Younger residents of Kingston, as well as further afield, were heartbroken to hear that the Hippodrome- which is the largest music venue in the borough and has for 20 years hosted performances from Ed Sheeran to Franz Ferdinand - is the next victim of the demise of London's live music scene.

Oscar Zammit, a Hippodrome employee (speaking to the Guardian) said that: "It's sad to think Kingston may lose such an important part of its culture" and spoke of how it's a "real coming-of-age for some of our young visitors" which is exactly what it has been for me and my friends, and so many other young people.

Options for under 18s at night are extremely limited so the fact that the Hippodrome provides gigs for younger people, which are affordable and local matters. Caitlan Murphy, spoke to me after the Wombats gig about the significance of the Hippodrome to her. "I think it's really important that we don't let young people be pushed out of towns as music venues and nightclubs enhance and enrich the culture in ways that are irreplaceable." She went on to speak about how "some of my best memories from the last few years were made here, dancing with my friends to great music- what more could I want?"

Jon Tolley, owner of Banquet Records that runs the gigs at the Hippodrome feels “the council decision- makers view 'our culture' as inferior to 'their' culture." This is not only a local problem. The Mayor's office released information saying that 50% of all nightclubs across the 33 London boroughs have been closed over the last 5 years.

Therefore, young people have been creating their new culture: illegal raves. Statistics released by the Metropolitan Police reveal that the number of Illegal raves has nearly doubled from 70 to 133 in the last year. These events highlight that young people want to have fun, they want to dance and if they can't get this from night clubs, they will look elsewhere.