National Lottery and Music Venue Trust team up for £1M grassroots venues initiative

Revive Live Tour Poster — (Image credit: Music Venue Trust)

The National Lottery has teamed up with industry body The Music Venue Trust for a £1M initiative aimed at kick-starting the UK's grassroots music scene.

The initiative will consist of a number of tours, one-off events and special performances, and is aimed at bringing fans, friends and communities back together after what's been a disastrous 16 months for the live music scene.

The National Lottery will contribute £1M to the touring and production costs of over 300 live performances this summer under the banner of the Revive Live Tour, which will feature headline performances from the likes of Twin Atlantic, Olivia Dean, The Magic Gang and The Futureheads at grassroots venues nationwide.

There will be also be a number of one-off performances from artists including Sir Tom Jones, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Frank Turner, Fontaines D.C., Mahalia, James Arthur, and Sam Fender.

"Musicians can record in their bedrooms, but they can’t learn to perform in public without a place to play," says Sir Tom. "Without that, there is no way you can communicate directly to people. It’ll be tough to hone your skills and you’ll never have the thrill of feeling their feedback. Without a grassroots music venue, the neighbourhood won’t have a place where people can come together to discover and support a new talent.

"So support your local pub, club, gym or church or wherever someone has the guts to bring in some entertainment, it makes all the difference both to budding artists and the community. I’m delighted to be able to perform a special show as part of The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour and to be celebrating the return of live music."

"It's so important to get artists and crew back out and working," adds Mark Dayvd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, "to get our grassroots music venues back up and running, and to get friends, families and communities back together enjoying live music.

“Grassroots music 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. These venues also play a vital role in the cultural and economic vibrancy of any village, town or city. The National Lottery Revive Live Tour is a fantastic initiative which will kickstart the return of great events across the country."

Tickets for The National Lottery Revive Live Tour go on sale on Monday July 12 from 8pm, while 30,000 will be gifted to National Lottery players.

For more information, visit the Music Venue Trust website.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.