Greenwich’s forthcoming music venue “Magazine” revealed

In recent months this site has covered a new music and entertainment venue opening next year in Greenwich. Plans in the summer for 40 events a year quickly changed to 200, and those revised plans were recently approved by Greenwich Council.

Despite being close to the o2 this venture is from a completely different operator. It also now has a name: Magazine.

Venue lab – who operate Print Works in Rotherhithe – are behind the venture. They plan festivals, events, gigs, theatre productions and more.

An interview with the operator can be seen here from the NME. Got to love those hard hitting questions.

Some interesting facts emerge nonetheless. Capacity at the venue will be 10,000 for festivals – which is higher than the 4,400 mentioned in planning documents over the summer. The higher 10k figure includes both external and internal space.

The operators state they would like to put on a music festival and gigs covering many genres once it opens next year.

The venue looks a great addition to south east London. Though no doubt influenced by the adjacent 24 hour Jubilee Line with  operators expecting many punters coming via tube it’ll also be great for those living in south east London looking for nightlife – which is often pretty lacking compared to the rest of the capital.

Growing up in Abbey Wood, I would have loved having something like this just one bus ride away (which Abbey Wood residents soon will when the 472 is extended from Thamesmead to Abbey Wood). This site offers the same to people in Woolwich, Bexleyheath, Eltham and many more places.

Of course, just how thousands more punters arriving of an evening rush hour by bus and tube will exacerbate crowding issues with workers, ever more school children, shopping centre visitors (half of shops at Icon are still to open), regular O2 gig goers and Ikea visitors and the like remains to be seen.

Jubilee Line upgrade plans have been “paused” – aka scrapped for now – and buses in the area cut back on some routes due to TfL’s financial problems. Some nearby roads do not even have paving.

It won’t all be evening entertainment though. Daytime events related to hospitality are also on the agenda. The variety of events is what Venue Labs are really emphasizing. Note, that’s Venue Labs and not the New Cross club Venue, which for many in SE London was about it for nightlife. No George Michael impersonators here.

Operators aim to start shows from mid-2019.