A LANDMARK music venue in Dudley is facing closure after the club’s owners were forced to call in administrators.

JB’s on Castle Hill is up for sale with a price tag of £350,000, if a buyer is not found one of the most well-known rock clubs in the UK could be finished by Christmas.

Administrator John Travers revealed club owner Sam Jukes was shocked and deeply disappointed by the development after ploughing a six-figure sum of his own cash into the business over several years.

Mr Travers added: “They have had to pledge the company’s premises to the bank, but still the business was trading at a loss.

“They believed that their longevity and the iconic status of their venue would see them through the hard times but, finally, they have had to appoint an administrator to help try and save the business.”

Stourbridge-based insolvency experts John D Travers & Co were called in on September 2 in a move which sent shockwaves through the music industry.

JB’s has been bringing live music to the Black Country for 41 years and many big names, including Robert Plant, The Sex Pistols and U2 played at the venue, which also launched the careers of a host of Midlands performers including million-selling indie band Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.

Ned’s frontman, Jonn Penney, said: “I would be horrified if JB’s disappeared, it is an institution and was pivotal to our career, it was our first proper gig.

“Sam cares so much about the quality of the music in his venue, if he listened to a demo and said a band was good enough it was their first achievement.”

The club, which employs ten staff, is continuing to trade as normal and Mr Travers says its future could be in the hands of loyal music fans, who can play a vital role in keeping JB’s alive by turning out to gigs to provide desperately needed income.

He said: “We need to continue to trade while we find a buyer, the more people we can get in the better, we need people coming through the doors.”