Music Venue Trust has announced the #SaveOurScottishVenues virtual festival.
Taking place 19 June across ‘three stages’, the event will play host to performances from KT Tunstall, Honeyblood, Be Charlotte, Fatherson and Travis singer Fran Healy, among others.
The musicians taking part are coming together to support Scotland's vital grassroots music venues who are facing closure due to COVID-19.
Beverley Whitrick, strategic director, Music Venue Trust, says: ‘There are over 60 Scottish members of the Music Venues Alliance, each of which is essential to the music ecosystem as social, economic and cultural hubs within their communities. The love that artists have for these spaces and the people who run them is clear from everyone stepping forward to help raise money to support venues through the crisis. Please enjoy these events and donate what you can to help.’
Speaking about the festival, Bathgate musician Luke la Volpe said: ‘It’s absolutely vital that we support grassroots venues at the moment, because let’s face it, life’s shit without gigs. They've all had the rug pulled from under them by this whole terrible situation and the longer it goes on the harder it is for them to survive with no money coming in.
‘The team at Music Venue Trust is working incredibly hard to support them and I’m really happy to be part of Save Our Scottish Venues alongside all these legends. Every single successful musician has been given a hand up by grassroots venues putting them on in front of people who love discovering new music. It’s time to give them a hand in return so every single venue can make it through this incredibly tough period and get the doors open again as soon as possible.’
The #SaveOurVenues campaign was initiated by Music Venue Trust in response to the continued economic threat to over 500 grassroots music venues throughout the UK.
As a result of donations from music fans, music industry companies and other organisations, alongside important interventions from public bodies such as The London Mayor’s Office, Creative Wales and Arts Council England 207 grassroots music venues are now protected from imminent closure. However, even as the lockdown eases, the future of these venues remains bleak with only 3 percent of venues able to open under the proposed two metre distancing rules.
Tickets for the #SaveOurScottishVenues virtual festival are on sale now.
