KEN LIVINGSTONE - LONDON MAYOR CONFIRMS ASTORIA IS SET FOR DEMOLITION

London mayor Ken Livingstone has confirmed the Astoria, one of the city's premier live music venues, is to be demolished.

The central London site, home to regular gigs and weekly events such as the G-A-Y club night, is to be knocked down to make way for the capital's upcoming Crossrail development.

And despite a rumoured 35,000 people signing a petition in opposition to its closure, Mr Livingstone has revealed preventing the closure of the venue on Charing Cross Road was not an option.

"There are some instances where that just physically isn't possible. The construction of Crossrail means that the Astoria can't be saved," he explained.

However, he added that the Astoria will be replaced with a new venue designed as part of the nearby Tottenham Court Road development, saying: "We're basically putting in a vast train station but the developers that have actually drawn up the scheme for the area are replacing it with a larger live music venue."

"I understand the [history] behind it, but it wasn't at the cutting edge of modern comfort and so, my broad view is where you're demolishing one, you've got to replace it with something better."

Barry Hyde, frontman of the Futureheads, said the closure of the Astoria was "a terrible shame".

"It's got a great heritage and it is an awesome place to play a gig," he told Radio 1's Newsbeat.

"Venues should be dirty, they should be a bit smelly because smelly things happen in venues."


12/03/2008 16:15:27