With the ominous caption, “Are you listening?”, the venue confirmed they’ve heard fans’ pleas to save the now iconic venue in a reel on Instagram that announced 2026 will hopefully see the reopening of Printworks.

Back in October, the Printworks team announced on their social media that their final season would be their “biggest season to date” and that “discussions regarding the designs, planning and delivery of a future Printworks continue”. The fate of the beloved venue was up in the air as its owner British Land planned to redevelop the club into office blocks and luxury flats much to the disappointment of UK-based music lovers.

Whilst nothing is set in stone yet, Simeon Aldred, co-owner and head of strategy at Broadwick Live, told the Guardian there are plans in the works. He said he’s heard “the classic gentrification narrative the last few weeks: terrible landlords closing you down, those kinds of negative vibes. But to be honest, British Land invited us in, [the creation of Printworks] was as much their idea as ours. So I want to give them some credit for that. We can’t announce that [the reopening] is definitely happening, we haven’t signed any contracts, but the shape of the principles for a deal are there, and we’re going to be putting in for planning permission in the next few weeks.”

Last bank holiday weekend, loyal Printworks fans collected to bid a fond (but perhaps temporary) farewell to the venue. The four shows, hosted from Friday 28^th April – Monday 1^st May, included the most legendary artists in dance music from around the globe.

Opening the festivities, Black Coffee made his Printworks debut alongside Maya Jane Coles and newcomer AMÉMÉ. Saturday saw a house-heavy line-up including Camelphat, Stephan Bodzin, Adriatique, Mind Against plus Jimi Jules, Carlita, Cassian. Drum n’ bass titans Sub Focus & Dimensions + MC ID, and Kyrist & SP:MC graced the stage on Sunday. The venue’s final night for three years featured sets from Peggy Gou, Dixon, DJ Koze, HAAi, TSHA, Prospa, and a surprise guest spot from breakbeats duo Bicep to close the event.

Printworks first opened its doors to partyers in January 2017. Previously the 6000-capacity venue in Canada Water was home to the largest printing factory in Western Europe – where the pages of the Daily Mail and Evening Standard got their start. The halls filled with machines make the perfect industrial setting for thumping electronic club music. Fingers crossed it will continue to showcase cutting-edge acts in three years’ time.

The venue previously hosted Dua Lipa’s Studio 2054 live-stream concert in support of her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020), after her tour was postponed due to the pandemic. Special guests included Angèle, Bad Bunny, the Blessed Madonna, Elton John, FKA Twigs, J Balvin, Kylie Minogue, and Miley Cyrus. The Chemical Brothers’ “Free Yourself” music video (2018) was filmed on the premises as well as scenes from The Batman (2022).

NME has stated, based on a recent press release, that the venue will also play host to a Banksy piece entitled “Christ With Shopping Bags” or “Consumer Jesus”, which was originally created in 2004 and released in 2005 and was limited to 82 signed prints.

Amazing Grace describes itself as “London’s newest and most exciting live music venue focusing on high quality emerging talent and established artists from across the city and globe.” The venue has launched a new website, alongside an Instagram page. Whilst most of their website is still in its infancy, they have stated: “Amazing Grace will play host to an eclectic mix of musicians and DJ’s showcasing many different genres and styles. The venue boasts a large main bar, dancefloor and a jaw dropping mezzanine overlooking the downstairs space.” In addition, Amazing Grace will feature a 3D-mapped wall at the back of the stage, which will allow for projections to appear behind the acts that are playing, promising visually stunning performances.

The venue has also announced that they are partnering with Mr Bao, a Peckham-based family run business specialising in Taiwanese food: “We’re delighted to have partnered with the ever-popular restauranteur Mr Bao, who will offer an incredible selection of Chinese street food to keep you nourished throughout your evening. Alongside this our bars will serve an array of top-quality craft beers including our very own in-house lager, an expansive cocktail list and more.”

In other news pertaining to UK music venues, grassroots venues are currently facing a debt of £90million due to long closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the pandemic, over 1,000 music venues, theatres and festivals were granted the first share of the UK government’s Cultural Recovery Fund, and in October of 2020, it was reported that there was an 89% success rate for English music venues that applied for the emergency lifeline fund. Given the worrying state that the pandemic threw the music industry into, the number of venues that we’re able to persevere and attain the funding they needed was both relieving and impressive. However, grassroots venues are now emerging from the pandemic with an average debt of between £80,000-£120,000 per venue. You can read more about this here.