Pete Cogle. Podcaster & Grassroots Music Advocate

Latest News & Podcasts

  • Inside the Network – Episode 14, The Last Safe Space

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: Toni speaks with Lala, MVT’s Membership Coordinator, to uncover how the charity understands and supports grassroots venues across the UK. They discuss who makes up the network, the pressures venues are facing, and why MVT has broadened its definition of a grassroots space. A concise look at the data, challenges, and human connections that shape the membership at the heart of Music Venue Trust.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 20/11/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

  • An Open Letter To The UK Government

    The entire music industry is united in calling for Sir Keir Starmer and his government to take urgent and decisive action on business rates before ticket prices soar and venues close.
    We have come together today to sign a joint letter to the Prime Minister.
    Why?
    Because the new 2026 Business Rates revaluations will force a £7.2 million tax hike onto UK Music Venues.
    For hundreds of stages this is a closure notice.
    We stand together to demand urgent action:
    Fair Business Rates relief and a valuation system that recognises cultural impact, not just commercial property value.
    This is a pivotal moment for the future of British music.
    And we need your support.
    Share this message.

     

  • LIVE Nation rumoured to be taking on Brighton Hippodrome?

    I can understand why LIVE Nation would want to have Brighton’s Hippodrome amongst it’s Venues. They have the money and it’s cost millions to refurbish the dilapidated site. But I can’t help thinking “It’s not very Brighton, is it?”.

    Prepare yourselves for overpriced tickets for past-their-best acts from the heritage circuit. That probably means I’ll never set foot in it’s hallowed halls when it opens in 2027. Makes me sad, but I’ll just stick to the “research and development” venues around the city.

  • The O2 and Music Venue Trust Forge Landmark Commitment to Fuel Future Talent

    It’s just been announced the O2 will make a direct donation to Music Venue Trust each time a new artist headlines the arena for the first time as part of a wider three-year commitment. It’s not known how much of a donation will be made, but I’m assuming it will vary, depending on the income derived by each of the new headliners.

    But it is known that the O2 had made an initial 6 figure donation to the MVT as a result of hosting 50 first-time performers in the last year. That’s great news.

    Obviously LIVE Nation / Ticketmaster remain to be the stumbling blocker of the complete implementation of a voluntary £1 ticket levy (minus the 20% the government insists on taking!). Lets hope this changes in 2026.

  • The Success of Own Our Venues Round Two – Episode 13

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: Toni sits down with Matt and Chris from Music Venue Properties to break down the extraordinary success of Own Our Venues Round Two. Together they explore how the campaign soared from a £1 million goal to £1.5 million in community investment, why 1,349 people chose to become shareholders in the future of grassroots venues, the pivotal moments that shaped the campaign, and what this landmark funding means for the next phase of securing buildings for the UK’s music ecosystem.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 20/11/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:24 — 25.0MB)

  • The imaginary budget of a Chancellor who cares about culture

    Parallel Universe by Mark Davyd

    The budget speech you wanted to hear, the one where the Government actually delivered the radical approach to culture and creative industries they keep talking about.

    Read on Substack

  • Our House, Our People – Episode 12, The Last Safe Space

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: Toni and Mark dive into a fast-moving fortnight for grassroots music, covering surging political pressure on Business Rates, big wins in planning, major new partnerships, real-world crisis cases, and the rising wave of community ownership and workforce recognition driving the sector forward.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 16/10/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:53 — 29.5MB)

  • Protect Moth Club – sign the petition!

    MOTH CLUB is facing an existential threat because Hackney Council is considering approval of a residential development next door under delegated authority – denying the venue and its community a public planning hearing despite more than 25,000 objections.

    The Council has sidelined the Agent of Change principle, ignored expert evidence, and withheld a key acoustic report from an FOI request while relying on assessments that independent specialists describe as “useless”. For almost a year, MOTH Club and MVT have struggled to achieve meaningful engagement from planning officers, even after raising serious concerns about flawed reports, contradictory information, and failures in the consultation process.

    If Hackney side-steps national policy here, it sets a catastrophic precedent: any grassroots venue in the UK could be placed in the same position by developers who choose not to mitigate noise. This isn’t just a MOTH Club issue. It’s a test of whether planning protections for cultural spaces have any real weight.

