Sister Midnight’s mission is to create an accessible, affordable and inclusive grassroots music venue and community hub, where people can come together and enjoy the best of South East London’s diverse and cutting edge music culture. We want to carry on the legacy of our previous space in Deptford and continue showcasing the wealth of musical talent that Lewisham has to offer.
OUR MISSION
Sister Midnight was formerly a grassroots music venue based in Deptford. Established in 2018, we quickly became an important part of our local music scene, and a place where people could come together in celebration of South East London's music culture.
When we had to leave our space during the pandemic, we decided to establish a new community benefit society, Sister Midnight Community Venues Limited, and work towards opening Lewisham's first community owned live music venue. In 2021 our community share offer and campaign raised £260k and we are currently working towards securing a site to call home.
ABOUT SISTER MIDNIGHT
COMMUNITY
BENEFIT SOCIETY
A Community Benefit Society is a not-for-profit business structure that is owned and democratically controlled by the community it serves.
Community benefit societies can issue community shares, and anyone who buys a shares becomes a member of the society with voting rights, giving them a say on how the business is run. The society operated on the co-operative principles of one member, one vote, so voting power can never be bought.
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Our community has always been at the heart of what we do, and as we made plans to re-establish our venue, a co-operative, community ownership
model felt like the natural step for Sister Midnight. We want to empower our local community, creating a democratically run space that everyone has a say in.
Community owned businesses have a much higher survival rate than typical commercial ventures because they are better able to understand and serve the needs of their community.
COMMUNITY BUSINESS
Our community ownership campaign grew support from a diverse range of people in and out of Lewisham. From artists such as Fontains D.C, Goat Girl and Black Midi to Music Venues Trust, funding organisations and record labels (Big Dada, Rough Trade, Beggars Group). We are also supported by our local MP Vicky Foxcroft, Lewisham council and councillors.
SUPPORT
"The emergence of so many interesting artists have been fostered by the existence of grassroots venues. They give a platform for growth, innovation and creativity. South London in particular has over the last decade produced some of the most exciting artists in the UK.
If we lose these venues we damage the future of this incubator of talent.We are known worldwide for our artists. We cannot afford to lose this. Rough Trade have benefitted from this South London energy and exchange of ideas in the shape of Goat Girl, black midi, Honey Hahs and caroline"
ROUGH TRADE
“The music scene in South London means a great deal to me. It is where I came from, it’s where I come out of and that is why I want to support. I’ve invested and you can too, what harm can it do!”
JOOLS HOLLAND
“Independent venues are the foundation of the UK's music industry, and the importance of access to these spaces for both artists and the wider local community cannot be overstated. These venues are at the heart of what we do and Beggars are proud to support Sister Midnight in their work to establish a much needed community owned music venue in Lewisham. We're excited to witness the next wave of bands and artists start their story there and add to the incredible music we've seen emerge from the South London scene.”
BEGGARS GROUP
“Sister Midnight has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the local community, demonstrating a huge appetite for a community owned live music space in Lewisham. Music, Community, pub culture and inclusivity are at the heart of Sister Midnight's vision. I look forward to working closely with them to bring this fantastic project to fruition.”
AMY LAMÉ , NIGHT CZAR
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