Buyers Club
Liverpool’s Buyers Club gig space is closing and being turned into office space, Getintothis’ Peter Guy rues another lost opportunity for the music community.
Liverpool’s Buyers Club have announced it is to close its gig venue and convert into office space.
A video statement posted on the venue’s Facebook page said that the lease had come to an end and the landlord had decided to convert the space into offices.
Buyers Club opened in autumn 2015 on the site of the iconic Liverpool venue the Flying Picket.
The team, comprising Abandon Silence‘s Andrew Hill, alongside Bold Street Coffee owner Sam Tawil, property developer Miles Falkingham (Camp and Furnace), and the Secret Diners Club, saw it move from a traditional gig venue to a multi-purpose space comprising a bar, eatery and exhibition space downstairs and a blank canvas loft space for gigs and small dance events.
In a short space of time, it quickly affirmed its position in the live gig community with the likes of Dream Wife, Rory Wynne, Palace, Amazons and Flyte. It also became the home for Getintothis‘ first 18 months of Deep Cuts live nights featuring almost 100 artists between February 2017 and August 2018.
Such was its impact we named it best venue on Merseyside in 2016.
However, it has been a curious 18 months for Buyers Club – gigs have been moved from the venue, almost all dance related events have stopped, new music nights including our own Deep Cuts moved elsewhere and the last couple of months saw a rebrand with a jazz-infused night named Aerie reclaim the space.
Suffice to say, the writing has been on the wall for some time, and it came as little shock when the announcement of the closure of the gig space was made.
Not that this isn’t bad news for Liverpool. A city in desperate need for small venues – it leaves the centre of Liverpool with Sound, the Shipping Forecast, the Arts Club loft and a very little else.
Here’s a gallery of some of Buyers Club’s best bits.
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- Bully
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- Mamatung – Deep Cuts at ONE
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- Samurai Kip at Deep Cuts
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- Rico Don at Deep Cuts
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- LUNA at Deep Cuts
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- Mica Millar
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- Fenne Lily
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- Shame
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- Howie Payne
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- Estrons
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- Stealing Sheep
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- Her’s
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- Peaness
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- Jo Mary
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- The Bohos
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- SPILT
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- Pixey
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- I See Rivers
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- Howie Payne
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- Hicari
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- SPQR
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- Natalie McCool
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- Jeffrey Lewis
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- Rongorongo
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- Prince Party @ Buyers Club
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- Mick Head at Buyers Club
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- DJ Bone rocking Buyers Club
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- Nelson
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- Dan Croll
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- Flyte
The full statement of the venue’s Facebook page said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce the permanent closure of our upstairs events space – Buyers Club Music. Due to our lease ending we will be closing on the 1st January 2019. Our downstairs bar, restaurant and garden remains unaffected. A big thanks to all the staff, artists and promoters that have worked with us for the last three years: Abandon Silence, Aerosoul, Anti Social Jazz Club, Apollo Events, Archive Liverpool, BamBamBam, Body//work, Bood’nBone, Boogaloo, Cherry Mango, Club Havana, Coda Maine Presents, Duo-Tone, EVOL, Familiar Circles, Feelings, Fiesta Bombarda, Getintothis, Gold Teeth, Ghost Liverpool, GrooveCartel, Harvest Sun Promotions, Humble Abode, Hustle, I Love Live Events, Liverpool Sound City, Lost Inhibitions, Melodic Distraction, MÖDE, MODU:LAR, Mono-Tone, No-Wave, PAUSE, Red Bull Music, Resident Advisor, Scruff of the Neck, , SisBis, S U S S E D., So Flute, Soul 4 Soul, SoulJam Liverpool, Streetlife Lvp, Tail & Twist, Transmission Funk, tRiBe, Tuff Love Soul Club, Upstairs With, and Wide Open. Most importantly, thanks to YOU! Whether you’re a raver, slow-swayer, head-bobber, head-banger, air-guitarist, or a bar-prop, thanks for making the past three years worthwhile. If our little first floor space on Hardman Street has ever made you smile, shake a leg or twist your hips, we owe you for the last 3 years!”
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