Britpunk duo The Meffs have become patrons of Music Venue Trust (MVT), the charity that represents hundreds of UK Grassroots Music Venues, joining an ever-expanding list of musicians - including Paul McCartney, Frank Turner and KT Tunstall - who support the work of the charity.
“Grassroots venues are why we've been able to gig so much. Some that we played when starting out have shut down. We've seen first-hand the funding put into the music industries of other countries, and the impact of this funding. As a band, we will continue to fight to keep venues open and live music alive in the UK. With MVT around, there's hope” - The Meffs.
To celebrate becoming patrons, the band has announced a nine date MVT Cohorts tour predominantly in cities and towns that they have never headlined or played. Starting in Leicester on August 23rd, the tour will call at Hastings, Plymouth, Bournemouth, Bathgate, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stowmarket, Milton Keynes before ending in Swansea on September 22nd.
Mark Davyd, CEO and Founder Music Venue Trust, said “The number of people in the UK able to access fantastic live music by the most exciting new acts in their own towns and cities has been in decline for years, but since the pandemic the number of tours, and the number of shows per tour, has dropped off the edge of a cliff. MVT is determined to tackle this and to ensure that the very best new music can be celebrated right across the country. The Meffs are electrifying audiences wherever they play, and we are determined to show that an artist like this really should be playing everywhere for everybody. That’s how we build audiences and it’s how we build communities.”
MVT Cohorts, organised by Music Venue Trust, is a new initiative aiming to combat the shrinking tour circuit. Increased costs of touring, including fuel, accommodation and transport, and uncertainty about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on ticket sales, are forcing artists, agents and managers to reduce the financial risks associated with playing extensive nationwide tours. As a result, tours are focusing on major cities and missing out Grassroots Music Venues in hundreds of towns, rural areas and smaller cities across the country; established grassroots venues are no longer being offered touring artists; music fans are no longer able to see their favourite artists, or discover new ones, without travelling to the major cities.
The MVT Cohorts project will underwrite the costs of the shows, ensuring that both the artists and venues receive a guaranteed fee, removing the financial uncertainty that comes with extending tours in the UK, thereby allowing the artists to diversify their tours and play outside the major cities and the venues to programme diverse and varied gigs.
MVT Cohorts x The Meffs tour dates:
23/08/2024 Soundhouse, Leicester
29/08/2024 The Piper, Hastings
30/08/2024 The Junction, Plymouth
31/08/2024 Anvil, Bournemouth
12/09/2024 Dreadnought Rock, Bathgate
13/09/2024 The Rigger, Newcastle-under-Lyme
20/09/2024 John Peel Centre, Stowmarket
21/09/2024 Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
22/09/2024 The Bunkhouse, Swansea
