Venuewatch: Independent fades

When I first read that the Independent is closing, I thought "well, Lebedev isn't made of money." Then I thought "hang on, he probably literally is."

It turns out the news was about The Independent in Sunderland, which has been the city's home of interesting and vibrant music for nearly six years. It shuts tonight, ironically felled by the collapse of the Kwik Save supermarket chain - as part of the demolition work to build homes on the site of the old kwikie, the club is coming down too.

But it's not the end of the story - a new Independent is going to open, across the road, in a matter of weeks.

For once, a story about a club closing is a pause, not a period.