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There's cutting a deal, and there's cutting a deal:
#NowReading some unbelievable stuff about The Brixton Academy. pic.twitter.com/pmwE6dpZaU
— Karen McDermott (@Karen_S_McD) June 3, 2016
Grim news from Norwich, where the cracking venue The Owl Sanctuary is closing. To make way for some redevelopment that "improves" an area by making it substantially worse. The venue's Facebook page has all the detail:
I had a call just before Christmas saying that our building has been sold to a property developer without me ever being told it was happening or given any notice what so ever as should have happened as per my lease.There's a fightback brewing in the comments on the post - suggesting the venue be listed as an asset of community value, granting it protection. Good luck, guys.
Its still not really sunk in but I'll try and summarise.
After 2 years of hard work from my team and myself to create what has become one of the most respected and talked about DIY venues in the country my passion and dream has been kicked in the teeth, all we ever set out to do was create a community venue with a solid ethos that had great beer and great music and didn't have to sell its soul to provide that, it seems this day and age that's just not possible.
To make matters worse the person who has purchased the building is Richard Pratt, who owns the furniture store next door. His plan was always to knock down the back of that store, Warings (the old workshops and last remaining parts of the original cattle market) and build a huge block of flats which will be designed for upper class parasites such as himself to lock themselves away from the rest off the local community.
[...]
For me this just doesn't compute, people so filled with greed that they are willing to do that to fellow humans. All for bits of paper that they already have far too much of anyway.
That said we will close our doors for the final time on Jan 31st after a solid week of shows. Due to this bullshit I am currently in a position where I have invested a crazy amount of time and money in a venue and now have no clue about my future prospects or security for my family, nor do my friends who work here and have done for 2 years since the day we got the keys and started painting by iPhone torch as they power wasn't back on. So all we ask is please support us as much as you can until our closing date to help limit the financial damage this arsehole will inflict on us not to mention the damage to the local music scene, grass-roots touring and even the Norwich Soup Movement who are based upstairs here at The Owl.
While David Cameron's pointlessly unleashing his Cobra, there's a need for practical help up in Hebden Bridge. The Trades Club is stepping up:
By the people for the people. Love you @thetradesclub #hebdenfloods pic.twitter.com/V9pAdSBnju
— Michele Rashman (@MHRashman) December 27, 2015I'm DJing at @thetradesclub, Hebden Bridge Saturday January 9th. Let's help them back on their feet after the floods pic.twitter.com/uvSN1iSiSQ
— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) December 28, 2015It's not over, no shops, no power. Free hot food and food to take home, bedding children's clothes... & the bar's open #HebdenBridge #Floods
— The Trades Club (@thetradesclub) December 28, 2015
Manchester Roadhouse, one of those venues which is part toilet, part legend, is closing at the end of May.
It seems that the competition for the bands-on-the-cusp market has got too intense, and the Roadhouse is a casualty of the overcrowded market.
With its future shaky following a police drugs raid, Liverpool is rallying round to save The Lomax:
Following the closure of Liverpool's best independent music venue, The Lomax, we are staging a peaceful gathering of support outside of the venue on Saturday 21st February.
This is all about the venue and the music community which surrounds it. The Lomax's ethos has always been kindness, family, and peace. Therefore we insist that anyone taking part in the gathering acts according the the way of Lomax people.
We will meet from midday until 12:30pm outside the Lomax. Please do not bring alcohol or PA systems. Banners are welcome but this is not a march but a show of support so we will congregate outside the venue only. Bring banners, instruments, voices and most importantly memories and testimonials of the Lomax. If you can print these all the better.
I'm not entirely sure if the current version of the Liverpool Lomax is officially the second or third iteration of the venue - third, strictly speaking, if you consider the time the original venue closed and moved in with its bigger sibling the L2 round the back of Lime Street.
Whether you consider it Lomax v2, or v3, or v4 if you think of the L2 as actually being v2 is irrelevant now, as the police are asking magistrates to shut the police down.
They raided the place early today and... well, they didn't like what they found:
After closing the premises officers carried out an extensive search of the four-storey premises and found 10 bags of cannabis and some cocaine.It's been a grim week for turn-of-the-century big names in Liverpool: Garlands was also raided and closed down.
The Casa, the club-cum-venue-cum-community-centre set up by the former Liverpool Dockers, is under threat.
There's a funding crisis - of course there is, this is a socially-valuable service and we have a Tory government - which means the community centre and advice functions of the venue are under threat; while the bar and performance space could continue, they can't support the whole endeavour alone. And, because it's always been more than just a entertainment place, the people who run it think that would be a betrayal of its principles.
