Our initial enthusiasm for the prospect of working with the new
management of the Wellington turns out to have been misguided. The
Black Veil on Saturday 7th June will almost certainly be our last
one there, and for the time being unless or until we can find yet
another suitable venue.
The problem is that we are unable to agree to the terms and
conditions with which we have been presented. One requirement is for
us to have our own bar upstairs.
The main reason for the upstairs bar seems to be the requirement for
separate accountable bar takings. We would be required to make up
any shortfall on takings (from our clientele alone) below GBP 350 !!!
Even on a good night we have no way of knowing how close we come to
meeting this target and on a poor night we could end up having to
hand over hundreds of pounds over a number of events!
Obviously this is not an affordable option for us with our only
income being the door takings of GBP 2.50 per person (GBP2 for members of
Leeds Goth Soc.)
We believe that the bar upstairs would drastically change the
atmosphere and lighting and it would also seriously compromise the
already limited dancefloor area. People seem content to go down to
the main bar to collect their drinks and of course many go down
there anyway on their way outside for a smoke, but the management
have stated that this is no longer an option.
This is a very disappointing turn of events for us as we had high
hopes of Black Veil going from strength to strength at this venue
but it seems that, as with the Adelphi, it’s a case of history
repeating itself, our gothic custom is not sufficiently valued. So,
unless the management see fit to change their requirements, which is
not at all likely, the next Black Veil will be the last for the
foreseeable future.
Please make every effort to come and support us so that we can make
it a good one to remember.
