It’s not a great time to be an indie venue. Everything from rent to booze is getting more expensive and smaller places simply can’t keep up. In recent weeks alone, big-name venues like Leeds’ Wire and Edinburgh’s Jazz Bar have been forced to close.
But now we’ve got some happier news. The Crown, the legendary Birmingham pub where Black Sabbath played their first ever gig, has officially been given Grade II-listed status by Historic England. Over 15,000 signed a petition arguing that the Crown’s past means it holds cultural significance, and therefore should be maintained.
Having sat empty for the last decade, developers had begun early-stage discussions about turning the Crown into flats. Achieving listed status will prevent this from happening.
The pub was known colloquially as the ‘birthplace of heavy metal’, due to its role in the early careers of Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest and more.
According to Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath’s guitarist: ‘The Crown has huge significance to us and many other successful acts. It was one of very few venues that supported the emerging rock scene with a blues club and was home to our first ever gig.’
Iommi highlighted the importance of celebrating Birmingham’s cultural history, after the city’s arts funding was slashed to zero earlier this year, saying: ‘Cities all over the UK are protecting their musical heritage, Birmingham shouldn’t be left behind.’
Jez Collins, who founded the Birmingham Music Archive, said he was pleased to hear the news, but that simply being awarded listed status wasn’t enough: ‘We need more. We need to ensure the Crown re-opens, we need to bring it back to life as a cultural venue, a music venue and a place people will want to visit.’
Between this and Sharon Osborne’s plan to open an entire museum dedicated to her husband, Birmingham could become a real pilgrimage for fans of ’70s metal. Congrats, metal-head Brummies!
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