The State of Grassroot Venues in 2025

Grass RootsEditoralLive Music
Written By Louis Hitchcock

Disclaimer

Okay before we start, this is a very different article to our normal content here on Feats. - This has been the result of weeks of research & talking to industry experts - We have tried to be as politically neutral as possible and as such have tried not to directly name any singular politician or political organisation. This piece is much more of an editorial opinion piece - but we hope that it helps to highlight the challenges faced by Grass Roots venue & their importance within British Culture! We’ve provided as many references to the statistics and quotes that’ve used with citations at the end, but please feel free to let us know anything that we’ve missed! 

Introduction

It’s 2025, and on any given night in Britain you might wander into a backroom pub or tiny club and catch the next big thing – if that venue is still open. Our grassroots music venues – those small, beloved stages where countless artists play their first gigs – are facing an unprecedented crisis. After surviving the pandemic shutdowns and a cost-of-living crunch, many are now hanging on by a thread. In this article, we’ll chat about what’s really going on with grassroots venues across the UK in 2025: the challenges they’re up against, why they matter so much culturally, and how this summer’s festival lineups prove their importance. We’ll keep it warm and conversational, but we won’t shy away from the stark facts and figures that tell the story.

A Perfect Storm of Challenges

Running a grassroots venue has never been a goldmine, but right now it’s as tough as it’s ever been. These are typically independent, 200-300 capacity rooms – think your local pub’s upstairs gig space or a small arts centre – and they’re getting squeezed from all sides. The numbers paint a grim picture of the post-Covid reality for live music spaces:

  • Razor-thin margins (or worse): In 2024, grassroots venues contributed over half a billion pounds to the UK economy, yet they operated on an average profit margin of under 0.5%. In fact, over 40% of venues ended last year in the red (losing money). It only takes a small hike in costs or dip in attendance to push these places from break-even into crisis. Many venues are reporting 30% higher operating costs (energy bills, rent, supplier prices) compared to a few years ago (STV News), all while punters facing their own cost-of-living struggles buy fewer pints and gig tickets. No surprise that nearly one in two grassroots venues operated at a loss in 2023 (Arts Professional) – a sobering statistic that lays bare how precarious the finances are.

  • Post-pandemic fallout: The pandemic was an existential threat to live music, and while emergency grants (like the Cultural Recovery Fund) and community fundraisers kept many venues afloat through 2020-21, the aftermath has been brutal. The toll since COVID is stark – as soon as government support faded, venues started shutting at an alarming rate. 2023 was the worst year on record: the UK lost 125 grassroots venues in that year alone. That’s roughly two venues closing every week, a devastating blow to the music ecosystem. About half of those 125 were permanent closures and the other half were venues forced to stop hosting live music entirely (some became just bars or restaurants to survive). Even in 2024 the closures continued: the Music Venue Trust (MVT) noted 25 more grassroots venues shut their doors in 2024 – roughly one closure every fortnight . This slow bleed-out means that out of roughly 960 venues that existed pre-pandemic, only about 810 were still operating by the start of 2025. In other words, we’ve seen around 15% of our grassroots circuit wiped out in a short span. Each closure isn’t just a statistic – it’s jobs lost, artists’ opportunities lost, and a community losing a cultural hub. In fact, MVT calculated that the loss of those 125 venues translated to 4,000 jobs gone, 14,000 fewer events, and nearly 193,000 performance opportunities lost for musicians (MVT writes open letter to government following closure surge). It’s hard to overstate the impact of that kind of shrinkage on the music scene.

  • Venues “under threat”: Those that made it this far aren’t in the clear by any means. As of 2025, hundreds of grassroots venues are teetering on the brink of closure. MVT’s emergency hotline was contacted by about 200 venues last year – nearly a quarter of all the UK’s remaining venues – because they were facing some kind of existential crisis (Arts Professional). And looking ahead, things could get worse without intervention. The MVT has warned that over 350 grassroots venues are now at immediate risk of closure in the coming months (The Quietus). To put that in perspective, 350 venues is almost 40% of the entire grassroots network. If those were to go under, it would mean the loss of another 12,000 jobs and over 75,000 live events across the country. That scenario really would spell disaster – a “complete collapse of live music” at the community level, as MVT bluntly put it.

