The 1975's Matty Healy warns of 'cultural erasure' as he backs support for small venues

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has thrown his support behind a small venue event as he warns of "cultural erasure". The singer has backed a new festival which aims to support small music venuesas they struggle to survive.

The Seed Sounds Weekender will take place on 26 to 28 September will see more than 2,000 gigs take place in more than 1,000 venues in anattempt to unite small venues.In response to the event, Glastonbury headliner Matty said: “The political neglect behind this crisis, steadily hollowing out arts funding and cultural infrastructure is a class war by omission.

“Councils across England have slashed arts budgets by 20% to 30% over the last decade. Without government-led reforms – like a mandatory stadium-and-arena ticket levy, VAT relief, business rates reform, and real investment in venue survival – this ecosystem collapses."

He added to PA News Agency: “The UK music industry delivers £5.2 billion to the economy, supports 228,000 jobs, and exports its soft power globally – but its entire pipeline starts in those 150‑capacity rooms above pubs.

“Lose them, and you aren’t just losing venues – you are losing the conditions that made all that possible. That is cultural erasure, and it will not come back.

“And that’s precisely why movements like the Seed Sounds Weekender are so important, this festival isn’t just a celebration, it’s about uniting and sustaining this network, ensuring that art isn’t just for the privileged, and that Britain’s unique, musical heartbeat keeps beating.”

The Music Venue Trust’s annual report warned that, in 2023, 22.4% of venues closed as a result of “operational issues”, while 42.1% of its members reported “financial issues”.

Last month, the music scene was rocked by the closure of the Leadmill in Sheffield, which was a well-known and loved venue in the city. It lost a long-running eviction battle with its landlord, the Electric Group.

Seed Sounds Weekender's gigs will be mostly free, with events taking place across 20 towns and cities in the UK. “Local venues aren’t just where bands cut their teeth – they’re the foundational infrastructure of our culture," Matty urged.

"Without them, you don’t get The Smiths, Idles, Little Simz, or Wet Leg, you get silence. Since 2007, we’ve lost 38% of UK grassroots music venues – over 1,200 of them – and venue closures continue at a frightening pace. In 2023 alone, 125 venues shut down, and right now two venues are closing every month.

“These rooms barely scrape by, average profit margins are just 0.5% – under £3,000 per year – and nearly 44% operate at a loss. The sector effectively subsidises live music by £162 million annually.

“That means communities across the country: working-class towns; inner cities; regional centres; lose their only accessible creative spaces. When that happens, the only art that thrives is the art already bankrolled, safe, sanitised, and profitable. Art becomes a luxury for the privileged.”

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