The southwest’s music venues are facing an existential challenge. Chris Sherrington of Music Venue Properties – an initiative launched by the Music Venue Trust to help secure the future of our venues – explains how we can turn the tide
Grassroots venues are the beating heart of the UK’s cultural ecosystem. They’re where music careers begin and genres are born. Every iconic artist, from festival headliners to Mercury Prize winners, started on a grassroots stage. But they offer more than just music: they’re creative incubators, community hubs and local economic drivers. They bring people together, nurture talent and give voice to new ideas. Without them, we don’t just lose gigs – we lose a part of who we are.
The southwest has lost around 30-40% of its grassroots venues over the past decade, a staggering blow to the region’s cultural fabric. Bristol has seen beloved independent spaces shut their doors, Bath’s iconic Moles is no longer with us, and in towns like Glastonbury and Yeovil the loss of venues has left emerging artists with fewer places to play and communities with fewer places to gather. Even the most cherished and established venues are under threat.
Across the UK, grassroots venues are facing a perfect storm: commercial landlords hiking rents, spiralling operational costs, and developments that overlook or displace essential cultural spaces. In the southwest, these pressures are even more acute. Rising tourism and property speculation are accelerating gentrification, with venues that have nurtured local talent and served their communities for decades being priced out of the neighbourhoods they helped shape. And without ownership of their buildings, they have little protection.
But there is hope. Through community ownership and collective action, we can protect these spaces before it’s too late. The Bell Inn in Bath lit the way for community ownership back in 2013; a move that inspired other community spaces in Bath and Bristol to follow suit. The reopening of The Croft in Bristol, once thought lost forever, is an example of what happens when communities fight back and win. We still need to secure the building to ensure its future, but with people’s support, we hope that we can this year.
In Frome, Cheese & Grain continues to lead as a standout community-owned venue. Stroud’s Sub Rooms is pioneering creative partnerships and multi-use programming to stay relevant and resilient. The Fleece and Exchange in Bristol are holding the line by keeping communities front and centre. The southwest is full of proof that, with vision, passion and local backing, the tide can turn.
The most powerful tool we have is ownership. That’s why we launched Own Our Venues – an initiative to help grassroots venues buy the buildings they operate from, creating a ‘National Trust for music venues’. When venue buildings are taken into community ownership, they gain long-term security, freedom from rising rents, and the ability to reinvest in their communities and futures.
We also need support from the top of the industry. Music Venue Trust is campaigning for a ticket levy on large-scale arena and stadium shows – a small contribution from the biggest gigs that would flow directly to the grassroots venues where every artist begins. If the top end shares just a fraction of its success, we can build a music ecosystem that’s fair, sustainable and future-proofed.
But grassroots music culture thrives when we show up for it. And right now, you can go one step further by investing directly in its future through our Own Our Venues community share offer. This isn’t just an investment – it’s a real stake in venues that make your city vibrant, creative and alive.
ownourvenues.com
