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Thousands back music venue after noise complaints

John GreenwoodLDRS
Google The exterior of a large building set on the side of street. The building is painted in white and black. On the front is a sign in gold letters which reads 'The Golden Lion'.Google
The Golden Lion has been an established music venue for 10 years

Thousands of emails have been sent in support of a pub and live music venue in Todmorden which has hosted major DJs including Pulp's Jarvis Cocker.

The Golden Lion in the town centre has been an established venue for music for 10 years but complaints about noise have caused its landlady to fear for its future.

After a plea by Save Our Scene UK, which campaigns to preserve live music, the organisation said 2,000 emails were sent to Calderdale Council in the space of 24 hours showing support for the venue.

The authority said it had received a "small number of complaints" about the Golden Lion and was "unable to comment further at this stage".

The venue, which hosts regular live music and sets by DJs, has seen famous names perform there over the years, including the late Andrew Weatherall, one of the UK's most respected DJs and record producers.

Don Letts of Big Audio Dynamite, Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners and snooker legend Steve Davis, a keen fan of soul and progressive rock, have also DJ'd there.

Save Our Scene UK became involved after fears were raised about the venue's future by landlady Matthanee Nilavongse, who runs the venue with Richard Walker. The pair are better known on the music scene as Gig and Waka.

Nilavongse urged people on social media to now stop sending the emails, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She thanked people for their support, but urged them to now stop sending the emails.

The concerns also prompted involvement from the Music Venue Trust, a charity founded in 2014 in response to widespread closures of small music venues across the UK.

It said "following an outpouring of public support towards the venue" it had met with staff from the venue and council representatives.

It said it was "pleased to be able to contribute to actions which both tackle the current challenges faced by the venue and ensure the continued operation of The Golden Lion as a much-loved grassroots live music venue."

It described the pub as "a unique and crucial cultural asset for Todmorden".

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