Fightback Lager seeking to partner with more venues
Fightback Lager – of which every pint sold goes towards protecting the UK’s grassroots venues – has announced it is looking to secure more venue and other industry partners.
Fightback Lager launched at December’s Fightback Manchester festival with a mission to support, protect and improve UK grassroots music venues. Music Venue Trust receives a donation from every pint sold of the lager, which is brewed in Manchester’s ShinDigger brewery.
The beer is now looking for more partner venues.
Fightback Lager is an official pouring partner of next month’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC), taking place from 5 to 8 March. Fightback Lager is also served in five venues participating in Fightback Bristol, a two-week festival celebrating Bristol’s vital grassroots music venues taking place until 18 February.
Fightback Bristol will see more than 100 events take place at over 14 local grassroots music venues, promoting Bristol’s emerging and existing musical talent and encouraging audiences to visit the city’s grassroots venues.
“These venues are the backbone of the live music scene in Bristol, providing spaces where artists can take their first steps, develop and grow,” says Gary Prosser, director of Fightback Brewing Company.
“Fightback Bristol provides an opportunity to showcase the fantastic range of artists and venues that Bristol enjoys, celebrating the history of our music scene and supporting its future.”
Venues can register their interest in Fightback Lager here.
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£100k for young female promoters with MVT’s FB: GP
Music Venue Trust (MVT) and media platform MusicPlanet Live have announced Fightback: Grassroots Promoter (FB: GP), a £100,000 funding scheme aimed at young women interested in making a career in live music.
FB: GP will make £100,000 in subsidy guarantees available to underwrite 100 Fightback-branded fundraising shows at grassroots music venues (GMVs) organised by young female concert promoters. The scheme, open to women under 25, will enable participants to take their first steps promoting shows without the financial risk.
“Under 25s who want to promote a show are often put off by the risk or the lack of information about who to speak to, how to get the best deal or what connections they need,” says MVT. “At the same time, grassroots music venues are crying out for new young promoters with fresh ideas. Add into that mix a lack of diversity in the music industry and it adds up to a series of barriers to young women taking up promoting and adding their unique voice and ideas to the grassroots scene.
“We are going to start the process of identifying the next wave of fantastic new independent promoters”
“MVT and MPL want to change all that with a specific initiative aimed at enabling 100 young female promoters to put on a show at their local Music Venues Alliance member grassroots music venue. FB: GP offers a no-risk financial entry point for young women to take their first step in promoting or develop their promoting skills.”
MVT will supply a toolkit and contacts that young women need to put on their show, alongside access to music industry experts for mentorship.
Beverley Whitrick of MVT says: “We want to make a big change to the independent promoter scene in the UK, enabling 100 young women to take a chance on promoting a show they believe in. With their support, we are not only going to raise money for Music Venue Trust, we are going to start the process of identifying the next wave of fantastic new independent promoters and tackle head-on diversity in this sector.
“There aren’t enough female promoters working in grassroots music venues, and we’re going to change that.
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