So what’s driving this perfect storm? It’s a combination of factors. Skyrocketing costs (everything from electricity to beer) and stagnant or shrinking income (fewer tickets sold, punters spending less) form the crux of the problem. Many venues are still digging out of debts from the Covid closure period. Audience habits have shifted since Covid too – plenty of gig-goers got comfortable staying in streaming Netflix during lockdowns, and some have been slower to return to their old gig-attending frequency (Moles, Bath: Inside tiny venue where Oasis and Ed Sheeran started). When people do go out, they often opt for the big “sure thing” arena show once in a while, rather than random weeknight gigs, which makes it harder for little venues to fill up on a Tuesday night. Artist touring patterns have changed as well: rising costs mean bands do fewer dates. In 2024, the average UK tour hit only 11 cities, down from 22 cities back in the 90s (Arts Professional). Entire towns have dropped off the touring map, which leaves local venues with empty nights that once would have been filled by up-and-coming bands passing through.

And then there’s the policy environment – which at times feels like one step forward, two steps back for grassroots venues. On one hand, the UK government and industry have been talking a good game about saving venues. There’s broad agreement that these places are vital and need support. But action hasn’t quite matched the rhetoric yet. A major flashpoint is financial relief and funding: during Covid, venues benefitted from a 100% business rates holiday and later a 75% relief on property taxes, plus specific grants. Those lifelines are now either gone or being pulled back. In April 2025, the government is reducing the business rates relief for grassroots venues from 75% down to 50% (in fact, some venues say it’s effectively dropping to just 40% relief). For venue operators, that’s a huge additional tax bill landing on their mat. How huge? MVT calculates it will mean around £7 million in extra taxes demanded from this fragile sector. Collectively, all the grassroots venues in the UK only managed to make about £2.9 million in gross profit in 2023 – so asking them to pay £7m more in tax is, frankly, absurd. It just doesn’t add up; you can’t bleed a stone. MVT has bluntly said this policy move puts those 350+ venues in immediate peril and could trigger mass closures if nothing is done (The Quietus).

There’s also the challenge of development and noise complaints – the classic story of a new block of flats going up next to a long-standing music club and suddenly the venue faces noise abatement notices or eviction. That threat hasn’t gone away either, although campaigns like Agent of Change and local activism have helped in some cases to protect venues from unfair shutdowns.

In short, as we kick off 2025 the situation is pretty dire: many grassroots venues are operating on wafer-thin margins or losses, still clawing their way back from the pandemic, hit by soaring costs and changing audience behavior, and now facing cuts to government support that could be the final straw. It’s a bit grim, honestly – but it’s not all doom and gloom, and it’s certainly not a lost cause. There are bright spots of hope and a growing movement to save these venues (more on that later). Before we get to the hopeful bits, let’s remind ourselves why these little venues matter so much in the first place.

Cultural Importance: Little Venues, Big Impact

Why fight so hard to save a scruffy 200-capacity club or the back-room of a pub? Because those humble stages are the beating heart of Britain’s music culture. Grassroots music venues aren’t just buildings; they’re the incubators of talent, the places where tomorrow’s superstars are born (often literally on stage, guitar in hand, figuring it out gig by gig). They are also community hubs that bring people together for shared live music experiences that can be life-changing – whether it’s seeing your favourite band up close or discovering a new artist that blows you away.

