Although sometimes reported to have started life as a music hall, the venue was in fact constructed as a public house and has always served that function.

Notable acts from this era include "Carla" with her Barbra Streisand impersonation, "Jackie Sh*t" with her political tombola and "The Great Lee Paris" on a Saturday night with Land of Hope and Glory.

[5] Lily Savage, the drag persona of Paul O'Grady, was a regular performer for eight years, with shows four times per week.

[2][6] In 1987, the premises were raided by officers wearing rubber medical gloves to investigate allegations of drunken behaviour, despite no such complaints being made by Vauxhall residents.

[7] Junior minister Douglas Hogg said the surgical gloves were worn to prevent "infection by hepatitis B or AIDS as a result of accidental injury from any drugs paraphernalia",[8] including poppers (amyl nitrite).

[3][1][21] The campaign was supported by the then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and the actors and entertainers Ian McKellen and Paul O'Grady, among many others.

[20] The RVT was featured as a location in the 1970 film Goodbye Gemini, 2007's Clapham Junction, 2014's Pride, 2016's Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and 2023's All of Us Strangers.

Push The Button is a club night hosted on the last Friday of every month, playing pop music from 1990 to present day.