Music Venue Trust

Music Venue Trust Music Venue Trust is a UK registered charity which acts to protect, secure and improve Grassroots Music Venues.
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Created in January 2014, Music Venue Trust aims to secure the long-term future of GMVs in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, whether they are iconic venues such as Hull Adelphi, Exeter Cavern, The 100 Club, Band on the Wall, King Tut’s, and Clwb Ifor Bach, or lesser-known venues that are equally important to their geographical or musical community. These venues play a crucial role in

the development of British music, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their careers and develop their music and their performance skills. Music Venue Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, registration no: 1159846

Music Venue Trust (Scotland) is a charity registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator: Charity Number SC052001

You can watch a great gig on your phone and still feel like you missed it, because music was never meant to be experienc...
21/08/2026

You can watch a great gig on your phone and still feel like you missed it, because music was never meant to be experienced at a distance.

There is something that happens when you're actually in the room. When the music is loud enough to feel, when the person next to you is singing the same words, when a room full of strangers suddenly feels like they belong to the same thing. You can't scroll your way into that feeling, and you can't build a music scene from the outside looking in.

Being part of a music scene means more than watching it happen. It means being there, and standing behind the places that make it possible.

That's what solidarity means. Choosing to be part of keeping something you love alive.

Join the Supporters Circle from £5 a month and stand behind the grassroots music venues that make being part of it possible. 🔗 https://tr.ee/1YfIVJziRL

📸 Alana Paris
📸 Alfie Bungay
📸 Corey Eyres
📸 Georgia Penny
📸 Izzy Chedzey
📸 Sammie Hatch
📸 Talullah Shepheard

21/08/2026

What does a new government actually mean for grassroots music?

In the latest episode of The Last Safe Space, Toni Coe-Brooker sits down with MVT CEO Mark Davyd to look at the decisions that could shape the future of grassroots music.

From business rates and the grassroots levy to VAT and investment; they ask what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what needs to happen next. Because saying you support grassroots music is one thing. Acting on it is another.

Out now on YouTube. 🔗 in stories.

21/08/2026

What does a new government actually mean for grassroots music?

In the latest episode of The Last Safe Space, Toni Coe-Brooker sits down with MVT CEO Mark Davyd to look at the decisions that could shape the future of grassroots music.

From business rates and the grassroots levy to VAT and investment; they ask what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what needs to happen next. Because saying you support grassroots music is one thing. Acting on it is another.

Out now on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/e8tHSKcbTkc

What’s the best gig you’ve ever seen for less than a tenner?Not the biggest. Not the most expensive. Just the one you st...
20/08/2026

What’s the best gig you’ve ever seen for less than a tenner?

Not the biggest. Not the most expensive. Just the one you still remember.

Maybe you saw an artist before anyone else knew their name. Maybe it was a tiny room, a local band and a crowd that barely filled the floor. Maybe you went along on a whim and walked out knowing you’d seen something special.

Some of the best live music memories don’t come with a big price tag. They happen in small rooms, early in careers and before anyone knows how important that night might become.

We want to hear yours.

Artist. Venue. Year. And, if you remember it, tell us what made it so good. 👇

The Artist Pledge is back.Every artist starts somewhere. A first stage, a first crowd, a venue that gives you a chance. ...
19/08/2026

The Artist Pledge is back.

Every artist starts somewhere. A first stage, a first crowd, a venue that gives you a chance. Grassroots music venues and the people around them give artists the space to develop, build audiences and grow.

But the places where careers begin are under more pressure than ever.

The Artist Pledge is a commitment from artists to give something back as their careers grow. To stand with grassroots music, use their platform when it matters and, when they reach arena and stadium level, get behind the grassroots levy. Because £1 from a ticket at the top can help keep opportunity alive at the bottom.

Success should strengthen the scene that made it possible. Join the 750+ artists who have signed the pledge.

Sign MVT's Artist Pledge here: https://forms.gle/dQrYjXg3xjqa2AaDA

Want a career in live music? This is how doors get opened.13 young people in Wales are being given practical experience ...
18/08/2026

Want a career in live music? This is how doors get opened.

13 young people in Wales are being given practical experience behind the scenes at grassroots music venues in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

Sound. Lighting. Artist liaison. Stage management. Backstage operations. Communications.

The new six-month Beacons Cymru traineeship combines real shifts, mentoring and hands-on experience before participants take what they've learned and produce a live music showcase of their own.

With employment across the grassroots music venue network down almost 20%, investing in the people who will power its future has never been more important.

Applications close 7 September.

Read more and apply via: https://www.beacons.cymru/traineeship

You just don't know who they are yet.That's how grassroots music has always worked. Long before the sold-out tours, the ...
17/08/2026

You just don't know who they are yet.

That's how grassroots music has always worked. Long before the sold-out tours, the festival headlines or the records you know every word to, there was a small room. A handful of people. A venue willing to put a band on before anyone else knew what they could become.

Those rooms don't just launch careers. They give music somewhere to grow. Somewhere to be tested, shared and discovered. They turn unknown bands into unforgettable ones, one night at a time.

That's why Music Venue Trust exists. And it's why our Supporters Circle does too.

By joining, you're helping protect the venues where tomorrow's favourite bands are already finding their feet, and making sure those doors stay open for whoever walks through them next.

Become a venue activist by joining the Supporters Circle via: https://save-our-venues.backstreetmerch.com/collections/membership

📸 David Dean Photographic
📸 Katie Frost Photography
📸 rad stuff photo video
📸 Sam Hatch

A legendary music room is coming to London - and it’s opening with one hell of a programme.Blue Note is bringing its fir...
14/08/2026

A legendary music room is coming to London - and it’s opening with one hell of a programme.

Blue Note is bringing its first UK venue to Covent Garden this September, with Robert Glasper opening the doors before a phenomenal run of artists including Erykah Badu, Nubya Garcia, Yussef Dayes, KOKOROKO, Hak Baker, Shabaka and Jamie Cullum.

And alongside the 250-capacity main room, a new 100-capacity B-Side space will be dedicated to emerging UK artists.

More music rooms opening means more music happening - and we’re always going to get excited about that.

Bring it on, London.

Spangled have officially hit the road!After selling out their biggest headline show to date at Manchester’s O2 Ritz and ...
13/08/2026

Spangled have officially hit the road!

After selling out their biggest headline show to date at Manchester’s O2 Ritz and tearing through Kendal Calling, they’re heading back to the kind of rooms where this band belongs: grassroots music venues.

Five dates. Five towns. Five nights of loud guitars, local support and a band taking their music beyond the usual touring circuit.

Presented by Music Venue Trust and Jack Daniel’s, with support from This Feeling.

Next stop: Blackpool.

Remaining tickets still available via the 🔗 in our bio or at: https://spangled.band/

Pealie's Barn in North Yorkshire has received national recognition after a wave of public support, proving that grassroo...
12/08/2026

Pealie's Barn in North Yorkshire has received national recognition after a wave of public support, proving that grassroots venues can make a big impact no matter where they're based.

Stories like this are a reminder that grassroots music venues don't just support artists. They bring people together, strengthen communities and create opportunities that can reach far beyond their own walls.

Congratulations to everyone involved. 👏

📸 Rob Irish

Address

Music Venue Trust C/o Strongroom 120-124 Curtain Road, Shoreditch
London
EC2A3SQ

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 10am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+442039308279

Website

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