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Converse to sponsor 100 Club
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 15 February 2011
London’s iconic 100 Club venue has been saved after management there signed a sponsorship deal with footwear makers Converse. It was first announced that a brand had come on board to help rescue the central London gig venue at the end of last year, though the exact company was only revealed to Xfm yesterday.
As previously reported, the Oxford Street venue was facing closure as running costs spiralled out of control. The club, which has occupied its current site in various forms since 1942, is noted for putting on early gigs by bands who have gone on to fame and fortune, and was a focus of the late seventies punk scene. But in recent years it has reportedly seen rents rise to more than £13,800 per month, with another £4000 needed every month for business rates. In December last year, Paul MacCartney played a gig at the venue to help the campaign to save it.
The venue’s owner Jeff Horton told Xfm that Converse isn’t looking for headline sponsorship (so there’ll be no name change), but just “wanted to give us a hand”.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Converse said: “We at Converse are very excited about our new partnership with the legendary 100 Club in London. Converse’s commitment to being a catalyst for creativity is at the heart of the brand and we are dedicated to championing and supporting artists, fans, the music scene, venues and the experience. Converse and the 100 Club both share a love for music and this partnership is a great opportunity to reunite the 100 Club with a generation who experienced history inside its walls, as well as introduce it to a new generation with a vow to bring the best in music to its legendary stage”.