The iconic Blue Note Jazz Club has announced it will be opening its first London venue, despite objections from the Met Police earlier this year.
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A press release revealed that a two-room, 350-person capacity club will be built within the basement of St Martin’s Lane hotel in Covent Garden. Their licence will allow them to be open until 1am on Monday – Saturday and midnight on Sunday. The club is scheduled to open in early 2026, with more details to come this year.
The announcement comes after The Met Police and local residents raised concerns about the opening times. At a hearing on February 12, members of The Met told Westminster City Council the venue’s late running hours would “expose more people to crime and disorder in the immediate area” and that gig goers “leaving the venue late at night” may become a target for phone snatchers as well as illegal taxis who “prey on vulnerable, intoxicated lone females”.
Nearby residents also objected to the proposed running hours, urging councillors to limit the venue’s closing time to 11pm.
Despite these complaints, plans for the club have been welcomed by the Music Venue Trust. Sophie Asquith, Venue Support Team Manager for the MVT, said in a statement: “Music Venue Trust is delighted to learn that Blue Note has been granted a license with the hours needed to enable its world-famous jazz operation to flourish in central London.
She continued: “The charity is excited to continue to work with the team, and wish them every success in their vision, bringing the very best in global and local grassroots jazz talent to their latest home in London”.
A Westminster City Council spokesperson said “Westminster is home to some of the capital’s most loved music venues and we want to ensure late night entertainment can continue to thrive. Every licensing decision is carefully considered, based on the evidence presented to committee and keeping in mind the needs of residents”.
It concluded: “In this case it was clear that venue management have engaged extensively with local people to improve their application and address the concerns that were raised by the police. We’re pleased that, following the approval of this application, jazz lovers will soon be able to enjoy the Blue Note Jazz Club”.
The news comes as 2024 saw the UK lose one grassroots music venue every two weeks – with nearly half making a loss and 200 remaining in a state of emergency as the country faces a “collapse in touring”.
Presenting the findings of their 2024 annual report at The Houses Of Parliament on January 24, the Music Venue Trust invited new patron Kate Nash along who has been very vocal about the dire conditions that most recording artists find themselves in – taking to OnlyFans for her ‘Butts For Tour Buses’ campaign to protest the industry and raise money for live shows. Speaking in the House Of Commons, she described touring as “one of our favourite things to do, but it is becoming increasingly more difficult to do.”