The Chameleon in Nottingham publicizes it’s going to be closing subsequent month
The Chameleon in Nottingham might be closing its doorways on the finish of March.
The venue’s homeowners John Rothera and Lauren Insley revealed the venue was beneath menace in November after their landlord determined to promote the constructing. Additionally they stated that that they had accrued “slightly appreciable money owed” resulting from COVID, and that the latest cost-of-living disaster had not helped the scenario.
In a brand new assertion posted to Fb, they confirmed that the constructing had now been bought. Though that they had thought of transferring to a brand new premises, they stated the enterprise “isn’t viable in its present location”, particularly with rising prices, and their final day of operation might be Saturday, March 30.
“Sadly, the time has cometh. The constructing has been bought (pending all of the authorized stuff obvs). The sale is anticipated to be full inside 60 days which brings us to the tip of March. We’ve made the choice to name that our last date,” they wrote.
“There was small discuss of sticking round however fairly actually, the enterprise isn’t viable in its present location and with prices of actually all the things rising continuously, we are able to’t justify carrying on and simply amassing extra debt.
What up of us! Sadly, the time has cometh. The constructing has been bought (pending all of the authorized stuff obvs). The…
Posted by The Chameleon on Monday, February 12, 2024
“Within the meantime, please come down, help the bands, cranium some pints, shot some tequilas and have a very nice time with us! We’ve obtained some fairly mega money owed to cowl over the approaching weeks so will want all the assistance we are able to get!
“Sooooo, one final epic rager on sat thirtieth of march. It must be ticket solely and we’ll anticipate each final drop of booze to be supped! 🫡 Extra updates quickly!!”
In response to the information, Music Venue Belief CEO Mark Davyd advised NME: “The extraordinary pressure being placed on particular person venue operators to attempt to maintain stay music alive in our communities is totally unsustainable. If we do not need an trade huge resolution to get these venues the monetary help they want then closures like The Chameleon are completely inevitable.
“There’s too many individuals in our trade trying within the different route and hoping this drawback will simply go away. Music Venue Belief has actually put the answer proper there on the desk in entrance of everybody and everybody is aware of what it’s. Each week we don’t get it completed is one other week with extra venue closures in it.”
The answer Davyd refers to would contain a £1 levy being launched on tickets for large-scale music occasions, which might then be reinvested into grassroots venues. Some critics have argued that it’s unfair to the buyer to make already expensive tickets costlier, however Enter Shikari have confirmed that it may be completed with their very own scheme coming at no additional price to followers on their 2024 enviornment tour.
Final month, a report was revealed exhibiting the “catastrophe” that struck the UK’s grassroots music venues in 2023.
Among the many key findings into their “most difficult 12 months”, it has been reported that final 12 months noticed 125 UK venues abandon stay music and that over half of them had shut totally – together with the legendary Moles in Tub. Among the extra urgent constraints have been reported as hovering power costs, landlords growing fee quantities, provide prices, enterprise charges, licensing points, noise complaints and the persevering with shockwaves of COVID-19.
“This can be a catastrophe: 16 per cent of the grassroots music venues on this nation closed within the final 12 months,” Davyd stated on the launch of the report within the Home of Commons. “It’s simply not adequate. I stood right here 12 months in the past, and I’m sorry to be Mystic Meg about this, however I stated, ‘If the large corporations on this trade don’t get their act collectively, then tons of of venues will shut’. And guess what? They didn’t get their act collectively and tons of of venues have closed. So, I’m afraid you at the moment are going to must reply for this.”