How local venues are vital for rave culture (with Music Venue Trust)

Local venues have been the backbone to rave culture, and wider music culture, for generations. Some of the world’s biggest stars got their first gig locally, and may not have ever reached stardom without local support. 

According to Mark Davyd, CEO of the @musicvenuetrust, 2023 was the worst year so far for grassroots music venue closures. Here he explains how supporting them is vital to rave culture… 

CULTIVATE NEW MOVEMENTS

Local venues have been essential to new musical movements, going all the way back to the 2i’s Cafe in Soho, the birthplace of British rock and roll. In the 90s there was the Frog & Nightgown, an early home for UK garage, and Dungeons in Leyton for jungle.

MOST ARTISTS START LOCAL

When you look at stadium-filling artists, where do they all come from? There are so many artists who performed locally before they got to be headliners, so grassroots venues can be pipelines to the music industry. You never know where the next big star will come from.

COMMUNITY BUILDING

Local venues are places where people forge bonds, not just with their local community, but wider music communities. It’s so important for humans to be social and have shared experiences. It's about people finding a tribe they can belong to, and feeling part of something bigger.

HUBS FOR CREATIVITY 

In your average local music venue, you might see somebody who designs their own shoes, three people who want to be a photographer and somebody else who runs their own blog. Beyond music, they are hubs of creativity and alternative lifestyles.

SUPPORT THE NIGHTTIME ECONOMY 

For every £10 spent on a ticket in a grassroots music venue, £17 is spent elsewhere in the nighttime economy. That's on transport, on pubs and bars, food and more. This keeps people employed up and down the country.

COUNTER TO HOMOGENEITY

Local venues can be incubators for local sounds, which counter the homogeneity that can often dominate the world of music. In these spaces musical styles that are particular to the locality can flourish and, eventually, perhaps, have an impact globally.