Press Statement

LOOPHOLE PRESS RELEASE 05.07.24

We are devastated to announce that on July 4th 2024, Loophole, at our location at Boddinstraße 60, Neukölln, has been permanently banned from hosting concerts by the Ordnungsamt Berlin. 

This forced closure took place following a massive raid by Police and Ordnungsamt shortly before the start of an event the night before. After lengthy and intimidating interrogations of our volunteer staff and the performing artists, the venue was ordered closed and we are not allowed to enter the building, effective immediately. We were given no time to react, plan, or plead our case. 

These actions come after many years of conflict with some of our neighbors, who have become increasingly intolerant of our presence in the neighborhood, and sought to have us shut down by filing nearly daily reports to the police and vandalizing our space. This continued to happen despite our investments in acoustic treatment for sound isolation and best efforts to manage the presence and noise of guests in front of our building. Police became an increasing presence in our space, but they often reported to us that they could not hear a disturbing level of sound from the living spaces of the neighbors who had reported us. 

Following this raid we have been forbidden from hosting concerts or cultural events. All upcoming events (75+ booked until December 2024) are now canceled. We are still in the middle of a 5 year rental lease, of which we must pay nearly 4000€ per month in rent and other running costs, and we have no way of generating the income to pay rent or our continuing expenses, let alone the presumptive fines and legal costs coming our way. This leaves us in an extremely dire financial situation. 

But we want to go on.

We have set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to collect money to help us cover our continuing rental costs and our legal expenses (we still don’t know how much this will be), on which we have already raised over 5600€ in little more than 24 hours. We are also launching a petition for signatures to demonstrate to the city of Berlin that we are an essential piece of the Berlin cultural landscape and that we deserve support in finding a new location.

www.loophole.berlin/petition

We are also asking the community for their help in finding a new location for Loophole.

We understand that Loophole played a vital role in supporting the underground music scene in Berlin, and without one of its central pillars, it could all collapse. Without a space like Loophole, which provides a stage for artists of all styles and levels of notoriety, there are far too few places for musicians and artists to grow and perform. Without the small stages, no one can get on the big ones. We still have an amazingly dedicated and experienced collective motivated to move into a space where we can more fully realize our visions and provide the performance opportunities the artists of Berlin need. We also have the network, connections, and following that come with running a venue for over 15 years. All we need now is a space, and the continuing support from our community.

ABOUT LOOPHOLE:

Loophole is an alternative art collective and music venue in central Neukölln that has played an essential role in the underground music scene of Berlin for over 15 years. We are run by a collective of 22 people from all over the world, all of which are themselves musicians and creatives. 

We offer a space for artists of all levels, fields, and backgrounds to meet, perform, and showcase their work. Loophole’s ethos is centered around the idea that artistic expression should be accessible to everyone.

We’ve always focused on inclusivity for both artists and audiences, hosting events from brand new local bands and DJ’s, to international touring acts and everything in between. Loophole also had a profound impact on the Berlin independent film community, helping create the Boddinale Film Festival and hosting many film screenings and film clubs. Loophole is a beloved meeting space for Berlin’s artistic community, and is unique in its longevity, authenticity, and commitment to staying affordable, accessible, and diverse. 

We have survived so much in our 15+ years at Boddinstrasse 60, and there were many times we thought this project could not continue, but somehow we always prevailed through the support of our collective members and that of the community. We barely made it through the Corona pandemic, and our costs rose enormously after several exponential rent increases once Neukölln came to be recognized as an alternative cultural hub (a reputation we played no small part in helping the area achieve). Time and time again, the Berlin community of artists, musicians, and all those that love alternative culture volunteered their time, organized fundraisers, contributed their ideas and skills, and attended events, all to keep the dream alive. 

While we work to find out what could still be possible to do with our current location, if we can do anything at all, we know it will have to be radically different. Our concert and events program will need to find a new home. Through the support of the community, and hopefully that of the City of Berlin, we hope to transpose this vision and history into a new location and continue to be a home for underground culture and music.