Singer hails grassroots venues ahead of festival

Becky Hill says grassroots music venues are vital to the UK's culture and economy as she prepares to headline a nationwide takeover of independent live music spaces this summer.

The Bewdley-born singer will top the bill at The Marrs Bar in Worcester as part of Everywhere At Once - a UK-wide grassroots music festival backed by The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust.

The initiative aims to bring major artists into intimate venues across the country over the same weekend, from 26-28 June.

Hill said small venues sat at the heart of a wider ecosystem that supported local jobs, hospitality and creative industries.

The festival will see performances take place at venues in Birmingham, Coventry, Staffordshire and Worcestershire, alongside hundreds more across the UK, on what would have been the Glastonbury Festival weekend in other years.

Hill said: "[The festival] is about visibility and reminding people how important these spaces are culturally and economically.

"When people go to grassroots venues, they do not just support the venue - they support local jobs, nearby pubs and restaurants, taxi drivers, sound engineers, promoters and photographers.

"There is a whole ecosystem around these spaces.

"They are often one of the few remaining social and creative spaces left on the high street and, at a time when mental health issues are at an all-time high, these spaces are even more important."

Hill will be among headline acts like Inspiral Carpets and Tinie Tempah taking part in the project, which will stage simultaneous gigs across dozens of independent venues nationwide.

Mark Davyd, chief executive of the Music Venue Trust, said the festival was a "hugely significant moment" for the grassroots music sector.

"Seeing hundreds of venues come together across one weekend shows the true strength and scale of the network that underpins live music in the UK," he said.

"Together, this sends a clear message: live music doesn't just happen in major cities or festival fields - it happens on our high streets, in our towns, and in the spaces communities rely on.

"This is what solidarity looks like in action, and it sets a powerful benchmark for what we can achieve when venues move forward together."

More than a half of grassroots venues (53%) failed to make a profit last year, according to the trust.

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