Legendary London gig venue Bush Hall could be forced to stop playing live music

The iconic gig venue Bush Hall could be forced to stop playing live music. The grassroots music venue is crowdfunding to raise £42,000 by April 12 or risk losing its music status. 

Over the years Bush Hall has hosted gigs by Amy Winehouse, Adele, Florence & The Machine, Nick Cave, The Killers and many more stars. But the former Edwardian dance hall said it was struggling to keep up with rising costs and declining spending, leaving it ‘in the red month on month’. Bush Hall said its bank was ‘forcing a sale’ to repay the fixed-term mortgage, meaning the music venue and the non-profit music school Music House for Children could both be affected. 

‘We have run a completely independent venue, without funded support (except during the pandemic) or external investment, for almost 23 years. It is with heavy hearts, but with a mind to a possible future, we are reaching out to those who love music and enjoy going to intimate gigs for help to keep the live music going,’ Bush Hall wrote in a statement on the Crowdfunder.

‘If Bush Hall loses its music status the loss will impact on local, national and international communities. We are now approximately four months away from making a hideous decision whether to cease live music at the unique treasure that is Bush Hall.’

It’s asking for donations from the public to help continue operating, with money going towards urgent repairs, the music programme, rent and marketing. Bush Hall said if the £42,000 goal isn’t met then the money will be returned to donors. So far £15,000 has been raised. 

The legendary venue added that it was an ‘urgent’ situation that had led to an ‘all or nothing campaign’. 

Can you help? You can donate to Bush Hall’s Crowdfunder online here. 

Other venues need your support too  

Music venues in London are struggling at the moment. Last week Heaven announced it was at risk of closure and needs public support. Meanwhile, The Glory and G-A-Y Late have also shut down. You can support independent venues by going out more – here’s our list of the best nights out in the city. 

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