Club's spirit is burning bright after Old Town fire

THE stage is set, the bars are fully stocked, and jackets still hang in the cloakroom. But a quick glance upwards is all it takes to realise that it will be some time before any music will be playing in the Liquid Room.

The ceiling of the Victoria Street venue collapsed following the huge blaze which broke out in neighbouring Khushi's three weeks ago today and the full extent of the damage is only now becoming clear.

Revellers abandoned their drinks and coats while the 1970s rockers The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were forced to flee the stage mid-set when the fire broke out.

The first look inside the fire-hit venue comes as demolition work to gut the interior of the Liquid Room, Khushi's and the Finnegan's Wake pub is set to get under way, with the owners starting to rebuild their shattered businesses.

Kath Mackenzie, manager of the Liquid Room, said: "The club looks like a bomb has gone off. To be honest, it is a lot worse than I thought it was going to be. It's now a race against time to recover anything we can."

A full investigation report by the fire service is yet to be released, but Lothian and Borders Police have said the blaze is not being treated as suspicious.

Ms Mackenzie said: "In the beginning, we were all really upset and nobody really wanted to look at anyone else. But this week we all met with engineers at the City Chambers and it was really unbelievable – we all want to work together to get our businesses back up and running.

"We want to get Victoria Street back, too – this is affecting the whole area."

The fire, which broke out at about 8pm, saw 20ft flames shoot from the roof of Khushi's.

Hundreds of Christmas revellers were evacuated, with dozens of firefighters called to tackle the blaze. The fire was so ferocious, it was still burning the following day.

Since then, the premises have been secured by building control experts from the city council and they are now deemed safe enough for entry and restoration.

The entire roof of the three buildings was lost in the fire and will have to be replaced before any other structural work can begin.

In the Liquid Room, ceilings have collapsed, floor boards have buckled, mould is growing on the walls and inches of water still cover the property.

Symbolically, the only recognisable feature to have remained intact is the music stage.

The club is likely to be closed for a year, opening with no major changes to its original structure, but with new decor.

Ms Mackenzie said: "We're all really pleased that work can begin on Monday, instead of us all just milling about like we have been.

"It's actually quite exciting – there is finally light at the end of the tunnel."

Meanwhile, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band are preparing to at last reclaim their abandoned equipment and musical instruments.

Permission has been granted for the rockers to visit the club on Tuesday to get back their possessions worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Manager John Morrison said: "It's so difficult to say what state it will all be in.

"There is likely to be a lot of smoke damage and damp, so our drums, for example, could easily have warped."

The revellers who were forced to leave coats in the club as they fled for safety will also be reunited with them next week.

Owners are arranging for them to be collected from Monday, or posted to fans who live outside with the city.

The Victoria Street fire took place six years to the month after a major blaze in the Cowgate destroyed a dozen properties and businesses.

The Khushi's building was also hit by fire in August last year, although most of the damage in that incident had been confined to the roof.