Altar, New Music and Arts Venue, to Open in Leytonstone with Simian Mobile Disco and Louis Theroux
Altar, a new music and arts venue, bar and record store in Leytonstone, East London, opens on 23 October with a programme featuring Simian Mobile Disco, Louis Theroux, Alexis Taylor, Suggs and Ed Harcourt, alongside community initiatives and War Child as launch charity partner.
A new music and arts venue, bar and record store is set to open in Leytonstone, East London, next Friday, with an opening programme that mixes established names with emerging talent. Altar will launch on 23 October with a free opening party featuring DJ sets from Simian Mobile Disco, Kate Hutchinson, Charli Vos and ALTAR DJs across two floors, operating on a first come, first served basis.
The venue has been curated by Jon Clifford of Dreamhouse Records, Toby L of Transgressive Records and Simon Singleton of Shake The High Road Festival, among others. Its initial schedule, announced ahead of the launch, reflects an ambition to become an essential spot for diverse and compelling artists and performers.
The opening night will be followed by a series of club nights under the ALTAR Lates banner. On 6 November, Alexis Taylor, the singer, songwriter and producer of Hot Chip, will perform a special set in the basement area. Auntie Flo will take to the decks on 7 November. On 16 November, an exclusive Evening With Louis Theroux will see the journalist, documentarian and host in conversation with ALTAR founder and filmmaker Toby L, followed by an audience Q&A.
December will bring the first ALTAR Piano Nights, with Mercury Prize-nominated singer Ed Harcourt performing on 16 December and Madness frontman Suggs on 17 December. Rising Irish/Cornish band Girl In The Year Above, who signed to Transgressive Records last month and released a cover of Massive Attack's «Teardrop» for the soundtrack to Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, will play on 18 December.
Other acts confirmed for the opening programme include London-based disco-punk duo MADMADMAD, rising DJ and singer Nina Yamada, emerging post-rock group Dog Unit, and Polish-born, Canadian-raised singer Joyeria. The bill also features The Kitchen Sink Band with Cass Why, Humane with Shale, Pleasure Unit, Bedroom Tax, The Altarnative 80s Party, Bluespot Reggae Social, Daniel Pickard with Lister Rider Home, The Herons, Von Burl and more.
Beyond live performances, Altar has announced the Altar Community, three initiatives designed to support emerging talent. Altar Under-18 encourages aspiring under-age artists to submit their music for consideration for a series of special nights booked and staged solely for younger artists. Altar Mentorships offers support and advice to aspiring talent taking their first steps in the creative industries, while Altar Rehearsals allows local musicians to use the venue's basement space for free rehearsal sessions.
War Child has been named as the venue's charity launch partner, with opportunities for visitors to donate to the non-profit organisation. In a joint statement, Singleton, Clifford and Toby L said they were «utterly delighted» to reveal the first line-up of artists, musicians, DJs, filmmakers and creatives that compose the ALTAR opening programme, describing it as a sign of the breadth of talent from every generation, level and genre that the city has to offer.
They added that it gave them great joy to announce the ALTAR Community initiatives as well as War Child as launch charity, praising the work the organisation continues to do globally as both vital and urgent and «literally life-changing». They said they were just as excited to welcome artists and audiences from all over the world as those that live on their doorstep.
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