Outernet London Unveils Venue Names & ‘Epic’ Programming Team

Outernet has revealed that its new 2,000-capacity events venue, set to open in central London this summer, will be named HERE while the legendary 12 Bar Club, which has been refurbished, will be known as The Lower Third. Concert promoter, musician and broadcaster Leo Green joins HERE at Outernet as artistic director. Green was previously director of live events at Live Nation, as well as a touring and recording saxophonist, most notably with Van Morrison. He has also worked at London venues The O2 and Ronnie Scott’s, founded BluesFest in 2011 and presented on BBC Radio 2 and 6Music. As HERE’s artistic director, Green will oversee all of the venue’s programming across music, arts, theatre and culture. Commenting on this new role, he said, “when this opportunity came along, it was simply too good to turn down. From a venue standpoint, this is the most exciting development that has happened to London’s Music, Arts & Culture scene in a very long time. The team at Outernet Live, that Robert, Karrie and Tristan have put together, is tremendously exciting and I can’t wait to welcome all of the UK’s incredible promoters to both of our venues.”

Next up is Chloe Mitchell, who has been hired by Outernet Live as programming manager. Mitchell joins from the Flat Iron Square district, where she worked as head of music. One of her specialities is the launch of new venues. Most recently, Mitchell managed the launch of Omeara, the first club of Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett, in 2016. The venue has since played host to the first headline shows from Jorja Smith, Dermot Kennedy, Yxng Bane and Celeste, whilst also becoming the home of club favourites Little Gay Brother and No Merci. Then there are Nicolas Matar and Simon Denby, who join Outernet Live as electronic music directors. Matar’s career began as a DJ at Ibiza’s famous night club Pacha. He went on to own two nightclubs in New York himself: Cielo, which became one of the most legendary dance music clubs in the world, and the award-winning Output in Brooklyn. Matar went on to work with Ian Schrager of Studio 54 on launching clubs at Edition Hotels in Miami Beach, on Times Square in New York, and, most recently, in West Hollywood, Calif. Matar said he was “elated to be part of a new London venue. As someone who was involved in the London scene since the early 1990s, it feels like I’m coming home.”

Simon Denby is the co-owner and booker for UK underground dance music promoter Percolate, and the co-founder of London festivals Waterworks and Body Movements. Denby has curated events with the likes of Floating Points, Hunee, Midland, The Blessed Madonna, Horse Meat Disco and Bicep, as well as with U.S. legends like Honey Dijon, Moodymann & Kerri Chandler alongside breakthrough acts TSHA, Prospa, Yung Singh, Eris Drew and India Jordan. With over 12 years of industry experience, crossing between intimate club shows and larger concert venues and festivals, Denby will lead on the electronic and club program for Outernet’s venues. He said, “I am really excited to be part of a cutting-edge venue in the heart of the city, that will bring dance music back to Central London after the loss of groundbreaking spaces like the End and the legendary Astoria. The vision at Outernet Live with HERE and The Lower Third is going to fill much-needed gaps for live and club shows both for developing the next generation of artists and top tier talent.”

The news of Outernet’s programming team follows the announcement of Karrie Goldberg and Robert Butters as operating partners of the venues. Goldberg and Butters have a combined experience of more than 50 years in the industry working across live music venues, award-winning nightclubs and global touring theater shows. They are joined by Tristan Hoffman as COO, who has more than 18 years’ experience in venue management, having most recently worked on the launch of Lafayette in King’s Cross, London. Goldberg commented, “We are thrilled to be joined by this epic team of experts to launch these groundbreaking new venues this summer. We are proud to be a completely independent venue space, open to all promoters and live entertainment operators and we look forward to showing you what the programming team have been busy working on in the coming months.”

Outernet London’s two entertainment spaces – HERE, which offers up to 2,000 capacity, and the 350-cap The Lower Third – will host various event genres from live music, dance, comedy, immersive theater, awards shows, and beyond. The building, which will be the largest live events venue to be built in central London since the 1940s, is scheduled to open this summer.

Both HERE and The Lower Third are situated on Denmark Street, a street synonymous with the music industry. Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, and David Bowie all frequented the bars and clubs there. The team behind Outernet is “proud to be driving the revitalization of this area of London, bringing back live music and celebrating the musical lineage and heritage of what will, once again, be a mecca for music lovers and performers.”