Popular live music pub in Putney saved by Facebook group

15th January 2010, 12:12pm

One of London's oldest and most famous live music venues has been saved after a Facebook group launched a campaign to stop the planned closure of the pub.

The Half Moon in Putney averted the scheduled closure planned by Young's brewery for the 31st January 2010.

In a statement posted on the pub's website, the landlords expressed their delight at the support shown by local punters and music acts: "The Brewery have reconsidered and we are now focussed on getting back to work promoting this wonderful music venue that we love so much. We could not have achieved this without the wonderful response from the public - to those who came down to the pub to show their support, signed the petition, left their comments on our forum, joined our Facebook group and to the bands and artists who didn't hesitate at short notice to come and perform to save the Moon - THANK YOU!!!"

Bands including The Rolling Stone, U2 and Kasabian have all played live at the venue which was lined up to be turned into a gastropub.

The website statement continued: "The Half Moon, which has been hosting live music nearly every night since 1963 got into difficulty over the last year as the recession coupled with rising rates and alcohol duty took their toll. In November the tenants received notice of the closure and a new business model was to be introduced. A 'Save The Half Moon' campaign and petition was launched which attracted hundreds of signatures and a Facebook group of nearly 6,500 members."

In the wake of the support, the pub has announced it will introduce food and a promotions team has been employed aimed at revitalising the venue's booking policy.

"Incredibly relieved" was the reaction of The Half Moon's tenant, James Harris who went on to say: "The support from the public and the industry has been overwhelming. This was never just about jobs, but about a part of our music heritage. We still face tough times ahead, but at least we can move forward now, and my staff and myself are thrilled and excited."

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