East London venue cuts ties with co-founder over abuse claims

The Lion & Lamb in Hoxton has ended all business relationships with co-founder and owner Andre King after a wave of abuse allegations emerged over the weekend.

The venue announced on Monday that all upcoming gigs are cancelled. Promoters and artists, including Voigtmann, Sugar Free and Secretsundaze, had already begun pulling their scheduled events as the claims circulated online, immediately halting the venue's revenue stream.

The allegations against King were detailed in an extensive Reddit thread and an Instagram account dedicated to exposing him. Anonymous accounts from people claiming to be former staff and event attendees have prompted calls for alleged victims to file reports with the Metropolitan Police. King has not publicly responded to the claims.

Co-owner Mauro Ferno publicly distanced himself and the business from his partner. "The allegations made against my business partner Andre King this weekend have absolutely disgusted me," Ferno wrote on Instagram. "I totally condemn abuse, manipulation, and any form of predatory behaviour."

Ferno stated he had been unaware of the alleged behaviour prior to the weekend. "I thought he had strange narcissistic and neurodivergent tendencies but had never imagined it was anything like what's being alleged," he said. The venue confirmed it will ensure proper legal and internal investigations take place.

For small independent hospitality and nightlife operators, the episode illustrates the acute vulnerability of closely-held businesses to individual reputational risk. When founders are heavily intertwined with a venue's brand, a scandal requires the remaining ownership to act with extreme speed to prevent a total collapse of relationships with the talent and promoters who drive the business.

Ferno emphasized the necessity of this rapid pivot to protect the company's future viability. "The safety and security of guests, staff, promoters, and artists is of immense importance to me and the venue team and I want to reiterate I've been deeply ashamed of my past association to Andre given the revelations that are emerging," he said.