The Last Dinner Party gave a shout out to the UK’s grassroots music venues as they picked up their BRIT Award for Best New Artist last night (March 1). Check out their speech below.
After picking up the BRITs Rising Star award in 2024, the London band returned this year to take Best New Artist, following the release of their debut album ‘Prelude To Ecstasy‘.
During their speech, they took a moment to highlight the current challenges facing grassroots music venues in the UK. It follows reports that 2024 saw the UK lose one grassroots music venue every two weeks – with nearly half making a loss and 200 remaining in a state of emergency as the country faces a “collapse in touring”.
“We wouldn’t be a band, and a lot of the artists here would not be bands either, without the UK’s incredible independent venues and they are the lifeblood of the music industry, and they are dying,” said bassist Georgia Davies.
“And if venues like this, like the O2, arenas, stadiums across this country contributed even a tiny bit towards these independent venues then we would not be losing them at this alarming rate. We wouldn’t be here without them, none of this would be happening without them.
“So I wanted to say to all of those artists playing independent venues all across the country tonight, keep going because that’s the best kind of art there is,” she continued. “And, in a time when art is under threat, that is the most important thing to keep supporting.” You can watch their full speech below.
The idea that the upper echelons of the music industry should be paying back into the grassroots and wider ecosystem was backed by the government’s CMS Select committee enquiry last year before a levy on stadium and arena gigs was recommended. A March deadline has been set for voluntary action before the government step back in and investigates making it mandatory.
However, despite the likes of Coldplay, Sam Fender and Katy Perry making major contributions of their own, the benefits of the levy may not be felt for some time – and a recent report from Music Venue Trust shows that venues are not out of the woods yet.
Last year saw around one venue close every two weeks, with a near 20 per cent increase in “emergency cases” with 200 still on red alert for closure. The report also found that venues investing in sales of food, alcohol, merchandise and more to subsidise the live music they put on due to a number of financial strains – including energy bills – has increased by 440 per cent in recent years, and from £114,814,162 in 2023 to £162,067,095 last year.
As a result, the UK has seen a decrease in the total number of live music shows (down 8.3 per cent since 2023) accompanied by an even steeper decline in ticket revenues (down 13.5 per cent since 2023).
This also comes after the government announced a price cap for the re-sale of touted tickets and an investigation into the practice of dynamic pricing. Visit here for Music Venue Trust’s full 2024 report.
Last year, The Last Dinner Party were forced to cut their European tour short citing “emotional, mental, physical burnout”. Several concerts on their UK and Ireland tour in Cardiff, Lincoln, Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol and Southampton were also scrapped due to ill health.
In other news, the band has been confirmed to be opening for Olivia Rodrigo at her biggest ever UK show with a headline slot at BST Hyde Park 2025.
In a four-star review of the band’s critically acclaimed debut, NME wrote: “Some may choose to posit the band’s success as an antidote to the intense scrutiny – about their rise, appearance and decision to make music without a ‘serious’ intention – they’ve received in their early career. But take all of that away, and you’re still left with fantastic songs that are easy to embrace and return to. It’s hard to miss all the things they’re doing right.”