last seven years is that he realizes that standing alone is far less effective than banding together with others in a similar situation. Since 2012, he has worked alongside the Music Venue Trust charity and other independent club owners to address the future of small venues and, in part, inform local and national government decisions. Of all Horton’s strategies to ensure the survival of the 100 Club, this engagement with the wider community definitely feels the most valuable.
idiots who run the country have no bloody idea. If you think people are coming to this country because of Buckingham Palace and Big Ben you are very much mistaken—it’s for the UK’s music and arts heritage,” he says. “If you allow that to slide, everyone will be affected. Tourists want to see legendary places like this club, or what we are producing at theatres, on catwalks, or in galleries. If all this falls off a cliff, people aren’t going to come here. London is going to become bland and boring.”
“I delved into it because I knew what my situation was like seven years ago, and I thought, if it was that bad for me, it must be like that for everyone. I love live music and I want it to thrive. I don’t see other places as rivals. I’ve become good friends with other owners, and we look after each other,” he explains. “That’s the way it has to be for this to continue. We are a lot stronger together than we are alone just shouting at the sky independently.”
As Horton leads us out of the green room to have his portrait taken, the ghosts of great performances past stare back from the many candid photos framed on the walls. Yet tonight an unsigned band is taking the stage. Perhaps they will soon look on from the wall too, if the club survives.
Horton also sees how the safeguarding of the UK’s grassroots venues feeds into the bigger picture, from his lifetime of experience in the sector. He’s become a champion of forming organic partnerships, not just with corporations, but even the government. He’s even thought of changing the venue’s status to a nonprofit as they can no longer compete as a limited company. He is now particularly vocal on many panels, talks, and in government meetings.
The 100 Club has a survival instinct, having lasted through both political and real estate wars as well as a legendary stage smash-up or two. Does Horton ever feel the pressure of the legacy of this venue? “It means more to me now than it has before because of the way the industry is going, and the fact that there are so few grassroots music venues around. It feels there’s no room for independents anymore.”
which is what becomes the most unique selling point of the 100 Club. Through the diversification of bookings, business practice and political awareness, three generations of the Horton family have seen this iconic club through. Horton clarifies, “It’s not about bringing in new audiences,
“ It’s not about bringing in new audiences, because it transcends that. Everyone hits an age where a place like this becomes very important.”
doing everything he can to secure it for the next 75 years. Does he ever manage to leave the club and its associated issues at the door when he goes home? “I guess I leave, still put on my punk records, but then get really riled up, angry and frustrated at the injustice of the system. Then I have to put on a bit of Masterchef to calm downward,” laughs Horton. “If I was interested in making money, I would have got a job in the city,” admits Horton. “What would you talk about though? Are you going to tell your grandchildren about this amazing hedge fund that you built up? Or are you going to talk about the night Oasis put 700 people in the 100 Club?”
because it transcends that. Everyone hits an age where a place like this becomes very important.”
“I wouldn’t swap anything. There really is more to life than money. I’ve met the most amazing people and had the most amazing experiences and I do not regret a thing.”
Essentially every generation brings a new audience, and the challenge then becomes catering for the new and the established audiences at once. This is something that feels like it has been particularly honed by the 100 Club, building from the experiences of the previous two generations. As owner of the 100 Club, you can tell he gives it his all. He’s
The business runs through the Hortons just as their blood, “We are talking about something that is in the UK’s DNA. The
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Here’s to the next 75 years of learning new tricks.