With A Little Help From My Friends... #SaveOurVenues
Little did the members of the public out on the evening of March 20th know that this would be their last pint for the foreseeable future. Whilst we may sit at home pining for that familiar smell of hops whilst basking in the glorious beer-garden sun, this is hardly the most pressing issue.
The garden of The Troubadour, Earls Court
Five days before official lockdown measures were put in place, Boris Johnson advised (but didn’t instruct) the public to avoid communal gathering, leaving venues across the country in limbo. As lockdown continues, the situation for grassroots music venues and artists worsens; rents remain sky-high, festivals and tours across the world have been cancelled, and many, many people have been left without jobs. Of the 5 million self-employed in the UK, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme only covers 3.8; the 1.2 remaining largely occupy vocations in the arts industries, where freelance work doesn't guarantee a regular pay check. As such, musicians have been particularly hard hit. With the situation changing daily, we decided to reach out to a handful of independent venue owners and artists to find out how they’ve been affected by the pandemic and, most importantly, how we can support them.
“It was horrible looking back on that week and not knowing what you what you could do and if you should be closing. We probably wanted to shut but we couldn't – it could cost you thousands upon thousands.” – Tim Perry, booker for The Windmill
Over the winter holidays, I found myself in need of a pick-up after a dire semester of grey skies and exams. On return from university, I grabbed myself and a friend the last two tickets for The Windmill’s annual Christmas Concert. Excited for an eclectic evening of the unexpected, the festive spirit was just what I needed. At the end of the night, one of the band members noted that the music they were playing – uplifting, honky-tonk ballads – was not their usual sound. 'What's wrong with country music?’ I thought. Turns out it was Black Midi.
Lynks Afrikka @ The Windmill // Photo by Tilly Pearson
It’s music venues like The Windmill that sit at the centre of British culture – they give a platform to emerging artists and give life to an industry whose top end is largely motivated by profit and statistics.
It seems unfair that in paying the artists directly for their work, whilst sporting affordable tickets and drinks for nightly line-ups of eclectic music, they’re hit hardest. Without them, the spontaneity & excitement derived from falling into a nondescript pub on a Wednesday night and leaving early Thursday morning with an appreciation of four new bands would not exist.
“The top’s doing very, very well, but the bottom’s not, and without the bottom there would be no top. It’s time for those major labels to cough up.” (TP)
Almost four months later the situation has hardly changed. Artists and venues are adjusting to the current situation as best they can, shifting their concerts to live streams, interviews to Zoom, and blessing us with swathes of new releases and personal playlists we can indulge in. It’s a testament to the strength of creativity that artists have bounced back with such force, continuing to provide us with content from the comfort of our bedrooms (and theirs), but this shouldn’t detract from the fact that a lot of this is coupled with an overwhelming sense of the unknown for future careers.
“I think I had like 40 shows coming up and a whole summer of festivals. Thinking realistically, they are not going to happen, so we’re missing out on a lot of money and exposure.” – Katy J. Pearson
KJP, the real MVP
The current government support package to help artists and venues is a step in the right direction, but by no means where it needs to be:
“The support measures introduced by the government have been, for most businesses, completely redundant. The furlough is much appreciated but it hasn't exactly been established when those funds will be received." – Nick Letchford, The Victoria
Every sector and every individual is going through unprecedented turbulence in their daily life that we couldn't have foreseen even at the start of the New Year. However, we wrote this article because, (please excuse the softboi tone that we could have lifted from a Hinge bio) music is very important to us. Even when the lockdown is lifted, social distancing measures likely to be put in place will make the running of venues and selling tickets very difficult.
"Are people are supposed to stand 6 feet apart dancing up and down by themselves? If you can’t ram the place, you really can’t afford to open those doors. If the government wants us to open, they’ve got to financially support us or businesses will crumble." - Pauline Forster, landlady for The George Tavern
Luckily, there are many ways in which we can show our support.
Bandcamp has been fabulous in regularly lifting their fees, so all the money from merch purchases go directly to the artist. They’re next doing this June 5th and amongst many fantastic options, we can confirm that Live at The Windmill - the venue's very own 16-track compilation featuring Fontaines D.C., Kate Tempest, Black Midi, Shame, Goat Girl and many more, is a must listen.
Fortunately, last month the Music Venue Trust launched a fantastic campaign – #SaveOurVenues – to save 556 grassroots music venues under threat of closure from the current COVID-19 crisis, and since then, over 100 have been saved. Think of that one place you'd love to stumble into again, look them up on socials or through the MVT website, and see how they’re doing. Or perhaps fill the pub-shaped void in your soul and buy a virtual drink while relaxing to ambient pub noise from #virtualpint, whose donations go to grassroots venues. It is certainly not a given that everyone has the means to financially aid these artists and venues, but support does not only have to be expressed economically.
