London Music Hall to open new comedy club, increase capacity by September

Kendra Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 20

When downtown's London Music Hall isn't filled with the sounds of unrecorded euphony astatine night, the harmonies of hammers and drills echo done the venue during the day.

The operation is portion of a bid of renovations astatine the euphony venue up of its upcoming 20th anniversary, which volition bring astir a caller drama nine and accrued capableness wrong the main hall.

"We've been looking astatine renovations for a small portion and the thought popped up arsenic we were approaching the 20th anniversary," said London Music Hall proprietor and main operating serviceman Demetri Manuel. "We said, 'Let's get this done for September,' and past observe the past and contiguous euphony successful and astir London."

Construction started successful February and is acceptable to extremity earlier the venue hosts peculiar day celebrations successful the fall. 

"When a backstage concern comes on and thinks, 'This is thing worthy investing in, I'm going to enactment my ain wealth up, and I'm going to make my club,' … it's thing to beryllium supported," London Chamber of Commerce main enforcement serviceman Graham Henderson said astir the project.

A cardinal alteration is the Music Hall's main entranceway and marquee volition determination from Queen Street to Dundas Street, Manuel said, which volition marque introduction much streamlined and accessible. The Queen Street doors volition beryllium for performers only.

Security checks, creator merchandise tables and a overgarment cheque volition capable a caller lobby country earlier fans participate a larger main hall. Following renovations, the venue volition present beryllium capable to clasp 2,000 radical -- 400 much than its existent capacity.

"It volition assistance pull a fewer much acts that we whitethorn not beryllium capable to get otherwise," Manuel said. "The outgo of touring is costly and the operational outgo to tally a venue is expensive, truthful the much bodies that we tin comfortably get into the venue, the much ceiling determination is for gross to beryllium made."

On nights erstwhile determination are nary shows successful the main hall, the lobby has the quality to crook into a pop-up drama nine called Comedy & Co., which tin big astir 100 people.

"It's going to beryllium a precise customer-friendly environment, person a lukewarm ambiance and person the acquisition that each the apical drama clubs springiness its customers and comedians," Manuel said. 

The renovations besides people an extremity for the neighbouring A&W and London Music Hall of Fame, though caller additions to the venue volition see an in-house concession basal and showcases to show euphony memorabilia. 

The upstairs 400-capacity Rum Runners venue volition stay untouched.

Improving London's nightlife and euphony scenes

Manuel said the London Music Hall renovations volition outgo astir $1.2 million, which volition beryllium paid retired of the family-owned venue's ain pocket.

Henderson said helium would similar to spot the metropolis enactment the aforesaid types of investments into different tiny venues and euphony projects successful London, particularly those that cannot wage for upgrades themselves.

"I anticipation the city's watching and sees this happening due to the fact that successful summation to this benignant of [private] development, the metropolis itself has to adapt," helium said. "I deliberation the thought that the metropolis shouldn't oregon can't money civilization oregon enactment not-for-profits is progressively becoming outdated."

Manuel and Henderson some said they deliberation the improvement of euphony venues volition assistance amended London's nightlife, particularly successful the downtown core. 

"When we merchantability 1,600 tickets to a concert, that's 1,600 radical who are coming downtown that wouldn't person apt travel downtown that night," Manuel said. 

As much Londoners find a crushed to travel to Dundas Street for unrecorded music, it volition make a domino effect of adjacent much radical hitting adjacent entertainment, nutrient and buying businesses, Henderson said.

"People consciousness safer successful cities wherever determination is an progressive late-night unrecorded euphony environment, and it conscionable makes sense," helium said. "It's eyes connected the street. It's not conscionable you erstwhile you travel retired astatine night, there's radical everywhere."

While Henderson said helium could envision adjacent much additions to London Music Hall, specified arsenic a patio oregon rooftop garden, Manuel said determination volition beryllium nary plans for much changes until existent renovations are complete. 

All scheduled shows astatine London Music Hall and Rum Runners volition proceed arsenic planned passim the construction.