Sorry to break it to you Beijing music fans but indie music favorite 69cafe shut its doors on Monday.
The Nanluoguxiang spot is merely the latest gig venue to bite the dust, after the closures of Mao Livehouse and Old What Bar last year, and Mako Livehouse in 2015. As 69cafe owner Mogu tells That’s Beijing:
“The rent is too high. We can’t afford it. Honestly, I saw it coming about a year ago. I guess we’re just not well suited to [Nanluoguxiang] – it’s too commercialized and it’s not good for the survival of small music venues like us. We don’t make a ton of money but we do this because we like it.”
On Weibo, regular concertgoers commented: “I can’t believe it’s over. I had my first concert there. I learned to love music there. I met my best friends there.” They also thanked Mogu and reassured him that “we still love you.”
Since opening in Nanluoguxiang in December 2009 (its name derived from Woodstock festival, which was held in 1969), 69cafe held thousands of music performances, with a particular focus on local indie and folk artists, as well as stand-up nights and movie screenings. The small venue was known for its cozy homelike atmosphere, which over the years became a marked contrast to its greater Nanluoguxiang surroundings.
It went out with a bang, with the cafe holding a concert every evening from July 18 up until its closure on July 31. And although the venue is now closed, visitors are still welcome to pop by until August 9 to either pay their respects or pick up merchandise like CDs or movies.
But it’s not all bad news: owner Mogu tells us he plans to find a new location for 69cafe, although he warns: “It might be a long time. It might be a short time. It depends on how long it takes to find a new place – and we have no control over that.” In the meantime, fans can still visit Mogu’s other gig venue Mogu Space in Haidian.
Images by Vivian Liu
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