Supporting Independent Venues

With just a day to go until our Bath Fringe show – followed by some epic cycling to small, independent venues around Wales – I’d like today to make a plea from the heart.

Seriously In Danger      

Your small, independent music and arts venues need you. In a nutshell, we need to use them or we will lose them. These places, often run by volunteers, work tirelessly to bring you original, non-mainstream music, theatre, dance and other artforms. And they are all seriously in danger right now.

But don’t just support them because you feel sorry for them or like the idea of them. Support them because what they have to offer is really good. OK, sometimes you may go to something that doesn’t quite work for you. But without taking that risk, you won’t find the stuff that does light you up. And the venues won’t be able to take a chance on lesser-known and/or experimental art.

Try Stuff Out

That means those artists won’t have anywhere in which to present their work. So, they won’t survive either. Which will just leave us with ‘art’ that is driven by commercial imperatives and bland certainty.

So, please, do the right thing. Get out there and try stuff out. It will probably cost you less than a round of drinks. And it may well be the thing you enthuse about over your next several rounds.

Why You Should Book Ahead

Obviously, I have a vested interest. I’m a small-scale, lesser-known artist who is relying on such venues for somewhere to find an audience. But I can report with certainty that when I do, they are pleased I did (see previous post).

And if I’m prepared to cycle 554 to reach these venues, I’d hope you’ll be prepared to walk ten minutes down the road to your local one. Rob and I have been putting the finishing touches to our sets and are very excited to share these with you. But what the venues need is assurance we’ll get a decent audience.

Save Your Venue & Get a Free Download

Why does that matter? It matters because those venues have costs to cover (as do we) and need to know they will be met. By booking tickets online before the shows, you send a signal to those venues that they are going to have a successful event. It may not seem like a big deal to you but it makes a huge difference to them.

Which is why we are offering a free EP download to anyone who books ahead for any of our tour dates. We’re working with the venues to facilitate this but you can also claim yours direct by emailing your booking confirmation to info@madmusik.co.uk.

Commitment to Support

So, please, get online, get booking and make a commitment to support your local venue. I know what it’s like: it’s all too easy to say “I won’t book now – I’ll decide on the night”. Then – come the night – you get home from work and think “naah – I’ll chill out in front of [insert favourite streaming provider here]”.

By booking ahead, you make a commitment to support live music and an independent venue. If you don’t, the next time you think to yourself “I wonder what’s on at ‘x’?”, you may just find that ‘x’ is now a betting shop. And I think we can agree we have more than enough of those already.

See You There

So, we’re looking forward to receiving your email, sending you your EP, then rewarding your efforts with a joyous gig. It really won’t be complete without you.

See you there!

May 23-26Shindig Festival – TicketsIlminster
May 30Burdall’s Yard – TicketsBath
May 31The George Arts Centre – TicketsNewnham on Severn
June 01The Muse – TicketsBrecon
June 02The Whitehall – FREELlandovery
June 04Cwrw – TicketsCarmarthen
June 07Trehale Farm (Gig for Gaza) – TicketsPemrokeshire
June 08The Cellar – TicketsCardigan
June 09Community Centre – TicketsLlangadog
June 10Melville Centre for the Arts – TicketsAbergavenny
June 16The Grapes – FREEBath