Is the Hyena to have its last laugh?

Newcastle club denies closure reports

Newcastle’s oldest comedy venue, the Hyena Cafe has denied well-placed claims that it is to close.

Founder Dave Johns has publicly stated that the 24-year-old club is to be the latest high-profile casualty on the stand-up circuit.

He told his 1,500 twitter followers and 1,000 Facebook friends today: ‘Well the Hyena cafe Newcastle is closing in MAY - they final[ly] stuck the last nail in. One of the best went to one of the worst in a few years.’

Yet the club’s manager Yvonne Morrison – who is also Johns’ sister – told Chortle: ‘This is not the case and I have spoken with Dave since regarding this.’

The Hyena is one of the oldest purpose-built clubs in the UK, but in recent years had an unenviable reputation for rowdy, large groups which often made playing the room very difficult.

Johns started the club in 1989 at the Tyne Theatre – where Ross Noble did his first gigs – before moving to its current location.

He said the club became a destination for stag and hen nights from around 2003, so he stepped aside from running it. He said: ‘That's when I felt the writhing was on the wall, it wasn't the staff’s fault, it was just being run by someone who didn't understand what they had, and it fell apart. It became hard to play, some nights impossible.

He added: ‘It's sad for me as it really was a great club. If you go after the cash without any love for the product it will come back to bite you in the arse

‘I feel sorry for the staff, as they put a lot of work into making the comics welcome. Sad.’

The Hyena has faced tougher competition since autumn 2011, when Scotland’s much-loved Stand comedy club opened its outpost in Newcastle, which does not welcome large single-sex groups.

In response to Johns’ original message, fellow comic Andy Fury added: ‘When [the Hyena] is good, it's unbeatable; when it's bad it's unplayable. RIP. Be interesting to see where the big parties go to now.’

The Hyena is owned by 55-year-old property developer Mohammed Ajaib. According to the latest accounts, filed a year ago, the company behind it, Hyena (Northern) Ltd, had assets of £460,000.

The circuit has been hit by the loss of a number of high-profile venues in recent years, including several Jongleurs sites and Jesters in Bristol.

Published: 21 Feb 2013

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