    Add your voice by signing the petition HERE!

  • Budget fails to win fans from the Grassroots Music Sector

    Picture by Simon Dawson. HM Treasury photostream on Flickr. License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
    Picture by Simon Dawson. HM Treasury photostream on Flickr. License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

    Chancellor Rachel Reeve’s budget has done nothing to assuage the fears of the Grassroots Music sector. Take the following quotes:

    “While headline figures for the UK music industry look strong, grassroots and independent businesses and entrepreneurs are under strain”

     – Gee Davy, CEO Association of Independent Music

    “This Budget is yet another episode in the long-running saga of failures to seize opportunities to support grassroots music venues”

    – Mark Davyd, CEO Music Venue Trust

    Both quoted in today’s article at Music Week.

    But the most aggrieved is Rachel Brown at Northern Exposure:

    “I clocked it the second Starmer started spouting bollocks about backing the music scene, it was always gonna be hot air and fuck all else”

    – Rachel Brown, Northen Exposure

    You can read the whole article below.

  • MVT Statement on the November Budget Announcement and November Newsletter

    The Music Venue Trust are not impressed by today’s budget. Despite lots of discussions and roadshows where the Government fan-led review has gone out to the people across the country, the country’s chief accountant* has done nothing for the grassroots music ecosystem.

    * Sorry, she doesn’t have the vision to be called an economist. This is not a slur on her as a female. I think it’s about time we had a female chancellor, but she’s not a Keynes or a Friedman, she’s just balancing the books, like an accountant.

  • Manchester Music In The City 2024 Final Research Report

    Manchester has produced a report which details recommendations to support the Grassroots Music scene. You can download the report HERE.

    It covers four pillars of action:

    1. Ecosystem development with long-term investment
    2. Marketing and Audience development 
    3. Innovation
    4. Council Policy, Structures and Processes

     

  • In Conversation with the Venue Support Team for Scotland & Wales – Episode 11, The Last Safe Space

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: Toni speaks with Stina and Aled about the current pressures, regional strengths, and emerging opportunities shaping grassroots venues across Scotland and Wales, from licensing and planning issues to ethics, accessibility, and community-led support.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 16/10/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:47 — 13.0MB)

  • TDZ#292… Live To Love Dub…

    Live To Love Dub… with tracks by… Massive Dub Corporation, Kingly T,Claudette King, Manwel T, Crête & Moustache, Shanks, Dub Spencer, Trance Hill, MyDubz x Dub Idren, DJ Saeg, Dubmatix

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:35 — 33.7MB)

    • 00:00:00  Massive Dub Corporation – Monir Logical [ODG]
    • 00:03:18  Kingly T & Claudette King – Live To Love Dub (Manwel T Mix)
    • 00:07:05  Crête & Moustache – Nomade (Live Session Edit) [ODG]
    • 00:11:55  Shanks – Shamizen Melodies [Culture Dub Records]
    • 00:16:37  Dub Spencer & Trance Hill – Full Time Dub [RDX Promo]
    • 00:22:12  MyDubz x Dub Idren – Black Desert [Dubophonic]
    • 00:25:47  DJ Saeg – Anahuaca Dub [Culture Dub Records]
    • 00:30:19  Dubmatix – Echoes In The Smoke

    This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC-NT-NC-ND 4.0) License

  • Reselling gig tickets for profit outlawed

    Various articles, including this one in the Guardian talk about this.

    I’ve only ever sold a gig ticket once and it was for the face value (minus the booking fee, I might add) which was fine by me.

    Resale platforms, such as StubHub and Viagogo, will be legally liable if sellers do not comply with the law. This also applies to Social Media selling.

    Lets hope this stamps out the touts and makes it easier for true fans to get the tickets they want (and can afford).

  • The Room Where It Happens

    A substack piece from Mark Davyd, based on a Drowned In Sound article by Emma Wilkes. Plus my own comments below:

    The Room Where It Happens by Mark Davyd

    A short guide to why nobody at your local Grassroots Music Venue is keen to tell you when anything starts

    Read on Substack

    I read the Drowned In Sound newsletter with interest. As I’m frequently one of the guys that arrive at the gig before everyone else I do want to know there will be something worth experiencing when I get there. At a recent festival in Brighton I arrived exactly on time and was told the first band would be on 90 minutes later. I had a nice 10 minute chat with the promoter, but then I was left waiting alone and bored. I eventually took a long walk around the city and returned, still in the minority before the first act.

