A campaign to save more than 550 music venues threatened with permanent closure by the Covid-19 outbreak has been launched.
The initiative, #saveourvenues, has been started by the charity Music Venue Trust in an attempt to raise funds for grassroots music spots across the UK.
A series of live-streamed gigs will be broadcast in a direct bid to generate money for the 556 venues featured in the scheme, including London favourites The Lexington, Bush Hall and Windmill Brixton, among others.
The campaign has taken inspiration from musician Frank Turner, whose own series of live streams — dubbed “Independent Venue Love” — has successfully raised money for a number of self-sufficient venues.
Turner said: “The success of these shows demonstrated the love that exists between music fans and their favourite grassroots music venues so the #saveourvenues campaign is a brilliant way of building on that and hopefully giving artists and music fans a chance to get involved and play a big part in helping them survive.”
Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, said: “Without the support of music fans and artists literally hundreds of the UK’s grassroots music venues could go out of business, never to return, in the coming months.”
Fans can donate to each venue’s fundraising page by visiting saveourvenues.co.uk and clicking on that venue’s icon on the interactive map.
A list of upcoming gigs can be found here, while any artists wishing to perform a live-streamed gig in aid of the campaign can sign up here.
