A club owner has stepped down after 30 years in charge of a seafront venue.

John Holland has overseen Brighton’s popular dance music club, first known as The Escape Club and latterly as Audio.

It featured an early appearance from The Stone Roses in the late 1980s, followed by superstar DJs Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, Pete Tong, The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk as club culture gathered pace.

Local legends Fatboy Slim and Carl Cox helped celebrate the end of The Escape, which was relaunched as Audio following a £1million refurbishment in 2004.

The club maintained its position in the city’s music scene with appearances by Disclosure, The xx, Skream, Four Tet and Andrew Weatherall.

Bar and events operator Mothership Group, owner of East London venues The Book Club, Queen of Hoxton and Stories, has acquired the nightclub and bar.

John said: “The only other person I can think of that has run a club as long is Peter Stringfellow – and that makes me shudder.

“There have been so many amazing moments during the 30 years.

“I have loved every second of it and the memories will always bring a smile to my face.

“Mothership has bought the brand and the club because they love the ethos that we have built over the years. I would like to thank all our faithful customers and friends, the staff and suppliers who have supported us throughout three decades.”

John started out behind the bar at the Top House pub in Burgess Hill, later working at the Old Vic in Ship Street, Brighton.

He fell in love with Brighton, buying the lease of The Escape.

He and his wife Cecilia made a fortune with the club. They bought a £2million property on Tongdean Lane, an Aston Martin and rubbed shoulders with the stars.

London-based Mothership officially took over on Monday night.

Commercial director Jon Ross said: “We love Brighton and we’ve been looking for the perfect site here for a while. There’s been a lot of change on the nightlife scene recently, and we’re confident that we can bring a fun, engaging space for Brighton’s locals and visitors alike.

“We’re aware that Brighton is a proud town with a strong sense of identity and we’ll be looking to complement that. We have some great ideas for the space. However, we won’t be looking to make major changes until the new year.”