"Venues are the skeleton of live music. Without them, there is no us": Mother Vulture on the road back to live

Mother Vulture live
(Image credit: Brad Merrett)

It's already an old story:  The bands whose careers went on hold and incomes dried up. The venues that closed and crowdfunded for survival. The musicians, techs and tour managers who retrained, got new jobs, jacked it in.

But it's not over yet. Live music is returning. But are audiences nervous about coming back out? How do bands feel? Is the atmosphere the same? 

Louder, along with Marshall Amplification and the Music Venue Trust, have joined forces to support a tour by one of Britain's most exciting live bands, Bristol's Mother Vulture. Tickets are just £5 and all ticket holders can bring one friend for free/the price of a lottery ticket, courtesy of the Music Venue Trust's National Lottery-backed 'Revive Live!' scheme to get the grassroots live scene back on its feet.

"I've being doing this for over a decade," says Paula, Head of Sound at London's The Black Heart. "When the pandemic hit I spent a lot of time thinking but what other career I could do, and I just couldn't think of anything. This was and is everything for me. I love what I do."

"For young bands, venues like this are the skeleton – the structure, the foundation –that we all require," says Mother Vulture singer Georgio. "Without them, there is no us."

We joined the band on the second date of the tour in London – where they were supported by Milton Keynes' riff- rustlers Torus,  Devon riot-starters Crooked Little Sons and Brighton's brain-melting noiseniks El Moono – to find out what it's like to get back on the road. 

Watch the video – filmed and edited By Phil Wallis – below.

The Mother Vulture Tour runs from now until 19 Sept. Tickets are available from Mother Vulture's website.

Mon 6th Sept  BRIGHTON Komedia
Tue 7th Sept LONDON The Black Heart
Thu 9th Sept HULL The Polar Bear
Fri 10th Sept NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME The Rigger
Sat 11th Sept SALISBURY The Winchester Gate
Mon 13th Sept SWINDON Level 3
Tue 14th Sept WINCHESTER The Railway Inn
Wed 15th Sept BATH Moles
Thu 16th Sept STAFFORD Redrum
Fri 17th Sept BRIDGEWATER The Cobblestones
Sat 18th Sept GLOUCESTER The Dick Whittington
Sun 19th Sept CARDIFF Fuel 

Scott Rowley
Content Director, Music

Scott is the Content Director of Music at Future plc, responsible for the editorial strategy of online and print brands like Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, Guitarist, Guitar World, Guitar Player, Total Guitar etc. He was Editor in Chief of Classic Rock magazine for 10 years and Editor of Total Guitar for 4 years and has contributed to The Big Issue, Esquire and more. Scott wrote chapters for two of legendary sleeve designer Storm Thorgerson's books (For The Love Of Vinyl, 2009, and Gathering Storm, 2015). He regularly appears on Classic Rock’s podcast, The 20 Million Club, and was the writer/researcher on 2017’s Mick Ronson documentary Beside Bowie