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Throughout its impressive history, the venue has seen world-class acts take to the stage, such as The Beatles, Paul Weller, New Order, Little Richard, as well as illusionist and stunt performer Harry Houdini. More recently, the Liverpool Olympia has welcomed the likes of Teddy Swims, The Gossip, Jamie Webster, Elvis Costello and Manic Street Preachers.

In celebration of the special event, the venue have announced a birthday show with a headlining performance from British multi-platinum-selling band Embrace. This will feature several support acts, including britpop stars The Bluetones and The Real People. Liverpool band RATS will also make an appearance, an enthusiastic nod to the community’s vibrant contemporary music scene. 

Known for hits like ‘Gravity’ and ‘Ashes’ from double platinum-certified album ‘Out of Nothing’ (2004), Embrace are poised to deliver an unforgettable performance. After their remarkable show at Leeds’ Kirkstall Abbey, where they played for a crowd of 6,000, fans of the indie rock group can look forward to an incredible night of live music – marking their first appearance at the venue since 2016. 

Meanwhile, The Bluetones are famed for their 1995 debut release ‘Are You Blue or Are You Blind?’, which made its way into the Top 40. The single served as a springboard for their number-one UK album, ‘Expecting to Fly’, and launched a career that includes 14 hit singles and six albums.  

The Real People are set to perform at the venue for the first time. These Liverpool icons played a key role in Oasis’ meteoric rise to fame during the 1990s. 

Finally, the last of the support acts showcase up-and-coming Scouse band RATS – with raw energy, swagger, and charisma, they will be sure to kick off the birthday show with a bang. So far, the band have amassed over a million monthly Spotify listeners and have teased the imminent release of their debut album. 

In a statement following the birthday show announcement, owner of the Liverpool Olympia, Chris Zorba, said: “I am proud to take this iconic venue into its 120th year and celebrate its magnificent history. We will celebrate the year from April 24 with an eclectic mix of outstanding music, comedy and sporting events befitting to the Olympia’s rich history.”  

A Grade II-listed building, the Liverpool Olympia has been a functioning music venue since 1905, owing its grand design to acclaimed architect Frank Matcham. Maintaining its status as an independent space, the venue has been owned by the Zorba family since the 1990s who have ensured the preservation of its original features. In more recent years, the Olympia has received a new breath of life – the updated seating in the lower balcony, a revamped stage, and improved backstage facilities have demonstrated the city’s continuous celebration of its musical history. 

The highly-anticipated anniversary show will pay tribute to the venue’s cultural heritage and the iconic acts that have passed through its doors.

Tickets for the Liverpool Olympia birthday show are available now.

Music Venue Trust is a UK Registered Charity which acts to protect, secure and improve UK Grassroots Music Venues for the benefit of venues, communities and upcoming artists. Their ‘Own Our Venues’ scheme aims to secure the long-term futures of such venues by directly tackling the issue of ownership.

The first venue purchased by Music Venue Properties, the independent Charitable Community Benefit Society, created by Music Venue Trust is The Snug, a 100 person capacity venue in Atherton, Greater Manchester. The official launch of The Snug took place in the morning of October 4th, and included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.

Music Venue Properties announce first venue purchase with shares bought by the live music community! @SnugAtherton has become the first acquisition under #OwnOurVenues scheme!

Official Launch Event held today at The Snug to Celebrate new ownership +unveil a commemorative plaque! pic.twitter.com/HmDamLlrRl

— Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust) October 4, 2023

The event was attended by many of those who had a direct impact in bringing this initiative to life, including Mark Davyd, CEO and Founder of Music Venue Trust, The Snug’s owner/operator Rachael Flaszczak, John Whittingdale, Minister for Creative Industries, Claire Mera-Nelson Director of Music for Arts Council England, Rhoda Dakar & Chris Prosser of the Music Venue Properties Board. Local musicians were also in attendance – Ivor Novello winner Jamie Lawson and 16 year old Jennifer King who is a shareholder in MVP.

The venue’s current operators have signed a ‘cultural lease’, which is an innovative agreement specifically created by MVP to guarantee that, as long as The Snug operates as a space for grassroots live music for their local community, they can enjoy the use of the building.

