Looking for somewhere to have a good laugh? We've just updated our roundup of comedy nights in London, featuring MOTH Club, and many, many other venues.
The closure of independent venues in London is a constant (and frankly, exhausting) threat, so it's always refreshing to see a positive news story — and right now, we've got one.
MOTH Club — the ex-servicemen's members club in Hackney Central, known for its live music, and Knock2Bag comedy nights starring the likes of Sam Campbell, Sheeps, Rosie Jones and many other great comedians — was fighting for its future recently, owing to two proposals to build residential blocks directly overlooking the club. This, believed, MOTH Club, would lead to all kinds of noise and disturbance complaints from the new residents — prompting possible limitations, or even closure.
Now, it's been revealed that the first planning application has been refused — a sensible decision that's surely been swayed by the many artists, audiences, local residents and industry stakeholders signing and sharing a petition, as well as lobbying from the likes of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) and the Music Venue Trust.
"This is a huge win," said MOTH Club to its Instagram followers, "We couldn’t have done it without your support."
Added Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association: "This is incredibly welcome news and a defining moment for London's nightlife. Moth Club is more than just a venue, it is a cultural institution, a platform for emerging talent, and a vital community hub. What we've seen is people power in action, a collective voice that simply could not be ignored."
But the fight, says MOTH Club, is not over; the second planning application is still in progress. "We need to keep spreading the word and make sure our venue continues to be a home for live music, comedy and grassroots culture," says the club.
At Londonist, we've also got our eye on developments at another wonderful London venue, the 'Traf' pub in Wimbledon (it features in our list of 100 best London pubs), which is currently trying to obtain the leasehold from developers. A community meeting regarding this takes place on 15 April 2026.
Meanwhile, TheatreShip in Canary Wharf is also under threat from a skyscraper development, though the planning decision has been deferred after appeals from fans of the venue.
