Music Venues Trust (MVT) has done an incredible job during lockdown by helping to raise over £1 million for at-risk venues. Their #saveourvenues campaign has already saved over 150 grassroots venues from imminent risk of permanent closure.
MVT’s latest initiative is called Passport: Back To Our Roots. Household name artists will play at intimate venues when social distancing is no longer required. Fans have a chance to win a pair of tickets to their chosen show after making a donation of £5 or more.
The raffle for the first round of shows – featuring Ash, Elbow, Everything Everything, Public Service Broadcasting and The Slow Readers Club – raised over £75,000. Let’s see if we can smash that with the next draw!
The next raffles will be for:
Pet Shop Boys at Electric Ballroom, Camden
Russell Watson at Stoller Hall, Manchester
Passenger at Komedia, Brighton
KT Tunstall at Windmill, Brixton and PJ Molloys, Dunfermline
Metronomy at Patterns, Brighton
Jamie xx at Corsica Studios, London
You can enter between September 14 to October 5 at crowdfunder.co.uk/passport-back-to-our-roots.
KT Tunstall explained that her support for these venues was a no-brainer: “without grassroots music venues, there are no big acts. It’s as simple as that. The incredible eco-system of small venues exists, in the vast majority of cases, as labours of love. Constantly up against rapidly rising business rates and big developer interests, these essential community hubs are kept alive by often overworked owners and staff with an unending passion for music and the music lovers and musicians they serve.”
Russell Watson added his support for grassroots venues: “I spent almost nine years in the working men’s clubs in the North West of England before my touring career as a recording artiste. It’s heart-breaking to see so many of these venues – which are the fabric of our communities, where people gather to drink, procrastinate and be entertained – under such huge financial strain. Entertainment is essential to the U.K.”
Sign up to the newsletter at passportbacktoourroots.org for raffle reminders. New concerts are due to be announced each month.