London music venue The Social has been saved after surpassing their crowdfunding goal of £95,000 in less than a week.
The venue launched the campaign after releasing a statement which detailed “rising rents and an offer to the building’s leaseholder from a cocktail and wine bar chain” that put them “under very serious threat.”
“We need to raise £95,000 ASAP as a down payment to get the venue off the market, save it from turning into just another bar and then kick start a second round of private investment so we can take full control of The Social lease and secure its long-term future,” they added.
The funds have now been secured thanks to an outpouring of support from the local music community and famous faces such as Fatboy Slim, and Shame, who tonight (March 20) are playing a special show for the venue.
“Holy shit – you’ve done it,” the venue tweeted earlier today. “You’ve helped us raise enough money to stop the imminent sale of the Social. We can’t thank you enough for believing in us.”
The Social added that they’ll be extending the fund in order to gain more control over the business. “We’re going to add a load more gigs, DJ sets and rewards from friends of the Social to the crowdfunder page,” they continued.
“Coming up very soon – the best Faber Social line up ever; the welcome return of Acoustically Heavenly and a return to the sounds of the Albany. Watch this space. We love you. WE FUCKING LOVE YOU.” See those tweets below.
Holy shit – you’ve done it. You’ve helped us raise enough money to stop the imminent sale of the Social. We can’t thank you enough for believing in us. pic.twitter.com/u7B4LIwd93
— The Social (@thesociallondon) March 20, 2019
Now we’re going to extend the fund and see if we can buy a bigger chunk of the business and plan the Social’s future. We’re going to add a load more gigs, DJ sets and rewards from friends of the Social to the crowdfunder page.
— The Social (@thesociallondon) March 20, 2019
Coming up very soon – the best Faber Social line up ever; the welcome return of Acoustically Heavenly and a return to the sounds of the Albany. Watch this space. We love you.
— The Social (@thesociallondon) March 20, 2019
WE FUCKING LOVE YOU X
— The Social (@thesociallondon) March 20, 2019
Speaking of what they’ll do with the money, one of The Social’s founders, Robin Turner, told NME: “There will be a better viewing area downstairs, we’ll also add a dressing room, improve the PA massively and expand the beer line as much as possible (that’s my own personal mission, if I’m honest). The downstairs room was never specifically designed for gigs, which is crazy when you look at who’s played. We’d like to improve the experience for bands and audience alike and we know how we’d do it.”
The news comes after the closure of beloved Oxford venue The Cellar. The basement space was known for hosting intimate gigs and previously played host to bands such as Foals, who performed there at the very start of their career.
The Music Venue Trust claimed that a church organisation’s pursuit of “maximum profit” is to blame for the venue’s closure.