Venue described as ‘beating heart of Aberdeen’s jazz scene’ to close

The Aberdeen jazz community has been left “stunned” by the news one of the city’s most iconic music venues is to close later this month.

The Blue Lamp bar and music venue, often described as “the beating heart” of the Granite City jazz scene, is to close from December 30.

Jazz nights have been held at the Gallowgate location since summer 2014 when ‘Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon’ kicked off.

Its popularity led to its nights being extended and it hosts the annual Aberdeen Jazz Festival, which was scheduled to return in March.

But it’s understood that all bands booked for the festival and in 2026 will have to be cancelled.

The sudden news has left the community “stunned.”

Neil Gibbons, who helps organise the Aberdeen festival, has admitted the path forward is “not currently clear” for local musicians.

He said: “The jazz community in Aberdeen are stunned by the news and are currently evaluating how we move forward.

“For now, all I would say is that Aberdeen Jazz Festival and Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon will keep going.

“We will make sure that this great music that Aberdeen is famous for will continue.

“We will say more in the next few days once the way forward is clearer.”

Jazz Scotland searching for new festival host

The closure has left Jazz Scotland searching for a new venue to host the festival.

Chief executive John Youngs said: “We’re all really saddened to hear the news that the Blue Lamp will be closing by the New Year.

“It’s a big blow for us, and for everyone who has put so much time and energy into building the Blue Lamp into one of the best jazz and live-music venues in the country over the generations.

“We know this decision won’t have been taken lightly and we are so grateful to Lewis Brown and of course the late Sandy Brown for their efforts over the years to keep the Blue Lamp going through difficult times.

“Aberdeen Jazz Festival had planned to use the Blue Lamp throughout the 2026 edition, which will bring concerts and events to venues across the city from March 7 to March 22.

“While 2026’s festival will feel different without the Blue Lamp as our hub, we’re confident the festival will continue to be a great celebration of jazz and jazz-adjacent music across the city.

“We’ll be releasing early-bird tickets for a number of concerts later this week, and we aim to have the full programme ready by mid-January.”

Venue closure will ‘leave a hole in the hearts of many’

Staff at the city venue have revealed that rising costs and financial pressures have “grown beyond what we can sustain,” forcing them to close their doors for good.

In a statement shared to their social media account, they wrote: “It’s with a heavy heart that we will be announcing the closure of The Blue Lamp.

“After seven decades of being a warm, welcoming home for music, laughter, conversation and community, our last night of opening will be Tuesday 30th December.

“Since its founding in 1949, The Blue Lamp has stood as an Aberdeen institution — a place where generations gathered, where friendships were forged, and where the sounds of jazz, blues, folk and countless unforgettable gigs filled the air.

“Over the years, it has become far more than “just a pub”; it has been a vital part of the city’s cultural soul.

“Sadly, the rising costs of running a business have reached a point where it is simply no longer viable for us to continue operating.

“We have tried everything we can to keep The Blue Lamp’s doors open, but the financial pressures — from energy to upkeep to general overheads — have grown beyond what we can sustain.

“Making this decision has been incredibly difficult, and it comes only after exhausting every other path available to us.”

They added: “We know this closure will leave a hole in the hearts of many.

“It’s not just a venue that’s going; it’s a chapter in Aberdeen’s musical and social story.

“But we hope the memories made here — the laughter, the late-night conversations, the applause after a brilliant set — will live on.”

How did the Blue Lamp become Aberdeen jazz staple?

The Blue Lamp is one of the city’s oldest pubs, but after an extension in the 1980s it became one of Aberdeen’s most-loved music venues.

The ‘big room’ enabled its owners to help shine a light on established north-east jazz stars and the next generation of talent, with shows involving musicians as young as 11.

Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon has been a Granite City staple for decades, and was previously held at the Lemon Tree.

The event moved to The Blue Lamp when its late owner Sandy Brown took it on in 2014 after it lost funding.

Sandy was “happy” to host the jazz musicians and did not charge them anything to play at his venue.

Grandson Lewis Brown took over the venue after Sandy’s death five years ago.

Ever since, the event has run every Sunday from September to June each year.

The Blue Lamp celebrated its landmark 100th jazz gig last October.

In 2023, it was named Britain’s Jazz Venue of the Year at the prestigious Parliamentary Jazz awards ceremony in London.

More than just jazz, it aimed to help champion grassroots music, giving “anyone of any musical genre that chance they may have needed to put themselves out there”.

And it attracted big names too, with Scottish talent such as Iona Fyfe and Tommy Smith and US musical heavyweights such as Mike Stern visiting.

[Source: Press and Journal]