The National Lottery has joined forces with the Music Venue Trust (MVT) in a new initiative to boost live music across the UK.

The lottery, one of the UK’s biggest culture funders, will contribute £1 million to directly underwrite touring and production costs of over 300 live shows this summer – allowing the grassroots live music industry to start promoting shows with upfront costs of touring already sorted.

In addition, The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour will run throughout the summer, with the likes of The Magic Gang, Twin Atlantic, Olivia Dean and The Futureheads set to perform at grassroots music venues across the UK.

Special one-off shows by Sir Tom Jones, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Mahalia, James
Arthur, Frank Turner, Sam Fender and Fontaines D.C. will also take place at grassroots music venues to mark the return of live music.

Sir Tom Jones said: “Musicians can record in their bedrooms, but they can’t
learn to perform in public without a place to play. Without that, there is no way
you can communicate directly to people. It’ll be tough to hone your skills and
you’ll never have the thrill of feeling their feedback. Without a grassroots music
venue, the neighbourhood won’t have a place where people can come together
to discover and support a new talent.

“So support your local pub, club, gym or church or wherever someone has the
guts to bring in some entertainment, it makes all the difference both to budding
artists and the community. I’m delighted to be able to perform a special show
as part of The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour and to be celebrating the
return of live music.”

Up to 30,000 tickets, roughly half the capacity of the shows, will be given to National Lottery players, providing fans with the chance to return to music as soon as possible.

Tickets for The National Lottery Revive Live Tour go on sale on Monday 12
July from 8pm.

Mark Dayvd, CEO of Music Venue Trust said: “It’s so important to get artists
and crew back out and working, to get our grassroots music venues back up
and running, and to get friends, families and communities back together
enjoying live music.

“Grassroots music venues play a crucial role in the development of British music, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their
careers and develop their music and their performance skills.

“These venues also play a vital role in the cultural and economic vibrancy of any village, town or city. The National Lottery Revive Live Tour is a fantastic initiative which will
kickstart the return of great events across the country. We can’t wait to get
started!”

The Music Venue Trust has been lauded for their role in saving the UK’s grassroots music venues over the last 16 months.

At the start of the crisis last March, there was the very real threat of over 500 venues facing closure. However, the vast majority have been saved thanks to public support and donations to the Music Venue Trust’s #SaveOurVenues campaign, along with pressure being put on the government and a number being saved by the Cultural Recovery Fund.

The MVT are now close to their mission to “reopen every venue safely” – provided that the final round of government funding and the correct guidance arrive in time for the July 19 reopening date.