Bristol club, The Basement, shuts permanently due to development

Bristol venue The Basement has closed for good.

The Stokes Croft venue put on its last event this past Saturday, 8th October, citing development as the reason for shutting down. “The closure is because of the landlord’s development plans for the building, over which we have no influence,” The Basement team said in a Facebook post from August. “We had a feeling this could happen, given the changes happening in Stokes Croft.”

In a thank-you post, The Basement shouted out the artists, collectives, promoters and people involved with the venue in its 12-year run. Names include: We’re Going Deep, Zobol, Dialogue, Hold Tight, Luke Vibert and more. They also shared a cautionary message about the importance of supporting grassroots spaces in the face of rapidly changing city landscapes and real estate development. 

“The Basement began around 12 years ago, and in that time Stokes Croft has changed a great deal,” they wrote. “Whether there will be room for grassroots culture to take root and thrive among the concrete plans of the landlord and developer class remains to be seen. More imminently these are challenging times, and the coming winter looks to be tough for many people. Please continue to show love to your community however you can.”

The venue, which opened in 2010, is run by the West of England Combined Authority Space Agency, a charity which “strive[s] to organise affordable events which are welcoming to all”. On the Facebook event for the closing party, the crew said it aims to find a new space for a future iteration of Basement. 

Photo credit: Facebook