So, there's to be a huge benefit gig at the Philharmonic, and a fund-raising push - hopefully raising enough to cover another four years of operations.
Mark Steel, John Bishop, and TV's Bobby Grant are all on board already.
Bad news from Liverpool: MelloMello has been forced out of business as rents on Slater Street become untenable. Here's their farewell statement:
To our wonderful community,The cycle of enthusiasts taking over a derelict space, improving it, sparking a revitalisation of the area, attracting other tenants, pushing up rents and getting pushed out by the new high rents is an over-familiar one in Liverpool.
It is with great sadness that we must announce that as of Monday 22nd September 2014, MelloMello CIC closes it’s doors and ceases to trade from it’s Slater Street home.
Despite our best efforts we have been unable to meet the huge increase in business rates imposed on us two years ago, and have battled the financial difficulties that several burglaries and the ever-evolving fabric of the city centre have incurred. We are deeply saddened to be closing our doors, but also truly proud of what has been achieved within these walls.
MelloMello began life in 2007 as a completely volunteer-led organisation, in a derelict space, and has grown organically through the hard work of it’s staff and the community into a catalytic creative hub, a grassroots cultural monument, and a welcoming and warm environment, brimming and buzzing with energy, passion, art, music, dance, comedy, food, drink, laughter and love.
We thank our amazing staff, for everything they do, their talents and eccentricities, the wonderful support network they have built up, and the welcoming environment they provide. We thank every single creative individual who has walked through our doors and given us beautiful, raucous and thought-provoking art and performances. And we thank you, the community of Liverpool, for whom we endeavoured to provide such a place, for your fantastic support, the contribution of your own creativity and many wonderful characters over the years. You have all helped to create something truly unique.
As for the future…… watch this space.
With all our love, MelloMello
Sad news from Leeds: The Cockpit, which closed for "maintenance" at the start of the summer, is not going to reopen:
“It is with great regret that we have to announce the permanent closure of the Cockpit.According to the BBC report, attempts to make good two decades' worth of skipped maintenance proved overwhelming, closure being the only option.
“After 20 great years as an integral pillar of the Leeds music scene we have decided that it is no longer viable to deliver you the level of service you deserve with the building in it’s current condition.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you who came to watch your favourite bands, danced, stage dived, crowd surfed, found your life partner and gave the Cockpit its reputation as one of the best live music venues in the UK.”
It added: “All forthcoming live events will be moved to alternative venues and all original tickets will remain valid.”
Williamsburg venue Death By Audio is closing. They announced it like this:
After seven years of operation Death By Audio will close on November 22, 2014. Running this space has been an incredible undertaking and a joy since day one. We have been fortunate enough to host bands from all over the US and the world nearly every night of the week. Amazingly, we've hosted in excess of 1000 acts a year for the past seven years. The effect pedal company will remain open and relocate to a temporary space until we find a more permanent home.So they're going without rancour, and the tale of 'grassroots venue eventually forced out by the very improvements to their area their presence helped generate' won't be surprising to anyone who follows any music scene in a city.
When we first moved onto south 2nd street the only things on our block were a used police car lot and several empty buildings. Now there are a half dozen expensive restaurants, bars, a daycare center and a new condo building (that was an empty lot when we moved in). All ages DIY music venues are almost by definition temporary, and we feel fortunate to have lasted in this space for this long. We knew from the beginning that it couldn't last forever and we are extremely grateful to everyone who has preformed or attended any of our shows. We are still weighing options about what happens next and will let everyone know more about the future of Death By Audio as soon as we can.
Our closing party starts Wednesday Sept 10 and we will have great programing for these last 75 days. We are looking forward to putting on some really incredible shows to send off what has been one of the greatest undertakings of our lives. We hope to see you there.
Edan and Matt
P.S. If you're in Hot Snakes please get in touch.
DBA manager Edan Wilber also confirmed that they did not have plans to be moving anytime soon, but added, “We’ll see how that goes when our lease is up.”Only a little while longer in the case of DBA, it turns out.
While it remains to be seen if either venue withstands the test of time (or the more pressing threat of neighbors like VICE driving up the cost of rent), this news means that local music fans will still be able to see shows in two of Williamsburg’s best venues for at least a little while longer.
Panic At The Disco had to cut short their Atlanta gig last night, when the venue's floor started to collapse. 11Alive have the story:
According to reports from people who were called to pick others up there, "the floor cracked."Meanwhile, someone snitty got quickly to the Tabernacle's Wikipedia page:
The concert was stopped and concert promoters asked everyone to quickly leave the venue. The evacuation was orderly, and no injuries were reported.
