'Are we going to be too scared to mingle like we did before?' - Edinburgh's top live music pubs share concerns about their futures

With the anniversary of Scotland’s first national lockdown of all pubs approaching, Edinburgh Evening News decided to catch up with a couple of the Capital’s smaller pubs to see how they are coping ten months on.

Steven Hannah runs Sandy Bell’s in Forrest Road, a small, popular venue for local musicians to gather and play for crowds into the early hours of the morning.

Due to strict coronavirus regulations in place for Scotland’s capital and the announcement of a national lockdown before Christmas 2020, the pub has been shut since October last year.

He said the business’s survival will depend on more support from the government in the coming months.

“We are a small venue that doesn’t supply food and relies heavily on live music and customers coming through the door between 10pm and 1am,” said Mr Hannah.

“When other pubs have been able to open under the different tiers we have had to remain shut because of our set up.

“The money is running out so the situation is still very worrying.

“We had a £25,000 grant, borrowed £50,000 and now there’s only about £1,000 left.

“A small amount of government money on its way apparently, but we need the reassurance there will be more to keep us going.”

In addition to grants through the Strategic Business Framework Fund, eligible hospitality businesses closed under Level 4 restrictions can also receive a one-off grant due on January 25, according to the latest government announcement.

For Sandy Bell’s, this means a £6,000 grant on top of a four-weekly £2,000 support fund.

But Mr Hannah said while the funding is keeping his business afloat, the pub’s survival depends on continued support when he can finally reopen its doors.

"We still have bills to pay during lockdown,” he said, “and if social distancing measures are in place when we reopen, we will need continued support to make up for the lack of customers.

“And it doesn’t stop there. When and if we reopen, we will have an enormous loan to pay off.

"The government will need to keep council tax bills frozen and supply more funding for us to be able to get back on our feet if we are going to survive this.

“I was semi-retired before this pandemic hit, but I am going to have to be back on the bar full-time in order to keep this place going.

“It’s really tight, and certainly a struggle.”

‘Are we going to be too scared to mingle like we did before?’

Captain’s Bar, in College Street, is another one of Edinburgh’s cosy venues which saw crowds cramming into the small venue to enjoy live music before the pandemic.

Landlady Pamela MacGregor said continued government support will be critical for smaller pubs when and if restrictions ease over the coming months.

"We will have to rebuild from scratch when we can officially reopen doors, so we need all the support we can get," she said.

“We are due another grant this month, so we will scrape by with that, but things are still and going to be very, very tough, particularly for small businesses.

“The problem for me is the uncertainty. There has been a serious lack of forward planning from the government which has made it difficult for people in the sector to plan their lives.”

Ms MacGregor said she fears the hustle and bustle that attracted musicians and gave Captian’s Bar its reputation will never be the same.

"Aside from the financial struggle I worry we won't be able to have that same atmosphere we once had,” she said.

"Are we going to be too scared to mingle like we did before?”

"The last week we were open before lockdown, we had people from all over the world in the pub rubbing shoulders.

“Maybe we will have to start living without the crowded pub scene, do it differently.

"And live music hasn’t been able to be on at all in venues which has just been devastating. Without our live music life is terrible, and I know the musicians miss playing with each other.”

A Scottish Beer and Pub Association spokesman said: “It’s a very worrying time for the industry.

"The reopening of the sector seems it will take a number of months, whilst much of the economic support is only scheduled to last until April.

"In order to survive, we desperately need continued support in the form of business rates relief, extension to furlough, reduction of VAT and amending of the Levels to make trading more viable.

"Between December 2019 and December 2020, it’s estimated that four per cent of Scotland’s pubs closed – without continued and additional support from both Scottish and UK Governments, many more could be lost this year.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “In addition to providing 100 per cent rates relief, our Strategic Framework Business Fund pays monthly grants of up to £3,000 for businesses required by law to close and up to £2,100 for those that can remain open but are required by law to modify their operations.

“Earlier this month the Finance Secretary also announced an additional top-up payment for hospitality, retail and leisure businesses, which in some cases doubles or triples the amount of support we are providing.

“We are acutely aware that this support can never compensate for the full impact on business, but we must work within the resources that are available to us, and we continue to respond to the evolving economic challenges arising from the pandemic.”

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