London Club avoids closure thanks to Facebook Campaign
London club and live music venue, The Putney Halfmoon, recently managed a heroic effort to avoid closure. After being handed a notice of eviction in November 2009, the club’s owners and fans alike had just 2 months to save the historic music venue from closing its doors at the end of January this year.
The London night club in Putney which was established in 1963 has been staging live music almost every night for close to 50 years. Some of the UK’s finest bands of modern times performed there during the early stages of their musical careers, namely The Rolling Stones, U2, Kasabian, Van Morrison and Kate bush, to name just a few.
As we all know, the recent recession that our economy is slowly recovering from, had a terrible effect on thousands of people as well as London clubs and bars around the capital. It was due to this very reason that The Putney Halfmoon club in the South West of London was facing closure. A press release which was released by The Halfmoon in November stated the following reasons for its proposed closure:
“Due to market forces, the current economic climate and other circumstances beyond our control, The Halfmoon will not be able to carry on as a music venue after 31st January 2010”.
They later added that: “It is important to reflect, that the troubles the Halfmoon have faced financially are not because of low turnout of gigs. Rising rents, alcohol duty, wholesale beer prices and the recession are the reasons for The Halfmoon dilemma, not a downturn in live music”.
It was later also revealed that the Landlords of the Putney property were looking to revamp the large venue and change it into a Gastro Pub.
Regular party goers and customers of the Halfmoon were horrified to hear that the venue would be closing down. The London night club’s manager sent out a plea to their faithful supporters to do everything they could to save the venue from eviction. A Facebook group was launched and grew to a size of almost seven thousand supporters who petitioned for the landlords to reconsider their decision to close the London club. A later press release posted on the Halfmoon’s website stated:
“There has been overwhelming support from the public, the press, the music industry, our local MP, Wandsworth Council, The Musicians Union and even a few celebrities, all shocked that a successful live music venue with over 50 years of legendary music heritage may be forced to close it’s doors to make way for a gastro pub.”
All of the pressure and commitment shown by the community, music fans and the club owners themselves finally resulted in the landlords changing their minds and agreeing to give the London night club another go at beating the recession. A few changes have however been made with one or two ex-employees of the club having been recalled to once again optimize the running of the club and implement some new and fresh promotional strategies.
The current tenant, James Harris expressed his relief in a recent interview with the BBC:
“The support from the public and the industry has been overwhelming. This was never just about jobs, but about a part of our music heritage. We still face tough times ahead, but at least we can move forward now, and my staff and myself are thrilled and excited”.
Putney residents are thrilled at the outcome of their efforts to save the club. Some big names in the industry have been booked for gigs over the coming weeks to show their support for the London club which has a special place in the hearts of many accomplished bands around the world.
Click here to check out the Halfmoon’s latest gig guide!
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