shaped across the city, at rapid speed.

Harsh grabs us by the hand and leads us back to those decadent from the Astoria to The Cross, the Soho Revue Bar to Mahiki, Boombox to The End and her famous friends' houses; to a time before social media and cameraphones were ubiquitous and a life without their perpetual scrutiny allowed for a more liberated, hedonistic and creative existence. You had to be there, and Jodie Harsh was. Every single night.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, LGBT

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2025

Reviews

[Jenny Claffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Odyssean venture into London’s last heyday, before camera phones ruined the fun and celebrities became boring…! It was like finding yourself sat beside the most interesting person at the party, who has been through hell and has no problems talking about it.

As someone who is a teenager during the years recounted in this book, it brought me back to reading magazines about the underground glitterazi in London at this time. As a millennial, the references to the various music sub genres that emerged in the mid naughties was nostalgic too. Super vulnerable in parts and laugh out loud funny. Loved it

[Ellen Christofi Johansson · Rating 4 out of 5]

if i had to sum this book up as succinctly as i could, i would say it’s like those wonderful pres before a night out where you just hang around with your friends and talk and laugh and drink. all of a sudden it’s late, and you were supposed to leave for the club hours ago. except in this book, they make it to the club (8 times a week ofc).

all in all, just absolutely insane and filled with sooo much gossip. but also sentimental and emotional in the best way. and so witty! get me a bottle of wine (or three) and i’d listen to jodie talk about her life forever!

[Bethan Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hedonistic. Nostalgic. Debauched. Loved it!

[Tom Ashton-Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Employment has ruined my reading streak but we are back. Loved this. Amy chapter was amazing. Rate of property development from dance floor to commerce is super alarming so go out basically

[Gem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for an advance copy of You had to be There by Jodie Harsh.

This was bold, tender, wild and nostalgic.

One big pre night out with a million crazy stories to tell, along with a vulnerability that creeps its way to the surface.

The highs and the lows, the London club scene and the people we meet along the way are all explored throughout this beautiful memoir.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

so fun and gossipy but also really vulnerable. LOVED!

[Steven Hallgarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a fun time! felt like I was on each night out reading along. Fun and exciting and charming but vulnerable and honest at the same time.

[holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! An honest and vulnerable memoir about the London clubbing scene which felt very nostalgic. Definitely recommend reading this!

Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

[Kariss Ainsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't need to know or even care about Jodie to enjoy this. A great love letter to 00s queer clubs

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jodie Harsh is an entertaining and thoughtful chronicler of the first ten years of her life in London and finding her drag persona. Bouncing from club to club and celebrity to celebrity, Harsh is soon a celebrity herself and the desire to push herself further and further into the scene extracts a heavy price. This is camp, gossipy and brilliantly shared with the reader. The fact that it doesn't shy away from the downsides of this kind of lifestyle gives it a weight and thoughtfulness that keep you reading and never swerves into pomposity. It was super readable. I finished it in a day.

[Gergely Dara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this — so amazingg! 💖 It’s bold, inspiring, and full of that fearless energy that makes you want to chase your dreams and live unapologetically. Left me feeling empowered and ready to sparkle in my own way!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to the author, Jodie Harsh, NetGalley, and the publisher, Faber and Faber, for an ARC of this book, which was published on 23 September. This is the author’s memoir of clubbing in London in the naughties and into the 2010's.

(Before we start, a word on pronouns. Before Jodie became Jodie, she was J, who uses he/him pronouns. When J “soft launches” Jodie, she switches pronouns in the book, and I’ve followed that convention in the review below.)

Each chapter is structured around one or more of the club nights and venues that were big in London in the 00's. It begins with fifteen-year-old J traveling to London from Canterbury and sneaking into G-A-Y every week. From there, J moves onto other clubs, until he meets a group of drag queens, who inspire him to become Jodie. Once she’s left home, she starts working in clubs in any capacity - on the doors, as a host, as a DJ, and later, as a club night producer/promoter. Jodie finds her people and niche, but she also finds alcohol and drugs, particularly cocaine. She doesn’t dwell on it when she becomes addicted to both - it’s just another element of her story - but there are some sad scenes before she gets clean.
The narrative takes a real turn in tone when she does become sober: hope comes into the text. She actually makes recovery sound very easy, but then she seems to have certain personality characteristics (mental toughness, determination, a killer work ethic, and an ability to make friends anywhere) that must have helped. She rebuilds a career in the club scene, which can’t have been easy at first: she admits to being tempted by drugs at times, and she also had to rebuild the reputation she’d trashed when she was under the influence.
This is a very entertaining book, particularly if you enjoy hearing about famous people hanging out with other famous people. Jodie doesn’t relate too many specific anecdotes, but she’s an incorrigible name-dropper. If there’s one thing that disappointed me a little, it’s that there’s relatively little about music beyond the names of various tracks at points, followed by a generic comment (“a classic track”). However, that’s a relatively minor complaint.

