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Shepherds Bush Empire closed due to structural damage

By | Published on Tuesday 8 December 2015

Shepherds Bush Empire

The Grade II listed Shepherds Bush Empire venue in London has been closed for the remainder of the year while “essential maintenance work” is carried out, with most shows now postponed or moved elsewhere.

Structural issues were seemingly discovered ahead of a sold out Courteeners show on Friday, with the gig only cancelled at around 7pm. Fans have been advised that this will be one of the rescheduled shows.

An hour later, the band’s Liam Fray tweeted a statement saying that they had been told that “serious structural damage” was to blame for the cancellation.

“They checked a problem and it was A LOT worse than first thought”, he continued. “Why they told us and you so late, I’ve no idea. I know you’re all disappointed but if something happened to one of those balconies with all you guys inside it does not bear even thinking about”.

After further investigation yesterday, the venue’s owner Academy Music Group issued a statement confirming that all remaining shows in December will no longer go ahead as planned.

“Safety and amenities for our customers and staff is paramount and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience this unexpected maintenance and repair may cause”, it said. “We are undertaking remedial works and aim to be fully open within a matter of weeks. Our thanks to all fans, artists and promoters for their co-operation, it is sincerely valued and appreciated, especially at this extremely busy time”.

A further update is expected later this week.



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