‘Passport: Back To Our Roots’ campaign launched to encourage huge artists to play at small venues

The campaign is aiming to aid those independent grassroots venues that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic

A new campaign, Passport: Back to Our Roots, has been launched with the intention of encouraging big, established artists to play one-off gigs at the small, independent and grassroots music venues that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

A joint venture by Band on the Wall, the Music Venue Trust and Stephen Budd Music, Passport: Back to Our Roots is seeking to aid “the independent grassroots venues that form the foundations of the UK’s live music scene” by putting on a series of one-off shows at small venues across the country.

“This is your exclusive opportunity to watch the biggest artists play their smallest gigs – live and in person like they should be – while making a huge difference to the UK’s crisis-stricken grassroots music venues, who need urgent help due to COVID-19 closures,” a statement explains about the campaign.

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Artists have been invited to nominate a venue to play at that holds particular personal significance for them, or Passport: Back to Our Roots will help match them with a participating venue. No artist names or show dates have been confirmed as yet, with the organisers of the nascent campaign waiting to see how coronavirus restrictions on public gatherings in the UK pan out in the coming weeks and months.

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=== COMING SOON ===⁠ ⁠ The latest #SaveOurVenues Initiative.⁠ ⁠ Passport: Back to Our Roots is a nationwide series of one-off intimate gigs by the UK’s biggest artists, supporting the independent grassroots venues that form the foundations of the UK’s live music scene.⁠ ⁠ This is your exclusive opportunity to watch the biggest artists play their smallest gigs, while making a huge difference to the UK’s crisis-stricken grassroots music venues, who need urgent help due to COVID-19 closures.⁠ ⁠ Produced by @bandonthewall @stephenbudd (War Child Passport: Back to the Bars and Passport: To BRITs Week), and the @musicvenuetrust.⁠ ⁠ Sign up via the link in our bio to be among the first to find out more…⁠ ⁠ See you down the front soon ❤️🤘🎶⁠ ⁠ #music #concert #instamusic #live #newmusic #nightlife #livemusic #bands #gigs #liveshows #uk #livegigs #fundraising #charity #nonprofit #dogood #donate #socialgood #causes #fundraiser #support #community #lovemusic #onstage #musicfestival #musiclovers

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Entry to these gigs will be conducted by prize draw, which launches next Monday (August 3) and will be run in partnership with Crowdfunder. A minimum £5 donation to the campaign will result in entry into the prize draw, while fans who are successful in the draw will then win entry to the show of their choice for themselves and a guest.

80% of all the money raised will go to the Music Venue Trust, which will distribute half of that amount to the host venue and the remainder to their Crisis Fund, which is benefiting all UK venues in need of financial support.

The remaining 20% of the profits will go to Inner City Music, the charitable organisation that operates Band On The Wall.

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Last week, it was confirmed that the first portion of the government’s £1.57 billion fund to protect the UK’s arts and cultural industries will be used to save grassroots music venues from closing their doors.

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