Music Venue Trust - Legends Live Lounge at 'critical risk' of permanent closure

The Music Venue Trust (MVT), which represents hundreds of UK grassroots music venues (GMVs), reckons the Legends Live Lounge in Lees remains 'in imminent danger of permanent closure'.

MVT have announced today that 20 venues remain in imminent danger of permanent closure and remain on the #saveourvenues Red List.

While Pop in nearby Hyde is now deemed safe and has been removed from the Red List, Legends and Stage and Radio in central Manchester have now been deemed at critical risk.

Mark Davyd, CEO at the Music Venue Trust, said: “The crisis is nearing its final lap, but we need to make sure these venues finish the race.

"With the support of artists and audiences, we have fought our way through the last 11 months venue by venue, case by case, trying to make sure that we are able to reopen every venue safely.

"These venues need urgent help, and we still have 14 venues that were on our original Red list that we can’t yet guarantee will survive to bring live music back to our communities.

"We are completely determined that they will.”

Ozzy, from Legends, said: “Having jumped at the chance to take over the Legends Live Lounge lease in May 2020, what followed was 20 weeks hard labour and a good few £s of our own, before we finally transformed the space and opened our doors in September.

"The great acclaim we received on launching was short-lived, however, as just three days later we were hit with the 10pm curfew, and at the end of only our seventh week we were closed by lockdown measures.

"We have now been unable to trade since then and have missed out on many crucial events. 

"Live Lounge customers have been overwhelmingly supportive, and here are just a few of those positive messages...

"You have totally transformed Lees!"

"This is just what Lees needed."

"Fantastic; we don't need to travel to Manchester now for a top night out!"

"We'll be here every week!"

Funds raised from the ongoing MVT campaign will be used solely to cover unavoidable outgoings until such a time that Legends can safely reopen and secure its future.

The single landing page for the MVT initiative powered by Crowdfunder can be viewed here

People can choose an individual venue to donate to, and if an individual target is reached by a particular venue the surplus donations will go towards supporting other venues in crisis.

Despite the spectre of possible closure continuing to hang over the Legends Live Lounge, Ozzy has booked in live dates for this year post-lockdown, beginning on May 17 when The Jake Fletcher Band are set to play.

Check out the dedicated Legends Live Lounge page on Facebook for all the latest gig information.

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