These venues have an outsized cultural impact relative to their size. As the Music Venue Trust often says, you don’t get Coldplay selling out Wembley or Adele headlining BST Hyde Park without the small venues that gave them a platform early on. Or to put it more bluntly: “Without places like Moles in Bath, we wouldn't have today's festival and arena headliners,” (Moles, Bath: Inside tiny venue where Oasis and Ed Sheeran started) as a recent Venue Watch campaign noted. That isn’t hyperbole – it’s the truth. Moles is a tiny cellar club in Bath, and over the years it hosted early gigs by The Smiths, Oasis, Radiohead, Blur, Pulp, The Cure, Ed Sheeran, and many more before they hit the big time. If you’re a fan of any major UK artist, chances are they cut their teeth in a grassroots venue somewhere: from Sam Fender honing his craft in North Shields pubs to Wet Leg playing 200-cap rooms on their first tour – these small stages were there at the beginning.

In fact, many industry folks call grassroots venues the “lifeblood” of the music scene (The Guardian). They allow artists to develop their music and performance skills, to build an audience, and even to fail and learn in a low-stakes environment. Think about it: a band playing to 30 people in a local club can experiment, improvise, and grow in a way they simply can’t once they’re in a stadium with a massive crew and high expectations. Those early experiences forge the artists that eventually top the charts and sell out arenas. As one grassroots promoter in Glasgow put it: “We don’t get to see bigger artists go on to great success unless they start off in small grassroots venues. We provide [the industry] with the artists who eventually go on to perform in stadiums.” (STV News). It all starts on the small stage.

Beyond superstar talent development, these venues are culturally important because they keep the music ecosystem diverse and vibrant. Not every artist will become a global star – and that’s okay! Grassroots venues are where niche genres live, where local bands can have a career entertaining their community, where scenes are born. They’re the fabric of local culture: each venue often has its own character and history, from the 100 Club in London (which hosted punk’s birth) to King Tut’s in Glasgow (where Oasis got discovered) to the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds (home to countless indie triumphs). They foster a sense of local pride and identity.

There’s also a social factor: these venues are places where young people often get their first taste of live music. An all-ages matinee gig at the local arts centre might inspire the next generation of musicians or at least create memories that last a lifetime. The importance goes even further – venues contribute to the local economy and nightlife, they keep town centres from going silent, and they often engage in community programs (like youth music workshops, open mic nights, charity fundraisers, etc.). When a grassroots venue closes, it’s not just the music industry that loses out – the whole community feels the loss of energy and opportunity.

Crucially, grassroots venues have a unique democratic spirit in music. You don’t need a major label or a million-pound stage production to play the Dog & Duck pub’s weekly jam night – you just need some songs and the courage to get up and perform. These spaces keep music accessible and ground-up. They’re a training ground not only for artists, but for music crews, sound engineers, promoters, and other talent behind the scenes. They keep the pipeline of skills and creativity flowing. Without them, the music scene would become very top-heavy and stagnant, dominated only by established acts playing safe bets. Every big artist you love was once a scrappy unknown act, and it was a grassroots venue that gave them a stage and an audience.

To really drive this point home, consider the 2025 festival season that’s on the horizon.

From Small Stages to Festival Main Stages (The 2025 Festival Connection)

With summer 2025 coming, music fans are eagerly eyeing the line-ups of major festivals like Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Latitude, and Truck Festival. These are huge events – Glastonbury is a global pilgrimage for music lovers, Reading & Leeds draw massive young crowds, Latitude blends music and arts, and Truck is a beloved smaller indie festival. On the surface, these festivals are all about the big names – the headliners and chart-toppers who attract thousands of ticket buyers. But here’s the thing: nearly every one of those big-name artists started out on a little stage in a grassroots venue.

It’s almost become a mantra: “It started here.” For so many bands and singers on those festival posters, “here” was the local gig venue circuit. Take Glastonbury’s lineup, for example. Recently, an edited version of the Glasto poster did the rounds, with every artist who began their career in grassroots venues removed – hardly any names were left standing on the bill! The poster was practically empty. That tongue-in-cheek exercise (shared by venue activists) underscores a serious point: if you subtract the grassroots element from our music industry, your festival headliners roster would be a lot thinner (Our Grassroots Music Venues Are Dying. Do We Care?). Today’s Pyramid Stage headliners were yesterday’s pub gig openers.

