Stuart WoodThe second round of artists has been revealed for ‘Passport: Back to Our Roots’, a series of gigs which will see major artists playing in grassroots UK venues.
Pet Shop Boys, KT Tunstall, Russell Watson and Passenger join the second round of artists, with a further two to be announced on 10 September. Entry to the shows will be via a prize draw, which will run from 14 September – 5 October at this link.
The first round of shows included Elbow, Public Service Broadcasting, Everything Everything, The Slow Readers Club and Ash. The prize draw raised £75,000 for grassroots venues.
Venues involved with the scheme include Brighton’s Komedia, London’s Electric Ballroom, Fife’s PJ Molloys, Manchester’s Stoller Hall and Brixton’s The Windmill.
The shows will take place as soon as indoor concerts can take place without social distancing, meaning they do not currently have a set date.
Sally Cook, co-founder of Passport: Back to Our Roots said: “We’re blown away by the incredible response to the first block of fundraisers, and want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated, and to every artist who pledged to play a grassroots venue show.
“The outpouring of support (we read all the comments!) just proves how important grassroots venues are to the UK’s music fans. £75k is an amazing start and will help make a real difference to the venues involved and the sector as a whole, but we’re not stopping there. We are really excited to be announcing this new group of artists this week.”
KT Tunstall commented: “Without grassroots music venues, there are no big acts. It’s as simple as that. The incredible eco-system of small venues exists, in the vast majority of cases, as labours of love.
“Constantly up against rapidly rising business rates and big developer interests, these essential community hubs are kept alive by often overworked owners and staff with an unending passion for music and the music lovers and musicians they serve.”