    In a city where all the drinks cost above the national average either in a pub or a venue, I don’t think the audience are pre-loading at a pub around the corner. It’s just they can’t be bothered to see the support band.

    You’d have thought that there would be many, many bands who would love to take the opening slot, but, for some reason, they don’t get the opportunity. Yet, I’ve seen some bands perform 2 or 3 times as support in different venues in the course of a week. Why would you turn up early to see the same band for the 6th time? Yet, I have been there. Maybe that’s a topic for another day.

    I’ve seen this week reports that Liverpool’s Jacaranda has now cut the price of alcohol at the start of the evening to “Support the supports”. This is a great idea. I love your ideas of a comedian, a DJ or a short film. It certainly beats waiting on your own or walking around the city to kill time. They might even buy an extra drink!

    Also I need to know when the gig ends because I need to judge whether I can enjoy all of the headliner’s set or, faced with an increasing number of cancelled trains, make a break for it and get home before midnight. Recent festivals I’ve been to have put headliners on at 1am, but don’t start early. Not only does this piss off the out-of-town regulars like me, but it means the headliners have a dramatically reduced crowd, and associated atmosphere.

    So, promoters: please start on time and finish early. There will be more time for the band to sell merchandise, for the punters to have one-for-the-road, and for the out-of-town folk to know they’ve been listened to, for once.

  • Part two of Mutations Festival Review

    Part Two of a review of last weekend’s festival from Brighton and Hove News

  • Another Mutations Festival Review

    Part One of a review of last weekend’s festival from Brighton and Hove News

  • Music Venue Properties raises target £1.5M to help save more music venues

    MVP Reaches it's £1.5M target

    In the second phase of crowdfunding and with hours to spare on it’s deadline, Music Venue Properties hit it’s target of raising £1.5million. This will now be used to help save some more music venues that were struggling to afford their leases.

    The following venues are hoped to be now purchased by MVP:

    • Esquires, Bedford
    • The Joiners, Southampton **ALREADY SAVED**
    • Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham
    • The Croft, Bristol **ALREADY SAVED**
    • The Sugarmill, Stoke
    • The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle
    • The Pipeline, Brighton

    Let’s hope all the venues can be saved.

     

  • The Fight to Keep Grassroots Venues Alive

    Where Great Music Grows: The Fight to Keep Grassroots Venues Alive

    From The Badger, the student’s newspaper of the University of Sussex:

  • Inside Scottish Nightlife: A Panel on Culture, Community & Change – Episode 10, The Last Safe Space

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: Arusa Qureshi hosts a panel discussion at EXIT Club in Glasgow, co-produced with Glasgow Life, NTIA Scotland, and the Association for Electronic Music. Together, they explore the heartbeat of Scottish nightlife – its unique culture, challenges, and the collective action needed to ensure a thriving future for live music across Scotland.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 16/10/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:01 — 41.3MB)

  • Sam Fender donates his £25,000 cash prize to the Music Venue Trust.

    Sam Fender has donated his £25,000 cash prize to the Music Venue Trust.

    Fender said: “I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today if it wasn’t for all the gigs I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out,” he said. “These venues are legendary, but they are struggling.”

    Mark Davyd, CEO and founder of the MVT, said: “This is an incredible gesture by Sam, demonstrating once again that artists absolutely understand how vital grassroots music venues are to their careers and to their communities. We are honoured to accept this donation and will ensure every penny of it makes a direct difference to the campaign to keep live music at the heart of our towns and cities.”

    Fender performing at the Southside Festival in June 2025 as part of the People Watching Tour.

    Fender performing at the Southside Festival in June 2025 as part of the People Watching Tour.

    By Schwabenmodel – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

  • Review of Mutations Festival 2025

    Review from “When The Horn Blows”:

  • Janelle from GENN and Andy Crowley discuss Johnny Marr, Grassroots Venues and the MVT

    Instagram post from Andy Crowley discussing Johnny Marr, Grassroots Venues and the MVT with Janelle from GENN. Plus a longer YouTube video showing Janelle teaching guitar with a violin bow!

