The decks could stop spinning at Plastic People - Photo: Daniel Ball
For many people, Hackney is the place to go for the arts.
That’s certainly the case for many discerning clubbers looking for a good night out but one a world away from the super-clubs of Clerkenwell and Westminster. This is the role that Plastic People, a 200-person capacity venue, has played since it moved to Curtain Road ten years ago.
That position is now in jeopardy after a notice appeared on February 12, saying the club’s licence was under review by Hackney Council on the grounds of prevention of crime and disorder and public nuisance. Today (March 11) is the final day for representations to be made by interested parties before the licensing committee reviews the evidence. It is due to make its final decision by March 31.
The club’s fans aren’t happy. A Facebook group in support of the venue – “Keep Plastic People Alive” – now has 15,000 members, many of them local promoters and DJs who have played at the venue, including Radio 1’s Benji B.
Derek Walmsley, reviews editor of The Wire, recently wrote on his blog: “Plastic People is one of the most welcoming and trouble-free places I’ve ever been to.”
“Plastic People plays cutting edge music,” added Gerry Calebrese, owner of the Hoxton Pony, a bar situated a little further up Curtain Road says. “It seems there are fewer and fewer places of that quality left.”
Meanwhile, the Foundry art venue and bar, just a stone’s throw away from Plastic People and home to several works by world-renowned graffiti artist Banksy, is to close down to make way for a new hotel.
It is currently looking for a new home, but co-founder Jonathon Moberly feels the closure is another sign of the death of quality arts in the area.
“We’re a relic,” said Moberley. “Shoreditch on a Saturday night [these days] is a pretty ugly place.”
“We’d like to stay around here. This area is one of few that people will come to from outside London, and we can also attract artists from further out in Hackney that otherwise don’t get an opportunity to showcase their art centrally.” But he admits the chances of staying in the area are slim.
“No one in the council is going to shed a tear when the Foundry shuts down,” said Moberley.
Indeed, with the Olympics on their way, voices have raised concern that the arts are being sidelined, and those in the art world are suspicious that the council is happy to see Hackney’s cultural scene cleaned up.
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