T Bar closes

I might as well change the title of this blog to 'The Death of London Venues'. Or something.

Anyway - another week, and another club closure. This time, T Bar bites the dust. The venue, which is just around the corner from Liverpool Street, has put out this statement:

'After six and a half years of incredible music, outrageously good times and spectacular memories, T Bar has decided to finally close its doors for good. The decision is a result of a change of heart, change of climate and a need by those involved to move forward in a different and fresh direction.

The love and support that T Bar has received over the years from some of the most high calibre DJs, fans and music lovers has meant it has become firmly established as one of east London's most admired institutions for quality dance music. Initially starting out in the Tea Building on Shoreditch High Street, during its reign it hosted some of the most talked-about parties in London and beyond. For six years T Bar strived to showcase a unique and vast army of talent and all without charging for admission.

T Bar's move last year to Houndsditch enabled new opportunities to broaden their musical spectrum, introduce new nights and residencies and secure rare performances from more high profile acts such as Groove Armada, Riva Starr, DJ Pierre and Marshall Jefferson. This partnered with a change in London's climate led to a change in pricing policy earlier this year.

Sadly London's recovery was not as speedy as all had hoped and T Bar's goodbye comes amidst the sad demise of other well respected venues around London, which makes it all the more hard to swallow. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who spent time to make T Bar what it was and cementing it firmly in the hearts and minds of so many people across the globe.'

In its former guise in Shoreditch (pictured above), T Bar was a reliably hilarious venue. It was the sort of place you would run into industry bods as well as east London's party crowd - and it was free. I once spent an epic night there drinking with the Mixmag crew and Swedish House Mafia dude Steve Angello. I got so messy that each time I went to pay for a round, I put the total amount in the 'Tips' section. Needless to say, the staff loved me that night. 

I only visited T Bar's current home (on Houndsditch) once, for the Red Bull party in March featuring Scuba, Untold and Jamie Vex'd. It was a good night, but I felt it didn't capture the vibe of the original T Bar, and the upstairs conservatory room was slightly weird. But the main issue was the huge, glistening skyscrapers that towered over the new venue, as though the suited-up City Boys were keeping a watchful eye on the scuzzy ravers below. It just didn't feel right.

For more details (I presume, since there's nothing currently on their site related to the announcement), head to www.tbarlondon.com.