Music Venue Trust and The National Lottery have announced 150 new Eurovision Legacy gigs across the UK.
The initiative was launched with a special free concert for 15,000 people in the Eurovision Village on Wednesday (May 10) and follows the successful delivery of the Liverpool leg of the National Lottery’s United By Music Tour, which sees artists such as Lightning Seeds, The Coral and Miles Kane playing local venues in support of the live music sector.
Starting in mid-June, the United by Music Tour will see both established and up-and-coming artists performing in over 130 locations across the country. Blossoms, Metronomy, Cat Burns and more will be playing one-off shows to highlight the importance of grassroots music venues.
We’re over the moon to announce @TNLUK #UnitedByMusic summer tours, featuring some of the UK’s most exciting artists.
Tickets go on sale on Monday 15th May: https://t.co/frfDthgYFa pic.twitter.com/ZGnMsdmekk
— Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust) May 10, 2023
The National Lottery’s contribution to grassroots venues comes at a crucial time. Many venues are still suffering from the aftermath of the pandemic along with the cost of living crisis. The funds committed underwrite the cost of touring and band performances, ensuring that venues get artists at the great price of no charge at all. This has been the single largest legacy initiative announced for Eurovision 2023 to date.
“Without grassroots venues there would’ve been nowhere for us to perform, grow and develop as a live act,” shared Blossoms, who are set to take part in the tour.
“The future of live music relies on every single small venue across the country and we’re really pleased to be able to show our support for all of them by playing this show at the Parish in Huddersfield,” they added.
National tours will feature more than 20 artists including Sleeper, The Dirty Nil, Opus Kink, Luke La Volpe, October Drift and Prima Queen, with all tickets available on a two-for-one basis to National Lottery players as a thank you for their support.
“I’m proud to be a patron of the Music Venue Trust and part of the United By Music tour. Grassroots venues are the lifeblood of music,” shared Luke La Volpe.
“Every night of the week, fans are in there watching unknown artists evolve into the next arena megastars. I learned how to do this by gigging in these venues since I was 15 years old. Without them there is no music,” he added.
As well as supporting local venues The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust have launched the tour to extend the celebration of Liverpool’s historic hosting of Eurovision across the breadth of the country. In addition, it will celebrate and recognise all 17 UK towns and cities that initially bid to host Eurovision with an event in each of them.
Tickets for The National Lottery’s United by Music Tour will be live on May 15 at 10am. Visit here for tickets and check out their official website for further information.