Just look at some UK artists dominating festival bills: Arctic Monkeys, who in recent years headlined Reading/Leeds and Glastonbury, famously built their early fanbase in Sheffield’s pubs and clubs (they played their first gigs at The Grapes, a tiny pub venue). Florence + The Machine, a past Glasto headliner, was cutting her teeth in South London venues like The Windmill in Brixton back in the day. The 1975, set to top festival bills (including a rumoured Glasto slot), started off playing at Manchester’s Night & Day Café and pubs around the North West. Wolf Alice, a major draw at festivals like Latitude, spent years touring the grassroots circuit across the UK before hitting the mainstream – they even won the Mercury Prize, but not before doing van tours to places like The Joiners in Southampton and King Tut’s in Glasgow. And it’s not just the headliners: scroll down the festival lineup posters to the smaller font bands – those are very often the bands you can catch this week at your local venue. Festivals rely on the talent pipeline, and that pipeline runs through grassroots stages.

Even the international superstars often had their formative gigging experiences in small venues. Adele played tiny London clubs like the 12 Bar in Soho before she was “ADELE”. Ed Sheeran spent years toting his acoustic guitar through UK grassroots venues (yes, including the legendary Moles in Bath) long before “Shape of You” dominated the charts (Moles, Bath: Inside tiny venue where Oasis and Ed Sheeran started). When you’re singing along with tens of thousands of people at a festival set, you’re witnessing the end result of a journey that likely began in a room of maybe 100 people. It’s quite romantic when you think of it – and it’s the unique magic of the live music ecosystem.

For the 2025 festival season, this connection is more relevant than ever. Many of the artists booked for big festivals this year had their start in 2015-2018 playing grassroots venues, only to break through recently. Sam Fender, who’s now a festival headliner, could be found playing to 50 people on Tyneside a few years ago. Lewis Capaldi (if his health allows him back on stage) started out at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. Raye, who is on a meteoric rise and set to play major stages, used open-mic nights and small gigs around London to build her craft. Loyle Carner, a headliner for Latitude 2025, honed his intimate rap shows in small clubs. The examples are endless.

What’s worth highlighting too is that small festivals like Truck, Y Not, or The Great Escape often showcase the “next big things” who are fresh out of the grassroots circuit. Those festivals thrive on booking tomorrow’s stars today – but if grassroots venues disappear, where will those tomorrow’s stars come from? It’s all connected. The health of the festival scene in the UK – something we’re rightly proud of – is directly tied to the health of the grassroots venue scene. If one withers, the other will suffer in a few years’ time. You can’t have a flourishing festival circuit with no new artists coming up to fill it.

So when we see a triumphant festival set, we should also be giving a nod of thanks to the tiny venues that helped that artist get to this point. If we lose those venues, our festival lineups in, say, 2028 or 2030 might be missing a lot of familiar names – because those acts might never develop in the first place. To quote one venue manager, looking at the list of big artists that came through his little club: “It’s almost like a list of who’s who of big headliners... They all definitely started at the grassroots.” (Moles, Bath: Inside tiny venue where Oasis and Ed Sheeran started). That sums it up perfectly.

Glimmers of Hope and Calls to Action

Reading all this, you’d be forgiven for feeling a bit depressed about the state of things. Yes, the challenges facing grassroots venues in 2025 are very serious. But it’s not a hopeless situation – not by a long shot. In fact, there’s a growing recognition (from music fans, artists, and even politicians) that something must be done to save these venues. The good news is we’re seeing some positive initiatives and signs of progress amid the crisis:

