'Legendary' live music venue announces closure

Zanzibar will close from 1 November

A "legendary" live music venue has announced it is to close after 35 years.

The Zanzibar Club in Liverpool, which opened in 1990, has hosted a wide variety of famous names including The Zutons, Noel Gallagher and The Coral.

The club announced it would be closed from 1 November, saying it was "working hard to place gigs and events at suitable sister venues", but did not give reasons for the closure.

"It's with a heavy heart we are saying goodbye. Thank you to everyone who has come through, we hope you all made great memories to hold onto," the post read.

The announcement prompted an outpouring of comments on social media, with one mourning the loss of the "legendary gaff".

Another commenter said: "Losing another absolutely amazing venue. Why is Liverpool trying to suffocate the music scene with no support for the venues."

Another said: "OMG heartbroken! What an amazing venue I had the chance to discover in the early 2000's coming straight from Belgium."

In an Instagram comment, Liverpool band Seas of Neptune said they had performed at the venue "at least a dozen times since 2017".

"The golden years of local live music has long past," the band said.