St Paul's Cathedral to host gigs in four-year Fabric deal

St Paul's Cathedral has signed a four-year deal with the London nightclub Fabric to stage music events inside the building.

Under the partnership, Fabric will be the cathedral's exclusive partner for such events until 2030. The first concert is due to take place on 29 October, although the artist has not been announced.

Fabric co-founder Cameron Leslie called the deal "an extraordinary and unexpected coming together of two very different parts of London".

Sandra Lynes Timbrell, the cathedral's director of visitor engagement, said she hoped a "carefully curated programme of exceptional concerts" would draw people who had not visited before.

"These events showcase world-class talent and create unforgettable experiences for audiences within one of London's most iconic spaces," she said.

She added that the cathedral wanted to encourage people "to discover and engage with this historic building in new and exciting ways".

Mr Leslie said Fabric had "always been about bringing people together through music", and that the club was looking to create "something genuinely special and befitting of this incredible space".

The organisers said the programme would feature artists "from different musical backgrounds and disciplines whose work responds to the Cathedral's distinctive atmosphere, acoustics and architectural heritage".

St Paul's has previously held concerts by the artists RY X in 2024 and Patti Smith in 2025.

Music events in cathedrals have proved contentious elsewhere.

Silent discos held at Canterbury Cathedral in 2024 were dubbed a "rave in the nave" by critics, and a petition calling for them to be stopped attracted more than 1,600 signatures.

Its organiser, Cajetan Skowronski, said at the time that such events would "not bring young people closer to Christ" and would instead suggest "that entertainment deserves our attention more than God".

Fabric, in Farringdon, had its licence revoked in 2016 after Islington Council found what it described as a culture of drug use at the venue.

Two 18-year-olds had died earlier that year in separate incidents after taking drugs at the club.

The venue reopened in January 2017 after agreeing new licensing conditions with the council and the Metropolitan Police, including a higher minimum entry age and tighter security.

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