Leadmill (Sheffield) to be evicted

[belboid]

The latest in a long line of iconic venues to be fucked over by avaricious landlords, The Leadmill is now threatened with closure.

Winner of umpteen Best Small Venue awards over the decades the main Sheffield concert hall has been given a year to fuck off. One of the most important venues in Yorkshire, that has hosted all your favourite bands (or did till the bloody Brudenell came along), it’s loss would be tragic for the city & young bands.

No word on what the landlords want to put there instead, but there have been a lot of very profitable student blocks built around there recently.

More details to follow (inc, hopefully, who the landlord actually is) but let’s not let it go the way of the Powerhaus, Falcon, Madam Joni’s or the Mucky Duck.

Landlord to evict The Leadmill and force us out of business. | The Leadmill

leadmill.co.uk

 

[editor]

The fuckers.

 

[blairsh]

Ah no not been for a very long time but had some cracking nights there many moons ago.

I remember when Corporation went too (similar era for me) very sad.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Was just about to post a thread on this, you beat me to it.

Utterly shit and depressing news. Again.

 

[Cid]

The absolute fuck?

 

[Cid]

Hmph, £3 to find registry info. Probably be one of the few big Sheffield landowners.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Time to kick up a fuss. One of the best small venues here in B'ham recently faced a similar threat and was eventually saved, so it can be done.

 

[Cid]

Well if anywhere will get people to do that, it's the Leadmill.

 

[belboid]

What are the people that run the Fridge like then?


“Electric Group bought the freehold for the site of the Leadmill in March 2017. According to its website, the company is "a Joint Venture between Co-Founders, Dominic Madden, CEO, and Jake Lewis of the Lewis Family."

The Lewis family runs retailer River Island, as well as hotels, property development and asset management businesses. At the time of writing, founder Bernard Lewis and family are listed by Forbes as having a "real time net worth" of $1.3bn, "#2171 in the world today."

Brixton-based Electric Group owns and operates Electric Brixton (formerly The Fridge), the SWX nightclub in Bristol, and the former O2 Academy Newcastle, which it says will reopen in October 2022 as a new venue called NX following a £1.5m refurbishment.”

 

[Ms Ordinary]

What are the people that run the Fridge like then?

I can't answer that, but the Fridge has been called Electric Brixton ( or Brixton Electric, not sure which) since it re-opened in 2011 (just checked, surprised it was that long ago).

It still functions successfully with a mixture of live venue & club nights (which is what the Fridge always was? I think), I live nearby & there's often queues outside.

It never feels as iconic a venue to me as when it used to have Love Muscle & Return to the Source, and it seems to have a fair few - to my mind - ghastly Bierkeller/ ironic bingo sort of nights, but maybe that's because I am an old git, and that's what young people / young people in Brixton actually like these days. Or maybe the old Fridge always did used to have its share of student nights & I just never noticed?

On a good night - for live music - it feels as good as I remember. The best I'd hope for is that if they want to take over Leadmill & the similar sized (?) venues in Bristol & Newcastle, then they're hoping to build up that side a bit more, I have no idea if that's the case though.

I'm sure there's a few Brixton based posters with a bit more to say here!

And I have nothing to say about whether there's anything off about taking over Leadmill, or how they're treating the people who built it up - that doesn't sound good. Fridge was a different situation as I think it was already closed when they took it on?

 

[Sprocket.]

I saw this yesterday but I have my concerns as will all those who love The Leadmill.
Sheffield Leadmill: Landlords say venue won't close Sheffield Leadmill: Landlords say venue won't close

 

[Ms Ordinary]

That sounds like 'Electric Group' have been landlords of the Leadmill for a while then?

I wonder if they own any other venues (apart from the ones in Newcastle & Bristol which they 'own and run' according to that article).

Sounds like even if they do end up running it, the current people won't let them call it Leadmill?

PS apparently Fridge used to be above Iceland on Brixton High Street (long before my time, I just saw that on Wikipedia) - anyone here remember that? Is - omg - is that why it's called the Fridge ??

 

[kevin02]

The fridge wasn't above Iceland (to my knowledge) but was above some shops same side of the road but around the corner from brixton academy

 

[belboid]

The petition has landed - I need to check out what section 25 (c - g) is…


Help save The Leadmill - please sign our official E-Petition that has launched today.

We are calling for a suspension to Section 25 of the Landlord and Tenant Act (Grounds C to G) in order to help save The Leadmill, as well as helping to protect the many other vulnerable businesses across the country, who lease the buildings in which they operate from. 93% of Grassroots Music Venues do not own the buildings that they operate within and are also at risk.

This is an extremely important step in our bid to secure jobs for our workforce and for The Leadmill to remain at the heart of our community, so please do share this petition far and wide to secure our survival.

Please sign here - Petition: Suspend Section 25 of the Landlord and Tenant Act (Grounds C to G)

Thank you.

 

[WouldBe]

Done.

 

[editor]

Just been sent this press release:

Landlord fails to evict The Leadmill.

The Leadmill wins first battle in court with the judge saying he believed they had “a real prospect of success”

The Leadmill has taken one step closer in its bid for survival in the eviction battle against its landlord.

The case was heard by Recorder Mohyuddin, King’s Counsel, in the Leeds Business & Property Court on 20th and 21st May 2024.

Following a change in the Leadmill’s legal team, various submissions were made to explain why the Landlord’s approach was unlawful. The Judge decided to transfer the case to the High Court. He also said that he believed that 3 of the 4 amended defence arguments that The Leadmill were making had “a real prospect of success”.

Mr Madden admitted in his latest witness statement that if he succeeds in evicting the Leadmill, he will not be calling it “The Leadmill”.

He has also admitted all of the staff will be replaced.

Leadmill staff were at the Hearing and were shocked to hear the news that Madden and his boss, Jacob Lewis, were intending to destroy their livelihoods.

Madden also confirmed that he would be evicting the workshop users if he succeeds, putting an end to the tenancies of those still working from The Leadmill, including the artist who has been in residence for 38 years, as well as the charitable and socially beneficial organisations and start-up businesses, which The Leadmill has nurtured throughout its time at the premises.

A Leadmill spokesperson said: “We expect the landlord’s PR company PHA Group will attempt to put a spin on the proceedings, but this is a first step in separating the truth from the lies”.

In light of the Human Rights arguments that are now being considered this case does not just involve The Leadmill. There are one and a half million business tenants in the UK who are at risk of having the goodwill of their business expropriated, their employees’ livelihoods terminated.

The Leadmill intends to ensure that the law recognises such actions are not only a violation of the well-established principles of Human Rights law, but that the next Government takes steps to prevent such morally bankrupt business methods from occurring in the future.

 

[editor]

Note: MVL Properties is one of many companies owned by The Electric Group, a joint venture between Dominic Madden and Jacob Lewis of the billionaire River Island Lewis family.

 

[WouldBe]

It said on the local news that the landlord wants to run it as a music venue himself.