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Living In a Nightclub For a Year Can Get Messy

By Will Hartley

A small flat above a club called TJ's in Newport, Wales was where I lived with some friends between 2007 and 2008. We didn't have to pay rent; instead we'd run errands for the owner of the club, a man named John Sicolo, who occupied the flat below us. These included anything from re-painting the front of the club to knocking down toilets. It was a great year.

All things must come to an end however, and John finally kicked us out. Since we kept frequenting the club, we stayed on good terms. One day he confessed that he kicked us out because he was worried that if we kept staying there, we would never get on with our lives.

Sadly, the club has since shut down and John Sicolo has passed away.

Follow Will on Twitter @will_hartley and see more of his work here.