mxdwn.co.uk » Passport: Back To Our Roots https://www.mxdwn.co.uk all that matters in music in the UK Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:12:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1 Metronomy and Jamie xx Declare Fundraising Gigs For ‘Passport: Back To Our Roots’ Campaign https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/metronomy-and-jamie-xx-declare-fundraising-gigs-for-passport-back-to-our-roots-campaign/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/metronomy-and-jamie-xx-declare-fundraising-gigs-for-passport-back-to-our-roots-campaign/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2020 19:21:50 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=23022 Metronomy and Jamie xx are the latest artists confirmed to be taking part in ‘Passport: Back To Our Roots’. Created after the financial suckerpunch from Covid-19, fundraiser ‘Passport: Back To Our Roots’ has a serious agenda of raising money for the UK’s treasured Grassroots music venues. 

To help Grassroots teetering on the brink of closure amidst the coronavirus crisis, ‘Passport: Back To Our Roots’ will feature a selection of diverse artists who have promised to play one-off intimate gigs in independent music venues across the United Kingdom.

 The organisers of the ‘Passport’ fundraiser have confirmed today (September 10th) that Metronomy are set to perform in Brighton nightclub, Patterns, whilst Jamie xx will be playing at Corsica Studios, situated in Elephant and Castle in London.

Confirmed acts for the fundraising event include Everything Everything, The Slow Reader’s Club, and The Pet Shop Boys. However, dates for Metronomy, Jamie xx, or the other gigs in the series remain unconfirmed. Organisers have also maintained that they will only move forward once social distancing measures are no longer required within independent music venues.

Jamie xx, real name James Smith, took to social media to announce his support for Grassroots venues. Posting details of the campaign’s prize draw to Instagram, Jamie xx spoke on how the fundraiser has struck a personal chord for his own beloved music venue.

The Gosh musician stated that  “I used to go to Corsica Studios almost every week when I lived in Brixton, and I’m definitely going to be there a lot more when we’re allowed to again.” Jamie xx fans were certainly supportive of the artist’s pledge, as the post has gathered over 8,000 likes in a few short hours. 

Metronomy followed suit and also announced their support of ‘Passport: Back To Our Roots’ on Instagram today. Metronomy, like Jamie xx, have not forgotten their roots, writing nostalgically “We last played at patterns Brighton (then Audio) in 2008 with @thexx. It just goes to show how important small venues are in building the careers of band like ours.”  Obtaining over 2,000 likes, fans were quick to support Metronomy’s decision to play the important benefit gig. 

Tickets to a ‘Passport’ gig are hard to come by, the only chance being an entry in the prize draw with a minimum donation of £5. The prize draw will begin on September 14th and run for three weeks until October 5th. Each week, fans will be entered into the draw, and winners will be able to attend the concert of their choice.

Metronomy lead guitarist Joe Mount recently spoke on how Grassroots venues are integral and can be career-making for musicians, both rising stars and legacy artists. Mount declared that “These small venues aren’t just the modest beginnings for bands that make it big. They also supply performance spaces for choirs and theatre groups, for example.” 

Southampton Joiners, Brighton Freebutt, and Leeds Cockpit were all vital venues for Metronomy when they were rising stars themselves. Mount stressed that preservation of Grassroots venues is paramount, adding “We have already reaped the rewards of performing in the intimate surroundings that places like Patterns in Brighton provide.”

Mount continued: “Now we’d like to help secure the future of as many small venues as possible so that the world at large can keep discovering the new and exciting talent that they nurture.” More information about ‘Passports: Back To Our Roots’ can be found here.

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/metronomy-and-jamie-xx-declare-fundraising-gigs-for-passport-back-to-our-roots-campaign/feed/ 0 Passport: Back To Our Roots Campaign Announces new Acts https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/passport-back-to-our-roots-campaign-announces-new-acts/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/passport-back-to-our-roots-campaign-announces-new-acts/#comments Mon, 07 Sep 2020 08:34:03 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=22800 The coronavirus has affected the live music industry badly, so to help the scene out, campaigns were launched left and right. One of the many campaigns is the “Passport: Back To Our Roots” campaign which got launched in August. Their aim is to recruit big artists that are going to play small venues to help them survive. After the campaign revealed the first block with Everything Everything, Elbow, Public Service Broadcasting, The Slow Readers Club and Ash. Recently, the names of Passenger and Pet Shop Boys got added to the line-up. And there’s more to come: In half an hour, at 10am, they will add more performances to the line-up.

So far, the campaign has raised £75,000 from the first prize draw. Because the thing is, you can’t buy tickets for the shows. Say what? Since the whole point of the campaign is to help your favourite venues, you get to decide on your own how much you want to help. “We’re asking you to support your favourite venues by making a £5 minimum donation to the campaign”, the website reads. Everyone who donates automatically enters a prize draw to win entry for themselves and a plus one.

The participating artists and venues are regularly getting announced via the campaign’s crowdfunding page, with the dates of the particular shows to be announced later on, as “these shows are not live-streamed from an empty room or held under ‘social distancing’ conditions.” Instead, “they are a celebration of the unrivalled experience of watching your favourite artist in a room full of friends and fellow fans – as it should be.”

In honour of the campaign, Pet Shop Boys are going to play at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, and singer-songwriter Passenger is going to put on a show at Komedia in Brighton. Another addition to the line-up is Russell Watson, who is going to perform at Manchester’s Stoller Hall. KT Tunstall is going to play two shows, one at The Windmill in Brixton, and one at PJ Molloys in Fife.

More acts are going to be announced today (7th September) at 10am, with two more names being revealed on BBC Radio 6 Music during the station’s State Of Independents Day on September 10. Keep an eye out on the “Passport: Back To Our Roots” Twitter account and their website to find out about the newest additions.

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/passport-back-to-our-roots-campaign-announces-new-acts/feed/ 0 “Passport: Back To Our Roots” Campaign Encourages Big Artists to Play Small Venues for a Good Cause https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/passport-back-to-our-roots-campaign-encourages-big-artists-to-play-small-venues-for-a-good-cause/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/passport-back-to-our-roots-campaign-encourages-big-artists-to-play-small-venues-for-a-good-cause/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2020 12:26:07 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=20947 Corona has been tough on a lot of us, but especially on the live music industry. Tours had been cancelled left and right, venues had to close for an indefinite time and many venue workers have been worried about losing their jobs. Campaigns have been launched to help out smaller venues. The newest addition to the help list: The “Passport: Back To Our Roots” campaign which is aiming at recruiting huge artists to help save the small venues.

“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”, a statement on the campaign’s website reads.

The one-off shows are giving you the “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.”

The initiative has been formed by the Music Venue Trust, Band on the Wall and Stephen Budd Music. It has invited artists to nominate a venue that holds personal significance to them, otherwise the campaign will pair them with one of the participating venues. Artists and show dates haven’t been confirmed yet, but according to the website, there are news coming next Monday, August 3.

“Some names you’ll know. Some places you’ll care about. Some experiences you won’t want to miss”, the project is teasing in an Instagram caption from a post made yesterday, July 27. However, an hour ago (at around 12pm, 28.07.) another Instagram post appeared with the slogan “it’s all gonna be magnificent” and a matching caption that reads “We can’t help ourselves. We’re going to be dropping a few clues this week. ⁠” Who knows, we might get to see some real A-list names on the project’s socials soon.

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