'Anything that helps to promote the very existence of these grassroots music venues is welcome'

For the 200,000 people who would normally be camped out in Somerset and listening to the greatest music on the planet – plus the millions who watch on television from the warmth of their sofa – we bring good news.

This year might be a fallow year at Glastonbury, but while Michael Eavis’s fields are replenishing, new music is coming to a grassroots venue near you.

The Everywhere at Once Festival takes place at independent grassroots music venues across the UK on what would usually have been Glastonbury weekend. There will be 1,200 gigs on 400 stages from 26-29 June. And no one needs to camp in a field with the imminent threat of someone playing the bongos while off their head nearby. Sound good? Read on.

Everywhere At Once is the brainchild of the Music Venue Trust, the organisation that is doing so much to ensure local venues survive the harsh economic climate and remain a key element of local music culture.

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“We decided to do a festival on Glastonbury’s fallow weekend across the country partly to send the message that all those stages are still there,” says Mark Davyd, founder and CEO of Music Venue Trust.  

“This could be a turning point if people get out and support their local venue now.”

The situation for grassroots music venues is still critical. Half are not making any profit, and 30% of venue operators are not paying themselves – instead powering the performance spaces purely on passion. But the rate of closures has reduced dramatically in recent years – down from 125 closures in 2023 to just nine last year.

Venues have been asked to pledge £1 from each ticket sale where capacity is higher than 5,000 to support smaller venues. At present, the grassroots levy is voluntary. It is not being taken up as quickly as hoped – and may become mandatory, which will require more  bureaucracy and lead to less money making it to the frontline. But already there are already tangible results, creating a better experience for audiences and touring musicians alike.

Read more:

• At least two grassroots music venues closing each week
• Independent Venue Week 2024: Without grassroots music venues, there’d be no Madonna
• Cost of living crisis stopping people accessing mental health benefits of live music

Grassroots venues across the country are modernising – supported by MVT and a collaboration with Volunteer It Yourself, who offer young people vocational training on the job, the job being volunteering to repair and refurbish community facilities.

“With VIY we are doing two projects – Stay the Night and Feel at Home,” says Davyd.

“A big cost for artists on tour is hotels. There is spare space in a lot of venues – so we are now converting that into overnight accommodation for artists.

“And we’re trying to make artists feel more at home when arrive backstage. So there’s somewhere to sit down, good lights, everything’s working, decent kitchen facilities, maybe somewhere to shower.”

Hopes are high for the Everywhere at Once Festival. Artists including Becky Hill, Tinie Tempah, The Lathums, Vigilantes, Royston Club and Omar are lined up to play at venues across the UK.

The Miki Berenyi Trio, fronted by the former Lush guitarist and singer, are playing at the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge on EAO weekend.

“I wouldn’t have even considered being in a band without the existence of small club and pub venues. It was my training ground and gave me time to develop as a musician – both in confidence and ability,” says Berenyi.

“Anything that helps to promote the very existence of these places is welcome.”

Thomas Hopkin runs the Lubber Fiend venue in Newcastle, which has received support via the North East Flexible Social Finance Fund – run by Big Issue Invest in partnership with the North East Combined Authority. They will be hosting a trio of bands from the Australian underground scene at Everywhere at Once Festival.

Hopkin says, “We have a varied and eclectic programme which forms our identity as a venue and a community space. Everywhere At Once Festival is ideal because it encourages us to work to our strengths.”

From Portsmouth to Dundee, Belfast to Swansea, London to Birmingham, the streets will be alive with music, as they always are, across that last weekend in June. “The UK’s world-famous music industry relies on the power of our live music scene, right down to the smallest stages,” says creative industries minister Ian Murray. “It is fantastic to see the sector coming together for Everywhere at Once to spotlight the potential of the grassroots venues in towns and villages all around the UK.

“To truly transform and sustain the sector, we need everyone on board. I am calling on the whole industry to adopt the £1 voluntary ticket contribution from stadium concerts to protect the future of live music. Real cross sector collaboration, just like this, is exactly what the music industry needs.”

Everywhere At Once Festival is on June 26-28 at venues across the UK.

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