  • Music Venue Trust & community action: The Music Venue Trust has been at the forefront of fighting for grassroots venues. They launched the #SaveOurVenues campaign during Covid and raised substantial funds to stave off immediate closures. More recently, they’ve implemented creative solutions like the Music Venue Properties (Own Our Venues) scheme, which actually buys the freehold of venue properties to bring them into more secure ownership. Since launching in 2023, this scheme has already purchased five grassroots venues to save them from developers and high rents (Arts Professional) – and they aim to buy many more, essentially creating a national network of venues owned by the music community for the long term. That’s real, tangible action. MVT also provides an emergency support service (kind of a rapid response unit) that has had success in helping venues deal with crises like noise complaints or legal issues (they boasted a 97% success rate in fighting off unfair closure threats last year!). The music community at large – from local gig-goers to famous artists – is rallying. We’ve seen big artists like Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and others donate money, do benefit shows, or speak up on the issue of saving small venues. There’s a sense that everyone from the grassroots up to the superstars understands we’re all in the same boat. Mark Davyd, the CEO of MVT, said recently that a broad consensus has formed “among politicians, industry, artists and the public” that grassroots venues must be protected and nurtured (Four in 10 grassroots music venues operating at a loss - Arts Professional). That consensus is powerful, and now we need to turn it into concrete support.

  • Policy moves and funding (the good, the bad, and the promising): The UK Government, to its credit, has at least acknowledged the problem and started to float some ideas. A parliamentary Select Committee on Culture recently published a list of recommendations specifically to bolster grassroots music. One idea gaining traction is a ticket levy on big concerts: essentially adding £1 to tickets for arena and stadium shows, with that money going into a fund for grassroots venues. The rationale is that the arena circuit is booming (2023 was the biggest year ever for live music revenue – big tours by the likes of Elton John and Taylor Swift grossed hundreds of millions) while the small venues are struggling; so why not have the giants help the little guys? This idea was endorsed by the committee and, notably, even the Government has signalled support for it. In fact, as of late 2024 the Arts Minister (at the time, Labour MP Chris Bryant) set out a timeframe to implement a nationwide ticket levy scheme (Four in 10 grassroots music venues operating at a loss - Arts Professional) – likely making it a voluntary industry-led fund at first, with a possibility of making it mandatory if the industry doesn’t step up. If and when this levy becomes reality, it could funnel several million pounds a year into keeping grassroots venues alive. That would be a game-changer. There are precedents (Football’s pyramid funding, for instance), and the hope is that by Glastonbury 2026 we’ll see the benefits of this “talent pipeline fund” in action.

On the flip side, some recent government decisions have caused frustration – notably the cut to business rate relief we discussed, which venue advocates see as pulling the rug out from under venues at precisely the wrong time. MVT has been vocally critical of the Treasury for this move, calling on them to immediately restore the 75% relief or provide a special £7m emergency fund to cover the gap. They’ve even suggested that if the government won’t budge, venues might have to implement their own temporary surcharge (like adding 50p to each ticket) to survive (The Quietus) – though nobody really wants to make gig-goers pay more if it can be helped. As of early 2025, the outcome here is uncertain. We might see a U-turn or additional support in the next Budget if enough MPs realise what’s at stake. Some local councils and Arts Council England have also stepped in with grants (for example, Arts Council’s Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund has given small grants to venues for upgrades and resilience). It’s nowhere near the scale of the problem, but every little helps.

The bottom line on policy: there is momentum building to address the crisis, but time is of the essence. MVT’s Mark Davyd summed it up well: “In 2025, we have to see [the] consensus bring forward positive, practical interventions in the real world… It isn’t good enough to keep saying how much we all value [these venues], we’ve got to do something about it. We need action, not words.” (Four in 10 grassroots music venues operating at a loss - Arts Professional). That sentiment really hits home – talk alone won’t pay the electric bill or stop a venue from closing; action will.

