A Newcastle live music venue - once played by North Shields star Sam Fender in the early days of his career - has announced it will be closing.
The Riverside, which opened on the Quayside in 2010 and has been known as one of the city’s top venues for live music, will shut its doors for the final time on January 1, 2025.
Owner Tokyo Industries said it was becoming “increasingly impossible” to operate Riverside as a standalone live music space, with the decision being "exacerbated" by the Government’s recent Autumn Budget, which has been branded as "tone deaf".
Bosses - who also run the DIGITAL nightclub at the Life Centre - warned there could be “no future Adeles, Ed Sheerans, or Sam Fenders” due to a lack of support for grassroots music from the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).
The night spot - located in Grade II Listed building Neptune House - has hosted a string of popular names with past performers including Royal Blood, Interpol, The Zombies, The Coral, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Sam Fender, who played back in 2017.
The venue is home to two rooms, and underwent a refurbishment in 2017 to add new lighting and L Acoustics Sound.
A spokesperson said: “Tokyo Industries has just made a huge of investment of around £1m to Newcastle’s DIGITAL venue, which includes the creation of a stage, state-of-the-art sound system and everything necessary to make it the perfect space for live music.
“On the back of that unfortunately Riverside will close on 1 January 2025 and all planned events will move over to DIGITAL.
“This decision has been exacerbated by the UK Government’s November Budget where it has become very clear that it has little understanding of the cultural benefits of grassroots live music, despite music being a major UK global export.
“DCMS seems tone deaf to the fact that without venues like Riverside we would have no future Adeles, Ed Sheerans or Sam Fenders.
“It has become increasingly impossible to operate Riverside as a stand alone live music space and we are now looking for exciting day time operators to take this fantastic site forward to a new future.”
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A DCMS spokesperson said: “The Government has committed to working closely with the industry and across government to support an economically sustainable grassroots music sector that nurtures the next generation of British talent.
“Our funding for the Supporting Grassroots Music Fund provides grants that have helped some of the hardest hit venues to stay open.
"We are also urging the live music industry to introduce a voluntary levy on all stadium and arena tickets to help support grassroots venues, festivals, artists and promoters."
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