Another club closes (temporarily)

London’s long-running Up The Creek comedy club has been forced to close because of licensing problems.

The club is the second to fall foul of regulations, after the bar that hosts Manchester’s XS Malarkey was forced to shut earlier this month.

Up The Creek, in Greenwich, shut last weekend; and will remain dark for another week while the owners make a fresh licensing application.

The venue was set up by the late Malcolm Hardee in 1991, but he sold up a decade later. However, the company that owned the venue went into voluntary liquidation in August – and the change of ownership has led to the new licensing problems.

A spokesman for the club said: ‘A new company was formed to take over running the club, [but] due to an admin error the licence was not transferred correctly.

‘This was brought to our attention by Greenwich Council and we have had to close while temporary licences are put in place and a full application made.

‘We reopen on Friday November 5.’

Meanwhile, Chortle award-winning XS Malarkey has made its move from Remedy to the nearby Queen Of Hearts pub permanent.

Remedy was closed for 28 days earlier this month – a period that includes the Manchester Comedy Festival – after a fight broke out outside the Fallowfield venue in the early hours of the morning.

Promoter and regular compere Toby Hadoke claimed the council licensing panel refused to hear the evidence on behalf of the venue. And while another hearing will determine its fate on November 4, it expected to face a clampdown on its late licence which manager Glen Lumsden fears will make the venue unviable.

Published: 26 Oct 2010