Fresh hope for famous Sheffield music venue where The Clash played first gig
The future of a famous Sheffield music venue where The Clash played their first ever gig is looking up after a 'let' sign appeared outside.
The Boardwalk has been advertised for rent since summer 2016 but the new sign only recently appeared outside the building on Snig Hill in the city centre.
A spokesman for the letting agent Christie & Co said tenants had been found for the property, which has been split into two premises, but the deals were still being finalised and leases had not been signed at this stage.
Christie & Co last summer said it was in talks with potential occupiers, and revealed the plan was for both floors to be used as licensed premises with the ground floor to be 'music based'.
The Boardwalk, whose previous monikers also include the Mucky Duck, the Black Swan and most recently Fuel nightclub, has a legendary reputation for helping famous bands launch their careers.
It has hosted live music since the 1930s, when it was a renowned jazz club, and Joe Cocker would later become a regular there.
But the most famous gig it hosted undoubtedly took place on July 4, 1976, when a fresh-faced new group called The Clash played their first ever gig, supporting the Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks on what was a seminal night in music history.
"Without the Clash, God knows what we would have been," a message on the plaque concludes.
There had been plans by pub managers Chris Bamford and Kate Major to revive the venue as the Boardwalk Beer Hall fell through when negotiations broke down late in 2016.