UK festival Boomtown Fair’s stake sale to Live Nation and others generates mixed reactions
UK festival Boomtown Fair‘s recent stake sale to three major UK concert promoters has left some people feeling uncertain about its future. Read more
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Three in Four UK Nightlife Businesses are Reporting Being on “Financial Cliff Edge”
More than a quarter of nightlife businesses including promoters, clubs, and event organisers have reported being on a āfinancial cliff edgeā. Read more
New Mini-Documentary on The Warehouse Project showcases 16 years of UK club culture
The Warehouse Project, one of the UKās most well-known venues, has released a short documentary about its history and impact on dance music. Read more
Boiler Room London Postponed due to the Death of Queen Elizabeth II
Boiler Room London has announced that its all-dayer this Saturday (September 17) has been cancelled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Read more
Music Industry Leaders Call on New Prime Minister Liz Truss to Address Energy Crisis
Music industry bosses call on newly appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss and the government to help out the arts and music sector. Read more
East London Venues Under Threat from Noise Complaints
The future of venues in Dalston, East London, could be at risk due to noise complaints.
Last month, Kingsland Road spot The Jago launched a petition to secure better protection for long-established music venues under threat from noise complaints.
The Jago, FKA Passing Clouds, escaped re-development when Hackney Council designated the space an Asset of Community Value so it could continue under The Jago’s management. But the venue was recently issued with a noise abatement notice, which included a list of protocols to follow alongside a looming threat of further action.
The Jago also spent Ā£10,000 on an acoustics company to carry out a sound check “next to the window of the person who complained about us,” venue manager, Kwame Otiende, told Resident Advisor.
Multiple complaints from a single resident can cause huge problems for Dalston’s venues, even for those who have already had their late licenses revoked. “Every complaint goes on record against you,” Otiende said. “It could mean you get a warning or fine, get your equipment taken away or be summoned to court and pay up to Ā£20,000 in feesānot everyone can afford this.”
While venues have soundproofing, it’s difficult to know whether noise levels will lead to complaints. “No one’s told us ‘you can’t go louder than 85 decibels,'” Otiende added. “So we’re constantly stressing if the levels are too high. The worst thing is the uncertainty of not knowing when a council officer will turn up to tell us ‘it’s too loud you have to close early.’ Their opinion on the matter is subjective because they don’t actually measure sound. They need to tell us what levels to keep music at.”
This uncertainty creates an environment unconducive to business. “We can’t stop the council making money from handing out planning permissions to developers, but they need to understand they can’t sell Hackney as a vibrant cultural space and restrict opening hours of venues at the same time,” he said.
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According to Clara Cullen, spokesperson at the Music Venues Trust, “venues are often accused of being a noise nuisance without substantive evidence. There needs to be a set process that EnvironmentalĀ Health Officers follow if they receiveĀ aĀ noiseĀ complaint, including takingĀ noiseĀ measurements and involving venues in that process.”
Also, she added, venues under “intense scrutiny” face a “very oppressive environment” while residents are prioritised over existing businesses.
Nearby pub The Haggerston was also affected when its late-night license was revoked. As a result, the venue’s legendary Jam Sessions event, which has been running for 25 years, ground to a halt.
Speaking to RA, the pub’s general manager, LJ Lowe, said the revocation was related to a different incident. But previous noise complaints had strained the venue’s business and put livelihoods in jeopardy.
“We strongly support The Jago’s campaign to protect music venues from noise complaints,” he said. “Without music venues like ours, other businesses in the areas wouldn’t exist. Hopefully this petition will help keep this borough and the city’s vibrant cultural hub alive for many more years to come.”
Though venues are currently in talks with locals and Hackney Council, Lowe said they also live in fear that residents with “no interest in our rich cultural history would rather see important cultural places closed.”
Hackney councillor Susan Fajana-Thomas told RA that the law doesn’t define a specific noise level constituting a nuisance. Officers take various factors into consideration, including reasonableness of interference, sensitivity of the complainant, time of day, duration and intensity.
“This is a professional judgment that can be appealed in a magistrates court if a venue feels it is unjustified,” she said.
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Fajana-Thomas added that Hackney council is “extremely proud” of the borough’s reputation as a thriving cultural hub, but also tries to balance this with residents’ concerns. “Noise regulations aren’t new, if it’s after 11 PM, venues must present noise from disturbing neighbouring properties.”
Cllr Fajana-Thomas and the Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, have arranged to meet with The Jago to discuss the issues raised. We’ll report more on this story as it unfolds.
Originally reported by RA.
Report Finds 86,000 UK Nightlife Jobs Lost During the Pandemic
A new report shows the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the UK nightlife industry. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA)’s report measured the economic value of the nightlife sector for the first time. Read more
UK Government Will Make Nightlife an Economic Priority
A new report has emerged revealing that UK’s nightlife has now become a priority for a new government that is looking at all possible ways to emerge from the Brexit vote in good economic conditions.
UK Music, charged with overseeing the recorded and live music industry,Ā has come out with a statement confirmingĀ that the future of the nighttime economy will be a “priority” moving forward.
The body’s Director of Government and Public Affairs, Tom Kiehl, has stated,Ā “The night time economy is something the government will be considering very closely going forward.” UK ministers realize the economic potential of the country’s nightlife, which is reported to flow up toĀ Ā£66 billion to the country’s economy.
Recent club closures and movements by local neighborhoods to hinder nighttime operations prompted the foundation of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), with the goal to increase awareness on the artistic, cultural and economic impact of nightclubs and nighttime lifestyle in general.
Recently. the NTIA launched Nightlife Matters, a project supported by leading UK promoters, venues and artists to help achieve this goal.
Miller stated that, “there’s been an impulse just to regulate or even review clubs or close them down. When issues come up they say ‘look crime’s up, let’s reduce it’. The first impulse is to regulate and clamp down – that’s a problem.”
He then added: “In every respect the benefits vastly [of nightlife] outweigh the costs. But sometimes people hold onto an old script [that says] nothing good happens in the night time.”
Source: Newsbeat
