Edinburgh: , 5.; expiring capital
Developers and the City Council seem intent on closing the city’s very best venues, and replacing them with yet more apartments. It’s an outrage and it must be stopped, says one of Scotland’s leading arts writers.
lien The Venue in lidinburgh linall} cloxed itx
doorx in the earl}. chucking-out-time hourx
til. I l .lune lotto. the eltl‘itl'eetl loxx ol~ one til. the capital'x premier mid-xcale muxical xweat—bo\ex to propert} de\eloperx wax more than iuxt a tragedy lt alxo lelt. ax the poetr_\ ix xltm'l} xucked out iii a cit} increaxingl} in hock to the \ampirex ol‘ urban regeneration. like ltixlttt'} repeating itxell‘.
.'\n_\one who ex er \ixited the multitude of lidinburgh \enuex that haxe either been burnt down. bought oil or comerted into lilatx will ha\e an e_\ e—blinking and immediate .xen.xe ol' deia \u at the iiewx. :\x lidinburgli. lacking the lel‘to\ er poxt-induxtrial detritux ol a (ilaxgow or Manchextet'. belatedl} attemptx to reiment itxell a.x a lull} l‘ormed liuropean cit}. .xuch reimention i.x in danger ol giving wa_\ to homogenisation at the expense of a thriving indigenoux culture.
('axualtiex o\ er the laxt l‘ew _\ear.x include the original Bongo (‘lub. La Belle .-\ngele (loxl. admittedly. lo 3003‘s (‘owgate lire). ('ale (it‘ltlllll and The Tap ()~ l.auri.xton. ()ne xurprixing .xurViVor i.x Sllltlin 3-1. ll .xlotle\ throw lit'tlttt The Venue .xite. which came under lire alter rexidents moved into newly btiilt l'lat.x opposite. The propert} developers who btiilt the flats had tailed to prmide the pt'olttlsetl .xoundprooling the) 'd inl‘ormed i'e.xident.x abottt.
Pending soundproofing ol it.x ow'n. Studio 24 won a .xltt} ol execution. bttt the alread) ongoing planning legislation concerning The Venue continued iin.xcrutini.xed until itx demixe. .\'ow. with the publication of (‘it) ol lidinburgh ('ouncil'x .lli'il-Si‘ii/e .llmii' li'iiiii' li’i'i‘i'i'ii' publixhed. with .xome iron}. the .xame week as The Venue’x cloxure. it .xeenix The Queen's llall i.x .xet to go the .xame wa_\.
.\'ot onl_\ doex the report propoxe the cloxure ol' The Queen's Hall in live _\ear.x time to be replaced b) a new ‘.xuper—\‘enue~ in l.eith. it a|.xo xuggestx that. in the interim. all Queen‘x llall operationx be .xhilted to The .-\.x.xembl_\ Roomx. .-\n_\one w ho'.x .xut't‘ered the rubbiin acouxtiex and faded grandeur of The .»\.x.xeiiibly Roomx‘ beautil‘ul interior. regardless ot‘ itx annual l'ringe cattle market. will underxtand how woel‘ull} inappropriate a .xpace it i.x tor muxic.
\Vh} lidinburgh (‘it_\ (‘ouncil i.x intent on killing a \enue which ix adaptable enough to lioxt all manner of music. i.x a matter for speculation. (iixen that man} mid-.xcale bands paxx o\ er lidinburgh entirel} in favour ot' (‘ilaxgow '.x abundance ol \enuex. an increaxe in lidinburgh \‘enues. not a reduction. would .xeem to be the onl_\ \‘i.xionar_\ .xolution.
Such. though. ix the w a_\ citiex work. Jtixt ax The Caxern. once l.i\‘erpool'.x .xcream central during earl} gigs b) The Beatles. wax once demolished in l'ax‘our ot‘
12 THE LIST (1—;3 . .. Qfl‘.‘
FAVOURING THE NEW OVER WHAT ALREADY EXISTS ISN'T CIVIC
a car park. xo it hax xince been rebuilt ax a xhopping mall called ('a\ern \Valkx. complete with paxtiche .\lerxe_\ beat nitexpot beneath. Similarl}. in .\lanchexter. the lti\ur} apartmentx in llacienda lleightx now large it w here .\latlclicxter once reigned.
So what ix let centur} lidinburgh lel't with'.’ Well. with gigx and club nightx on prett} much e\er} night. both The Liquid Room and a t'exitalixed (‘abarel Voltaire are thri\ing. The Subwa} too hax become a cheap and cheerful home for untried actx.
(‘aledonian Backpackerx in the wext end hax inereaxed itx actixitiex in a ximilar \ein. while llr‘iii'}‘x (‘cllai' Bar hax broadened itx otttlook l't'ottt itx e\cluxi\el_\ ian-lunk \ibe ol' _\ore. Then there'x Bannernian'x. The l.ol. ligo and whate\ er other back room xome enterprixing xoulx ha\e appropriated for their own eat'x thix week.
While. unlike The Queen'x llall. none ol' thexe \enuex are publicl} rexourced. the} too .xhould be watching their backx. lit the current climate. it .xeemx. the more xtleeexxlittl the} get. the more likely the}
brew erx. developerx and politicians who onl_\ xee ‘dewlopment' instead titan.
A purpose-built venue ix to be applauded. btit favouring the glox,x ol' the new ox er the .xplendour of what alread)
exixtx ixn't civic pride: it'.x an alliance of
cultural \andalixm and opportunism. Becauxe. jtixt ax The Venue wax the bext room ol itx t_\pe. xo The Queen‘x llall ix wa} ahead ol'an) concert hall in town.
lidinburgh (’it) Council. alax. would prefer to neglect The Queen‘x llall'x upkeep iuxt enough to gi\'e them an e\cuxc to cloxe il\ tloot'x lol‘ good. .ltl.xt dott‘l be xtirprixed when xuch a grand piece ot' architecture ix turned into l'latx. But when w hatexer replacex The Queen'x llall ix bttlldo/ed. com erted or juxt run into the ground until there'x nowhere else lel't to pla). the politicianx and coii.xultantx who cloxed them might well wonder w hat the} 'H w rite reportx about then.
Lambchop at The Queen's Hall
are to come under the predatory eye ol
PlUCKlNG FRUITS FROM THE CULTURAL BUSH
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