Entertainment (Commonwealth Union) _ Matty Healy, the outspoken frontman of The 1975, has made a significant announcement regarding the future of live music in the UK. Backing a new initiative called the Seed Sounds Weekender, Healy is championing the pubs, bars, and grassroots venues that help nurture emerging artists, especially those he says are disappearing at an alarming rate due to increasing economic strains.
The Seed Sounds Weekender is set to take off on September 26 as a three-day festival that is expected to bring live music to more than 1,000 venues across the country. From small-town pubs to inner-city bars, these so-called “seed venues” have long been the first place of e xposure for artists who eventually go on to headline arenas and global festivals. Healy himself is a product of this system, having started out pulling various pub gigs before leading The 1975 to the Glastonbury stage in 2025.
Healy mentioned in a public statement that local venues are “the foundation of any real culture,” bringing up their role in uncovering talented artists such as Amy Winehouse, The Smiths, and The 1975.
The Seed Sounds Weekender will be organised by GigPig, a live music platform that connects musicians to venues. The aim of the festival is to bring attention to the economic pressure that threatens small venues. According to the British Beer and Pub Association, over 370 pubs are expected to shut down in 2025 due to high operating costs and changes in consumer behaviour. These closures lead to fewer opportunities for art ists to perform and, subsequently, fewer places for new talent to be discovere d.
The co-founder of GigPig, Kit Muir-Rogers, d escribed the event as “a moment to unite and celebrate what we think i s the m ost exciting and probably the most vital step on an artist’s journey.” He also added that despite collectively hosting more than three million gigs an nually a nd supporting over 43,000 musicians, many of these seed music venues ha ve been overlooked in discussions about music funding.
Notable seed venues would includ e the Grapes in Sheffield, where the Arctic Monkeys played their debut show; the Buffalo Bar in Cardiff, which hosted Adele; and the Castle Hotel in Manc hester, which turned out to be a key venue in The 1975’s early career. Although the spaces may seem modest, they have proved to be instrumental in buildin g artists’ careers.
The growing number of closures and the lack of dedicated support towards the issue have prompted concerns th at the UK’s live music pipeline is at risk. The Music Venue Trust reported that more than 200 venues have either closed or stopped live programming b etween the years 2023 and 2024, with some, like The Leadmill in Sheffield, ha ving lost legal battles that led to their closure, despite years of being a signific ant establishment in the industry.
In response to the crisis, the UK government has launched the £85 million Creative Foundations Fund, aimed at supporting arts venues. However, while there have been calls for a ticket levy on large stadium gigs to help fund smaller venues, most seed venues are not eligible for such support under current proposals. GigPig is campaigning to change this by formally recognising seed venues as a separate, fundable category in the music industry.
Mark Connor of the Head of Steam pub chain, where early gigs by both The 1975 and Arctic Monkeys were hosted, stressed the economic role of live music. “It actively brings people into our venues and helps them stay longer,” he said. “That second or third drink might just be what keeps our doors open.”
The Seed Sounds Weekender has already partnered with Uber to provide discounted rides to and from events. With most shows free on entry, they will be taking place in 20 cities across the UK, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leicester, and Southampton.
