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'Everyone’s feeling lost': despair as Britain's gig venues fight to survive

Arctic Monkeys’ old haunt in Sheffield becomes latest casualty of spiralling costs that threaten to reshape UK’s music landscape

The Harley in Sheffield has earned its place in history as one of the pubs where a pre-fame Arctic Monkeys cut their teeth. But the 200-capacity venue and pub, which also hosted early gigs by the xx and Royal Blood, closed without warning earlier this month. In a statement that has since been deleted, the owners said “mounting financial pressures” had made it impossible to continue with the business.

For promoters like Hayley Woods, founder of drum’n’bass fundraising night Rave and Raise, the Harley offered a vital first chance to put on an event. “Everyone’s feeling a bit lost,” she told the Guardian. “It was a pivotal part of the Sheffield music scene and a big place for the whole community to come together and meet. It’s just an irreplaceable venue.”

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from Culture | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2LfTO7V

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