Newly opened London club The Ton of Brix faces backlash over investment ties

The Ton of Brix, the newly opened South London club from UK promoters Percolate and Brixton Jamm, is already under scrutiny. 

Officially opened last Friday (9th December), the Brixton venue had already faced controversy since before its doors started letting in punters. 

It has been criticised over its ties to US property developer and part-time DJ Taylor McWilliams, whose investment firm Hondo Enterprises has been blamed for a spate of gentrification efforts in the local community. Along with Brixton Village and Market Row, the building housing The Ton of Brix is one of several SW9 assets in the company’s portfolio.

But it doesn’t stop there. There are also concerns over the building’s former tenant, the historic Club 414, which was evicted by developer London Associated Properties (LAP) in May 2019 after a 38-year residency. Three months later, LAP sold the premises to McWilliams for a reported £2.35 million. 

Several DJs, including OK Williams, Sofie K and Jay Duncan, as well as Jumbi programmer Rudi Minto de Wijs, took to Instagram Stories last week to criticise The Ton Of Brix. The latter, de Wijs, urged Percolate and Brixton Jamm to rethink their decision to open a club on premises owned by McWilliams, describing it as a “literal erasure of culture.” 

Percolate & Brixton Jamm have now responded to the concerns with a joint statement – sent to Resident Advisor. 

The statement dismisses the idea that either promoter was involved in the eviction of Club 414 and suggests that they were initially unaware of the controversy surrounding McWilliams, as The Ton of Brix project launched before the Save Nour campaign. They also stress that he will play no part in the day-to-day running of the club.