FRANK CARTER & SEX PISTOLS PUT GRASSROOTS VENUES IN THE SPOTLIGHT

FRANK CARTER & SEX PISTOLS | BUSH HALL – 13/14/15 AUGUST | Photos by Kevin O’Sullivan

After an overwhelming response for their Bush Hall benefit shows, Frank Carter and Paul Cook, Glen Matlock and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols can now claim a night at O2 Forum Kentish Town, London for 26 September, another instant sell out.

Having just performed 3 sell out dates at West London’s iconic Bush Hall, the appetite for more Sex Pistols with Frank Carter has rocketed. Next month the collaborative forces will lock once again to perform the Sex Pistols’ iconic 1977 album Never Mind The Bollocks in full.

“The response to the Bush Hall shows has been overwhelming and it’s a privilege to help out a local venue like that,” says Steve Jones

“And it became obvious that there are many more fans who want to see us. Playing with Frank has been such a pleasure that we wanted to extend the fun. So Kentish Town, here we come.”

The shows have helped put grassroots music venues back in the global spotlight. Whilst these gigs sold out within seconds, reality is that these venues are a dying breed. Preserving the character of these historic buildings comes with a hefty fee and with the constant rise in the cost of living, maintaining a profitable income is impossible for many grassroot venues. Earlier this year, the Music Venue Trust (MVT) shared the shocking statistics that we are losing around 2 grassroots venues every week in the UK. Of those merely surviving, 38% reported making a financial loss. MVT are still campaigning for a parliament backed ticket levy fee to be added to arena and stadium sized concerts where industry giants such as Live Nation are boasting record profits. The Levy is estimated to raise around £30 million per year which could save many venues from closure in the future.

Sex Pistols’ drummer Paul Cook said ahead of the shows this week:

“We’re doing a benefit for Bush Hall with the famous Frank Carter. We’re going to be playing Pistols numbers cause they need support and they need the money. We thought it would be a great way to stop it going under. This is my local venue. I grew up in Shepherd’s Bush and I still live round here. It would be a real shame to see it disappear and we want to keep it going.”

Without the struggling grassroots scene, there wouldn’t be the artists we know and love selling out stadiums today. Ticket levy surely should be seen as an investment for the big entertainment players. Without the smaller venues, rising talent don’t have a platform to perform and before we know it, we lose those who could be filling Wembley Stadium in 20 years time. The talent is there but the investment is blind.

Could we be seeing more of Frank Carter and the Sex Pistols supporting our grassroots venues this year? I definitely hope so and I hope other big names follow their lead.

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Anne Kelly

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