Boris hits the right notes with ‘Save Soho’ campaigners

Sometimes he hits the right notes with Londoners, sometimes he doesn’t, but Mayor Boris Johnson was certainly tuned in when he sang along with ‘Save Soho’ campaigners in the street this week.

Madame JoJo’s, Soho, W1. Image by Ewan Munro / CC BY 2.0

The mayor lent his voice to a song written by Save Soho campaigner Tim Arnold, who is also a contestant in BBC’s singing competition, The Voice. The song, called, ‘Don’t go Changing Soho’, had among its lyrics: “They won’t know what’s hit us when it’s gone.”

London’s first citizen joined up with campaigners outside Madame Jojo’s cabaret club earlier, the Evening Standard reports. The premises had its licence revoked last year by Westminster Council.

Campaigners have voiced their concern over the way they believe property developers are destroying the creativity of the area.

The iconic 12 Bar Club, in Covent Garden. Image by Ewan Munro / CC BY 2.0

They are endeavouring to keep the artisitic creativity synonymous with Soho alive and have been backed by such stars as Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Mr Johnson said it was very damaging to the interests of a vibrant part of London economy, stressing that areas like Soho were the reasons why tourists come to visit the city in the first place.

Adding, that Soho was integral to the cultural life of the city, he said” “We can’t have it pasteurised, sanitised, homogenized” by converting it to “snazzy, residential properties.”

Mr Arnold was delighted with the support of the mayor, adding that he appeared to have a “rock and roll streak to him.”