Afterward, Panic at the Disco lead singer Brendon Urie tweeted, "Damn. That was crazy. Glad everyone's ok, even though it still sucks we can't play. We'll see your beautiful faces in the summer."
During the Panic! At the Disco concert after the second song the building was evacuated due to possible cracking in the floor. People who hailed mostly from the outer boroughs expressed dismay that such a terrible thing could have happened to them, meaning they were slightly discomfited, and expressed no remorse for damaging the structure of a 116 year old building. Many Atlantans offered to drive them back to their far flung homes for free just to remove their potential threat to downtown buildings.
There's trouble at the Hydro, the music venue spin-off of the SECC in Glasgow. A few weeks after it opened with a Rod Stewart gig, the manager has quit. There's a lot of politeness about it public:
The SECC said: "John believes this is the natural time to take on his next career challenge and allow a new successor to consolidate the potential of the new, expanded SECC campus and enlarged business. He will announce his future plans at a later date."According to the Herald, though, behind the scenes there's been a hell of a battle over the size of salaries being paid by the project. Not to everyone, of course. Just to the management.
City council chief executive George Black said: "Having driven this complex and successful project to completion, I wish John well in his future endeavours."
Mr Sharkey said: "It is undoubtedly a massive privilege to have had the opportunity to see the SSE Hydro from its gestation through construction to its successful opening and now it's time for me to take on another challenge."
Amongst the thousands of properties hit by the horrific floods in Colorado was Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, home of the RockyGrass bluegrass festival.
They're pledging to rebuild:
Organizers hope the main festival stage will require refurbishing only, as will Ferguson's house, which is on the ranch property and was hit with 4 feet of water and mud. They plan to restore the bathhouses in the same location and having the offices rebuilt by Thanksgiving. The Wildflower Pavilion venue "took a big hit," Eyster said.There's a lot of demand around for support following the floods, but if you'd like to help Planet Bluegrass get back on its feet, there's an online fundraiser and they'd be delighted with anything you could afford to chip in.
"But we're 100 percent committed that on July 25-27, we will be in Lyons and Rocky- Grass will happen that weekend," he said. "Just on the emotional power alone, it'll be the best RockyGrass ever. It has to be."
Grim times in Rochester, as Medway Council seems to be issuing noise abatement notices the way some other councils give out leaflets featuring councillor's faces.
The Royal Function Rooms is the latest to get a 'shut up' order:
The orders instruct venues not to play "live and loud amplified music" to avoid a £20,000 fine or having amps confiscated.The pub owners points out that when it was built, there were no neigbours, so everyone who lives nearby is living in a house whose builders have chosen to construct near a pub; you'd think they'd make allowances.
But music promoters say just one angry neighbour can hold an entire venue to ransom as the orders do not say how loud is too loud.
Strange times at Venue Cymru, as Andy Bellis turns up, hands his tickets in, and... doesn't get to see the band.
Here's what happened to him, from his Facebook status:
We go to a Vaccines gig in Llandudno tonight, queue up for a good half hour and give our tickets at the door. Yes it seems pretty normal that, no? So we're pulled aside to get searched and all that and the security guy asks if I know the lead singer and could I name their 2 albums and some songs. I couldn't think off the top of my head so the cunts kicked us out, took the tickets off us and said we couldn't watch the band because we didn't know enough information about them..This wasn't some sort of new hipster-test, but apparently the security at Venue Cymru using some sort of precognition to decide that Andy might be wrong 'un. Again, from Andy's timeline:
Venue Cymru was made aware that pickpockets may attempt to operate in the arena during the Vaccines gig. In order to ensure the safety and security of our customers we carried out random checks of those in the queue. As a result 6 people were refused admission and a further two people were ejected from the building. Security were working closely with the police and licensing officers throughout the evening.Ah, how very astute, Venue Cymru - for why would anyone want to go to see a band unless they knew dozens of facts about them? Unless they'd just heard from friends they were good, or were going with someone else, or were in town and wanted to see a gig and this was the only one on, or hadn't been paying much attention to music recently but got the free Vaccines CD with this week's NME and decided they'd like to see them live before buying the album, the only possible reason would be they were pickpockets.
This summer, the Gibson (né Universal) Ampitheatre in LA ends its lease, and closes. NPR reports:
The mid-sized space with was loved by everyone from head bangers to heads of state for its intimate setting with superior sound. Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Madonna, Kanye West, the Grateful Dead and many other major artists performed there."Head bangers to heads of state". Nice work.
