The latest incarnation of London’s Marquee Club has been forced to shutter, just six months after opening for business.
The famous club, now sited at 14 Upper Saint Martin’s Lane, on the edge of central London’s Soho district, has been served with a demolition order, and officially closed its doors Feb. 12, according to a notice posted on the venue’s facade. A string of gig bookings have been canceled as a result.
Northern Irish entrepreneur and bar-owner Nathan Lowry re-launched the Marquee as a live music venue last September, comprising a 100-capacity room, and a 200-capacity space. More than 300 bands performed in the club that time, according to its promoters.
In a statement on its official Web site, the club has “decided to go virtual and will now instead hold gigs in various secret locations,” claiming “we are saying goodbye to bricks and mortar.”
The statement adds, “We will put our gigs on throughout the West End in secret venues and unusual spaces and keep the ethos of the club alive: promoting fresh and exciting musical talent.”
Lowry, who is also a producer at Glasgow-based film company Sgiandubh Productions Limited, re-opened the famous club to build momentum in the Marquee brand, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Plans to mark the anniversary include a feature film and accompanying album, gathering footage taped from across the club’s history. Universal Music has come on board as distributor.
The latest location was the sixth for the Marquee since it first opened its doors in 1958. In the subsequent years, the club hosted some of the biggest names in live music, including the Rolling Stones, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, the Yardbirds, Cream, Pink Floyd, U2 and the Sex Pistols.
