Small venues are the heartbeat of our music scene, quietly shaping our culture long before it reaches the mainstream spotlight. Every household name once played to a half-empty room, learned how to connect with an audience and made their first mistakes on a stage that was built by a local community. Without small venues, there is no starting line for musicians. It’s crucial to keep these places alive.
I’m writing this as my band, Heriot, just got back from a mammoth seven-week tour across North America supporting Trivium with Jinjer. It was our first time playing outside of the UK or Europe, and playing to so many new fans at venues full of thousands of people was of course incredible. But us making the journey wouldn’t have been thinkable without our grassroots venues.
