Mumford & Sons star Ben Lovett is bucking the trend that has seen dozens of music venues close by opening his own club.
Lovett, 29, who is launching Omeara in the Flat Iron Square development between Borough Market and Tate Modern in Southwark, said he wanted to give something back to the city.
“I’ve been playing and putting on shows in London for my entire adult life,” he said. “Without the grass-roots music venues in this city, the band and I simply wouldn’t have achieved what we have, so I have a lot to be grateful for.
“London has lost so many of its brilliant music establishments and I want to do what I can to try and reverse that decline. We’ve got plenty of hard work to do before we even open the doors to Omeara, but I’m extremely excited for its future and what it can do for London.”
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Lovett, who also owns a bar in Brooklyn, said: “It has always shocked me how such an important global capital shuts down so many of its doors so early. There are thousands of people who don’t work to standard office hours. That shouldn’t mean they miss out on having fun with their mates on the dancefloor a bit later in the evening.”
A recent survey of London’s nightlife for the mayor found more than a third of London’s grassroots music venues had been lost since 2008.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “These venues, which are the lifeblood of our music scene, are often under threat, so I’m delighted to see Ben Lovett opening an exciting new destination for live music fans.”
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