March 30, 2009 11:01

London Astoria campaigners stage rally for venue's future

Fan stage silent disco outside condemned venue

A group campaigning for a suitable replacement for the doomed London Astoria venue held a protest in the capital at the weekend (March 28).

The iconic central London venue was closed in January to make way for a new rail development, and as yet, plans to replace it have not been finalised.

A group of campaigners met outside the venue at 1pm (GMT) on Saturday.

"We're trying to ensure that we get a [replacement] venue that has a sufficient capacity and will hold all the former clubbers and the former rockers," campaigner Rami Baioumy told NME.COM at the protest.

"There hasn't been enough information [about the replacement venue]. I could say that we're stuck in limbo at this stage. It's ridiculous."

Speaking to NME.COM, organisers India Walker and Jenny Wong said that they plan to carry on campaigning until sufficient details about the replacement venue are revealed.

"We're saying goodbye to the Astoria today. It's a goodbye party because we love it," Walker explained. "It's a shame [that the venue has closed]. We're gonna carry on our campaign though."

A petition for the campaign has now been signed by over 1,000 people, while the group's official Facebook page has over 3,000 members.