After a five month hiatus, the infamous Jazz Cafe is back with a whole new look from September 19th, as veteran Dele Sosimi returns to his spiritual home for the long-awaited reopening of one of London’s most beloved venues. 

Closure in March, in what has been an unprecedented time across the entire industry, the venue opens its doors with new measures in place as a fully seated socially distanced venue. Harking back to the Jazz Cafe of thirty years ago, the seated layout mirrors how it was initially concepted back in 1990. With a restaurant still operating upstairs and table seating for drinks downstairs, the venue is able to return to some semblance of its former self but with varying degrees of regulations following the beleaguered-lockdown. 

On the reopening, head booker Ruari Frew exclaims, “We're still a long way off where we need to be, and it will be very difficult to operate financially but we owe it to all the people who make the live industry tick to give this a go. Our world is largely made up of freelancers, many of whom fell through the gaps of any government support.

It's crucial that we get as many people as possible working again in a safe environment. Although it's not sustainable in the medium or long term, for now it's exciting to have musicians on stage in front of an audience, engineers in booths and bar staff serving drinks again.” 

The venue is one of the first to reopen and will be operating seven days a week, with double shows happening every Saturday and Sunday. Some highlights include the return of Jazz Cafe favourite Dele Sosimi; Light of The World take to the stage for their album launch; the incredible Etta Bond gifts us once again with her incredible voice; one of London’s most promising new talents Lola Young steps up; as do the hotly-tipped 4-piece band Balcony; there’s a very special fundraiser for Beirut with an incredible lineup to be confirmed. Plus many many more.

In what will be an entirely new way of operating for the venue, and possibly a look into the future of live music, this is at least a step in the right direction. But with a very long road ahead, the much loved Jazz Cafe will need all the help it can get in order to guarantee its survival and support all the artists, promoters, management, production crew, engineers, security, ticket vendors, bar staff, and all those that work behind the scenes to make the venue what it is.

Follow Jazz Cafe and check out their site to keep up with the latest news and listings.