For millions of rock and metal fans, London pub and venue The Black Heart has become a necessary pilgrimage site. Dark and loud, stylized even as it’s crammed into the crowded infrastructure of the city’s Camden neighborhood, the infamous noise hole has become one the world’s most recognized places for black-clad miscreants to hang out and get obliterated. Now, however, due to “zero help from the government or [their] landlords,” the Black Heart is suffering, and needs your help.
The Black Heart has launched a new crowdfunding campaign, with proceeds going to keep the place alive. In a real-life heavy metal version of Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, the owners are trying to raise £100k by March, lest the bar be closed for good.
“We’ve spent a year adapting our bar and venue to meet government guidelines due to this awful pandemic, but we can go no further on our own,” say the Black Heart in an announcement on their website and social media accounts. “We need to raise £100,000 by the end of March 2021, or we face the very real prospect of never reopening.
“We are independently owned and operated and are proud to have retained all our staff, because we’re a family. We are now reaching out to the extended Black Heart family for support as we launch our #savetheblackheart Crowdfunder.
“We have had zero help from the government or our landlords. By supporting our Crowdfunder you’ll have the opportunity to win something. Simply donate toward the prize you’re keen to win and you will be entered into that raffle. Every week we will release a new round of prizes and we’ve priced it to cover all budgets.”
Donations to the Black Heart can be made via their crowdfunding page.
Those of you able to throw a few bones the Black Heart’s way definitely should, as it’s the real deal when it comes to metal bars (the one time our own staff writer went there, there was literally someone dying outside). This way, someday, when this is all over and you’re visiting London, you can bob your head to Slayer while making a goth waitress split up your tab five different ways.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
