Venue shuts next month

Jongleurs comedy club in Leeds is to close next month.

Parent company Intertain has decided to close the Maluko bar and nightclub which hosts comedy on Friday and Saturday nights.

A spokeswoman confirmed to Chortle: ‘The decision has been made within the company to shut this venue.’ Its last night will be on March 14.

Jongleurs are believed to be seeking another venue in the city so the club can still operate.

Venture capitalist company Better Capital bought Intertain in November. The company also has the clubs formerly known as Highlight in Camden, Watford, Reading and Birmingham as well as the chain of Walkabout Australian-themed pubs.

Better Capital also owns Everest double-glazing and courier firm City Link, which went bust on Christmas Day, with the loss of 2,700 jobs. Better Capital’s boss, Jon Moulton, faced questions under the legal protection of Parliamentary privilege about whether he illegally kept the delivery company trading when he knew it was doomed – allegations he strongly denied.

Leeds will not be without a comedy club after the closure, as Jason Manford will be starting a club in the Prizm venue from March 27. The Hifi Club also runs comedy every Saturday and the House Of Fun night runs monthly at The Original Oak pub in Headingly.

Manford sadi 'We've wanted to move to Leeds for a while; I've always had a lovely time there on tour, and the crowds are great. With the closing of Jongleurs we felt the time was right and feel that alongside Toby Jones at the Hifi we can make sure the people and visitors of Leeds have plenty of options when it comes to top-class, high-quality stand-up comedy.'

The Comedy Store previously attempted an expansion into Leeds, but its venue closed in 2004 after less than a year.

Maluko was a beach-bar themed venue, which opened in Leeds in 2012 on the site of Bar Risa.

Published: 24 Feb 2015