#SAVEOURVENUES CAMPAIGN
On Monday 27th April Music Venue Trust announced #saveourvenues – new campaign to rescue grassroots music venues. The plan is to try and save hundreds of these venues at risk of permanent closure.
Music has a personal meaning to all of us, whether anything like lyrics we value highly or simply a thumping great bass beat in a club. The United Kingdom thrives with a live music scene – some of which we frequent are independent ones that we don’t even realise are.
At the time of receiving the press release, 556 venues were at risk, though who knows how many more have also realised their heartbreaking fate in the days gone by. One of these beloved venues is The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent, ““We’re extremely proud to be a grassroots music venue. These spaces are pipelines for talent and absolute lifelines for the communities they serve and the talents therein. We cannot allow them to be consigned to the past. UK music culture as we know it will simply not exist without these spaces, so it is vital to protect them” stated Danni Brownsill, the venue’s chief booker and promoter.
Many artists now out of the touring circuit have been/ are/ will be performing remotely – from streaming sessions to full blown festivals. www.saveourvenues.co.uk is a handy resource – artists will be performing these at-home gigs in support of their local venues.
For more information please visit the website above. Even being a watcher on a watch party on Facebook could be the little boost of positivity a favourite musician is looking for.
Article by Emma Stevens
Musik Magazine