When commenting on the subject of the recent acquisition, Managing Director of The Snug Rachael Flaszczak said “The Snug being purchased by Music Venue Properties means everything to me, my team and our community, as it allows us to continue to provide this very important space to up & coming artists for many years to come.

We now feel secure and confident to plan ahead knowing the venue is in safe hands with people that have a shared vision of the future of new music. To be the first of many serves as a light of hope that the preservation of Grassroots Music Venues can be done when people pull together to make things happen, and The Snug can keep showcasing the cultural life within our community.”

Riding the high of the scheme’s first purchase, The Snug will no doubt pave the way in the security of many UK Grassroots music venues.

The North Hertfordshire venue hosted iconic British artists during its run, including Glen Matlock of Sex Pistols and Neville Staple of The Specials. Club 85’s landlord and owner, Jas Lidder, told Hitchin Nub News, “It wasn’t an easy decision.”

The venue has served the Hitchin community for 60 years, with Lidder going on to further explain the difficult decision in his statement for Hitchin Nub News. Lidder wrote, “The most important thing in life is your health and mental wellness. Therefore, it’s time for both [Jas & Ranjit Lidder] to enjoy their life after working 70+ hours per week for multiple years.”

Lidder continued, “We can assure you that every option was explored and evaluated, but we’ve decided the best choice was to develop the site. The decision wasn’t easy for both after all the hard work that the family has put into Club 85 since 1985 and the sacrifices to make it the best community hub in the area.”

This news comes shortly after NME reported that the UK is set to lose 10% of its grassroots music venues in 2023. 67 venues have already closed this year, with a further 90 currently working with MVT’s Emergency Response. It is predicted that half of these will be closed, marking a 10% loss in venues this year alone.

Club 85’s Lidder pointed towards a potential new grassroots venue project in the works for his colleague Bob Mardon however, writing, “We’d like to additionally pass our thanks on to [manager] Bob Mardon for the last 20 years, his hard work and dedication have led to Club 85 being the best live music venue in the area. We will both support Bob in developing a new grassroots venue.”

Lidder also thanked Club 85’s patrons, saying, “Lastly, we’d like to thank all the great people who have come through the doors over the last 38 years and becoming a part of the Club 85 family.”

The news has been met with negative feedback, with one Twitter user writing, “It’s ridiculous to tear it down to make a handful of flats.”

BOO! Club 85 offers great opportunities for live music and comedy. It’s ridiculous to tear it down to make a handful of flats #Hitchin #Club85 https://t.co/x43d30j270

— Phoenix Phil Morley (@PhoenixPhilM) September 19, 2023

Another called the news “pretty devastating.”  

The last time I played Club 85, I was much smaller.

Hitchin’s lucky to have a full-time music venue with so much love & history behind it. Club 85’s a cultural asset that gives so much to the community. So the news of the proposal to replace it with flats is pretty devastating. pic.twitter.com/tj3o30xyQj

— David Ephgrave (@David_Ephgrave) September 20, 2023

Hitchin councillor, Ian Albert, summed up the news by saying, “This is desperately sad news for the residents of Hitchin and music lovers far and wide.“

Yesterday we launched our new community radio station – Sister Midnight FM!

We’ve been working on this behind the scenes for a while, and we can’t wait to see how it shapes up with the input of our community!

Tune in at https://t.co/IL5517DMYb pic.twitter.com/65M0UC8nzP

— Sister Midnight (@sistermidnightt) August 4, 2023

The radio station officially launched last week and is an effort to build up the music community in the area. The announcement comes after further attempts to put music venues back into the hands of fans and away from private landlords that often are accused of raising prices thereby locking ordinary members of the community out.

Sister Midnight music venue has been the culmination of two years of campaigning for a community owned music base that finally found a home in Catford Town Centre. Owned by Lewisham Council, the building in question represented a serious investment for refurbishment to bring the premises up to standard for its intended use.

Sister Midnight was able to secure a ten year lease that will see the company not having to pay any rent to the council as long as they can front the money to renovate the abandoned building. Once completed, the collective have space for a 300 capacity live room, a private yard and studio space on the upper floors.

