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Vibration Group's Printworks, which will feature programming from LWE and Broadwick Live, is set in a former newspaper printworks in Canada Water
By Jon Chapple on 22 Nov 2016
A new 5,000-capacity concert and event venue is set to open in London next January.
Printworks, operated by event production firm Vibration Group and booked by Broadwick Live and LWE, is located in a 16-acre former newspaper printing facility in the Docklands. It has already hosted a number of events, including Mulberry’s London Fashion Week show and Secret Cinema’s Star Wars and 28 Days Later experiences (and served as a film set for Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron), but Vibration has now filed a planning application for the temporary use of the venue as a “culture, music and arts space”.
If approved by Southwark Borough Council, events will begin in January 2017. Already planned are a “mini jazz season, a classical music programme, […] makers’ markets, vintage fairs, food festivals and Cartel, a new car show concept to hit London next autumn”.
The venue is leased from property developer British Land.
“We’re extremely proud and excited to be part of the team launching Printworks London – a new innovative concept we hope will become one of the most sought-after venues in London,” says Gareth Cooper, CEO of Broadwick Live, which recently welcomed new investment from the Global group.
“Printworks [is] an innovative concept we hope will become one of the most sought-after venues in London”
“A space that crosses so many boundaries, Printworks London will host an eclectic mix of entertainment, from the best underground electronic music to immersive theatre experiences. Our dream is to add another notch to London’s world-class entertainment scene, and we can’t wait to get started.”
A statement from LWE adds: “Our business model has always been about finding new and exciting spaces in the capital: in 2014 we started music events in the beautiful grade I-listed Tobacco Dock [and] in 2016 we launched Junction 2 at Boston Manor Park, with the main stage on an island under a motorway bridge. We didn’t think the best could be still round the corner, but it was – this is the icing on the cake. We can’t wait to put our LWE stamp on it.”
In June Music Venue Trust head Mark Davyd predicted a live music resurgence in London over the course of the year, telling IQ he knew of least four brand-new music venues opening in London. “I think people in the sector are feeling a lot more positive about their ability to sustain London’s music scene and be valued in what they’re doing,” he commented.
Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett’s new venue, Omeara, opened in September.
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