Amid all of the soul-sapping doom and gloom currently surrounding live music, it's a real delight to be able to spotlight positive developments. I've tried to do so wherever possible (albeit perhaps not always especially successfully), and this recent piece for the Guardian suggests that Daniel Dylan Wray feels much the same.
He begins with the bad news, acknowledging that the loss of long-running gig venue the Leadmill is a significant blow to Sheffield - one that has aroused the passions and ire of a number of local heroes (Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley, Miles Kane). But he goes on to note that "the story has transpired to be much more knotty and complex" than it's been made out to be by partisans, and that the building's owners, the Electric Group, have proposed to keep it as a live music space, most likely after a substantial facelift.
What's more, Wray dedicates the rest of the article to painting a portrait of the city's vibrant DIY scene, represented by venues like Delicious Clam, Gut Level and Sidney & Matilda, and developing into a thriving community. Interestingly, Gut Level's Katie Matthews suggests that it's precisely the lack of funding that has fostered this environment: "For a long time nobody has really been arsed about us, unlike in other cities where you might get a lot of development and investment. But it means that we've just been left alone and so the people of Sheffield have created things for the other people of Sheffield. There is a real grassroots spirit."
The fact that Gut Level operates as a well-supported members' club caught my attention. It's an innovative concept, with monthly payments exactly the sort of regular and foreseeable source of income for which grassroots venues and organisations are increasingly desperate. Hopefully it's an idea that might take off elsewhere.
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