Brighton venue pulls out of Fringe (From The Argus)

Brighton venue pulls out of Fringe

10:17am Friday 17th April 2009 in News By Emily-Ann Elliott

A major venue has pulled out of Brighton Festival Fringe, just two weeks before it is due to open.

The Sundown Show Bar has cancelled all its events after running into financial difficulties, but the venue’s managers say the Beachdown Festival, which they also run, will not be affected. The venue was supposed to be based in the grounds of St Peter’s Church in York Place, Brighton, throughout May and was due to showcase a variety of cabaret, live music and comedy events.

However, bosses have cancelled all its acts, which included bands the Drookit Dogs and Kovak, as well as a special one-off show by Lenny Beige and a performance by The Cuban Brothers.

In a statement, the Beachdown team said: “Due to unexpected costs as well as unforeseen circumstances imposed on the Sundown Show Bar site, we have had to cancel all events scheduled for the Brighton Fringe festival during May 2009.

“Once we were asked to get involved with the Brighton Fringe, we had eight weeks to get the Sundown Show Bar organised. At the last minute our sponsor pulled out and this factor, added to the spiralling costs of putting the event on, has put us in a position where we have had to withdraw from this year’s Fringe.”

The news also comes as a blow for fringe organisers, as the Sundown Show Bar had replaced the Parlure Spiegeltent at the St Peter’s site, after it announced it would move to the Old Steine.

Fringe manager Nick Stockman said: “It is disappointing, as we had worked very hard to nurture the St Peter’s site and last year was its first year. However, I am very positive and I am sure it will be a site again and we will work hard to make sure something is there next year.”

Two of the Sundown’s biggest shows have been rescheduled to perform at different venues. David Devant And His Spirit Wife will take place at Fletch at St Andrew’s in Hove on May 3 at 7.30pm in place of Sing Along Sunday (Rocky Horror).

Voodoo Vaudeville will be performed at Upstairs at Three and Ten on May 2, 9, 16 and 23 from 12.30am to about 2am.

Organisers also stressed that the summer’s Beachdown music festival, which will take place on the South Downs in August, will go ahead as planned.

In November, Beachdown organisers were criticised after tickets for the 2009 event went on sale despite the fact that at least a dozen businesses involved in the 2008 festival said they had not been paid and the event had not been granted a licence by Mid Sussex District Council. It was eventually given a licence, with 95 conditions, in March.

• Anyone who has bought tickets for any of the shows either via Brighton Dome or the Fringe website will receive an automatic refund.

  The David Devant and Voodoo Vaudeville show tickets will be valid for the new date at St Andrews, but customers can receive a refund if preferred.