Fife singer songwriter KT Tunstall has pledged to play a special gig to raise money for grassroots music venues at risk of closure.
With many renowned nightspots across the region struggling due to the impact of Covid-19, KT will take to the stage for an intimate gig at PJ Molloys in Dunfermline in support of the ‘Passport: Back to Our Roots’ campaign.
The project is a nationwide series of one-off intimate gigs by some of the UK’s biggest artists, and entry to the shows is via a prize draw which is running until Monday October 5 via crowdfunder.co.uk/passport-back-to-our-roots.
For a £5 minimum donation to the campaign, music fans will be entered into the draw to win passes to the show of their choice for themselves and a guest.
KT is doing two performances, one at PJ Molloys in her home region of Fife, and also at the Windmill in Brixton, both of which are expected to take place next year.
“Without grassroots music venues, there are no big acts. It’s as simple as that.
“The incredible eco-system of small venues exists, in the vast majority of cases, as labours of love.
“Constantly up against rapidly rising business rates and big developer interests, these essential community hubs are kept alive by often overworked owners and staff with an unending passion for music and the music lovers and musicians they serve.
“Having worked my way through this amazing network, I chose the Windmill in Brixton as it showcases so many new artists and bands dreaming of playing famous Brixton Academy, just a mile away.
“I also chose PJ Molloys in Dunfermline, very close to where I grew up.
“I remember finding it so hard to find places to play in Fife, so a venue like this is so important to aspiring musicians.”
Calum Miller, from the venue, said: “It’s a total privilege for us that she wants to come and play here.
“The artists got to choose where they wanted to play and KT Tunstall wanted to play at PJ’s.”
Among the other artists backing the campaign are the Pet Shop Boys, who will play at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, Russell Watson, who will perform at Manchester’s Stoller Hall, and Passenger, who will be playing at Brighton’s Komedia.
The announcement follows the news that £75,000 was raised from a first prize draw for entry to concerts by Elbow, Public Service Broadcasting, Everything Everything, The Slow Readers Club and Ash.
Sally Cook, co-founder of ‘Passport: Back to Our Roots’, said: “We’re blown away by the incredible response to the first block of fundraisers, and want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated, and to every artist who pledged to play a grassroots venue show.
“The outpouring of support just proves how important grassroots venues are to the UK’s music fans.
“£75k is an amazing start and will help make a real difference to the venues involved and the sector as a whole, but we’re not stopping there.”
