Although being temporarily closed, many have said goodbye to The Crackhouse Comedy Club after the whole controversial offensive stripping performance by the infamous couple. Other than Crackhouse, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) have apparently closed down another venue and this time, without warning.
Angkasa Space is a live-music event venue that has hosted many unforgettable shows such as their “Malam Tribute”, Malam Galau Indonesia”, Sunday Night Fight” and “Forever Young” charity gig. Many have expressed their disappointment over the news that the venue will be shut down for good after DBKL discovered that their entertainment licence have expired. Here’s what happened:
If you thought that the matter could easily be resolved with the owner simply renewing the license then you’ve thought wrong. Owner Mohd Zulhelmie Zullifan or more fondly known as Uncle Elmi on Twitter, finally broke his silence in a series of Tweets about his beloved venue closing down very soon. According to his tweet over the weekend, he has no desire in saving Angkasa Space.
“I’m not going to do anything. I will refund all the tickets for future shows and events. I will also refund the deposits. I’m letting this place go. It’s a shame but I’m tired,” he said. He also replied to that tweet saying that it was his own fault and takes full responsibility for the venue’s closure and expired licence. Elmi also explained that he’d have to pay a total amount of RM77k to obtain a new licence which he cannot afford.
“It’s not that we want to run away (from licences) or do not want to pay at all, but the amount is too high and unreasonable for any owner of a small venue,” he said. According to TheVibes, the venue’s owner believes that DBKL should not have viewed Angkasa Space as a nightclub and instead use the money to support local activities and artists.
Not satisfied with his answer, fans of Angkasa Space as well as other event venues offered their support and help to save the live-music establishment by spreading awareness. Merdekarya voiced out their thoughts on the ordeal and Atas Angin also demand the public to fight back to give the space back for underground and indie acts. Elmi retweeted so many support from netizens as seen above.
Although he is ready to let Angkasa Space go, the owner is not going down without one last fight. With the overflowing support from the public, Elmi is currently in talks with the Regional Minister’s secretary and hopes they can provide help to save the live-music event venue.
