London’s Moth Club announces fundraising event amid ongoing closure threat

East London’s Moth Club is putting on a fundraising event tomorrow as part of its Stomping Grounds campaign to secure its future against threats posed by private real estate development next door.

The Hackney Central club, opened in 1972 on Valette Street, will host Kojey Radical and The Silhouettes Project on Thursday, 18th December, for a fundraising gig in partnership with Save Our Scene UK and Kickers. The show runs from 7 PM to 10 PM and entry is free with registration.

Moth Club has been facing threats of closure since 2024 as property developers have been planning to build flats next door, with balconies overlooking the venue’s smoking area and backstage wall. The venue’s team called out the developers for presenting proposals “deliberately split into two applications to avoid the obligation to include social housing”. The petition launched at the time has since garnered more than 30,000 signatures and is still growing. 

Moth Club launched the Stomping Grounds campaign earlier this month, calling for supporters to email the Hackney Council Planning Department to give the venue a “fair public hearing and proper protections in place against inevitable noise complaints that will arise should this new (100% private) development go ahead”, the team wrote on Instagram. As of last week, more than 30,000 emails were sent to the council on behalf of Moth Club.

“All we’re asking from Hackney Council is a fair and transparent process for Moth Club, one of London’s most legendary grassroots venues” Moth Club cofounder and lead programmer Keith Miller said in a statement to Resident Advisor. “Throughout this planning process, we’ve been met with zero clarity, zero communication and zero fairness. We deserve better, and so does every venue fighting to keep culture alive in this city.”

Music Venues Trust recently released a statement in support of Moth Club and commending Hackney Council’s acknowledgement of the Agent of Change principle, which it had previously “sideline[d]“. “It is encouraging to hear a clear statement that the Council does not wish to see Moth Club placed at risk”, MVT wrote. “This venue is an irreplaceable part of Hackney’s grassroots music ecosystem, and the support expressed in the Mayor’s comments reflects how deeply it matters to the community. However, it is important to address the realities of how planning processes play out in practice.”

Last week, London’s O2 Arena announced it will make a “significant” donation to the Music Venue Trust every time a new artist headlines the arena.