Council slammed for rejecting status to save legendary venue Bath Moles

nme.com:

Music Venue Trust (MVT) has criticised Bath and North East Somerset Council for rejecting a community plea to save legendary venue Moles.Last December saw Moles in Bath shut its doors for the final time.

In a statement, bosses cited the cost of living crisis and “huge rent rates, along with massively increased costs on everything from utilities to stock” as reasons for its closure.The 220-capacity venue and nightclub opened in 1978 and was one of the last surviving gig spaces from Oasis‘ first tour.

Other notable acts to have graced the stage there include Ed Sheeran, Blur, Fatboy Slim, The Killers, Radiohead and The Smiths.Responding to the closure, the MVT said Moles was another “casualty of a music industry that’s lost touch”.

A report published the following month showed the “disaster” that struck the UK’s grassroots venues in 2023 – with 125 of them shutting down across the nation last year (approximately two per week).The local community subsequently submitted an application to grant Asset Of Community Value status to Moles, but this has now been rejected by the council.