West London music venue Bush Hall has received a last minute lifeline to remain open, after an injection of revenue from three upcoming performances by Frank Carter and the Sex Pistols gave its coffers a much-needed boost.
The renowned Shepherd’s Bush Venue had been under threat for several months, having first appealed on its Instagram page on 1 March that funds were running short. The owners then started a Crowdfunder campaign, which eventually raised over £45,000 from around 900 supporters.
But eventual relief came when ticket sales for two planned performances by Sex Pistols members Glenn Matlock, Paul Cook, and Steve Jones, featuring vocalist Frank Carter, provided a funding runway for venue management to begin planning shows for the next few months. Initial shows were slated for August 13 and August 14, but the decision came this week to add a third date on August 15. Remaining tickets to the third show can be found here.
Carter is best known for fronting a slew of punk and hardcore outfits including Gallows, Pure Love, and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes. He will join three of the founding members of the legendary London punk band in place of singer John Lydon, with whom the band has been feuding for many years. Despite co-writing most of the songs on the band’s seminal debut Never Mind the Bollocks, Matlock left the band early in the recording process and was replaced by Sid Vicious.
The Sex Pistols have played several reunion shows since their original disbandment in 1978, including a successful live album recorded at the Brixton Academy in 2007.
“I’ve been [to Bush Hall] many times over the years, being a local lad. I’ve seen unsigned acts, I’ve seen international acts, and it would be a shame if anything happened to it,” Sex Pistols guitarist Paul Cook said on the Bush Hall Crowdfunder page, which also saw pledges of support from producer Youth Glover and rock band Wolf Alice.
“Running a grassroots venue in the UK right now is harder than ever, GMVs are currently closing at a rate of two per week (MVT 2023 annual report), 0.5% profits across the sector and 38% of remaining venues reporting a loss of earnings. Despite our tireless efforts Bush Hall is now in danger of being next,” Bush Hall management said in March when announcing the venue’s predicament.
“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,” they continued.
With the news of the sell-out of the two Sex Pistol shows, however, venue management took once again to its Crowdfunder page to express gratitude to supporters.
“The support we have had has been phenomenal and we are hugely appreciative to have reached our target ahead of time! Any contributions above our original target will go towards further sustaining Bush Hall’s musical future, by allowing us to focus on bettering our in house facilities and supporting emerging artists through reigniting our Bush Hall Presents’ programming,” Bush Hall management said on its Crowdfunder page after the new broke.
