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New London venue Magazine announced, as The Bedford prepares to re-open

By | Published on Thursday 8 November 2018

Magazine London

A new 3000 capacity venue is set to open in Greenwich next summer while, in South London, Clapham’s The Bedford is set to re-open following refurbishment next month.

Set to be built by Venue Lab – the company behind London venues Printworks and Landing Forty Two in the Leadenhall Building – Magazine will sit on the Greenwich Peninsula near that pesky O2 dome. The new venue will sit alongside an outdoor space that can also host events for up to 7000 people.

CEO of Venue Lab owner Vibration Group, Simon Tracey, says: “London is still very much at the forefront of live events globally and Magazine, with it’s incredible flexibility both indoor and out, is ground breaking”.

Meanwhile Vibration Group’s Strategy & Creative Director, Simeon Aldred, adds of the new venture: “It’s a pivotal moment for Venue Lab and hugely significant for London. Greenwich Peninsula is a flagship global development and one of the single largest regeneration projects in Europe. To be developing a brand new cultural venue here is exciting for us and crucial in placemaking”.

So that’s all very corporate sounding, isn’t it? Construction is due to begin next month, with plans to open next summer. The Bedford, meanwhile, operates more at the grassroots end of the industry, and has a long history of putting on big names early in their careers.

Closed since July, the venue has undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment and it is set to reopen in December. The spruced up pub building will boast five bars, four private rooms, a restaurant and fifteen hotel rooms, as well as its music and comedy venue.

Says its programmer Tony Moore: “Over the last decade and a half that I’ve been booking and curating music at The Bedford, I am proud of how many incredible artists have taken off since their time with us. From 2019 onwards, I know that we will be able to do even more to help artists achieve even greater success with our brand new world class, stage, lights and audio system”.

One of those artists who played early career gigs at the Balham venue, that Ed Sheeran, has commented of the big revamp: “I loved playing The Bedford in Balham – it was such an important venue on the circuit and always had great acts playing every night. It holds fond memories for me and I look forward to coming back one day”.

You heard it here first! He’s looking forward to coming back! Ed Sheeran to play the opening party!

Just to be clear, that isn’t happening.

Really, Ed Sheeran is not playing The Bedford’s re-opening party.

All this protesting now sounds like I’m lying. He’s really not.

Really.

No Ed.

Though maybe he’ll do some crucial placemaking over at one of Europe’s largest regeneration projects one day.



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