Latest news with #TheJoiners
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iconic music venue 'facing uncertainty' as campaign launched to secure future
A campaign to secure the future of Southampton's most iconic music venue has been launched. The Joiners has helped launch the careers of bands including Oasis, Coldplay, Green Day and the Manic Street Preachers during its illustrious 60 year history, but is now facing an uncertain future as its lease expires. It is among seven grassroots venues community benefit society Music Venue Properties (MVP) is hoping to put into community ownership via its Own Our venues fundraising project. (Image: The Joiners)READ MORE: Restaurateur to turn his late Dad's beloved former Indian into Texan Smokehouse Speaking for 'The Joiners family', which operates the venue on St Mary's Street, Ricky Bates said: "Despite being an integral part of the U.K. touring circuit and a creative institution for the city of Southampton for almost 60 years, The Joiners is currently facing real uncertainty for its future. "Our landlord is looking to retire and our lease expires this year, the building itself requires some investment, love and attention now being well over 200 years old, unfortunately it's impossible for us to justify as individuals given the current economic situation. "We welcome the notion of MVP ownership being the only real solution to securing one of the most important live music venues ever to exist in the UK and with your help to ensure your venue The Joiners is here for another sixty years and beyond! Be part of history and get involved if you can." (Image: The Joiners) Hosting around 300 events every year, the team at The Joiners is committed to nurturing emerging talent and have a strong community ethos that continues to resonate with both artists and audiences. The new project aims to remove grassroots venues, including Esquires in Bedford, The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent, The Croft in Bristol, Peggy's Skylight in Nottingham, The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle and The Pipeline in Brighton as well as The Joiners, from vulnerable commercial leases and place them in community ownership. It follows the success of a first campaign, in 2023, which raised £2.88 million and secured the future of five other venues. MVP is once again calling on music lovers to support the initiative, which runs from today until July 31. More details at (Image: The Joiners)
Metro
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Plans to save UK's most iconic grassroots music venues from closure revealed
A new 'National Trust' for grassroots music venues is being launched today to try and protect seven venues from closing. Music Venue Properties has announced the 'Our Own Venues' project, which will put venues under community ownership to save them for future generations. It comes as live music has dwindled across London and the rest of the UK – with many beloved places unable to compete with developers snapping up properties. Esquires in Bedford, The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent and The Joiners in Southampton, alongside The Croft in Bristol, Peggy's Skylight in Nottingham, The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle and The Pipeline in Brighton, are all set to be offered to join the scheme. Gareth Barber, owner of Esquires, told Metro: 'Our place has been open for 35 years, and we have seen the likes of Muse and Coldplay play with us. 'But our landlord is retiring at the end of our lease and selling, and we know we won't be able to compete with developers.' It is the only grassroots music venue in Bedford, and holds multiple events across different genres of music. Ticketing app DICE has put together a list of their 25 grassroots artists you need to see in London over the next six months. With tickets ranging from free to £27.50, these shows will ensure a great night to suit all tastes and budgets. Click HERE to catch the full list. If it were to close, the community would lose 'one of the mainstays' of the area. Gareth said: 'It would leave a massive hole for some people. It's more than just a music venue, and we wouldn't still be here without all the community support.' Many venues have faced extensive challenges in recent years, following the Covid pandemic and the of cost-of-living crisis. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In 2024, around a quarter of the 810 grassroots venues supported by the Music Venue Trust across the UK had to ask for help from the organisation's Emergency Response Service to avoid permanent closure. Now,just 179 grassroots venues remain in London. Music Venue Properties launched a similar campaign in 2023, and raised £2.88 million to save he Snug in Atherton, The Ferret in Preston, Le Pub in Newport, The Bunkhouse in Swansea and The Booking Hall in Dover. As well as ensuring suitable leases, the project also includes contributing to maintenance costs and sustainable rent. Ricky Bates, Venue Operator of The Joiners, Southampton said: 'This is one of the only real solutions to securing one of the most important live music venues in the UK. 'For almost 60 years The Joiners has been a vital part of the UK touring circuit and a creative cornerstone of Southampton, but today its future is uncertain. 'Our lease expires this year, our landlord is retiring and, while the venue is rich in history, the building is over 200 years old and in need of care. 'In today's economy, it simply isn't viable for us as individuals to purchase the property but, with the support of the Own Our Venues campaign and the wider music community, we can secure The Joiners for the next 60 years and beyond.' Metro has joined forces with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and top music industry figures to put the capital's grassroots music scene centre stage. A new interpretation of London's Tube map show stations replaces with the names of artists and locations that form part of the capital's music heritage. That includes new stars like Loyle Carner, Arlo Parks and SAULT filling in the stops on the Piccadilly line, and legends like Billy Bragg, Adele and Madness on the Northern line. More Trending Matthew Otridge, Chief Operating Officer of MVP said: 'The key threat to the grassroots music venue (GMV) sector has always been that of property ownership. 'More than 90% of GMVs are tenants and are often in a vulnerable position when they and their landlords do not share the same goals. 'It's a bleak statistic but 35% of venues have closed in the last 20 years and in 2024 another 86 either closed or no longer operated as GMVs. 'We are standing at a crossroads but there is a solution, and people can help us to put in place real, sustainable solutions.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'You might go to a show at the Windmill, fall in love and end up with a tattoo' MORE: What are the latest Eurovision 2025 odds ahead of tonight's semi-final? MORE: High-cost touring is putting emerging bands 'at risk' on the road
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Betty Boo set for intimate Southampton show on first ever UK tour
90s icon Betty Boo has announced plans for her first ever UK tour, including an intimate Southampton date in June. The 'Doin' The Do' star is set to reissue her 1990 debut 'Boomania' later this month and as part of the celebrations, she'll be hitting the road this summer. Set to perform all of her hits including Boomania, GRRR! It's Betty Boo, plus cuts from 2022's phenomenal comeback Boomerang and 2024's Top 40 smash Rip Up The Rulebook, she'll appear at The Joiners on June 18. READ MORE: Final concert for longest serving group in British pop history Betty Boo is back and will perform in venues around the UK for the very first time in 2025. It will be the first UK tour for Betty Boo, the iconic 90s alias of London's Alison Moira Clarkson. This series of intimate shows in June will precede a stretch of dates in UK capital cities later in the year. Tickets from
