On Wednesday, social networking sites spread the word that the city’s underground music club, B69, had shut shop. Some regulars panicked. But representatives from Bajaao, the online music store that opened the joint, insist that they will return to the scene by the third week of February.
“We are just relocating. This current place (in Andheri east) has to be renovated. With the increasing demand for music and the number of new bands joining in, it was the best decision for us to get a bigger place to fit at least 150 people more than what we can right now,” says Sidharth Kadadi from Bajaao.
A few weeks ago, B69 had hosted a live metal gig. But since the space could not accommodate too many people, around 100 to 150 people had to be turned away. “We’re going to get a place that is at least one-and-a-half to two times bigger than the current venue. We don’t want a situation where people have to go back because of space constraints,” adds Kadadi.
The new spot will be located in the suburbs, and will probably be around Andheri and Vile Parle. However, whether B69 will return to the same site or a new one is something music buffs will have to wait to hear about. “Renovating the place is the landlord’s call. We have the permission to expand by breaking the walls, so we’ll probably stay here. But we’ll announce the new venue whenever our next gig is happening. We were anyway doing only two a month, so it’s not like we’ll lose out on too much,” says Kadadi.
The new spot will be located in the suburbs, and will probably be around Andheri and Vile Parle. However, whether B69 will return to the same site or a new one is something music buffs will have to wait to hear about. “Renovating the place is the landlord’s call. We have the permission to expand by breaking the walls, so we’ll probably stay here. But we’ll announce the new venue whenever our next gig is happening. We were anyway doing only two a month, so it’s not like we’ll lose out on too much,” says Kadadi.
He adds that the new venue will maintain all the attributes it is known for: “It’ll just have better acoustics, sound and lights systems and definitely more space.”