This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Business News Live Business
Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett to open London venue
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 19 July 2016
Mumford & Sons guy and co-founder of Communion Ben Lovett has announced that he is opening his own venue in London. The venue, called Omeara, is part of a new development linking Waterloo and London Bridge stations for pedestrians.
“I’ve been playing and putting on shows in London for my entire adult life”, says Lovett. “Without the grassroots 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”.
Of course, London has lost many of those grassroots venues in recent years, something Lovett also notes: “London has lost so many of its brilliant music establishments and I want to do what I can to try and reverse that decline. It’s early days right now, and 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”.
To that end, Lovett is working with London mayor Sadiq Khan, who has been assuring everyone that the capital is still open for business, despite the rest of the country deciding that it would rather plunge itself into a decade or two of chaos by trying to unpick itself from the European Union.
“Growing London’s cultural sector is one of my core priorities, and this includes supporting grassroots music venues”, says Khan. “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”.
The mayor man continues: “I know Omeara will be a massive success, helping fresh new talent to make their mark in the capital, and have their music heard. This type of initiative is exactly what the capital needs, especially at this time when I want to show that #Londonisopen to creative entrepreneurs like Ben, who are underlining London’s reputation as one of the best 24 hour cities in the world”.
It’s not clear exactly how of those 24 hours each day the venue will be open for, but it will be a good portion of the night time ones, Lovett adds: “It has always shocked me how such an important global capital shuts down so many of its doors so early at night. There are thousands of people who don’t work to standard office hours, or have to work long, late hours. That shouldn’t mean they miss out on having some fun with their mates on the dance-floor a bit later on in the evening. I hope Omeara can be a club that provides that, and celebrate the 24 hour nature of London that is impossible to ignore”.
The first round of live events at the venue are due to be announced in September. More information here.
