The pointless wait for the main attraction, the ear-splitting whistle from the microphone, the sweaty crush as the band gets going and then the anti-climactic exit down a badly-lit fire escape. The live music business has often tested the patience of fans.

Ten years ago, Melvin Benn started to see signs that this patience was running out. The Mean Fiddler, which once played host to the Pixies and Billy Bragg and gave its name to a group of venues Benn ran until this summer, began to lose money. Five years later, it had to be shut down.