London’s legendary MOTH Club has once again come under threat, with a second wave of planning applications for flats being shared.
Based in Hackney, the venue has been in existence since the early ‘70s, and has played host to countless live gigs, as well as comedy shows, film events and club nights. In recent months, however, the owners have spoken out about how the future of the site has been put in jeopardy, as plans for new developments “pose a serious threat”.
Back in September, owners took to social media and called on local residents and fans to reach out to the borough’s planning department to contest a proposal for a new block of flats.
Now they have issued another statement, explaining how two more separate proposals have gone to Hackney Council which could put them at risk. According to the update, the move looks to develop a block of flats on Morning Lane – with one of the planned blocks having “balconies directly overlooking MOTH’s smoking area and back onto the stage wall”.
“Both developments, if approved, put one of London’s most loved independent grassroots venues at serious risk, as well as impacting the identity of the local area,” they wrote, going on to explain how the close proximity to the venue would “lead to conflicts, noise complaints, and a serious threat to the venue’s ability to operate.”
Sharing sketches of the proposal, the caption continued: “These proposals have been deliberately split into two applications to avoid the obligation to include social housing. While we fully support the need for more social and council housing, building multi-storey blocks towering over an independent venue like MOTH would have devastating consequences for its future.”
To conclude, they encouraged people to help back them and take action to secure the site’s future. “We’re calling on everyone to stand with MOTH Club and oppose these plans,” they added. “Please sign and share the petition to help protect MOTH Club and the local community for future generations.”
At time of writing, over 600 people have signed the petition since the post was shared earlier today (November 21). Visit here to find out more and to sign the petition.
The MOTH Club has supported countless emerging artists since opening in 1972, and hosted performances from the likes of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, IDLES, Jarvis Cocker, Lady Gaga, Caroline Polachek, Sprints, Wunderhorse, Amyl and the Sniffers and more. It has also become a hub for comedy, film nights and club events under LNZRT’s programming.
Upon the venue’s first call for support in September, a spokesperson for the Music Venue Trust (MVT) shared a statement with NME about the situation, and explained how they are looking to help protect the Hackney live music space.
“The developers have placed an application which neglects to even consider the noise impact of the MOTH Club, with a noise report which doesn’t mention or survey the GMV. So we will be opposing its suitability in the strongest possible terms, it’s plainly against the Agent of Change planning principle and would put the Moth Club at risk of future noise complaints and threat of closure,” the statement read.
“We’re really pleased to see the enormity of the public reaction, and how many people agree with us that the Moth Club must be protected.”
The iconic Hackney venue is just one of the countless grassroots music spaces across the UK that have come under threat, and the concerns outlined reflect those previously faced by Manchester’s Night & Day venue.
The music spot in Manchester – which was first saved after a hard-fought battle against a noise complaint back in 2014 – reached out 2021 to rally support yet again. This came after it received a notice from the council, which reportedly claimed that it was “a noise nuisance” to a resident that had moved into a nearby property during the lockdown.
Eventually, over 94,000 people signed a petition to remove the Noise Abatement Notice (NAN) – including Johnny Marr, New Order, Courteeners, Frank Turner, Mogwai and more – and it was ruled earlier this year that the venue could continue to operate.
Also in 2021, the MVT told NME that this had become somewhat of a trend, and that there had been more than 40 noise complaints against UK grassroots music venues since reopening in July of that year.
Two years later, the MVT confirmed that the Own Our Venues campaign had been a success, with the organisation then able to start buying grassroots gig spaces around the UK in order to secure their future.
The project was announced in May 2022 with artists like Ed Sheeran backing it. In the months that followed, the MVT raised over £2.3million through a series of donations and investments. Last October, it acquired its first venue under the public ownership scheme – The Snug in Atherton – before also saving The Ferret in Preston.
The aforementioned live music spaces are just a few of the countless grassroots venues in the UK that have come under threat. Already, the MVT has warned that gig spaces in the country are “going over a cliff” without urgent government action.
Towards the end of last year, for example, there was a stark warning that the UK was set to lose 10 per cent of its grassroots music venues, and MVT ended the year by telling NME how 2023 was the “worst year for venue closures” while “no one in the music industry seems to care”.
The problems have accelerated into 2024 too, and in January a new report was published showing the “disaster” that struck the UK’s grassroots music venues in 2023. Among the key findings was that 125 UK venues abandoned live music and that over half of them had shut entirely – including the legendary Moles in Bath.
The struggles faced by both musicians and venue owners were further highlighted by Featured Artists Coalition’s CEO David Martin in February, when he spoke about how the rapid decline of grassroots venues is taking a toll on the UK talent.
More recently, NME reported how the government has begun to intervene, with the Culture, Media and Sport Committee welcoming the government’s new backing of a levy on gigs at arena level and above to protect grassroots spaces.
The move – which sees a percentage of money made from big tours put aside to help secure the future of smaller venues – has been implemented by the likes of Coldplay, Enter Shikari, Katy Perry and Sam Fender
It gathered momentum after MVT argued that a tidal wave of closures threatens the fabric of the UK music scene thanks to the recent budget announcement, with the circuit and artists already suffering from “the complete collapse of touring“.
“The sheer number of venues in our local communities being forced to shut up shop each week has hammered home the stark reality of the struggles facing artists, promoters and others working in grassroots music,” Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage MP wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Lisa Nandy. “There are warnings of an even gloomier future.”
In response, Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd told NME that while there was “a huge amount to celebrate in the work of this committee” and the government response to it,” Dinenage’s insistence on a timetable for change was imperative.
“As a result of this inquiry, we can now see a clear date in the future when our grassroots music community is properly respected for its cultural, social and economic value and impact,” he told NME. “Major positive change is coming for the live music ecosystem, whether that’s through the grassroots contribution, the business rate review, or the opportunities arising from a new approach to investment and ownership from government.”
