The owners of Bracknell’s premier grassroots music venue have expressed their concerns over the future of the club following the closure of the High Street car park.
The Acoustic Couch is a live music venue, located in Bracknell town centre and dedicated to offering a unique space for grassroots bands and music.
Recent figures released by the Music Venue Trust have shown that there has been a 16 per cent decline in dedicated grassroots venues in the last 12 months.
This was outlined in a report by the trust last month after 75 of its registered venues were forced to close due to a variety of reasons.
Jane Corriette, co-owner of the Acoustic Couch said that if the town lost their only grassroots music venue it would be a huge hit to the community.
The music venue, which sits beneath the car park on The Ring, pulls in around 250 people on a Saturday during their biggest tribute nights.
Jane said: “The Acoustic couch is a community interest company where bands can bring grassroots music to life.
“It would be a huge loss to the local community if it was forced to close or move outside Bracknell town centre.
“It’s incredibly frustrating as a not-for-profit organisation. We don’t have the money to buy or rent a new town centre venue but the location is what makes us so accessible.
“As a trustee of The Ring Amateur Boxing Club, I also have invested interest in finding a home for them as well.”
The Acoustic Couch is hoping to lean on the Music Venue Trust which drives and supports grassroots music venues throughout the UK.
Although the council has been in touch with both businesses, there is currently no town centre locations available.
With a lease until 2025, Jane has outlined that the council have given them two years to find another location.
The Bracknell woman has launched a GoFundMe page for both the Acoustic Couch and the Ring boxing club. Their aim is to gain enough support to be able to move into another town centre location.
Jane added: “There has been an outpouring of support for both businesses but the fact that we have no spare cash to move means that our survival is at stake and we will have to begin fundraising.”
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