How Bristol’s independent music venues have survived

The music venues of Bristol, like the rest of the country, have been closed for the best part of a year.

With rent and bills still to pay, how have they managed? Has the government stepped in? Will our music scene be permanently changed?

The Government’s response has been the Culture Recovery Fund, a grants programme administrated by Arts Council England. Its purpose is to aid arts organisations unable to open during the pandemic, this included music venues.

Matthew Otridge, one of the managers and directors of The Exchange, and more recently the South West coordinator for the Music Venue Trust, the Culture Recovery Fund “was a major moment for music venues to be recognised along side the theatres, the operas, and the art spaces because it’s always been a bit like, well are music venues just pubs?”

Pre-2020, music venues have received a minute amount of funding. To receive support alongside these other aspects of the arts meant they achieved a kind of cultural parity, and although they may not be at the same level, it’s a big step in the right direction.

Live music seems like a distant memory.

The hope is that this will be the foot in the door for future funding, where the UK can adopt a similar model to other European countries.

“France I think is the top example,” says Matthew. “The average venue there is 60 per cent subsidised by the government.”

These subsidies should be seen as an investment, as venues like The Exchange are categorised as Grassroots Music Venues (GMV). Think of them as like the music industry’s ‘research and development’ department.

A GMV is a relatively new term drawn up and injected into discourse by the Music Venue Trust, a charity formed in 2014 to address the rapid disappearance of independent venues.

GMVs provide gigging space for new musicians, so they can develop and find their audiences. These venues are primarily focused on their cultural programming, and are expected to take risks on new acts without expectation of direct financial gain.

The Exchange in Old Market has long been a staple for gig-goers.

Other grassroots music venues in Bristol include the Louisiana, Strange Brew, the Old England, Mothers Ruin and Mr Wolf’s.

They are the incubators of rising stars, where the real economic gain is realised in other parts of the music sector. These venues, while bringing business to other aspects of night-time economy; clubs, restaurants, transport, have value which isn’t reflected in their sole financial intake.

The Exchange have hosted multiple bands who have gone onto become hugely successful, such as IDLES, and The 1975. But venues like them – who have a capacity below 400 – have little to no profit potential.

The fact that GMVs in Bristol and across the UK programme acts that later become internationally known, while barely breaking even themselves, is proof that they are the source of the talent pipeline.

Of course, this is just the economic mapping of why these venues are important. This does not fully account for the lived experience of having spaces in which love for music and presentation of talent and artistry is prioritised over the commercial.

We can all wax lyrical about the existential value of these establishments, but also the fact is communities are built and the nights are made brighter.

Matthew adds that “it’s also worth remembering that probably ten years ago the way it was described was the toilet circuit”.

Although they took this term in good humour, GMV is a much more positive term, allowing these venues to rally under one banner and to network with other people doing similar things.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, membership of the Music Venue Trust has jumped from about 600 to almost 1000.

When Bristol was put into Tier 2 restrictions with rules around needing to serve ‘substantial meals’ alongside the sale of alcohol, GMVs were listed among theatres and concert halls that were exempt from this rule if they hosted ticketed cultural events.

When local councils were puzzled by the GMV term, the Music Venue Trust was there to advise and explain exactly what the government were referring to.

In the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund, 90 per cent of the applications from GMVs reviewed by Music Venue Trust received funding. While these grants have been crucial, there have been a number that have slipped through the gaps.

A list of the critically at-risk venues was compiled, with a nationwide campaign so far raising almost £4m through an immense display of support from the public.

The Music Venue Trust will continue to campaign for things to make it easier for GMVs to exist and thrive, by pushing for reduced business rates, VAT exempt ticket sales, and achieving the same rights as theatres so that new residential developments cannot threaten closure of venues due to things like noise complaints.

Despite being unable to open, the team at The Exchange have been productive this year. They have used funds to up-skill their staff and acquire equipment for projects like Exchange TV, a mixture of live music and ridiculous games (very entertaining).

And they have been running their Fertile Ground Sessions, a solid lineup of high quality live-streamed gigs which begun in December and will run through till late March.

While this is good news for venues, we are still in the midst of the pandemic and it would be a mistake to say all is well. You can contribute to the Save Our Venues campaign and bathe in the nostalgia of when live music was possible, thinking of how sweet it will be when we can watch gigs again.

All images by Jonathan Minto.

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