“Covid-19 has been a massive kick in the teeth for everyone.”
Citing the impact of COVID-19, the operators of fabled Liverpool venue Zanzibar have announced its impending permanent closure.
“Covid-19 has been a massive kick in the teeth for everyone,” said Scott Burgess, director of Zanzibar, in a statement shared on Facebook. “There has been a tragic amount of lost lives. Peoples hopes, dreams and livelihoods completely destroyed.”
Zanzibar has been a staple of Liverpool’s live music for over 30 years and was a local favorite for its patented club nights, such as “The Bandwagon” and “Valhalla.” Many iconic musicians have graced the venue’s stage, including Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher, who recently tweeted that the UK live music industry “needs urgent support.”
“The entertainment and music industry has had the roughest ride of all,” Burgess continued. “With business restrictions and lack of proper guidance, music venues will be among the last ones to reopen. The Zanzibar Club has been a true survivor over the past 30 years, but with the current climate of uncertainty and the probability of remaining closed for a year, we have had to make the heart-breaking decision to permanently close our venue.
With very limited time left on our lease and too many years of wear and tear on our building structure puts us in a financially unattainable position to reopen.”
You can read Burgess’ statement in full in below.
