‘Keeping Music Live’ tour brings over one thousand people back into grassroots venues

Venues in Sheffield, Norwich, Nottingham, Hull, Brighton, Manchester, and London took part in the £1 ticket tour in late October and early November.

Date published: 4th Dec 2025

A £1 ticket tour has helped to bring over one thousand people back into grassroots venues. The ‘Keeping Music Live’ tour travelled to seven UK cities this autumn to raise money for Music Venues Trust and spotlight emerging talent. 

Shows took place at The New Adelphi Club in Hull, Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield, Castle Hotel in Manchester, Rough Trade in Nottingham, Voodoo Daddy's in Norwich, Rough Trade East in London and WaterBear Venue in Brighton. Tickets were priced £1 and featured breakthrough acts like Femur, Knife Bride, Liz Mann, and Airport Dad among a slew of rising local artists and student performers. 

Millie Pye at Yellow Arch Studios / Photo: Dom Collison

Millie Pye, a student artist from Sheffield who performed at the city’s Yellow Arch Studios, said of the event, “The energy was great tonight. I feel like everybody's here for a really good reason. We all just want to find community within music and keep these spaces alive.” WaterBear CMO Eve Massaad added, “We know that new and emerging artists need a thriving live music scene to support their careers… We are proud to be part of something that has put these spaces back in the spotlight and reminded people what they are worth.”

The tour is one of a number of campaigns helping to combat what has been a challenging 12 months for the sector, with 125 grassroots venues having closed last year alone according to the MVT’s 2024 report. The project will continue into 2026, supporting grassroots venues and the emerging artists who use them. 

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