South London venue Matchstick Piehouse launches urgent fundraising campaign to remain open
The much-loved Deptford grassroots venue and arts space needs vital support this week
South London venue Matchstick Piehouse has launched an urgent fundraising campaign to ensure its survival.
Since opening in 2018, the much-loved grassroots venue and arts space has fast become a vital space in Deptford in South London, particularly for LGBTQI+ and POC musicians . Hosting live music, theatre, poetry, workshops, meet-ups and more, the venue has seen performances from the likes of 2023 Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective, Sampa The Great and Moses Boyd.
Last week, organisers revealed that the venue was forced to close its doors after a late payment on rent, with the landlord now demanding that £35,000 be paid by the end of this week or else the venue will be closed for good.
In a statement, the Deptford venue said: "For the first time in our history, we are having to turn to the public to ask for donations. We understand that in the midst of the cost of living crisis, especially at a time that many people are donating to various political campaigns, asking for money is difficult. We wouldn’t be doing this unless we absolutely had to."
At the time of writing, a Crowdfunder has raised over £15,000, thanks to donations from the local community and those further afield. To support the cause, watch the video below and donate here.