The collective boasts that the sky is the limit for the venue and have plans to feature high quality local talent. The project has gained support from notable personalities throughout the UK, including Goat Girl, Porridge Radio and Jools Holland who has even agreed to become a shareholder of the venue. As of August 2023, the building’s construction is set to get underway but Sister Midnight have gone ahead with their radio station which has thus far featured music segments from DJ Gilla, Laani and Shovel Dance Collective. The station will also host local community shows.

Listen back to my JAZZ RE:FEST 2023 Special on brand new @sistermidnightt community radio ‘LAANI on SMFM’ by Sister Midnight FM is on #SoundCloud https://t.co/c6hTC8cNSe — LAANI (@alanna_henry) August 7, 2023

Sister Midnight’s Lenny Watson, while discussing the station and its input into the local scene said, “Sister Midnight FM opens up a whole new world of possibilities for engaging and growing the Sister Midnight community-both in the present while we’re still working on opening our new music venue, and in the future once we’re up and running. We’re so excited to see how the station grows and to have a way for local people to get creatively involved with our work!”

“We’re so excited to see how the station grows and to have a way for local people to get creatively involved with our work…” – @sistermidnightthttps://t.co/CLMQyMo1bW

— DMY (@dmymag) August 3, 2023

Grassroots music gig spaces have been under threat and calls for government action have been urgently voiced in recent years. Many commentators fear that local musicians and artists will lack the means to form a viable career and the UK will lose out on numerous talent acquisition in future. The collective in Lewisham represent one, of what many will hope will be many, local organisations that will invest in music scenes for the community.

When it came to the unsuspension of the venue’s license, the venue voluntarily decided on extending their closure for another three months. It was considered that an extra few months to unmuddle the problems at stake, in order to ensure the safety that customers deserve, was necessary.

The O2 Brixton Academy has been around for almost a century. Providing a space in South London which has dedicated it’s services as a cinema, a discotheque and a concert hall. It’s a venue which many people have relied on and where artists hold their best memories.

Just a week ago the MET Police claimed to have “lost confidence” in the Academy and have started working towards the official closing down of the venue for good. No doubt this has caused an uproar amongst artists, music lovers and people within the industry.

Many of them have spoken up through social media, expressing their disappointment. The attempt to do this has lead the public to launch a petition on Change.org to bring a halt to the Metropolitan Police’s wishes. In only a matter of hours the petition had over 25.000 signatures and is now at 50.000. The highest signed petition in Change.Org’s history.

People know the crush was caused by people – pointing out that the venue should not take the hit by having to close down. It is a fixable problem. Some even brought up the fact that there have been more deaths at the MET police than the O2 itself. Which is something to think about.

Comments on the matter have surfaced on social media; Some included Tim Burgess comment on Twitter “Lost count of the amount of times we’ve played Brixton Academy – it’d would be a tragedy to lose such an iconic venue”.

Sister Bliss posted “Brixton Academy – @faithless have graced the stage there many times – and yet a terrible tragedy happened there only recently. But it is hugely short sighted to shut the venue permanently- generating jobs, local economy- bringing the best music to London! #SaveBrixtonAcademy”. 

The rock band Garbage also had their say with a simple “Save Brixton Academy #SaveBrixtonAcademy https://chng.it/RFzJKsZF via @UKChange”. 

An endless amount of support for the space has been apparent. It has proved it’s important stance within the industry’s members and how it cannot go unappreciated. Further information will be revealed in the next coming weeks.

Click here to sign the petition.

NME has stated, based on a recent press release, that the venue will also play host to a Banksy piece entitled “Christ With Shopping Bags” or “Consumer Jesus”, which was originally created in 2004 and released in 2005 and was limited to 82 signed prints.

Amazing Grace describes itself as “London’s newest and most exciting live music venue focusing on high quality emerging talent and established artists from across the city and globe.” The venue has launched a new website, alongside an Instagram page. Whilst most of their website is still in its infancy, they have stated: “Amazing Grace will play host to an eclectic mix of musicians and DJ’s showcasing many different genres and styles. The venue boasts a large main bar, dancefloor and a jaw dropping mezzanine overlooking the downstairs space.” In addition, Amazing Grace will feature a 3D-mapped wall at the back of the stage, which will allow for projections to appear behind the acts that are playing, promising visually stunning performances.

