A new nationwide festival, supported by The 1975’s Matty Healy, is set to feature music events in over 1,000 pubs, bars, and restaurants across the UK. Healy has voiced concerns about a potential decline in the talent pipeline.
In a statement, the frontman emphasized the importance of local venues, stating, “Local venues aren’t just where bands cut their teeth, they’re the foundation of any real culture.”
“Without them, you don’t get The Smiths, Amy Winehouse, or The 1975. You get silence,” he added.
The Seed Sounds Weekender, scheduled for September, will take place in smaller “seed” venues, which serve as a launching pad for many prominent artists. Organizers have highlighted that these venues, like much of the UK’s nightlife scene, are facing “unprecedented economic challenges.”
Examples of seed venues include The Grapes pub in Sheffield, where the Arctic Monkeys debuted; Rayner’s Hotel in Harrow, north-west London, where Amy Winehouse played her first show; the Buffalo Bar in Cardiff, which hosted an early Adele gig; and The Castle Hotel in Manchester, where The 1975 performed.
Kit Muir-Rogers, co-founder of the live music platform GigPig, the festival’s organizer, described the event as “a moment to unite and celebrate what we think is the most exciting and probably the most vital step on an artist’s journey.”
Speaking to the BBC, he noted, “The stark reality is that it’s a challenging time out there for the hospitality sector, and it’s a challenging time as an artist out there.”
The British Beer and Pub Association projects that more than 370 pubs will close in 2025, attributing the closures to high taxes and bills.
Mark Connor, head of operations for the Head of Steam pub chain, whose flagship Newcastle venue hosted early shows by The 1975 and the Arctic Monkeys, emphasized the importance of live music, stating, “It actively brings people into our venues, and it helps them stay for longer, get that second or third drink, which is vitally important for all businesses.”
Mr. Muir-Rogers pointed out that while dedicated grassroots music venues have been vocal about their importance and the risks they face, pubs and other locations on the first rung of the live music ladder have been underappreciated until now.
“No-one’s really pulled it under a banner before. It’s never really been called anything,” he said.
“Now it’s widely being called seed music and seed venues, which really does paint that picture incredibly well – you plant those first seeds to watch them grow into the Glastonbury headliners of tomorrow.”
Healy, whose band progressed from playing pubs and clubs in the early 2010s to headlining Glastonbury this year, is serving as the event’s ambassador but will not be performing.
His statement further noted, “The erosion of funding for seed and grassroots spaces is part of a wider liberal tendency to strip away the socially democratic infrastructure that actually makes art possible.”
“What’s left is a cultural economy where only the privileged can afford to create, and where only immediately profitable art survives.”
“The Seed Sounds Weekender is a vital reminder that music doesn’t start in boardrooms or big arenas; it starts in back rooms, pubs, basements, and independent spaces run on love, grit, and belief in something bigger.”
The Seed Sounds Weekender is scheduled to take place from September 26-28.
BBC News used AI to help write the summary at the top of this article. It was edited by BBC journalists. Find out more.
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