Club saves licence after thieves wreck soundproofing

GOTHS and heavy metal fans always knew they could get some serious decibel treatment at a renowned city nightclub – the only problem was the thunderous racket from Studio 24 had nearby residents reaching for their earplugs.

And after torrents of complaints, the club finally put its house in order with state-of-the-art soundproofing.

But a gang of raiders undid all the good work when they dug through the roof – and expensive layers of muffling – to get into the Calton Road nightspot, leaving throbbing music bleeding through the breach.

This week the management found themselves hauled before the city’s licensing board after noise complaints – but escaped with a warning.

Councillors heard that one resident in particular had complained to council officers after being subjected to sub-level bass noise.

The venue, which has been in operation for decades and played host to high-profile bands, was hit by an attempted break-in in late November.

The club had previously been hauled before the board over noise complaints, and was temporarily closed several years ago, but believed the issue had been resolved by the soundproofing and had not heard from officials for 18 months.

The club’s lawyer Alistair Macdonald, of Macdonald Licensing, said significant improvements had been made at Studio 24, but the recent break-in had led to complaints. It is thought that the raiders attempted to dig through the roof of the club.

He said: “Unfortunately in November, following an attempted break-in, damage was done to the roof and some noise insulation work that had been carried out was ruined.

“This would have contributed to noise escape.”

He added that Gill McArthur, whose family owns and runs the venue, was “delighted” with the result and would work with the neighbour to resolve the issue.

Councillor Eric Barry, who sits on the licensing board, said despite the breach in soundproofing, the club needed to invest in level-setters to control the level of bass and prevent further complaints.

He said: “We were reluctant to close them down because of this, and see the city lose a unique club, but we’d like to see them put in the right level-set.

“Soundproofing aside, we’d rather they install the best sound-level equipment so that low frequencies could knock something off the bass – and they can continue having ear-splitting falsetto rock.”