The Spitz

The Spitz was an influential live-music venue at 109 Commercial Street, on the edge of Old Spitalfields Market in London's East End. Operating from 1996 until September 2007, it became known for presenting an eclectic programme that crossed indie rock, folk, jazz, experimental music, blues, world music and singer-songwriter performance. Rather than functioning solely as a conventional concert room, the venue developed a reputation as an intimate setting for established artists, emerging performers and genre-crossing collaborations. Over its eleven-year operating period, The Spitz hosted a wide range of musicians, including Beth Orton, Billy Bragg, Bert Jansch, Cat Power, Goldfrapp, The Gossip, Hot Chip, Low, Richard Hawley, Seasick Steve, The Horrors, The Long Blondes, Turin Brakes, Tom Morello, and many others. Its programme also included artists associated with folk revival, improvisation, roots music, electronic music and international performance. The venue's scale and location made it particularly suitable for close audience interaction and for artists whose work did not fit neatly into mainstream commercial categories. It also staged the final live performance of Nosferatu D2. The venue closed after a dispute with its landlord, Ballymore Properties. In April 2007, Ballymore gave The Dandelion Trust, the organisation associated with the venue, six months to leave the premises, stating that payments had not been maintained. The Spitz disputed that allegation and maintained that it had paid its rent. Ballymore subsequently reached an agreement with another operator. The Spitz held its final concert on 27 September 2007, with participation from several musicians connected with its regular programme, including Seb Rochford, Miles Danso, Joe Wilkes, Sandy Dillon and Beth Orton. The Spitz name was later carried forward in a different form. In January 2014, a group of regular performers associated with the former venue established The Spitz Charitable Trust. The trust's stated purpose is to bring professional live music, often involving jazz musicians, to settings beyond the traditional concert circuit. Its intended environments include care homes, day centres, hospitals, schools, after-school clubs, prisons and public spaces. This marked a transition from a fixed London venue to a community and access-oriented music initiative. The available reference material does not establish the trust's current legal status, scale of operations, leadership, funding, or present programme, so those details remain unconfirmed.

The Spitz emerged in 1996 as a live-music venue at 109 Commercial Street, adjacent to London's Old Spitalfields Market. Located in the East End, it operated during a period when the area was becoming increasingly important to London's cultural and nightlife economy. The venue's identity was built around a broad and deliberately mixed programme rather than a single genre. Its stages accommodated indie and alternative rock, folk, jazz, blues, experimental music, electronic performance, roots music and international acts. The Spitz's intimacy was central to its appeal. Its programme brought audiences into close contact with both established artists and less widely known performers, and it provided a setting for musicians whose work occupied the boundaries between popular, acoustic, improvised and contemporary music. Acts associated with the venue included Beth Orton, Billy Bragg, Bert Jansch, Cat Power, Goldfrapp, Hot Chip, Low, Richard Hawley, The Gossip, The Horrors, The Long Blondes, Turin Brakes, Tom Morello, Roy Harper, John Renbourn, Joan As Police Woman, King Creosote, Rodrigo y Gabriela and many others. The breadth of this programme made The Spitz a recognizable part of London's independent music circuit. The venue also served as a platform for special and final appearances. One notable event was the last live performance of Nosferatu D2. Over time, the venue became associated with a community of performers who returned regularly, helping to create continuity beyond individual bookings. This network later influenced the use of The Spitz name for a charitable initiative. In April 2007, landlord Ballymore Properties gave The Dandelion Trust six months to leave the property. Ballymore said that the organisation had failed to keep up with payments, while The Spitz disputed the allegation and maintained that it had met its rental obligations. Ballymore agreed terms with another operator, preventing the venue from continuing at the Commercial Street site. The Spitz's final concert took place on 27 September 2007 and included several performers linked to its history, among them Seb Rochford, Miles Danso, Joe Wilkes, Sandy Dillon and Beth Orton. The physical venue therefore ended after approximately eleven years of operation. The name was revived in January 2014 through The Spitz Charitable Trust, established by a group of regular performers from the former venue. The trust shifted the concept from a permanent concert location to a music-access and community-outreach model. Its stated aim is to take professional musicians, particularly jazz musicians, into places such as care homes, day centres, hospitals, schools, after-school clubs, prisons and public spaces. In this form, The Spitz is associated not only with concert presentation but also with bringing live music to people who may have limited access to conventional venues. The available sources do not provide verified information about the trust's current operating status, governance, staffing, finances, formal registration, or the extent of its activities after its creation. The historical record therefore supports treating The Spitz as a name with two connected phases: an East London music venue active from 1996 to 2007, and a charitable music-outreach initiative established in 2014.

• 2014

  The Spitz Charitable Trust is formed

  [1]The Spitzen.wikipedia.org

  Regular performers from the former venue establish a charitable trust using The Spitz name to deliver live music in care, education, institutional and community settings.

• 2007

  Landlord dispute threatens the venue

  [1]The Spitzen.wikipedia.org

  Ballymore Properties gives The Dandelion Trust six months to leave the premises, citing alleged payment arrears. The Spitz contests the landlord's position.

• 2007

  The final concert is held

  [1]The Spitzen.wikipedia.org

  The Spitz stages its last concert on 27 September, bringing together a number of musicians associated with the venue.

• 1996

  The Spitz opens in East London

  [1]The Spitzen.wikipedia.org

  The Spitz begins operating as a live-music venue at 109 Commercial Street beside Old Spitalfields Market in London.

An intimate, eclectic and artist-led live-music platform, later extended into charitable outreach that brings professional musicians to audiences in care, education, correctional and community settings.

• Live entertainment venue · 1996

  The Spitz live-music venue

  The original Spitz was a London concert venue operating from 1996 to 2007. It presented an unusually broad range of artists across alternative rock, folk, jazz, blues, experimental, electronic, roots and international music. Its intimate setting and eclectic programming made it a notable stop on London's independent live-music circuit.

• Music outreach · 2014

  The Spitz Charitable Trust

  Established in 2014 by performers connected with the former venue, the trust was intended to bring professional live music, mainly involving jazz musicians, to care homes, day centres, hospitals, schools, after-school clubs, prisons, streets and other community locations. Its purpose is to extend access to live performance beyond conventional venues.

• 2014

  The Spitz name is redirected toward charitable outreachStrategy

  Background

  Former regular performers sought to continue the values associated with The Spitz after the closure of the original venue.

  Action taken

  A group of performers established The Spitz Charitable Trust to take professional musicians into care, education, institutional and community settings.

  Aftermath

  The Spitz continued as a music-access and outreach concept rather than as the original East London concert venue. The available source does not confirm the trust's current activities.

  Source

• 2007

  The Spitz leaves its Commercial Street venueStrategy

  Background

  Ballymore Properties gave The Dandelion Trust notice to leave the premises, alleging that payments had not been maintained. The Spitz rejected that characterization and said it had paid its rent.

  Action taken

  The venue ceased operating at 109 Commercial Street and held a final concert on 27 September 2007.

  Aftermath

  Ballymore agreed terms with another operator, ending The Spitz's operation as a fixed venue at the site.

  Source

1. 1The Spitzen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Spitz official websitespitz.co.uk