Published
Fri, Jul 10, 2020, 15:45
- The Save Our Sub campaign seeks to save the Glasgow institution from closing for good after three decades.
Update, July 10th: In the days since Sub Club's crowdfunding campaign launched, the initiative has received criticism as it emerged that Usman Khushi, one of the directors of Sub Club's parent company Outer Limits, had recently posted about taking a private jet to Berlin for Peggy Gou's birthday celebrations. The Khushi family was estimated to be one of the richest in Glasgow, worth £90 million in 2019, according to the Glasgow Times
Khushi later posted an apology on Instagram: "I don't own a plane, and didn't charter one personally, but in hindsight I can understand why these posts taken together, out of context, have caused some confusion and are insensitive, which I regret." He's since made his account private, but Selector has the statement in full here.
As of this update, Save Our Sub has now raised more than double its goal—over £180,000. Selector reports that some of those who donated have sought to rescind their contribution, writing, "Save it yourself."
---
From July 7th: Sub Club is at risk of closing down permanently.
The Glasgow institution, temporarily shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic, has launched the Save Our Sub campaign to help the venue avoid closing for good after more than three decades. On the Crowdfunder page, the venue's team shares a breakdown of its costs to account for the goal of £90,000 and discloses the UK Home Office administrative errors that put them in an even more precarious position. So far, the venue has raised upwards of £110,000.
"We have faced countless other challenges over the years and are currently still fighting a long running and costly legal battle over noise issues arising from the grant of planning permission for a hotel development directly adjacent to the club, all of which has meant that the Sub Club has been very much a labour of love for all concerned for more than three decades," the venue organisers write. "However, none of these situations hold a candle to the existential threat that the COVID-19 pandemic currently poses to the Sub Club, and indeed to Club Culture as a whole around the globe."
"The level of UK government support has fallen woefully short of what is required to protect the future of the Sub Club. [This week, long after other countries shared extended relief packages for cultural industries, the UK government announced a £1.57 billion pandemic support package for the arts.] We are very aware that many people are experiencing real financial difficulty, and for some the threat to their health and wellbeing is profound. We have had to think long and hard before reaching out to ask for your help. Nevertheless, if we want to Save Our Sub we find ourselves in a situation where we have to ask for your support."
For more on the venue, revisit Ray Philp's 2016 RA In Residence feature on Sub Club.
Photo credit: Brian Sweeney