Other headliners included Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
The closure makes way for the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter," an attraction that's part of a major theme park and studio expansion by property owner NBCUniversal.Really? Is that a good idea in the longer term? Isn't this a bit like building WillowWorld or The Black Hole Experience?
After the original Picket closed in Liverpool, everyone did their best to embrace the new, slightly soulless replacement in the Music Ghetto neighbourhood.
A big part of that was the painting of a mural on the wall. Part of Liverpool's City Of Culture year, the mural wasn't just a big painting on a wall - it provided a chance for volunteers to get involved with making the space their own, and also attempted to soothe some of the sectarian tensions that still bubble away. A Daily Post piece explains how:
The artwork on the side of the New Picket, started in Septem-ber, united the skills of Belfast mural artists from both commu-nities – loyalist Mark Ervine and republican Danny Devenny.A fine ideal.
They have joined community groups and artists from Liverpool.
The project, which follows a successful Beatles-themed mural in Litherland, involves re-styling the facade of the music venue, at the junction of New Bird Street and Jordan Street.
The mural, commissioned by the Culture Company, celebrates historic links between Liverpool and Ireland.
AN eye-catching mural on the wall of Liverpool music venue The Picket has been painted over.Obviously, fire doors are very important, but you have to wonder how massive this escape route must be if it requires an entire wall to be painted over. I'm not a building expert, but I'd have thought that even if you had to knock through a wall to put a door in, you don't need to repaint the rest of the wall.
Bosses at The Picket, on Jordan Street, Liverpool city centre, say the artwork – which was painted in 2008 by a team of artists and volunteers from Liverpool and Belfast – had to go to make way for fire doors needed as part of a development.
Director of Love Culture Jayne Casey, who is on the board of the Picket, told the ECHO the mural had always been intended to be temporary.Really, Jayne?
She said: “People did have an emotional attachment to the mural and we feel sad it's had to go but we are having to move forward.”
Merseyside FSB National Councillor Alexis Lay who visited the wall on the side of The Picket today to see the start of the work said,
“The FSB is delighted to be able to support the Liverpool Mural Project. The mural will be a lasting reminder of Culture year and this is another great step forward in the ongoing regeneration of this important part of Liverpool’s business landscape."
What an achievement - something everyone can be truly proud of. Personally, it was a thrill to have a hand in something that will be discussed, studied, photographed and cherished for many years to come, not only by the people of Liverpool but by people from around the world - How many times in your life can you lay claim to something of that scale?And the volunteers who gave their time and sweat to make the thing happen - what did they think they were doing? Senior citizen Joe Kelsall expressed a hope that it would "survive for many years to come".
When I first read that the Independent is closing, I thought "well, Lebedev isn't made of money." Then I thought "hang on, he probably literally is."
It turns out the news was about The Independent in Sunderland, which has been the city's home of interesting and vibrant music for nearly six years. It shuts tonight, ironically felled by the collapse of the Kwik Save supermarket chain - as part of the demolition work to build homes on the site of the old kwikie, the club is coming down too.
But it's not the end of the story - a new Independent is going to open, across the road, in a matter of weeks.
For once, a story about a club closing is a pause, not a period.
Worrying news from Birmingham, where a flat has been proposed for a building adjacent to the Hare and Hounds.
As we've seen before, there's a tendency for people to build residences right next to venues which have been operating for donkeys', only for the residents to move in and object to that venue "making noise".
Naturally, the Hare And Hounds is worried - they're getting a petition together.
MelloMello is something of a beacon in Liverpool's nightlife: a community venture which is run as a non-profit; a genuinely creative hub employing around two dozen people; a well-run, popular and safe nightspot in a city where some bars are run by people whom you might not feel comfortable around.
So, something for the city to celebrate, right?
Not quite, it turns out: as the Tories and Lib Dems squeeze local finances, the council is squeezing MelloMello.
Up until now, the place has enjoyed an 80% discretionary waiver on council tax, an act of enabling generosity that the council is now going to pull.
Talking to SevenStreets, MelloMello's Rob Longson explains that the company couldn't afford that hike without jacking up the prices it charges to the bands and artists who use its spaces, and that it wouldn't do that:
What might happen is that MelloMello’s building will have the lease taken on by a company that can afford it. What kind of company do you think that will be? A small, independent CIC which has built a business out of nothing? No. Probably the opposite.It wouldn't be the first time that one of the very venues which sits are the heart of the tales Liverpool City Council likes to tell about the place gets driven away. Let's not forget how much better, say, having an Australian-themed chain pub where Trading Places used to serve tea and give bands rehearsal space worked towards generating that vibrant culture LCC tries to sell on, or the dozens of other examples of similar happening in the last twenty years.
