However, in order for the venue to unlock this money, it needs to raise around £50,000. In order to raise this money, members of the community are being offered the opportunity to buy shares of the venue which will give them voting rights in future running of the studio.

A community share offer is a way to enable those in the Darlington community to invest in The Forum and is a way to raise money for the local project and it enables the money raised to be pooled together.

Alongside the opportunity for investment, The Forum are running a raffle with music-related prizes. Each ticket costs just £5 and all of the money raised will go towards the fundraising efforts.

As reported by the Darlington and Stockton Times, the idea for the raffle emerged when author Pete Bulloch offered up a signed copy of his book, ‘Hope the Dude Can Play.’ The book chronicles one of the most famous nights in Darlington’s music history, following the events that occurred when Jimi Hendrix’ guitar was stolen from the Blue Pad Club in the Imperial Hotel on the evening of February 2, 1967.

Alongside Bulloch’s book, the raffle also features a collage of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits made up of several genuine back stage and VIP passes from some of the band’s shows. There is also a limited addition Amy Winehouse artwork up for grabs, made by the local artist Terry Kneeshaw.

In response to The Forum’s news of being awarded their investment, founder, CEO and director Allison Mckay said: “This is an exciting phase of growth for our much loved music and arts venue. However the real exciting trigger for these ambitious developments will initiate the launch of a Share Offer enabling local people to become members of The Forum through shared ownership, along with voting rights.”

The renovation plans for The Forum includes a new recording studio with sensory and high-quality digital production in order to enable larger bands and ensembles to record. There are also plans for new private green room facilities, accessible audience viewing mezzanine, and plans to reduce the venue’s carbon footprint by installing solar panels and an eco-friendly roof garden.

The venue also wants to extend their kitchen, with the hopes that the aforementioned changes will increase the number of visitors which will therefore increase the number of opportunities for local food social entrepreneurs to operate a daily food service.

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/darlington-music-venue-launches-community-share-offer-to-secure-venues-future/feed/ 0 https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/the-smile-host-international-raffle-to-create-a-more-global-audience-at-london-shows/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/the-smile-host-international-raffle-to-create-a-more-global-audience-at-london-shows/#comments Thu, 20 Jan 2022 18:18:14 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=52267 In keeping with the theme of The Smile, that being one of constant confusion and sporadic leftfield decisions, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner (or as they are to be known from now on The Smile) have established an international raffle like system to bring a more multi-cultural audience to their upcoming live debut; that is in front of an audience at least. The band have “held back some venue tickets for sale… a pair for every country in the world across the three shows.”. If you register your interest on the online form here, you may be in with a chance to nab the 2 exclusive tickets in the name of wherever you call home.

We’re overwhelmed with how quickly the three shows on 29th & 30th sold out. Thanks so much for your response.
We wanted try to make a global audience inside the venue as well as online, so we’ve held back some venue tickets for sale… pic.twitter.com/AbHhYgh5MX

— The Smile (@thesmiletheband) January 20, 2022

Set to go ahead in just over a week (January 29^th and 30^th), all 3 of the shows are set to go ahead in less than 24 hours. Beginning at 8pm on January 29^th, the first show almost immediately leads into the 2^nd that will kick off 5 hours later at 1am the next morning. The 3^rd and final show will then allow the trio to rest for a short while before beginning again at 11am that same day.

The shows have already sold out. But fear not, if you’re in desperate need to watch the show there are a number of options. The shows will be streamed at select venues around the UK, US, and EU live on the big screen, with accompanying big sound. Details for where and when can be found here. If you don’t fancy dragging yourself to the cinema to see the show at 1AM, then firstly you may want to reassess your priorities, you can however bag a ticket to the livestream through dice. For about £14 you can stay up until 2:30AM from the comfort of your own home. Details to gain entrance to the livestream are available here.

We are still short on most other details for the band though, still no announcements on when we can hear the album or even how many songs we’re going to hear. A few snippets have surfaced on the group’s socials; so, if you’re in desperate need then head over the group’s Twitter or Instagram and you can hear a few 15-second snippets to calm the nerves until the album drops. Or you can just keep listening to the sole release we already have, “You Will Never Work in Television Again”, on repeat… it’s up to you. Listen below.

The band shared the news on social media, saying, “Being able to perform is the reason we do this.” There are unlimited raffle tickets available, priced at £5 each, but only 6 prizes to be won. Each prize is the same: There is the incredible opportunity to spend a day as a Bring Me The Horizon tour tech, meet the band, watch the show from backstage, and win a bespoke merchandise bundle. There is no limit to the number of times one person can enter, giving an even better chance of winning, and offering the crew more financial support.

View this post on Instagram

being able to perform is the reason we do this. enter the raffle, help support our incredible crew and win the chance to spend the day as a bmth tour tech, meet us, and watch the show backstage. raffle closes wednesday 6pm. link in bio. #letthemusicplay

A post shared by ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʀɪᴢᴏɴ (@bringmethehorizon) on Aug 7, 2020 at 8:33am PDT

Many bands and other industry workers have shared their concern for the future of the music business, both in the UK and around the world. Bring Me The Horizon’s raffle is yet another creative way in which support can be shown, and live music can continue as we know it. Artists including James Bay, Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), and Blossoms, have all spoken out about this issue and suggested ways in which their fans can help. But, without urgent Government support, it is unlikely that live events will be able to continue after the Covid-19 pandemic has eased.

Bring Me The Horizon’s announcement follows the release of their latest single ‘Parasite Eve’ at the end of June, as well as four part projects entitled ‘Post Human’, which will feature an upcoming collaboration with Yungblud. It is likely that, despite the time they’ve enjoyed creating four new records during lockdown, the band are eager to start performing live again, and potentially hold a tour to bring ‘Post Human’ to their fans. Currently, Bring Me The Horizon have seven festival dates planned for 2021, which are listed below and can be found on the official website.

02/06/2021 – Nova Rock – Nickelsdorf, Austria
03/06 – Greenfield Festival – Interlaken, Switzerland
17/06 – Vox Heavy Rock Festival – Oeiras, Portugal
18/06 – Southside Festival – Tuttlingen, Germany
20/06 – Hurricane Festival – Scheeßel, Germany
24/06 – Tons of Rock – Oslo, Norway
13/08 – Highfield Festival – Grosspösna, Germany