London nightclub Werkhaus announces permanent closure
The venue cites “rising running costs” and a “reduced interest in late night drinking culture”
East London nightclub Werkhaus - the sister venue of Cafe 1001 - has announced its permanent closure after four years. The venue will shut its doors for good on September 16.
The Brick Lane club, previously running under the name The Back Room of Cafe 1001, cited rising running costs for its closure as well as a reduced interest in “late night drinking culture”.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we are closing the doors to Werkhaus this September,” Werkhaus revealed on Instagram earlier today. “The last four years have been beyond special for us, challenging in many ways, but such a privilege.”
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During its tenure, Werkhaus has welcomed through a multitude of talent and dubbed one of London’s “original warehouse venues”, first opening in the 2000s as The Back Room of Cafe 1001 where the likes of K-Hand, Lykke Li, and Ed Sheeran have performed.
“As our time on Brick Lane comes to an end, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all the incredible artists, promoters and staff who have been a part of our journey, and of course to every single one of you that has come and danced with us,” they added.
Details for the venue’s closing weekend are set to be announced over the coming weeks. Werkhaus confirmed that its final events will take place between September 14 - 16, 2023. The first names announced are Steven Julien and Kyle Hall, who take over an all-night b2b on September 15.
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Speaking on the club’s closure, General Manager Luca Pilato explains: “When we took over Werkhaus we had the difficult job of re-establishing a long lost space that had been neglected.
“Despite the support of our owners, we have decided as a team that with the rising running costs combined with a reduced interest in late night drinking culture and the fact we only have limited late night events per year have made the space nonviable.”
Cafe 1001, Werkhaus’ sister venue, will continue to operate next door as a HIFI audio bar, flaunting a new “state of the art DJ booth”.
Werkhaus Closing Part II, the final closing party at Werkhaus, takes place on Saturday, September 16, with sets from a handful of special guests. Grab tickets here.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter
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