Legendary Bristol venue forced to suddenly close to make way for new development

In a statement posted to Facebook last night (7 February), the Bierkeller team explain that "with a heavy heart that we have to announce the closure of the Bristol Bierkeller as of today."

"The owners of the building we are housed in have decided to redevelop the whole site, and sorry to say we are not part of their plans," they continue. "We are in the process of moving most of our gigs to other Bristol venues with all original tickets valid, look out for announcements… otherwise if you need to get a refund for any shows please go to the place of purchase."

The venue hosted early shows from Nirvana (their first UK headline date), Biffy Clyro, Arctic Monkeys, PJ Harvey, Pixies, Sleaford Mods, and more, as well as comedy, club, and theatre nights.

It's the latest in the city to come under threat following The Fleece and Thekla's highly publicised ongoing issues. St. Paul's institution the Surrey Vaults closed late last year following noise complaints from newly built luxury flats nearby.

The UK Government recently approved an Agent Of Change ruling which aims to protect venues, with the onus of soundproofing put on developers and not existing venues. This will not be applied retrospectively, however.