Glasgow’s Blue Arrow Jazz Club has shut for good, it has been confirmed.
The venue opened in 2018, and quickly garnered a country-wide reputation for supporting jazz. A much-needed redoubt for Glasgow improvisatory musicians, it’s broad-minded booking policy quickly gained attention.
Surviving the pandemic, it seems the ongoing challenges posed by the cost of living crisis has scuppered the Blue Arrow Jazz Club – in a note, the team have confirmed that the venue will shutter immediately.
A notable landmark on Sauchiehall Street, the atmospheric basement club was much-loved. In the note, the team say: “Thanks to you, the audience, please keep supporting local live events whenever you can…times are increasingly hard. They’d be even harder though, without live music.”
Find the statement in full below.
The sad news comes as music venues across the land face sky-rocketing bills. In a study of nationwide live music hubs, the Music Venue Trust found that owners faced an average rise in fuel bills of 316%.
UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin commented:
“Spiralling energy costs have created an existential threat for venues and music studios. It’s urgent that Government takes action to support businesses with the costs the are facing. We all saw just how miserable life was without live music during the pandemic, when venues were closed for months – the high cost of energy bills could now close them forever.”
