A historic Kentish Town pub and live music venue is calling on community support to stave off closure.

Ham & High: One of the venue's gigs pre-lockdown. Picture: The Fiddler's ElbowOne of the venue's gigs pre-lockdown. Picture: The Fiddler's Elbow (Image: zigpix)

The Fiddler’s Elbow, on the corner of Malden Road and Prince of Wales Road, hosted 28 weekly gigs before the lockdown, from rock to rap battles, and is renowned for giving up-and-coming artists a springboard.

Co-owner Dan Maiden is hoping to raise £15,000 from a public fundraiser to keep the business above water amid ever-mounting overheads.

He said: “We’ve been supporting the community for 40 years, so we’re asking the community to give us something back.

“We’re all about giving people a chance.

“You can’t start at Wembley, you have to start where we are, so it’s important to give that opportunity for artists to have a platform and a space to perform.”

Dan is worried for the vibrancy and very existence of the country’s live music scene without venues such as The Fiddler’s Elbow paving the way for grassroots artists.

He warned: “If this venue goes it will not come back.”

To donate to the fundraiser supported by the Music Venue Trust, click here.