No Rock And Roll Fun

VENUEWATCH: Despite the apparent reputation of the place as a namedroppy address, Hoxton is unable to give a future to Hoxton Hall. There's something spooky about fate throwing two closures of experimental arts centres next to each other in the order these things come out the hat. Damon Albarn, Alison Goldfrapp and Patti Smith have all made use of the arts centre in the past; now, cuts in staffing have lead the Arts Council England to decide that the place is no longer viable, and have withdrawn their funding. Local opinion is riled that Hackney Council found gallons of cash to pour into the Ocean project (a drain on public resources to the tune of GBP25 million) and yet seems unable to find the thirty thousand or so to keep a successful venue functioning.