The Key Club Leeds is selling free entry and queue jump for a year when club nights restart

The Key Club, a rock and alternative venue in the Merrion Centre, was forced to close in March as the Government imposed lockdown restrictions.

The venue has continued to host virtual music events and the team has been "blown away" by the support of its regular clubbers.

Its popular club night, The Garage, was live-streamed from inside the venue in July and raised almost £500 in donations.

But despite online events and merchandise sales, the business says it is faced with the "stark reality" of paying rent and bills with no regular revenue coming in.

Following messages from supporters asking how they could help, the Key Club has launched a VIP club pass which will guarantee free access to every club night for a full year.

The pass will start on the day that restrictions on holding club events are lifted and pass holders will be offered exclusive deals throughout the year.

In a Facebook post, the Key Club said: "Friends - we are asking for your help to keep us afloat in this ongoing period of uncertainty in the live music sector.

"As always, we don’t want to ask for you to part with your hard-earned cash without something in return, so we are introducing The Key Club VIP Pass.

"We are so, so appreciative of the positive reaction we had towards the merch range and blown away by the reaction from The Garage live-stream.

"Many of our loyal and beloved regulars have asked how they can help us out during the pandemic and now we are offering another way to help with the VIP pass."

The VIP pass will cost £149 plus a £5 booking fee and will be available for purchase until Wednesday September 30.

The venue added: We are aware that’s a lot of money to pay out all at once, but this price is an absolute steal - say you average one club night a week throughout the year, you would be paying £250+ on entry so it really is value for money.

"The stark reality is that we still have rent and bills to pay despite being closed for four months now.

"We have no regular revenue coming in and still a lot to pay out. We know full well you’ll all return in force to support us when we reopen, but we need to raise funds now, to make sure we are still there to welcome you when all this is over."

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