Money from Oasis’ Heaton Park gigs to fund Manchester grassroots venues

Money made from Oasis’ huge shows at Manchester’s Heaton Park will be used to help fund grassroots music venues in the city.

• READ MORE: Oasis live in Cardiff review: a supersonic reunion for a new generation

Liam and Noel Gallagher brought their long-awaited ‘Live ‘25’ tour dates to their hometown earlier this month, after kicking off the live shows with two nights at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

While in Manchester, they played five sold-out shows at Heaton Park in Prestwich, and played to a combined crowd of around 300,000 people.

It also followed on from recent shows from the likes of Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX, Elbow, Fontaines D.C. and Robbie Williams in the city, which has attracted roughly 1.3million tourists.

The city council has benefited massively from the shows, both from hiring out city parks for the events and by earning business rates paid by major venues. As a result, they have announced a £250,000 fund for local music venues.

As reported by Manchester Evening News, part of the financial boost is being reinvested into the parkland, but the remaining amount will be going into a fund that small music venues can bid for. Local Democracy Reporting Service shared that finer details about the fund are still being ironed out (via BBC).

“While the biggest gigs — in the city’s arenas and parks — might dominate the headlines, we know they are only possible because they are part of a wider ecosystem with smaller, grassroots venues providing the launchpads for acts to develop and grow,” said council leader Bev Craig, announcing the fund.

“We know that across the country grassroots venues are struggling. That’s why we want to ensure that our grassroots venues can share some of the benefits from the success of those big events,” he added. “We’re blessed in Manchester with an array of great smaller venues. They are there to be enjoyed and I’d encourage anyone who values them to get out and support them.”

Jay Taylor of Music Venue Trust added: “It’s inspiring to see Manchester recognise its place as one of the world’s leading music cities, and acknowledge that the fantastic grassroots music venue network in the city is an essential cornerstone of the amazing music being produced by Manchester artists.

“Manchester City Council has taken the lead with this bold and innovative action, and we hope many more cities and towns across the country can join their efforts to secure the future of the UK’s grassroots music venue network.”

The move to invest back into smaller venues comes amid startling statistics about the UK’s live music scene in recent years, and the “complete collapse” of touring.

Huge areas are now going without live music, one venue is closing every two weeks, and the uphill struggle for artists to afford to exist continues.

Last year, it was shared that only 11 of the 34 grassroots venues that Oasis had performed in as part of their first tour still remain open.

Before then, figures from the UK grassroots live music scene spoke to NME about how 2023 was the “worst year for venue closures” – and pushed for the mandatory ticket levy (where arena and stadium gigs donate £1 from every ticket sold to their smaller counterparts).

In 2023, it was revealed that the UK was set to lose 10 per cent of its grassroots music venues, and MVT report warned that grassroots gig spaces in the UK were “going over a cliff”. That year saw 125 grassroots venues shut down  – causing a loss of 4,000 jobs, with 14,500 events no longer possible and 193,230 opportunities lost to musicians.

A recent Music Fans’ Voice survey showed that 93 per cent of fans were fully supportive of a £1 ticket levy being implemented to support the grassroots, and last spring, a government committee of UK MPs joined the call for a levy on arena and stadium gigs – as well as a cut in VAT.

This month, it was confirmed that The Royal Albert Hall had become the first arena to commit to the £1 LIVE ticket levy to help support grassroots venues, and it will go into effect from October.

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