Nottingham venue The Chameleon under threat of closure: “Time is running short”

Nottingham venue The Chameleon has announced it is under threat of closure.

The Chameleon is part of the few underground DIY venues that exist in Nottingham alongside JT Soar and Stuck on a Name. They have hosted gigs of a wide range of rock bands including the likes of Royal Blood, Sleaford Mods and Drenge. The venue previously hosted a fundraiser in 2019 to repair its interior following a reported vandalism attack.

On Facebook, owners John Rothera and Lauren Insley took to Facebook to announce the news. “What up, homies! We have some sad but unavoidable news to share. Time is running short for The Chameleon,” they wrote.

“The Landlord has decided to put the building on the market. He’s being very gracious with us and the party certainly isn’t over just yet. Realistically it looks like we will probably have to call it a day early next summer although that could change.”

The pair then went on to say that they had accrued “rather considerable debts” due to COVID, and that the recent cost-of-living crisis had not helped the situation. They then urged readers to “come to as many shows, buy drinks and show the place some love before we have to call it a day!!”

“The Chameleon means a lot to so many people and we want everyone to have the chance to say goodbye properly,” they continued. “So please get in touch if you’d like to play one last time. We won’t be going quietly into the night, and we’ll be planning as many ragers as possible during these final months.

“The party might be coming to an end, but not just yet!”

The news comes ahead of a recent report showing the UK will lose 10 per cent of grassroots venues in 2023. So far, 67 venues have closed this year, with 90 more venues working with the Music Venue Trust’s Emergency Response.

The MVT has since called for large arenas to invest into the grassroots venues, claiming that venues in the UK are headed for “disaster”. MVT CEO Mark Davyd said: “it’s completely unacceptable that our music industry is letting music collapse underneath it while it’s making the maximum amount of money it’s ever made in the history of music.”

The UK Government announced in October that they were planning on a review which will tackle the issues faced by grassroots venues. A full report of the findings will be published some time next year.