West Yorkshire music venue the Snooty Fox needs £15,000 to stay open, its owner has said – and he hopes to generate the cash from a crowdfunding campaign.
It’s the latest club to find itself struggling amid financial insecurity and environmental pressures, and boss Malcolm Shipman fears its days are numbered unless the money can be found.
He says: “Live music venues all over the country are closing down. People can’t afford to go out as often as they used to – but venues are needed for when people do want to go out.
“The Snooty Fox is an internationally-known venue thanks to its innovative streaming of all gigs on the internet. Despite that, surviving his getting harder and harder. The venue is in debt. But I don’t just want to get out of debt; I want the Snooty Fox to be better.”
The £15,000 will go towards achieving financial stability, installing an upgraded sound system and improving the online streaming service. Donations can be made via Shipman’s GoFundMe page.
TeamRock presenter Dewsbury has a long history with the Wakefield establishment. He says: “I’ve played and seen many gigs there and I can personally attest that it’s one of the finest small venues I’ve ever been to.
“We have plenty of arenas and mid-sized venues, but bands don’t start out playing there. They start in the Snooty Foxes – and for young bands to have video of their early gigs, so they can evaluate their own performance, is invaluable.
“Malc is one of the good guys in the industry and the passion with which he runs the place is unreal. The UK needs places like the Snooty Fox.”
In recent years Yorkshire has lost venues including Rio’s and the Empress in Bradford and the Queen’s Hall in Leeds.
