Grassroots music: thriving or surviving?

September 2024. The excitement around Oasis reforming is replaced by astonishment and outrage as dynamic pricing sends the cost of those overwhelmingly sought-after tickets soaring into the hundreds.

A little post starts doing the rounds. The Music Venue Trust, a charity integral to the industry that few outside it may have heard of, tweets a poster of the first Oasis tour with all the venues that have closed crossed out.

Of the 34 across the UK that Oasis visited in 1994, only 11 are still operating today.

“That’s 23 communities that aren’t getting the chance to hear the chords of the next Definitely Maybe for the first time,” a Music Venues Trust spokesperson said.

“Let’s protect the live music spaces we have in the UK, ensuring that both fans and the next generation of superstars have the same opportunities Oasis had.”

 

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One of those on the list still going strong is Bristol’s very own Fleece, then known as the Fleece & Firkin.

It’s not the only venue in Bristol that has hosted future stars – both Louisiana and Thekla spring to mind – and it’s one of a score that gives undiscovered and emerging acts a chance in a city that prides itself on its local music scene.

But the current picture for independent venues here is stark.

Financial pressures linked to Covid, Brexit and cost of living are making things tough for venues, while bands face challenges like rising touring costs and lower ticket sales.

The Music Venue Trust report that more than one venue closed each week in 2023. Overall, the sector operated on a 0.5 per cent profit margin while running at a £115m loss.

And next year could be worse – with the Trust warning that the government’s recent budget puts another 350, or 43 per cent, of small venues at risk of closure in 2025.

In May, Thekla celebrated its 40th anniversary operating as a venue in Bristol – photo: Khali Ackford

This picture resonates with local venue managers. “Relative success in live music is very different from that in a lot of other industries,” Leigh Dennis, who opened Strange Brew with friends four years ago, tells Bristol24/7.

“Coming to terms with how tight all the margins are all the time has been eye opening for us. We’re operating on absolute minimal profits to keep ourselves going – I think that’s the case with pretty much every live music venue out there. We all had different day jobs before and all probably worked a lot less hours for a bit more money. It’s a lot, all the time, basically.”

Mig, who runs longstanding venue the Louisiana that has seen the likes of Amy Winehouse, Muse and many more grace its stage, agrees: “Unless you’re willing to sacrifice everything; your time, potentially your house, the don’t bother doing it,” he laughs, referring to the real-life sacrifice his family made to keep the venue open in 2006.

“It’s not a case of just pumping money into it, you have to love it really.”

This passion is propping up the grassroots. “It’s what we do, it’s in the blood,” Mig adds, explaining The Louisiana is a family business and run by musicians.

“We’ve invested in a new PA so for a 140-capacity venue we probably have one of the best sounding rigs in the country. We’ve invested in a backline to make it cheaper and easier for bands to come and play.

“We’re always trying to put back into the community as much as we can.”

Big Thief is just one of thousands of acts the Louisiana has hosted since it opened in 1987 – photo: The Louisiana

As a smaller and more-experienced venue, Mig says The Louisiana’s found it slightly easier to weather recent storms, but Strange Brew’s Leigh says it’s a challenge to persuade people to take a punt on a new act.

“We have to keep ticket prices low to get people to take a chance”, he says. “There’s definitely been a polarisation of tickets in that sense. And dynamic pricing is just taking advantage of people.”

Mig suggests a similar system to that in mainland Europe, where small venues are subsidised by the government, with costs covered in the case of low ticket sales so people and bills get paid.

“In the UK, where we’re supposed to be so proud of our culture, music and the arts, it would be great to see something like that,” he says.

Both also cite the work of the Music Venue Trust as an essential lifeline for the scene, especially their five-year campaign for every ticket sold at arenas and stadiums to contain a levy to go back into the grassroots.

Coldplay – who have played the Louisiana three times in the past – have recently adopted the scheme, pledging to plough ten per cent of all proceeds from their upcoming 2025 arena dates directly back into the Trust.

This is an initiative they announced with a handwritten note on an original poster from their first gig, at Camden’s Dublin Castle back in 1998.

“These arena shows would never even happen unless the small venues were there,” says Leigh. “Oasis wouldn’t be Oasis without small venues. It’s about acknowledging that you need to fund the whole process, not just the big names.”

Strange Brew supports the wealth of local talent while also bringing in bands from out of town, recently including big names such as Public Service Broadcasting and Razorlight – photo: Leigh Dennis

Bristol Nights, a Bristol City Council project, recently announced proposals for a Bristol Music Fund which will see one per cent added onto every live music ticket price, with a potential £950,000 generated to be reinvested back into the grassroots ecosystem, starting with venues.

Mig has welcomed the announcement: “This is a positive move. Anything that helps generate a fully sustainable ecosystem within live music,” he said.

“As well as running a grassroots music venue, I am also a musician. I have toured throughout Europe and saw firsthand how the venues and live music ecosystem is financially supported by councils. It works.”

There are other ways local gig-goers can do their bit. The Louisiana, along with community-owned venue the Exchange, set up a Patreon which covers unexpected costs like fixing drum skins or broken amps via small donations from supporters.

Leigh suggests avoiding the common pre-gig ‘pint elsewhere’ habit: “The benefits of buying that pint in the venue could be absolutely huge for small venues,” he says. “That’s my nugget!”

At the moment, it seems, passion prevails. These two at least will never give up the day job while there’s a chance to support emerging talent.

But a concerted effort is needed to ease the burden and bolster the scene so it can move from surviving to thriving, for the next generation of rock and roll stars to come.

Main image: Goshx7

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