23/02/2025
One of the best live music venues in Ayrshire. 😔
💔 Venue38: The Fight for Grassroots Music 💔
Today was meant to be a milestone—our first gig since December 29th. Instead, we’re facing severe roof damage, flooding in our ceiling, and live bar lights that make it unsafe to open.
Another devastating blow in what has been a relentless battle to keep grassroots music alive in Ayr.
For five years, we’ve given everything to this venue—our life savings, time, and physical effort—to create a home for original music. We built a space where local bands could take their first steps or their next big leap. We did it all without funding, without the support others received, because we believed in something bigger than ourselves.
But honestly? It’s been bloody hard. It’s been demoralizing. It’s been scary. And worst of all? It’s been lonely.
We’re not wealthy. We don’t have an endless supply of funds. Maybe our faces don’t fit in the theatre, events, or nightclub scene in town. But we know this—without grassroots venues like ours, local artists don’t get the chance to grow.
COVID hit us just six weeks after opening. Unlike others, we got no funding. Excluded by Creative Scotland and others, we limped along with minimal support. We moved to a CIC model which is a non-profit, hoping to ease the financial strain, but even now, we’re being denied the relief we desperately need.
And now? Our landlord has ignored our growing roof issues, and today’s gig cancellation could be the final straw.
🎸 Why does this matter?
• Venue38 has been the launchpad for so many bands—eight of the acts supporting James at Streetrave in May have graced our stage - we couldn’t be prouder ☺️
• Our Limelight nights have championed original music, charging only £5 to give artists a chance to be heard.
• We’ve hosted Seen & Unseen disability nights, one of the only venues in the UK doing this. It costs us money every month, but we do it because no one else does.
• We even won Best Entertainment Venue in Scotland for 2024/25!
And yet, we continue to be overlooked. While other venues received funding we kept going on passion, sweat, and belief. We don’t begrudge them their support—we just ask: why were we left behind?
And the irony? Last year, we booked Blackgrape, and Shaun Ryder himself promoted the gig. Five days before the show, their tour manager pulled it, claiming we didn’t have a keyboard riser. The same riser that wasn’t on two of their previous gigs. The damage was done—we scrambled to refund tickets, cancel hotel rooms, and apologise to fans. But we still put on a free gig with the support act—and guess what? That same band is now supporting James at Streetrave on the Friday night and Happy Mondays are playing on the Sunday.
We’re proud of what we’ve done. But we can’t keep doing this alone.
This isn’t just about us—it’s about every local artist who needs a venue like Venue38 to grow. If Venue38 has meant something to you—if you’ve played here, watched a band here, or just believe in the future of live music—this is the time to stand up.
We don’t know what happens next, but we do know this: once grassroots venues disappear, so do the artists who rely on them.
Please share this. Speak up. Help us fight. Because we can’t do this alone anymore.
With all the love,
The Venue38 Team