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Andy Crowley (@realandyguitar)


  • Mutations 2025

    Mutations 2025 was only 2 days and I saw 19 bands. This is the least number of days of any of the previous festivals.

    • 2021 – 3 days – 31 bands
    • 2022 – 4 days – 24 bands
    • 2023 – 4 days – 31 bands.
    • 2024 – 4 (out of 5 possible days) – 26 bands
    • 2025 – 2 days – 19 bands

    When I started going on in 2021 the capacity was set around 900 tickets per day, which is the capacity of Chalk. The USP of the festival was that everyone could see the headliners at chalk each day. In 2025 I calculated the capacity of all the venues combined to be 2050 and they sold 2000 tickets. On the second day the combined capacity in the evenings dropped to 1900 so it was inevitable that some people would not get into some venues and all the venues were rammed. This is the same problem the Great Escape festival had back in the late 00’s.  It’s not sustainable and will piss people off.

    Anyway, here’s who I saw in 2025:

    Fri​day 7th November

    1. Silver Gore at Patterns
    2. Makeshift Art Bar at Chalk
    3. My First Time at Revenge
    4. The Orielles at Chalk
    5. Mandrake Handshake at Revenge
    6. Ratboys at Revenge
    7. Pollyfromthedirt at The Folklore Rooms
    8. Renny Conti at The Hope and Ruin
    9. Mamalarky at The Prince Albert
    10. Teke::Teke at The Prince Albert
    11. Adwaith at The Prince Albert

    Sat​urday 8th November

    1. Midding at Green Door Store
    2. Ashnymph at The Prince Albert
    3. Blood Wizard at Green Door Store
    4. Men An Tol at The Hope & Ruin
    5. My Precious Bunny at Alphabet
    6. Nightbus at Green Door Store
    7. The Oozes at Revenge
    8. Waldo’s Gift at Patterns

  • Chris Sherrington from Music Venue Properties talks to BBC News about buying The Croft and The Joiners

    Chris Sherrington from Music Venue Properties talks to BBC News about buying The Croft and The Joiners.

     

     

  • In Conversation with Music Venue Properties – Episode 9, The Last Safe Space

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: Toni speaks with Chris Sherrington from Music Venue Properties about the Own Our Venues campaign, exploring how community ownership is protecting grassroots venues, the impact so far, and what the future holds for the movement.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 16/10/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:28 — 13.5MB)

  • The Croft and The Joiners purchased by Music Venue Properties

    Latest News from the Crowdfunder

    Music Venue Properties are thrilled to share the news that both The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol have now been purchased and brought into community ownership, thanks to their supporters. 

    These venues were among the very first to join the potential new pipeline after the first share offer, with the venues getting in touch well before they had even started to plan this campaign. The threats they were facing meant they had to act fast.

    The press release from MVP doesn’t say what is going to happen to the other venues on this second campaign:

    • Esquires – Bedford  
    • Peggy’s Skylight – Nottingham  
    • The Pipeline – Brighton
    • The Sugarmill – Stoke-on-Trent
    • Northern Guitars – Leeds
    • Gut Level – Sheffield
    • Little Buildings – Newcastle

    If you want to invest some of your own cash into supporting venues such as this, for as little as £100 then go to the Crowdfunder page HERE.

    I suggest you watch the video first.

  • Marshall x Music Venue Trust

    Marshall has partnered with the Music Venue Trust to support grassroots music venues

    ‘Marshall Nights’, will feature emerging artists at a series of gigs at various independent venues, such as Green Door Store in Brighton.

    “Grassroots Music Venues are the lifeblood of the UK’s music ecosystem, they are where artists take their first steps, and where fans fall in love with live music. We’re proud to partner with Marshall, a brand that embodies the sound and spirit of live performance, to keep these vital spaces alive.”

    “Marshall was born from the live stage, and that’s where we belong. Grassroots venues are where every great band starts, and we’re proud to help keep those stages alive for the next generation of artists and fans. This isn’t just about sound, it’s about community, creativity, and giving back to the music that made us.”

