[title]
The Glory, G-A-Y Late, the Borderline, Dance Tunnel. Over the past decade London has lost a lot of its most beloved, and iconic clubs and music venues. In fact, more than 3,000 bars, pubs and nightclubs have closed in the capital since the pandemic.
In 2026 the V&A is planning an exhibition all about London’s lost music venues, and it’s asking for your help. The ‘Lost Music Venues’ exhibition will go on display next year. It promises to be a ‘groundbreaking’ show about the importance and cultural significance of independent and grassroots music spaces, ‘from sweaty basement gigs to legendary nightclubs’.
The museum is asking Londoners to send in any artefacts or music ephemera that remembers the closed-down independent nightclubs, gig spaces and pub venues of the capital. They are asking for everything – flyers, signage, flooring, equipment, set lists, posters, photographs, film footage, DJ decks, clothing, designs and more – dating from 1988 to 2025.
If you think you can help, you can email musicvenues@vam.ac.uk before Saturday, May 31. Submitted material could be used in V&A displays, blogs and websites.
More music news with Time Out
Don’t miss out, because tonight (May 2) fabric is taking over the British Museum with a one-off party. Plus, earlier this week it was revealed that iconic New York jazz club Blue Note wants to open a venue in London. And west London now has a huge new 2,800-capacity venue from the creators of Printworks.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.