The venue has also announced that they are partnering with Mr Bao, a Peckham-based family run business specialising in Taiwanese food: “We’re delighted to have partnered with the ever-popular restauranteur Mr Bao, who will offer an incredible selection of Chinese street food to keep you nourished throughout your evening. Alongside this our bars will serve an array of top-quality craft beers including our very own in-house lager, an expansive cocktail list and more.”

In other news pertaining to UK music venues, grassroots venues are currently facing a debt of £90million due to long closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the pandemic, over 1,000 music venues, theatres and festivals were granted the first share of the UK government’s Cultural Recovery Fund, and in October of 2020, it was reported that there was an 89% success rate for English music venues that applied for the emergency lifeline fund. Given the worrying state that the pandemic threw the music industry into, the number of venues that we’re able to persevere and attain the funding they needed was both relieving and impressive. However, grassroots venues are now emerging from the pandemic with an average debt of between £80,000-£120,000 per venue. You can read more about this here.

On their website, the bar stated, ‘We’ve spent a year adapting our bar and venue to meet government guidelines due to this awful pandemic, but we can go no further on our own. We need to raise £150,000 by the end of March 2021, or we face the very real prospect of never reopening. We are independently owned and operated and are proud to have retained all our staff, because we’re a family. We are now reaching out to the extended Black Heart family for support as we launch our#savetheblackheart Crowdfunder. WE HAVE HAD ZERO HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT OR OUR LANDLORDS.’

To encourage fans and live music fanatics to help save their venue, The Black Heart have donated prizes which can be won dependent on the amount donated. If £10 is donated, you could win some Independent Artist Bundle wall art whereas £15 could get you a bundle from Ritual Productions (including multiple LP’s and t-shirts). Donate £20 and you could win a £100 tab at Beer and Burger and £200 bar tab for The Black Heart. Finally the winner of the £40 raffle donation will receive 2 tickets to the Bristol Craft Beer Festival and a bar tab at Moor Brewery. Each week, the epic prizes change, all of which are ‘donated by loads of local and international bands, as well as Old Empire, Brooklyn Brewery, tattoo artists, We Are Beer festival, Ritual Records, Orange Amps, Desertscene, Mikkeller and many more.’

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The iconic heavy music venue has hosted huge bands such as IDLES, The Bronx and Lightning Bolt. They have hosted multiple heavy festivals, including Camden Rocks, Desertfest and Incineration Fest. Incineration fest has been postponed from its original 2021 date and hopes to go ahead on the 7th May 2022.

 The Black Heart is just one of the many epic music venues that is facing serious trouble and is need of relying on music fanatics, gig-goers and the kindness of strangers to keep going. Musicians have got behind the #savetheblackheart hashtag, with Andrew O’Neill donating all his sales from his recent ‘History of Heavy Metal’ DVD and Book to the crowdfunder. The musician/comedian tweeted,  ‘ANOTHER VENUE UNDER THREAT! Until further notice all sales of my History of Heavy Metal DVD and book are going to go to the #savetheblackheart crowdfund campaign. Not gonna sit back and watch another essential venue disappear!’

ANOTHER VENUE UNDER THREAT! Until further notice all sales of my History of Heavy Metal DVD and book are going to go to the #savetheblackheart crowdfund campaign. Not gonna sit back and watch another essential venue disappear!https://t.co/dF6Je6CbIK

— Andrew O’Neill ☉ (@destructo9000) January 25, 2021

To donate to The Black Heart Crowdfunder and enter the prize raffles, click here.

After months of the devastating outbreak of COVID-19 that has caused damage to a plethora of musical events and business, the UK music scene is slowly returning to its glory days with the latest wonderful news from Newcastle. The city is about to see the emergence of new music venue that safeguards people from the horrific virus while granting them with a complete experience of how a great music festival should be.

The Virgin Money Unity Arena is the emerging music venue that promises an innovative experience for festival enthusiasts with a series of live music and other entertainment events, such as comedy and DJ sets. The audiences can also expect a one-way system, in which they are assigned to their party’s personal viewing platform to watch all performances while remaining socially distanced from other attendees.

