Legal Research

The day that music died

By scott

As someone who likes to get to gigs on a regular basis it has been a sad few months. In September the owners of the 100 Club on Oxford Street ? which has been going since the 1940s - announced that they were going to have to close down due to facing rates bills of £4,000 a month and Rent to current landlord Lazari Investments of £166,000 a year. And today the owners of the Luminaire have also announced they are pulling the plug too.

According to their website:

“It is with sadness that we have to announce the closure of The Luminaire and The King’s Head on 31st December. It’s been a labour of love for a while now, and at this point it makes no sense for us to continue. We hope to be able to do some final farewell shows, probably in late March, and we’ll let you know about those through the usual channels. To all those who supported this independent venue, and the great artists who played here, since we opened back on 1st March 2005; you have our grateful thanks. We were nothing without you.”

Andy, John and all at The Luminaire

Both of these closures are terrible news for true music lovers. Both are quirky small venues that are great to see music in. The 100 Club is part of London music history having seen the great and the good play their either on their way up or as established artists playing small intimate gigs. The Luminaire whilst a fairly recent addition to the London scene quickly became a fast favourite with fans and artist alike ? it remains one of the few venues that contains signs requesting that you don’t talk whilst the artists are playing and that the management reserves the right to throw you out if you do. I love them.

I presume the issue of money is also at the heart of this decision too. It’s a shame.

For both venues it is double a shame when every weekend on ITV sits a man who ‘is one of the most powerful men in the music business’ and who could, I’m sure, ensure both venues continued existence without even putting a dent into his vast personal fortune. To be fair to that gentleman there are also quite a number of artists ? especially where the 100 Club in concerned t- hat could also support their own industry by giving back to the venues that helped make them. The chances of anything happening along either lines? I’ll let you know when I have finished laughing at the idea that either would even have the thought to do anything in the first place.

Full post as published by Information Overload on November 25, 2010 (boomark / email).