Socially-distanced music venue to open in London

Image: One Night Records via AFP Relaxnews

Vault Festival founder Tim Wilson and his team have announced their plans to launch the “first socially distanced immersive music event” on Oct. 2.

“Lockdown Town” is the first in a series of “socially distanced musical adventures” that will be held at One Night Records, which organizers describe as a “brand-new immersive music event and venue” that is located at a secret London Bridge location.

The immersive experience will take small groups of visitors through a newly built maze of tunnels, where they will discover “the bold innovators and rule breaking music makers of the 1950s back to the 1920s.”

Music enthusiasts will embark on an “unexpected immersive journey” punctuated by six concerts, during which they will groove to classic hits of Chuck Berry, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Scott Joplin alongside brand-new original material.

Artists performing in “Lockdown Town” include Errol Linton, Dom Pipkin, Georgia Van Etten and The Cinelli Brothers.

“One Night Records is like a living record shop where, in 2020, audiences will revel amidst the hits of Chuck Berry, Jelly Roll Morton Hank Williams, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Scott Joplin. You’ll find gems you’ve never heard before and also see and hear the hits and legends of the future,” Tommy Hare, One Night Records’ head of artists and repertoire, said in a statement.

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Described as “London’s first socially distanced immersive event,” visitors must adhere to a series of social distancing measures.

In addition to booking tickets in advance, groups will be limited to four family members or friends, with arrivals of each “household” group staggered to ensure minimal contact between participants.

Face masks are to be worn throughout the entire experience, during which visitors will encounter hand sanitizer dispensers in each tunnel archway entrance. Food and drinks, overseen by award-winning baker Daniel Wright, will have to be pre-ordered or served drive-thru style.

“We’re going to do it safely, but we’re going to get people back together and we’re going to give them an amazing night. The social distancing is part of the show so guests won’t notice it. We want to give Londoners something to book now and to look forward to,” Tim Wilson, managing director of One Night Records, said in a statement.

While One Night Records will run from Oct. 2 through Dec. 31, London’s music venues and clubs are still closed as a result of the lockdown enforced by the British government amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last May, Prime Minister Boris Johnson released a strategy document, Our Plan to Rebuild, setting out how the United Kingdom will gradually ease lockdown measures.

Indoor leisure and hospitality venues are tentatively included in the “step three” of the process, which will be considered for introduction no earlier than July 4.

However, Music Venue Trust revealed in a survey that more than 550 grassroots venues across the U.K. remain under immediate threat of permanent closure as a result of the global pandemic. JB

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