To me the MOTH Club is maybe best known as a stand up comedy venue. Nestled between the Hackney Empire and the big mad Tescos on Morning Lane, the MOTH club has been a reliable source of mid-week laughs for years now. But comedy isn’t even MOTH Club’s main thing really… going by their ‘what’s on’ page at least… and when the small stage under the glistening sparkle of its golden glittery ceiling isn’t occupied with comedians, it hosts live music, club nights, and even some karaoke.
The venue is one of London’s classic old working men’s clubs that have seen their traditional membership and purpose dry up, but have found new legs and life by welcoming a new generation of entertainment and revellers through their doors. I love that MOTH Club has kept the vibe of the old though, from the wood panelled walls, to the glitter curtain backdrop, and a charmingly spaced letraset sign declaring that ‘ALL CHILDREN MUST BE OFF THE DANCEFLOOR BY 9:30pm – BY ORDER OF COMMITTEE’.
Originally set up in 1972 as a social club for soldiers of ‘the Memorable Order of Tin Hats’, the venue turned a corner in the 2010’s when new management joined to help steer the venue away from decline and began to open the doors for a new generation of Londoners to enjoy. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, even seeing Lady Gaga take to the unusually low stage in 2016.
Today though, as with so many of London’s nightlife venues, MOTH is under threat of closure due to making noise. With the planning permission granted to demolish the row of shops adjacent to it on Morning Lane, a new block of apartments will be closer than ever to MOTH club’s door. With the new flats comes the issue of noise pollution, and despite the club’s well established spot in East London’s night life, their license is not guaranteed.
I wanted to paint the scene now, with the old row of shops intact and their current entrepreneurial shopkeepers still in place – shops which are integral services to Hackney’s diverse and global communities. I wanted to capture the growing queue outside the club as the excitement for the evening builds. People gathering and forming community together, illuminated by the street lights, brake lights, and phone screens. The title for the piece is taken from one of the banners hung on the railings outside the club ‘If you make noise outside, Moth Club won’t be able to make noise inside any longer… please respect our neighbours’, and we can only hope MOTH Club’s future neighbours practice the same philosophy.
You can learn more about the MOTH Club over on their website, and you can find a petition to save the club here as well.
