Enter Shikari announce arena tour in support of MVT
Enter Shikari have announced a 2024 UK arena tour, with a portion of ticket sales going towards Music Venue Trust (MVT).
The Hertfordshire-hailing band will embark on the seven-date outing early next year, in support of their new album A Kiss for the Whole World.
For every ticket sold, the band will donate £1 to grassroots music venues via the charity’s Pipeline Investment Fund.
“Music Venue Trust believes that it is the responsibility of the whole music ecosystem – artists, agents, managers, promoters, arenas and stadiums – to ensure that new and developing artists have a place to play in their local community,” says MVT CEO Mark Davyd.
“MVT believes that it is the responsibility of the whole music ecosystem to ensure that new and developing artists have a place to play in their local community”
“Every musician needs a place where they can play the first song they wrote themselves in front of their first audience on their first stage. The way to make sure the UK continues to be a major force for music around the world is to ensure that every time anyone invests in a ticket to a major event, a small part of the money they are spending is making its way back to the grassroots music venues where every artist begins their career. It comes as no surprise to us that Enter Shikari have become the first major arena headlining artist to strike out and make this happen; throughout the life of the charity, Rou, Chris, Rob, and Rory have been right at the forefront of the campaign to protect, secure and improve the UK’s grassroots music venues.”
Enter Shikari lead singer and producer Rou Reynolds, who is also a patron of Music Venue Trust comments: “Grassroots music venues in the UK are under existential threat. Every time we lose another one we lose a vital part of our culture. Bigger venues that benefit from the productive pipeline that grassroots venues provide need to support these smaller venues, as do the artists that have come up through them. Enter Shikari stands with Music Venue Trust in their efforts to bring more solidity and community to our brilliant UK live music scene”.
Davyd adds: “Every ticket you buy to see Shikari’s arena tour will contribute to keeping local community music venues alive and thriving. This is our challenge to the rest of the music ecosystem: Don’t sit around waiting for other people to do it. Enter Shikari have taken a lead, everyone in the music ecosystem can follow. If they can make it work, so can you, join us; be part of creating a positive future for the UK’s live music industry.”
Enter Shikari’s 2024 UK arena tour dates are as follows:
Fri 09 Feb – First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK
Sat 10 Feb – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, UK
Mon 12 Feb – O2 Academy, Edinburgh, UK
Wed 14 Feb – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, UK
Thu 15 Feb – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, UK
Fri 16 Feb – International Arena, Cardiff, UK
Sat 17 Feb – OVO Arena Wembley, London, UK
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MVT launches advisory books for grassroots venues
At an event at City Hall in London last night (15 July), Music Venue Trust (MVT) launched two new books which offer practical advice to the grassroots venues sector.
The illustrated, open-source books, commissioned by MVT and produced by writer David Pollock and photographer Jannica Honey, aim to draw on the association’s work over the past five years to offer assistance to those wishing to open a new venue (How to Open a Grassroots Music Venue) and those already running one (How to Run a Grassroots Music Venue).
According to Mark Davyd, CEO of the UK charity – founded in 2014 to protect, secure and improve grassroots music venues – each book contains 15 chapters of information covering topics including licensing, company structure, what facilities need to be provided, and ideas for diversifying what venues offer, as well as interviews with venue managers and case studies.
A guidance section at the back of the books is complemented by cross-referencing with online resources on the MVT website (musicvenuetrust.com/resources), which will be updated regularly.
“We want these books to inspire people to join us and open their own venues”
As well as a limited print run, both books are available as downloadable PDFs from both MVT’s and the Mayor of London’s websites.
“When I was 17, I put on my first gig, and over the next ten years I met lots of other like-minded people who wanted to do the same,” explains Davyd. “Eventually, after five years of trying, we got together and opened our own venue. Nobody ever gave us advice, and we must have made every mistake possible. Most people I know in the grassroots music sector have a similar story, which is why we wanted to publish these guides.
“We want these books to inspire people to join us and open their own venues, and the message is simple: you can build a stage the band doesn’t fall through, you can get a licence that doesn’t prevent you from opening on a Wednesday, and you can avoid having to rebuild the venue from scratch, only this time with enough doors.”
Andrew Parsons, managing director of Ticketmaster UK, says: “Developing the next generation of talent is hugely important to us; grassroots music venues are an essential part of an artist’s career and a vital cog in the music industry machine. We have worked with MVT since 2015 and know the struggles that these venues face. These guides are another important step to keep music playing in grassroots venues across the UK.”
Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds, an MVT patron (pictured speaking at the launch), adds: “Grassroots music venues are vital spaces for musicians, music fans and communities in general. It’s been a tough time for venues up and down the country over the past few years and there’s been no government support.
“It’s great that MVT has launched these new books, sharing the knowledge and experience of those who run the venues that are surviving and shining a spotlight on the touring circuit.
“I think it could help encourage the opening of new venues and support networks.”
Music Venue Trust says it’s looking into the possibility of further development of these guides. Anyone interested in being involved should email [email protected].
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