“The cost-of-living crisis has crippled us”: Legendary Bath venue Moles shuts down after 45 years
"The reality is that live music at grassroots level is no longer economically viable"
One of Bath's most well-known venues has been forced to close its doors after 45 years of operation.
Moles, which first opened in 1978 and has seen the likes of everyone from Radiohead and Idles to Sally C, Mella Dee, Yung Singh and DJ Storm pass through over the years, has cited the cost-of-living crisis as the reason for the closure, filing for insolvency due to "the rise in costs and overheads and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis".
The 220-capacity venue has permanently shuttered with immediate effect and all future events are cancelled.
“Making the decision to close Moles was horrendous, but the cost-of-living crisis has crippled us," said venue co-owner Tom Maddicott. "Massively increased costs of stock, utilities and rent compounded by our customers also feeling the impact of the crisis has made it impossible to continue."
He continued: "It’s obviously an incredibly difficult decision to have to take, for our team, the staff, the local community, and the artists that over the years have created such an incredible history of music. But the reality is that live music at grassroots level is no longer economically viable and we will not be the only grassroots music venue forced to close."
Maddicott suggests that a "major shake-up of the live industry" is needed and calls for "the big players" to lend their support to the grassroots sector. The Night Time Industries Association revealed this year that the UK lost 31% of nightclubs between June 2020 and June 2023. Independent nightclubs were the most affected, with 35% closing since 2020.
According to UK charity Music Venue Trust (MVT), more than 100 independent clubs have closed in the last year. In September, MVT wrote open letter to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt calling on him to extend the 75% business rates relief to its members, a taxation reduction scheme initially put in place in January 2020 by then-chancellor Rishi Sunak.
A survey carried out earlier this year revealed that more than a third of young people in the UK have reduced how frequently they go on a night out due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Revisit DJ Mag’s feature on how the cost-of-living crisis is hitting UK nightlife here.
