Public funding backs new 250-capacity grassroots music venue in London
Backed by Arts Council England, the new radial venue in Tottenham highlights the growing reliance on state subsidies to sustain grassroots cultural infrastructure after a wave of local closures.
A new 250-capacity nightclub and arts venue named radial is opening this month on Markfield Road in Tottenham, north London. The project secures financial backing from Arts Council England through its Supporting Grassroots Music scheme to replace recently closed local spaces.
The venue is being established by Ten87 Studios, an enterprise that currently manages 50 recording facilities across the capital. For the company, the physical expansion represents a strategic move to integrate live performance infrastructure with its existing recording operations.
Rob Burn of Ten87 noted that small venues remain essential for the artists utilizing their studio network. He explained that the closure of previous tenants on the site left a significant void in the local cultural economy.
"A venue was always at the centre of our vision for the building," Burn stated. He added that the launch is a natural next step for the business as it attempts to build upon the cultural legacy of the Tottenham area.
The site previously housed the Five Miles venue, and more recently, a listening bar called MOKO run by Bradley Zero and Nathanael Williams. Their departures underscore the volatility of the grassroots nightlife sector, where independent operators frequently struggle to maintain physical footprints.
Operating as a live music and cultural events space, radial will host club nights alongside artist-led experiments, workshops, and talks. The programming emphasizes active listening and sound-based wellness rather than traditional high-volume nightlife.
The interior design, led by creative studio SODA, draws inspiration from Olafur Eliasson’s 2003 Tate Modern installation, The Weather Project. The lighting mimics the artwork's warm yellow and orange hues, while the floor plan accommodates 80 seated guests on Japanese-style loungers and 250 standing attendees.
Audio infrastructure includes a 10-point bespoke soundsystem. The acoustics were precisely designed by Nick Whitaker, an engineer known for his previous work with the London club Plastic People.
The integration of a live venue into a studio network reflects a broader operational strategy among cultural enterprises. By controlling both the recording environment and the live performance space, companies like Ten87 can offer end-to-end services to musicians navigating an increasingly fragmented industry.
