Deptford’s beloved Matchstick Piehouse will reopen next year after a successful community campaign. The south east London lost the grassroots arts venue at the end of 2023 after it was unable to pay off over £36,000 of rent arrears accumulated during the Covid pandemic.
Unwilling to lose another of London’s cultural venues, a group of former employees and resident artists decided to form The Piehouse Co-op. They have since joined forces with the charity Music Venue Trust (MVT) and negotiated a spring 2025 relaunch with the building’s landlord.
Oluremi Falowo, a Co-op member, said: “It’s really important that a place like this survives. The place really cared about the community it served rather than trying to profit off people.
“What’s special is that the programming of events and theme nights always prioritized people from local communities, especially those who don’t always get the chance to have their voices heard. Having that kind of space is important, especially as access to that kind of thing has really diminished.”
Matchstick Piehouse’s closure followed a tough couple of years for grassroots venues. In January, MVT’s annual report showed that 125 closed their doors for good in 2023 alone.
The Night Life Industries Association also recently revealed that the UK has lost 37 per cent of its clubs since March 2020.
Oluremi continued: “Even though we have cell phones, it seems like people are more isolated from each other. That sense of community is more online.
“Getting an interest in what’s going on in communities is a way to really support ventures like ours. I think local government should really prioritize premises as they can give so much.
“I mean, being able to have hubs where people can engage and share thoughts is very important to understand what the area wants and needs.”
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More gigs planned
Audiences can expect an unchanged line-up of music, theatre, comedy and art during the Co-op. “If anything, we’re planning even more gigs,” added Grace O’Malley, another employee.
“It will definitely look different but will have the same core values. We just want people to realize that we are valuable to the community, even if people with money don’t want us there.”
Matchstick Piehouse first opened in 2018 and quickly became known for its experimental jazz night Steam Down. Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia, Sons of Kemet and Moses Boyd have all graced the stage, with American saxophonist and Kendrick Lamar collaborator Kamasi Washington also known to drop by.
The Co-op also recently hosted local legends Deptford Dub Club, Tiny T and DJ Soft Wax as part of a final fundraising campaign. The group hopes to raise £15,000 to replace furniture and equipment taken by debt collectors during the first closure.
Part of the money must also be used to cover staff salaries, consultancy work and rent. If you would like to donate to the venue, you can do so here.
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