‘Costs are out of control’: small UK music venues struggle to stay open

Music Venue Trust says 127 grassroots sites have closed or stopped offering music since last summer

Small local music venues are warning that new bands will be left without a place to perform without government help after 127 grassroots sites closed or stopped offering music since last summer.

The Music Venue Trust (MVT), which is backing a crowdfunded scheme to take at least nine venues into community ownership, says surging costs and punters reining in spending during the cost of living crisis have combined with pressure from property developers to force closures.