LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — DHP Family announced that after more than three decades as part of London’s nightlife landscape, the nightclub Borderline will be closing down by the end of summer 2019.
The historic 300-capacity club, located in London’s Soho neighborhood, is closing due to rising costs such as rent.
“With ever increasing rents, rising business rates and ongoing redevelopment plans for Soho, we’ve taken the decision to close the venue by 31 August 2019. We will reinvest into the other areas of its venue portfolio with £1 million earmarked for work on the Thekla in Bristol; the upcoming 40th anniversary for the iconic Rock City in Nottingham and work underway to open its first Birmingham venue while The Garage in Islington has just won protection from the council’s local plan following a campaign to safeguard its future,” a spokesman for DHP family said in a statement.
Managing director George Akins added: “This has been a difficult decision, but given intentions by the landlord to increase the rent significantly for a second time since we took it over in 2016 as well as plans to redevelop the building housing the Borderline, we now know the venue doesn’t have a long term future so it makes no sense for us to continue to invest.
“We’ve had an amazing two years at Borderline with some fantastic shows and want to thank everyone for their support from agents, promoters, and artists to all the thousands who have come to the gigs and club nights. We’ve put our all into trying to revive this iconic venue but unfortunately, it has been impossible to turn into a sustainable operation due to so many external factors. This is a sad day for all of us who love live music and believe in grassroots venues.”
Borderline officially opened as a concert venue in 1985 after hosting occasional shows in the early 1980s. Since its debut, it has hosted concerts from a diverse range of artists that includes John Mellencamp, Blondie, Muse, Sheryl Crow, R.E.M., Amy Winehouse, The 1975, and Mumford & Sons.
The Borderline closed briefly in 2017 for a renovation in a bid to revitalize the venue.
All performances scheduled at the venue will still take place before its scheduled closure on August 31.