She’s passionate about club culture and the ability of a good night to bring people from all backgrounds together, and makes several appeals for London’s nightlife to be recognised and protected. I hope her pleas are heard

[Lynsey Spedding · Rating 3 out of 5]

⸻

If I were to summarize this book, I would describe it as reminiscent of those lively gatherings before a night out, where friends share conversation, laughter, and drinks until time slips away. Unlike in real life, where plans to head to the club might be forgotten, in this book the characters always make it there—sometimes as often as eight times a week.

The narrative is vibrant, chaotic, and brimming with gossip, yet it is equally heartfelt and emotionally resonant. Witty and engaging throughout, it leaves the impression that listening to Jodie recount her life could remain endlessly captivating.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh, vivid and full of life. Jodie captures the chaos, freedom and creativity of London’s nightlife in the 2000s perfectly. It’s honest, funny and raw, with just the right mix of glamour and grit. I couldn’t put it down.

Even though I wasn’t there to experience that scene myself, Jodie brings it to life so clearly that it feels nostalgic. She paints a world that existed before social media took over, when nights out were all about connection, discovery and pure energy.

If you’re into music, drag, queer culture or anything to do with London’s nightlife, you’ll love this. Totally infectious and beautifully written.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a proof of You Had to Be There, and I was completely hooked from start to finish. Outrageous, funny, sexy, and tender in all the right ways. Yes, it’s an “odyssey through noughties London” - but it’s also so much more.

I especially loved the references to music and iconic London venues, many of which are now just memories. I didn’t experience London during that era myself, but Jodie’s writing transported me there with such vividness and heart.

Now I want to know what happened next! Here’s hoping for a part two...

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no index, which is a careless oversight. The diary recounts nites spent in London's clubland, which can be tedious at best. Why one would want to recount so many, I'm unsure. I was hoping it might have the wit of Andy Warhol's diaries, sadly, it does not. It was a quick read of a borrowed friend's book. Interestingly, it has three titles.

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Life is just too short

I tried to listen to this as an audiobook. Some bits were touching , but a lot of it felt superficial and going on about clubs in a way I can’t relate to. I probably could have continued but in a world of so many books, what is the point

Probably would be great if you know the London scene

[Aron Freeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t find Jodie a particularly intriguing character but I did want some inside gossip about Londons queer club scene and to reminisce about the 2000s. She provides the goods!

Despite the personal struggle with drink and drugs she still tells a happy story of clubland debauchery. The book made me smile a lot!

Thanks Jodie

[Caron Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

As memoirs go this one was incredible. I love Jodie/Jay’s style of writing. It is such a funny feeling reading memoirs about your own coming of age era. I felt like they were open, honest as well as discreet. I would love to read more from Jodie in the future.

[Erin Bacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

God, I’ve never wanted to go on a night out so bad.

This was such an immersive read about clubbing culture over the years in london, it made me feel like I was there experiencing it myself. It also made me feel extremely lucky to have seen first-hand the magic of a handful of these places.

[Kane Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, witty, shocking writing that took me back to my own time growing up in London. Loved it and bought a copy for my mum too. Can’t wait to read again in a few years!

[Eddie Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminded me of Julia Fox’s book and Just Kids, but set in sweaty London clubs. Really transported me to those noughties dance floors I was too young to have experienced. Really loved it. Five stars.

[Daniel Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delight to read, so nostalgic and full of charm.

[Megan Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun!

[Verity W · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so I was not a nightclub person, but I am a person who was consuming the very magazines that featured Jodie Harsh when she was in her clubbing prime, so I read this to get the inside track on what was going on behind the scenes of the nightlife scene that I used to read about.

I'm quite conflicted writing this review because I found the writing style quite hard going for large parts of the book - breathless isn't quite the right word, but it is stream of consiousness and breakneck for the majority of the book, just like Jodie's/J's life was. And so that might be a stylistic choice, but that is one of the reasons why it took me quite a while to read.

The other is that J/Jodie is also making some very bad choices at times and has a lot of traumatic events in his childhood and that is also quite hard to read. But this is a very honest book that is a glimpse into what it was like to be caught up in the Soho nighttime scene in the last years before Crossrail came and closed things down and knocked them down. The buildings that replaced them are shinier and more corporate and the things that were lost can never be replaced. But that's the way of London - always changing and shifting and moving on to the next thing for more than a millennia. I'm lucky enough to remember seeing it before it changed - and after reading this I'll be thinking about the communities and clubs that were lost every time I go down the escalators at Tottenham Court Road.

*****Copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.*****