    Marshall x Music Venue Trust

  • Mutations 2025 Lineup Announced

    Back to Mutations Festival again next weekend. My 5th time. This time it’s just two days. Once again there are bands I want to see playing until 2am. Fuck that shit! I’m sick of promoters putting on gigs that are after the last public transport home. People that do not live in the city cannot attend those events. Not good enough.

    Clashfinder is here: https://clashfinder.com/s/mutationsfestival2025

  • MVT October 2025 Newsletter

  • In Conversation with the Venue Support Team for England – Episode 8, The Last Safe Space

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: Toni speaks with Lloyd and Jay about the latest trends, challenges, and breakthroughs shaping grassroots venues across England – from rising costs to local government support and policy innovation.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 16/10/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:03 — 18.0MB)

  • New MVT patron Goc O’Callaghan from the Arc TanGent Festival talks about MVT

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust)

  • £250,000 fund launched to protect and let Manchester’s grassroots music venues thrive

    To ensure support reaches the right places quickly, the fund will be administered by Music Venue Trust, the UK charity championing grassroots spaces. They’ll use their tried-and-tested systems to distribute grants of up to £20,000 or 35% of a venue’s business rates bill.

  • Sunderland’s “Independent” music venue saved after planning refused

    The MVY and the “Agent of Change” principle again works in favour of an Grassroots Music Venue in Sunderland.

  • Reasons to Invest in Music Venue Properties

    Reasons to Invest in Music Venue Properties

  • Night Boat to Cairo by Mark Davyd

    Quite apposite this post as I endured a 90 minute delay at Brighton station last Sunday. I’m always on the lookout to check if the train I was planning to get has been cancelled because of “Trespassers on the line”, “Points failure at Victoria” or “Staff Shortage”. It’s £60 to get a taxi home if it all goes wrong!

    A transport policy built for commuters not communities. Yet another factor crippling live music.

    Night Boat to Cairo by Mark Davyd

    A transport policy built for commuters not communities. Yet another factor crippling live music.

    Read on Substack

  • German Grassroots Music Scheme

    The Live Music Fund Germany, which is inspired by the British model of a concert ticket solidarity contribution, will come into effect on 1 January 2026 and is based on the principle that “everyone who benefits from the economic power of live music makes a small contribution to ensure that live music has a future.

  • Licensing Reform – Episode 7, The Last Safe Space

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: Toni and Sophie unpack the government’s new consultation on licensing reform and what it means for grassroots music venues. They also cover this week’s crisis cases, community wins, and sector updates – from The Boileroom’s nineteenth anniversary to The Ferret’s expansion and the rise of the Grassroots Levy.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 16/10/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:37 — 16.3MB)

  • TDZ#291… Iridescent Dub…

    Iridescent Dub… with tracks by… E.R.S., Manwel T, Massive Dub Corporation, PhOniAndFlOrE, Rasta Jahlor, Swanga, Magic Empire, Elastica Dub, Gabriele Blue

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:05 — 35.9MB)

    • 00:00:00 E.R.S. – Sunday Dub [Explorations In Dub] [Dubmission Records]
    • 00:07:23 Manwel T – Creation Dub
    • 00:10:24 Massive Dub Corporation – Iridescence [ODG]
    • 00:14:16 PhOniAndFlOrE – Horizon [Soundcloud]
    • 00:19:19 Rasta Jahlor – More Consciousness in Dub [Explorations In Dub] [South Capital Records]
    • 00:22:34 Swanga – Deka [ODG]
    • 00:26:04 Magic Empire – Xukulem [Greenbeats]
    • 00:31:26 Elastica Dub & Gabriele Blue – People Dub [Dubophonic]

    This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC-NT-NC-ND 4.0) License

     

  • Dancefloor launches scheme to support grassroots venues and promoters

    Dancefloor, a ticketing platform for EDM fans, announced the launch of its Nightlife Dividend Program.

    “Every month, 25% of Dancefloor’s booking fees are pooled and redistributed back to the venues and promoters selling on the platform to provide a new, automatic revenue stream on top of existing ticket sales.”

  • Brighton is the UK’s best place for live music

    I’m incredibly lucky to be so close to Brighton and all it’s amazing Grassroots Music Venues. I’m not surprised the research shows it’s the best.

