The Brook in administration

The following announcement has appeared on The Brook's website:

LIQUIDATORS APPOINTED TO THE BROOK

Antony Fanshawe, of the leading specialist insolvency and reconstruction firm, Fanshawe Lofts has been appointed as liquidator to The Brook, one of Southampton’s premier live music locations.

The Brook is a long established business owned by a partnership between Richard Davey and Bryn Lewis. It has proved a highly popular music venue attracting literally tens of thousands of visitors every year from across the South with international, national, and regional artists from a broad range of music genres from blues, r’n’b and indie to tribute, funk and jazz.

Antony Fanshawe said “The Brook management are clearly devastated at finding themselves in this position and are extremely concerned about letting people down. I am delighted that they are co-operating fully with my team and jointly we hope we can reach a positive conclusion.”

It doesn't seem clear from the accompanying article on the Daily Echo website how the venue got itself into this situation but problems with the landlord of the property may have played a part (as could, possibly, the recent refurbishment and expansion of the building).

Either way it'd be a real shame if the doors closed for good; The Brook is a fine venue with its own distinctive feel, it attracts acts that might not visit alternative venues locally and people will travel the distance to see them there. Fingers crossed they find a solution, in the meantime the venue is still open and gigs booked for this weekend at least will be going ahead; for gigs after that it's advisable to check the venue's website.

Curtains for the Pyramids?

The News is reporting that Portsmouth City Council are pulling the plug on The Pyramids; apparently the cost of upkeep is too great to justify the expenditure given the numbers of people using the facility.

Of course it could be argued that, if proper investment had been made in the building over its lifetime, it wouldn't be in the rundown and more than a little bit dog-eared condition it now finds itself (and so the numbers of people using it wouldn't have plummeted). The bean counters have spoken however, and the complex looks likely to be demolished. In its place will be built a shiny new hotel and conference centre (which is just what Portsmouth needs... not).

The Pyramids might not be the greatest venue in the world but it's still a venue and one that fills a prime spot in the Portsmouth scene. It sits between The Wedgewood Rooms and The Guildhall, catering for bands too big for one and too small for the other, so it's going to be sorely missed should/when it goes (already the Frog On The Front, underneath the complex and one-time home of Messclean, has closed).

When The Pyramids was first used as a venue for bands it was, if memory serves, at the instigation of the Portsmouth Venue Campaign. Ironically, in their efforts to build a new venue in the city the ended up creating one out of a leisure centre. I wonder if they can do the same with a conference centre.