London venue The Black Heart has released a special vinyl box set in a fresh bid to secure its future.
The Camden establishment set up a Crowdfunder page back in January after revealing it was in “serious trouble” due to the coronavirus-enforced closures and restrictions that plagued the hospitality industry throughout 2020.
With just six days left until the fundraiser closes, The Black Heart has received 94 per cent of its £150,000 target (£142,471 at the time of writing).
Announced today (March 17), the six-track ‘Save The Black Heart Vinyl Set’ comes on three ultra-clear 7″ vinyl records. Fans can purchase the collection for £19.99, with a minimum of £5 to go into the venue’s fundraiser.
Featured on the album are the bands Loathe, Our Hollow Our Home, Immerse, Venom Prison, Bad Touch and Take The Backseat, Casey. You can see the tracklist below, and order your copy here before March 22.
Speaking in a statement, Loathe said venues like The Black Heart were “essential to the well being and progression of, not just live music but music as a whole – with each grassroots venue serving as somewhat of a booster or platform to present fresh, new art.”
They added: “Please help to not let these amazing places that house amazing memories and opportunities for thousands of music lovers out there go to waste.”
The tracklist is as follows:
Loathe – ‘New Faces In The Dark’
Our Hollow, Our Home – ‘Speak of Sorrow’
Immerse – ‘Red Shade’
Venom Prison – ‘Officer Down’ (Cover)
Bad Touch – ‘Come A Little Closer’
Take The Backseat, Casey – ‘Suffer’
The Black Heart is on the Music Venue Trust’s ‘red alert’ list of UK venues that are in a critical situation in terms of their survival post-coronavirus.
Pubs, bars and restaurants in England will be permitted to open from May 17 under the government’s proposed four-stage ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown. Hospitality settings can serve customers outdoors from April 12.
Live shows, however, are unlikely to return until at least June 21 – when it’s hoped all remaining COVID restrictions will be lifted.
“We want to reopen safely and we want to do what is right for our staff, customers, artists and society in general – but every week we remain closed or restricted, we build up thousands more in debt,” The Black Heart explained earlier this month.
“The £150,000 we need to raise is simply to cover the build-up of debt – the bills that have been mounting up while closed or heavily restricted for over a year. It is impossible for us to trade profitably until all restrictions are lifted.”
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