Pet Shop Boys, Jamie xx, Metronomy, KT Tunstall, Russell Watson and Passenger have all pledged to play gigs for ‘Passport: Back to Our Roots’, the campaign to raise money for grassroots music venues at risk of closure. The artists will be these playing celebratory intimate shows, on dates to be confirmed, when venues are able to open with no social distancing. For your chance to win entry to these shows, you can enter into a draw.
The second ‘Passport: Back to Our Roots’ prize draw will run for three weeks from Monday September 14th until Monday October 5th 10:00 via crowdfunder.co.uk/passport-back-to-our-roots. For a £5 minimum donation to the campaign, music fans will be entered into the draw to win passes to the show of their choice for themselves and a guest.
Jamie xx – Corsica Studios, Elephant & Castle, London
KT Tunstall – Windmill Brixton and PJ Molloys, Dunfermline
Metronomy – Patterns, Brighton
Passenger – Komedia, Brighton
Pet Shop Boys –Electric Ballroom, Camden
Russell Watson –Stoller Hall, Manchester
“Metronomy weren’t discovered in Alexandra Palace or Brixton Academy. We were discovered in the Brighton Freebutt, Leeds Cockpit, Southampton Joiners, King Tut’s and hundreds of other small venues up and down the country. These small venues aren’t just the modest beginnings for bands that make it big. They also supply performance spaces for far less egotistical groups than ourselves…Choirs and Theatre groups for example. It’s absolutely crucial that we stop as many small venues from closing as possible!!! Metronomy have already reaped the rewards of performing in the intimate surroundings that places like Patterns in Brighton provide. Now we’d like to help secure the future of as many small venues as possible so that the world at large can keep discovering the new and exciting talent that they nurture.” Joe Mount, Metronomy
Speaking about the campaign KT Tunstall said “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, the Salford born classical singer, said “Grassroots venues were crucial in the development of my career. 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. It’s fundamentally crucial in driving a large part of our nation’s economy but also in the employment of hundreds of thousands of incredibly talented people – from lighting engineers to prima donnas. This is a time for us all to reflect on just what the entertainment industry means to us and to keep it alive during these most unprecedented times.”
Speaking about his show Jamie xx said “I chose Corsica Studios because it’s consistently one of the best places to hear dance music in London. I used to go almost every week when I lived in Brixton, and I’m definitely going to be there a lot more when we’re allowed to again. Can’t wait to play, it’s been too long.”
Further groups of artists will be announced every month. £75,000 was raised from the first prize draw for entry to concerts by Elbow, Public Service Broadcasting, Everything Everything, The Slow Readers Club and Ash.
Sally Cook, co-founder of Passport: Back to Our Roots said “We’re blown away by the incredible response to the first block of fundraisers, and want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated, and to every artist who pledged to play a grassroots venue show. The outpouring of support (we read all the comments!) just proves how important grassroots venues are to the UK’s music fans. £75k is an amazing start and will help make a real difference to the venues involved and the sector as a whole, but we’re not stopping there. We are really excited to be announcing this new group of artists this week.”
