In the heart of Hitchin, Club 85 stands at a crossroads. But on a Saturday charged with sound and dedication, six bands – Kontra, Man Band, Dead Bait, Kodama, The Grey and Indifferent Engine – lit the stage in defiance, playing for applause as well as the club’s survival.
The event served as a reminder that venues like Club 85 are more than four walls and a sound system. They are breeding grounds for new voices, and homes to the loud, the real, the raw. They are lifeblood.
Event organiser Danny Robertson captured it perfectly:
Venues of this size are essential, for both a town’s culture and the wider area’s music scene. Club 85 is one of the few venues of its size left in the county, and at a time where this country has already lost far too many venues over the past decade or so, it cannot be overstated how important it is to maintain a decent infrastructure for our music scene, to be able to continue to launch artists onto an international level, as well as giving newer acts somewhere to build a fanbase. We’ve even had local councillors supporting our cause, as they recognise the importance of having a venue where local arts can thrive, and the legacy that Club 85 has, having provided an essential platform for bands who have gone on to mainstream success.
In a country where stages have been successively going dark, this night was a spark. A declaration that live music matters, that communities need places to gather, raise their voices, and stand up for both what we’ve had, and our enduring hopes. Music saves, but we also need to play our part.
Kodama
The Grey
Indifferent Engine
