Should We Fear for the Future of Small Music Venues?
There has been a lot of scary talk regarding small music venues, since the release of the first UK Live Music Census in 2017. The increasing business rates and noise restrictions from property developments are leaving a third of Britain’s small music venues struggling to stay afloat.
With 29% of small venues experiencing problems from property developments surrounding the venue, the future of music could be looking to change. One historical venue that has experienced this problem first hand is The Star Inn, reportedly Guildford’s longest running music venue.
The Star Inn, home to the premier gig of the popular punk band The Stranglers, has recently been hit with a noise complaint notice from Guildford Borough Council. This is following the development of a block of flats, looking directly over the pub’s courtyard.
After entertaining the Guildford locals for more than 400 years, the 16th Century pub could be a facing a music ban which, according to The Star Inn’s manager, Georgina Baker, could “kill” the venue.
As stated by The Star Inn’s owner, Shepherd Neame, “at least 40% of the pub’s turnover is attributable to its function as a live music venue”, leaving a very understandable panic amongst the venue staff and consumers.
The pub currently holds a very agreeable live music license that allows the playing of live music until midnight, Sunday to Wednesday, until 1am on Thursdays and 2am of Fridays and Saturdays .
The venue has received an overwhelming amount of support after being faced with the noise warning. With both The Stranglers and singer-songwriter Frank Turner, who played the venue as vocalist in the band Million Dead, sending out tweets to make their fans aware of the situation, the petition for #saveourstar has reached an amazing 31,000 signatures.
And the support doesn’t end at musicians and local fans, several politicians also showed their support through twitter. Matt Furniss, Deputy Leader and Leader for Infrastructure and Governance for Guildford Borough Council recently tweeted to show his support for the venue, stating “We need to protect live music venues in Guildford & stop people who use noise regulations to shut down music & social interests”. Following this, Guildford Council Leader, Paul Spooner repeatedly tweeted his care for the venue, declaring “I still fully support @StarBackroom...Leader has no ability to change the law although in this case I truly wish I could”.
Paul Spooner’s continuous support to prevent The Star Inn from obtaining any further noise restrictions has received some negative attention from Guildford Borough Council as he is now under investigation for having a “biased” opinion on the situation. Despite this, he has reassured the public that he will continue to support the venue in it’s fight.
The Star Inn continues to fight against the noise complaints through social media; their petition and live music events such as Save Our Star, that occurred November 28th, 2018.
Sign their petition to show your support!