London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Grassroots music venues play a crucial role in British culture, according to Sybil Bell, founder of Independent Venue Week (IVW). The annual event celebrates independent music and arts venues, as well as the dedicated individuals who own, run, and work in them.
Bell, who previously owned Moles in Bath, acknowledged the challenging times these venue owners face. Her comments come in the wake of a new report from the Music Venue Trust (MVT), which revealed that 2023 was the most difficult year for grassroots venues. The report shows that 125 venues closed permanently, and those that remained open made an average profit of just 0.5%.
Music fan Matt Pugh describes these venues as “very important,” likening them to churches. While he clarifies that he does not intend to belittle religion, he views music venues as the ultimate places where he can start and end his day. “They are places of discovery, reminiscing, and meeting old and new friends,” he said. Pugh, who is particularly fond of The Fleece in Bristol, praised it as a “welcoming and accepting place.”
Bell hopes that Independent Venue Week will inspire fans to support small venues, which she believes are “absolutely vital” to communities. “It’s tough out there for everyone right now, but this week is the perfect time to buy a ticket, see some music with friends, and support these spaces,” she told BBC Introducing in the West.
She emphasized that the people who run small venues do so with “real passion” and are determined to maintain spaces for arts and culture within their communities. “When you’re a truly independent venue, you’re the one taking the risk by putting on an artist that perhaps nobody has heard of,” she added.
Reflecting on the closure of Moles in December—a venue that hosted iconic bands like Oasis, Pulp, and more recently, Idles—Bell described it as “heart-breaking” and noted that such closures are happening across the country. Hannah Ryan, who works for a ticketing platform, echoed Bell’s concerns, saying, “I’m witnessing first-hand the fall of so many venues, and it’s heart-breaking. The closure of these spaces is fully detrimental to the livelihood of those who work in the industry.”
Ryan also noted the personal impact of grassroots venues, saying, “They were a massive part of my upbringing, helping me discover bands that were authentically themselves and find my place in a ‘scene’.”