    Here are just the venues I can name, off the top of my head. This doesn’t include the many bars that also have live music

    • The Prince Albert
    • The Green Door Store
    • Komedia (Studio and Downstairs)
    • The Rose Hill
    • The Hope and Ruin
    • The Rossi Bar
    • The Folklore Rooms
    • ALPHABET
    • Dust
    • Chalk
    • Patterns (Upstairs and Downstairs)
    • Waterbear Music Bar
    • Concorde 2
    • Revenge
    • The Old Market (Hove)
    • The Brunswick (Hove)

  • Use Spotify to find gigs at your favourite venue

    Spotify has just announced that you can now follow your favourite venue, in the same way you can follow artists. The pre-existing linkage to the DICE ticketing app will make purchasing tickets for events at your favourite location even easier.

    Of course, Spotify is still a platform that divides a lot of people, with many artists withdrawing their music over the platform’s political stance and the revenue it gives it’s contributors. It’s up to you if you want to use this new feature.

  • Scottish Government consulting on planning law changes which could affect Grassroots Music Venues

    The Scottish Government are consulting on changes to the Permitted Development Rights (PDRs) to make it easier for developers to convert existing buildings into housing without gaining full planning permission.

    I thought the “Agent of Change” principle, which is enshrined in Scottish Law, would prevent against this, but several websites are reporting this today, so it’s a bit worrying.

  • Is Live Nation blocking millions for grassroots music venues?

    The world’s biggest promoter seems to not be doing its part to protect independent venues in the UK.

    Another comment on Live Nation’s inability to implement the grassroots ticket levy.

  • Both Sides Now by Mark Davyd

    The top end of live music has never been more economically successful and one of the biggest winners in that success is the government itself. The grassroots are providing access, community and culture at prices that haven’t budged in twenty years. The Government is sitting on a huge tax windfall

    Read on Substack

  • Join The Movement

  • Gnarwal Festival Review

    I attended the first Gnarnwal festival at The Green Door Store last weekend. Big thanks to Luke and Angel from Gnarly Marmalade & WhattaWally for putting it on. I really enjoyed seeing 19 acts I’d never seen before.

    Here’s the Brighton and Hove News review:

  • LIVE Trust announces how it will give grassroots venues grants

    In January 2026 the LIVE Trust will start to award grants to Grassroots Music Venues.  This is the money they have received from the voluntary £1 Grassroots levy on arena and Stadium tickets.

    In December 2025 grant applications will open. If you are working for a Grassroots Music venue you need to read the document below and work out if you are eligible and what you propose to do with a grant if it awarded.

    Link to the document: https://www.livemusic.biz/file/HCxkPekrdRZsuTqSipExe5sFgOPKkdsHpiq8B56K

  • Ireland’s basic income scheme for artists made permanent in 2026


    The Irish Government’s Basic Income for the Arts scheme was started in 2022. Now it’s been made permanent in October’s budget.

    The three-year pilot scheme provided 2000 artists and creative arts workers with €325 per week to enable artists to have the time to make creative work. 9000 people applied to the first round in 2022.

    The National Campaign for the Arts said the key findings of the recent research report into the scheme found it kept more artists in the sector, promoted better mental health, supported the creation of 40% more artwork and provided  €1.39 back to the state for every €1 invested.

    Wouldn’t it be great if the UK were as far sighted as the Irish?

  • Agent of Change, Still waiting – Episode 6, The Last Safe Space

    The Last Safe Space a straight-talking, data-driven podcast from Music Venue Trust. Each episode breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to local wins, campaigns, crisis cases, and how you can take action to support live music.

    In this episode: This week on The Last Safe Space, Toni and Mark unpack the latest from Westminster and beyond. The House of Lords debates the Agent of Change amendment, the Government stalls on Business Rates reform, and MVT outlines a bold new investment approach: don’t just fund problems—fix them. Plus, community victories from The Sound Lounge and The George Tavern, new partnerships with Fred Perry and Yamaha, and a hard look at rights management and venue protection. All the frontline news from the UK’s grassroots music venue ecosystem, straight from the source.

    Disclaimer: All data is correct on the date of filming 17/09/2025

    Join the Supporters Circle: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

    Learn more about our work: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:51 — 26.8MB)