28 July 2025, 15:39 | Updated: 28 July 2025, 16:26

By Ali Miraj

Fifty-seven per cent of London’s pubs and clubs could shut by 2030.

That stat from Capital on Tap might sound like just another footnote in the city’s endless churn of change. But to me—and I suspect, to many others—it hits much deeper.

The Government has now released plans to reform licensing laws in an effort to protect these spaces. I'm pleased that developers will have to soundproof buildings they construct near pubs or clubs, to protect existing venues from noise complaints.

Because this isn’t just about losing places to socialise or dance. It’s about losing spaces where people come together, where strangers become part of something bigger, moving as one to a beat, letting go of the outside world for a few hours, and connecting in ways that can’t be replicated on a screen or in a Zoom room.

I’ve seen that power firsthand. I’ve played in clubs across the UK and around the world, from big rooms to intimate venues. I........

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