Grassroots music venues continue to feel the strain 

Grassroots music venues in the UK have said that the mix of the cost-of-living crisis, Brexit and cancelled shows have created a ‘perfect storm’.  Talking to NME, Gareth Barber, owner, promoter and a band manager at Esquires in Bedford, said: “COVID’s not gone away, everyone’s feeling the pinch, there’s a cost of living crisis and …

Music Venue Trust report finds grassroots events still below pre-pandemic levels

The Music Venue Trust (MVT)’s annual report has revealed that while its members staged 177,000 events last year, it was still a decrease of 16.7% compared to pre-pandemic levels.  MVT represents almost 1,000 grassroots venues in the UK and a survey of 960 of those found that there were also 565,000 individual performances, and together …