What’s more exciting is the organising team has already prepared an exciting line-up with A-listed artists for the first launch of the venue, which will be announced on July 7. Ticket holders can also pre-order food and drinks and full toilet facilities.

According to Chronicle Live, Steve Davis, the SSD managing director, spoke of the new venue: “We can’t be without music during these times so our only thought has been how can we bring music back to the British public safely and responsibly.”

He continued, “We have been hosting loads of live sessions and DJ sets across our social media, supporting local artists and raising money for the NHS. Now, we’re taking it one step further as the UK slowly comes out of lockdown.”

“Working with our brand new partner Virgin Money has been exciting and we think even in these hard times the people of the North East will come out in their thousands to see the artists they love. Further announcements will be coming in the coming weeks, but we’re excited to say we already have several high-profile artists signed up.”

Ged Bell, Newcastle City Council Cabinet member for Employment and Culture, also weighed in regarding the launching of Virgin Money: “The city has a great reputation for hosting music and cultural events. While this pandemic has hit the sector particularly hard, the concert planned at the Racecourse is a brilliant innovation where people will be able to enjoy top bands in a safe, responsible and socially-distanced way. It is fantastic to see such a creative response to enable us to experience live performances once again.”

Newcastle, get ready for an arena like no other… @VirginMoney @zarawoodz @MetroUK https://t.co/krRUfl2Yr6

— Virgin Money Unity Arena (@VMUnityArena) July 6, 2020

The venue is set for wide-ranging events until the end of summer. It also launched an official website for information about the upcoming first festival as well as ticket purchase. Stay tuned for the line-up announcement and be prepared to rise up out of the lockdown very soon!

London will see a launch of new music venue Lafayette February next year. The venue is run by Ben Lovett, a member of Mumford & Sons, who also owned Omeara—a music venue in the area of London Bridge opened in 2016. Despite its short period of launching, Omeara has hosted numerous gigs for big-name artists like Anne-Marie and Jake Bugg.

On February 2020, Lovett will kick off his second venue Lafayett in the area of King’s Cross. The venue is located very near to Granary Square. Moreover, this upcoming 600-capacity music setting already announced its first promising shows during the opening month. Lafayette will host its very initial gig from HMLTD, emerging London glam rock band, on February 20. Among the names of performers include American alternative band X Ambassadors, British grime artist D Double E, and Oxfordshire singer Willie J Healey. What’s more exciting is the venue will hold a three-day residency from Robert Glasper, a producer and pianist from the US. Lafayette is part of the Goods Way space, a new marketplace that combines spots for live music with street food and bars.

Here are the already announced shows at Lafayette, starting from February 2020:
20/02/2020 – HMLTD
22/02/2020 – X Ambassadors
05/03/2020 – Blossoms
06/03/2020 – Robert Glasper
07/03/2020 – Robert Glasper
08/03/2020 – Robert Glasper
04/04/2020 – D Double E
08/04/2020 – Jonathan Wilson
11/04/2020 – Oliver Wride
21/04/2020 – Willie J Healey
06/05/2020 – Hollow Coves
12/05/2020 – Bad Sounds
16/05/2020 – OMG! It’s The Church
18/05/2020 – BENEE
22/05/2020 – Bedouin Soundclash
28/05/2020 – The Districts

Also, Blossoms is set to release their third LP Foolish Loving Spaces out January 31. The Stockport band already shared “Your Girlfriend” and “The Keeper” as first tastes from the upcoming album. Blossoms, furthermore, will go on their headlining tour in the UK in March and support The Killers’ Imploding the Mirage Tour next year. Check out their official site for more details.

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MARCH 2020 UK TOUR ON SALE ‪NOW‬! Our March 2020 UK tour dates includes our first ever headline show at @manchesterarena (‪Saturday 28th‬) and three nights at London @o2forumktown (17th – 19th). Support on all dates comes from @themagicgang, with @feverbanduk opening all shows ‪7th-17th March‬ and @thelathums all shows ‪18th-28th March‬. Tickets are on sale now from the link in our bio

โพสต์ที่แชร์โดย B L O S S O M S (@blossomsband) เมื่อ ต.ค. 11, 2019 เวลา 1:00am PDT