“I think it’s just keeping in touch with the artists and venues you like. I’ve been getting a few messages of support which means so much.”– Katy J. Pearson
It’s entertaining to think of a time where before the final word has left Johnson’s lips hordes of people will flock back to the streets, Ben-Hur style. But what happens when you arrive at your favourite local to be faced with a closed door? Obviously I’m being dramatic, but you get the gist. Please give support to your favourite artists and grassroots venues so you don't have to miss them when they’re gone.
Check out some of our favourites venues below & what you can do to support them:
We will be updating this piece regularly with any changes or relevant links, so make sure to check back in. Please get in touch with us if you have any more suggestions on how/who to help!
The Windmill, Brixton
“To see bands like Black Midi with their debut gigs when nobody knew who they really were, just absolutely stunning people, is fantastic. Seeing something you’ve heard on your laptop, and then a few weeks later the gig happens and everyone goes ‘that’s brilliant!’ – it’s so affirming. It’s like, my musical taste doesn't suck then!” – Tim Perry, booker, The Windmill
With a rightfully loyal fanbase, the venue's combined fundraisers have raised over £7,000, however this is sadly not enough against continuous rents and insufficient government grants. If you can, please use the money you would've spent on an undoubtedly good gig ticket and pint, and donate via their crowdfunder. You can also purchase the compilation of 16 brilliant live tracks here, with the profits split between keeping the venue running and The Brixton Soup Kitchen. In the words of For Breakfast: "It's the scuzzy beating heart of London's independent music scene, and we can't lose it." We couldn't agree more.
The Lexington, Islington
"It’s been 11 years – I set it up, I own it and it’s so special to me because I’ve invested a lot of my time and money and effort into it. The people who work there are like my family. Tame Impala in 2010 was pretty special, and our 5th birthday party with Fat White Family, when everyone in London wanted to see them was incredible. We’re talking to artists about doing some streams to raise money - there are still consistent costs going out and we're committed to paying our staff 100% of their wages." – Stacey Thomas, The Lexington
If you have any spare pennies & love The Lexington as much as we do, then put them into this theoretical Lexington piggy bank. Imagine a world without 'White Heat' Indie nights every Friday... what a sad world it would be. UPDATE: The venue has incredibly reached their target, however are still accepting donations!
The Victoria, Dalston
“The Victoria is special to all of us because we refurbished it entirely with our bare hands. There are too many great gigs to mention, but we’re particularly proud that Fontaine’s D.C. were signed here after their incredible performance on our stage.” –Nick Letchford, The Victoria
The Victoria is operating a fantastic food delivery service for all your essentials. Alternatively, you can invest in their BeerBank initiative which awards customers interest on purchases, returned with more bang for your buck upon re-opening.
The Troubadour, Earl’s Court
A beacon of survival since 1954, and one of Lily (our editor)'s favourites. Don't let this haven of a place be swept away from us. Many a night has been spent here, taking full advantage of happy hour daiquiris & falling in love in the fairy-lit garden. Once this is all over, first round is on Lily.
Check out their merch and delicious food delivery at:
https://www.troubadourlondon.com/product-page/troubadour-69-t-shirt.
The George Tavern, Commercial Road
‘If you can’t ram the place, you really can’t afford to open those doors. If the government want us to open our doors and say ‘you can go for a pint!’ they’re going to have to help us do that. I’m just having to fight all the time to keep this place going, but it makes me more determined. I’m going to keep well, keep safe – keep everyone else safe and we’re just going to be playing music for years to come at the George. It’s quite incredible the people who have been through this building - the list is never ending. I’d like to say such a big thank you to Music Venues Trust, Amy Lamé, The 24-Hour London and Music Team, The Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment and all our lovely supporters. - Pauline Forster, Owner of the George Tavern.
Standing as one of the oldest pubs in London, this historical location has hosted everyone from Charles Dickens to John Cooper Clarke, Plan B, Hotel Lux and countless more. Let’s not forget the pub’s landlord Pauline, whose fantastic history of fighting off developers has nothing but continued during lockdown. With the doors closed, Pauline has taken advantage of the situation, working relentlessly to revamp the the ladies toilets (we all appreciate you Pauline!!) amongst other handiwork for the eventual re-opening. In the meantime, head to their CrowdFunder to ensure this can happen, or perhaps buy one of the (very few!) t-shirts left from their campaign to save The George from Swan Housing Group. Any surplus from their £10k target will go straight to the communal MVT pot to support other venues. Long live the George!
And finally, here’s a petition that will take you 2 seconds to sign:
Many venues are unable to claim government grants because their rateable value exceeds £51,000. In London, rent and land value is higher, meaning approximately 80% of venues aren’t legible for this funding.
Sign the petition to lobby the government to increase the rateable value threshold.
“My heart’s still with the owners and people who’ve been doing a beautiful job providing those spaces and keeping them going for grassroots bands. There’s a strong network of people who are out for promoting a good cause through no financial or beneficial cause to them to keep something good going.” – Joshua Loftin, Tiña
Here's a morale boosting playlist for making it all the way to the end.