  • Community support and awareness: Perhaps one silver lining of this crisis is that it’s raised public awareness about how fragile our music infrastructure is. There’s been a surge of media coverage (you’re reading an article about it right now!), and campaigns like #SaveThe30 (highlighting the specific venues at high risk) have mobilised music fans. Some venues have been saved at the eleventh hour by community buyouts or crowdfunding. For example, when Southampton’s Joiners Arms was under threat, music lovers around the world (including famous alumni artists) helped raise money to keep it going. We’re seeing more of that direct support. At the end of the day, the most direct way to help is also the most fun: go to a gig! The best thing we as music fans can do is support our local venues by showing up, buying a ticket (and maybe a T-shirt or a round of drinks while you’re there). It sounds almost too simple, but filling venues with people is exactly what will keep them alive. If there’s a band playing at your nearest club, consider going even if you don’t know the name – you might discover your new favourite artist, and you’ll definitely be contributing to the survival of that venue.

Another way to help is to support the Music Venue Trust or similar initiatives. MVT runs a Grassroots Booster fund and the new Own Our Venues crowdfunding; donations big or small go directly towards sustaining venues. They also often ask the public to write to MPs or local councils about specific threats – adding our voices can influence decision-makers to back off from harmful policies or to enact supportive ones. If you’re an artist, consider playing a benefit gig or even just shouting out the venues that gave you a start. If you’re a gig-goer, spread the word – bring friends to shows, share posts about venue campaigns on social media, and celebrate the grassroots scene whenever you can.

Finally, there’s strength in numbers and unity. The UK’s live music industry – from the biggest promoters to the smallest DIY venues – is starting to band together to find solutions. The fact that festivals, big arenas, and even record labels are now openly talking about helping grassroots venues is a positive shift. It means we might see more collaborative efforts (like a big artist “adopting” a venue, or record companies investing in the live circuit that their artists depend on). There’s a sense that saving grassroots venues is not just a niche concern; it’s in the national interest for culture and for business. The music sector contributes billions to the economy and is a huge part of Britain’s global identity – but without the grassroots, that success isn’t sustainable long-term.

Conclusion: Keeping the Music Alive on Every Stage

As we stand in 2025, the state of grassroots venues in the UK is at a critical juncture. The challenges are real and severe – we won’t sugarcoat that. Venues are closing under financial strain, and many more are on the brink. But there’s also a growing recognition of their importance and a will to fight for them. These little venues have given us so much: they’ve birthed the artists who become the soundtrack to our lives, they’ve entertained us on countless unforgettable nights, and they continue to be the places where musical magic happens at the most intimate level. They are, in a very tangible way, where the future of music is being written – one sweaty gig at a time.

The state of grassroots venues in 2025 is a story of both crisis and community. It’s a story of an underdog sector that is struggling, yet fiercely loved by those who know its value. And it’s a story that isn’t finished – the next chapter can still be a comeback. To ensure that, we all have a part to play in supporting these venues. Maybe that means lobbying for better policies, or donating to saving campaigns, or just turning up more often to clap and cheer and buy a ticket. Every bit of support counts.

If we succeed, years from now we’ll be able to look at the festival headliners of 2030 and say, “Wow, I remember when I saw them in that little club down the road.” If we fail, we risk a future where emerging artists have nowhere to start, and our rich musical heritage withers at the roots. I don’t know about you, but that latter option is not one I’m comfortable with.

The British music scene has always been built from the ground up – from the Dave Grohl quote goes, “you start a band in your garage, and before you know it you’re headlining Glastonbury” – well, that garage band needs a first gig in a grassroots venue to set them on their way. Let’s make sure those first gig spaces are still around for all the great talent to come.

So here’s an invitation: go out and support your local venue. Have a night out, discover some new music, and be a part of the effort to keep this essential piece of our culture alive. The folks running these venues are doing it for the love of the music, and with a little help from all of us, they’ll keep the lights on and the amps humming. It’s a tough fight, but it’s one worth fighting – because when a grassroots venue thrives, music itself thrives. And we all benefit from that, whether we’re in the front row of a tiny club or the back field of a massive festival.

In the warm spirit of the Feats.Live community, let’s band together (pun intended) and ensure that our grassroots venues not only survive in 2025 but start to thrive again. The show must go on – and with our support, it will.

Sources:

Louis Hitchcock https://louishitchcock.photos/
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