Matchstick Piehouse, a community-oriented venue and arts space in Deptford, has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to secure its future after the landlord threatened to end its lease. The venue owes rent arrears, which it attributed to being unable to trade during the lockdown and mixed trading in the years after. The venue is asking for donations from the public to survive.
Matchstick Piehouse has been running for five years and offers diverse portfolio of events, from queer cabarets and anarchist performance art nights to folk jam sessions and a weekly jazz concert, Steam Down. The venue was set up and staffed by volunteers for a couple of years and aimed to provide a home for art that is not based on commercialism and a space that welcomes people with all ranges of ability and needs who may have felt excluded from mainstream venues. The venue also respects its staff.
The Save the Piehouse Crowdfunder page states that, in the midst of the cost of living crisis, asking for money is difficult, especially at a time when many people are donating to various political campaigns. But the venue wouldn’t be asking unless it absolutely had to. Alongside the Crowdfunder page, Matchstick Piehouse has announced four Save the Piehouse events, with proceeds from the gigs and club nights going toward the rent arrears.
The venue has received support from the local community and artists, including DJs, musicians and performers who have performed at the venue over the years. Matchstick Piehouse is not alone in facing financial struggles due to the pandemic, with many arts spaces struggling to survive during and after the lockdown. However, venues such as Matchstick Piehouse are important for community cohesion and cultural diversity, providing platforms for artists, musicians, performers and cultural events that are outside the mainstream
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