Popular Edinburgh live music venue Stramash reopens as pub in bid to survive during Covid-19 as furlough winds down

A popular Edinburgh live music venue has tonight reopened as a pub in a bid to survive during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stramash in the Cowgate will be open from 7pm to 3am on Friday and Saturday night with table service, social distancing and test and protect data capturing in place in a bid to bring back their loyal customers as the UK Government's furlough scheme continues to wind down.

Rachel Gregson, marketing manager for Bruce Taverns which owns Stramash and 11 other venues in Edinburgh and one in Stirling, says they will be showing live sport and offering an extensive range of locally distilled beers, gins and whiskies.

She said: "We are fighting for survival and without the support of our amazing customers we will be closed for good within the next few weeks."

Popular Edinburgh live music venue Stramash reopened on Friday night as a pub in a bid to survice the impact of Covid-19.

Supporting jobs

Rachel stressed that their venues provide 240 jobs - including more than 50 in Stramash - and also support musicians, lighting technicians, sound engineers, DJs, promoters and other businesses in the supply chain.

Many of the people they support are members of the Music Venues Trust which supports grassroots musicians and Bruce Taverns recently took part in the Red Alert campaign, lighting their venues up red in support of the UK's events industry.

The hope is to open Stramash next week if they get enough customers through the doors over the next two nights, and potentially open some of their other music venues like Whistlebinkies on South Bridge.

Some images from inside Stramash tonight as the venue reopens as a pub.

Opium, another live music venue they own in the Cowgate, has been open for a couple of weeks and the Globe in Niddry Street has also been showing live sport for several weeks.

Rachel says there have been indications that the Scottish Government could look at relaxing restrictions on live music venues by mid September - but she acknowledges this is subject to change.

She added: "As soon as we get the go ahead we will be ready to go, but we are just trying to hold on by our fingernails until we get there.

"The furlough scheme is ending soon and we have to start generating money so we can keep the staff. We have got a huge amount of staff and they are all really loyal, like one big family."

Customers planning a trip to Stramash will need to book their tables.

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