With London venues changing hands as quickly as car keys at a swinger’s
party at the moment, the latest move to be announced in the capital is
the purchase of several Mean Fiddler venues by MAMA Group.
MAMA purchased Mean Fiddler Holdings from LN-Gaiety (the Live Nation
and MCD Productions jointly-owned company) earlier this month, in a
six-venue sale which included London's Jazz Café, Borderline and Garage
venues; a 75% stake in the firm behind the G-A-Y club and bar; the Mean
Fiddler brand itself and meanfiddler.com.
 With London venues changing hands as quickly as car keys at a swinger’s party at the moment, the latest move to be announced in the capital is the purchase of several Mean Fiddler venues by MAMA Group.
MAMA purchased Mean Fiddler Holdings from LN-Gaiety (the Live Nation and MCD Productions jointly-owned company) earlier this month, in a six-venue sale which included London's Jazz Café, Borderline and Garage venues; a 75% stake in the firm behind the G-A-Y club and bar; the Mean Fiddler brand itself and meanfiddler.com.
What’s left of the original Mean Fiddler Group has been re-branded Festival Republic, recognising that the company’s primary business is now festival promotion under the leadership of Melvin Benn. However, both Astoria venues have been retained under Festival Republic, although the larger Astoria (cap. 2,000) is currently subject to a compulsory purchase order from Westminster Council, due to the redevelopment of an underground train station below it.
The news comes just months after Live Nation and Gaiety were forced to sell Hammersmith Apollo and The Forum in Kentish Town to MAMA in order to calm the Competition Commission’s monopoly fears and proceed with the purchase of a 56% stake in the Academy Music Group.
MAMA already owns the Barfly chain of venues and joint chief executive Adam Driscoll says, “We’ve probably got the strongest collection of music assets in any company in the UK at this point.”
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