Camden venue Dingwalls has been bought by legendary music promoter Vince Power.
The 500-capacity spot, which opened as Dingwalls Dance Hall in 1973, has hosted gigs from the likes of The Clash, Amy Winehouse and The Sex Pistols.
Power, 73, currently owns Nell’s Jazz and Blues in Kensington, as well as Subterania in Ladbroke Grove and Kilburn’s The Fiddler.
“Dingwalls has such a rich history, though in recent years it has been up and down,” he said. “It needs a lot of attention but I am excited about it.
“There are still some things we have to work out — how we manage the lockdown situation and what it means for live music.
“We may not be able to open until New Year. We are working through plans of what we can do.”
Power first rose to prominence on the London music scene after opening Harlesden country and western venue The Mean Fiddler in 1982, which went on to host The Pogues and Johnny Cash.
He later grew the Mean Fiddler Music Group into a music empire that spanned festivals, venues, nightclubs and restaurants.
Power has also promoted a string of huge names across the course of his career, from Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney to Patti Smith and Leonard Cohen.
The purchase comes at a perilous time for grassroots music venues across the UK. Many of them are crowdfunding to survive, while the Music Venue Trust has called for a £50m government aid package to help the venues ride out the next few months.
