Downtown New York City venue Santos Party House, owned in part by Andrew W.K. and Despot, has closed. Last night, Santos Party House hosted the second night of NYC Oi! Fest, a punk festival with ties to neo-Nazis that has been condemned by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The festival had been moved to Santos from Black Bear Bar in Williamsburg. The club has not yet issued an official statement, and it has not been confirmed that the closing had anything to do with the controversy around NYC Oi! Fest.
Manager Sean Kane was quoted as saying, “It was a 10 year lease. Our lease is up and we’re not renewing it”. An auto-reply email from Tipchaieuh said, “Our last day open will be Sunday – May 29th, 2016. If you have an event after the previously mentioned date, please consider it cancelled”.
On Twitter, Despot denied any knowledge of the booking of NYC Oi! Fest in advance and stated that he tried to put a stop to it once he was made aware. He did not comment on the club’s closing.
#Peace.Love.AndrewWK
