#SaveOurVenues @ Le QuecumBar - Gypsy Swing heaven

I are thrilled to tell you all live music is back - however the fight continues ....

NEWS

I have tried to upload some new pitcures here but there seems to be a glitch - so please use your imagination as to how great it is to welcome back live music after so long ...

The first night was Tuesday 1st Sep Gypsy Swing Jam session – and the place was alive again with impromptu and swinging rhythms

I welcome the return of live music – however without normal public attendance the cost cannot be supported by QuecumBar and this month is critical to see if the increased cost of returning staff, music and more usual opening hours - can even be met…

Our trading style post covid has changed little – we still do what we did before, the way we did it before and are lucky enough to have most of our tables one metre apart and to be able to make space for the musicians with minimal risk to them or customers. Masks are not obligatory for anyone here and the garden has plenty of space for 30 persons.

Customer attendance and advance bookings are more than 70% down – and many musicians who were booked to come from abroad have cancelled due to quarantine and high costs of transport issues.

In July the government announced a £1.57 billion arts rescue package to see it through the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic which has closed theatres, galleries and all music venues, leaving them in peril. A sector that in 2018 put £32.3 billion into the UK economy. 

It has come too late for some, both institutionally and individually and the government is silent on the amount of such businesses already dead – probably forever

As a fundamental grass roots music venue I applied end of July for The Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund administered by Arts Council as part of the government £1.57 billion to protect the UK’s culture and heritage sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. This fund was to help guarantee and cover the survival of such venues until at least the end of September going in to October

In July The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced that £3.36 million of that Government fund would be disseminated via the Arts Council and shared between grassroots music venues in England to support venues at imminent risk of insolvency.

Dedicated music venues like mine could apply for an emergency grant of up to £80,000 to cover on-going running costs incurred during closure, including rent and utilities.  I applied for a lot less than that and even so was rejected in early August – a crushing blow to say the least.

In spite of meeting all the criteria and aims in that grant application, I was rejected as (not meeting the aims and criteria strongly enough) even though my application was checked before it was submitted to ensure that as a unique live music venue that supports Gypsy music and other acoustic music – and supplies space for workshops, artist to record and photos setting and met all the criteria and aims of the fund.  This was a mortal blow as was the fact I was then informed as a sole trader I would be prevented from applying for the grass roots recovery fund and only companies could, leaving QuecumBar and so many other venues with no access to any of the grant funding for grass roots music venues.

What is even more disturbing is that it has been announced that only 135 music venues in the whole of the UK were granted any access to the emergency grass roots fund, a mere smattering of venues in immediate danger of going under – the impact on musicians and lack of access for the public to such venues has not been fully realised or taken into consideration by those who hold the purse strings…

The August Mon –Wed - eat out to help out government scheme did more harm than good to us – as the decision was made in July on reopening, that I could not sustain the cost of opening on those days and had to mitigate loses – the scheme succeeded in moving any trade we had from Thur – Sun – to Mon- Wed when we were closed – a disaster for Le Q.

September will be the acid test for us as a live music venue – so please wherever you are spread the word to those live music lovers to return to venues such as Le Q  to keep them alive and kicking

We are still a long way from our crowd funding target of £15k a target that would ensure all the musicians booked in the immediate future will maintain their paid gigs here and staff will be here to help run QuecumBar and look after customers as always.

I continue to try and negotiate with our landlord as it is very clear overheads cannot be sustained under the present business climate

I continue to promote our food specials with something for everyone:

Every opening night between 6-7 we offer the early bird special – 3 course meal & glass of wine for £29 cash

Thursday Special is Coq Au Vin @ just £12

Sunday Eve Special Half Roast chicken with veg @ just £12

You can still bring in your own special bottle of wine of you wish @£15 corkage – max one per person

We now also offer Shisha to those who wish to enjoy a tobacco option in the garden or non-tobacco option

I hope to see many of you soon and thank you all for your support to date – it really made a difference

Sylvia