UK gig venues sing the blues

People waiting for the start of a live performance at Earth Theatre in London. — AFP

THE hall may have been packed when the lights came on at singer Cosmo Sheldrake’s gig at Earth in Hackney. But the coffers of the east London venue are anything but full.

“There’s a paradox here that you can sell out shows and yet you can lose money,” said Auro Foxcroft, Earth’s boss.