How Grassroots Venues in London Saved Us as Musicians

Grassroots venues are essential for nurturing and cultivating tomorrow’s musical legends; without such venues, many of our beloved greats would not exist today.

This was the battlecry from up-and-coming band Prima Queen during their meeting. at London ’s Phoenix The Arts Club, following the release of their first album titled "The Prize,"

The pair, made up of close pals Kristin McFadden, 30, and Louise Macphail, 27, aren’t originally from London but have found their niche within the city’s indie scene since 2017 as they started making their mark in the music world.

"Grassroots venues in London have contributed immensely to helping launch our careers," shared Kristin, who hails from overseas. Chicago However, she relocated here to enroll in a songwriting program where she encountered Louise.

The lead vocalist from The Oats went on: “One of our key performances was at Windmill [Brixton], which happens to be one of our favorite places.”

'We embarked on our initial tour when the sound technician turned into a fan after watching our performance, and he then informed The Big Moon about us, which led to us joining their tour.'

Now, Prima Queen are following in the Mercury Prize nominees’ footsteps with their own headlining tour This year, stopping by at places such as London’s Islington Assembly Hall and the legendary Thekla in Louise’s home city of Bristol.

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Kristin went on: 'This essentially traces back to those local community spaces, where a group can rise from obscurity to begin carving out their path in the music business.'

'You could never be prepared for the major performances without those experiences,' Louise concurred. 'Having all these venues scattered across London acts like a training ground.'

'Most groups experience a phase where they perform one or multiple times each week and make numerous errors, followed by learning from those mistakes.'

Prima Queen has joined the ranks of Billy Bragg and Skunk Anansie to voice Their backing of London’s community-driven music scene after the launch of the London Underground Map for Grassroots Music Venues .

This initiative is being run concurrently with efforts from the Mayor of London, Transport for London, along with various organizations such as the Music Venue Trust, Featured Artist Coalition, Outernet, and Universal Music.

The map will be displayed for a month at Outernet London, which is Europe's biggest digital showcase venue.

The interactive map exhibit will be featured in the Arcade area, connecting the nightclub with The Lower Third community music venue on Denmark Street.

What distinguishes these intimate venues is the strong sense of community you experience within them, particularly when you're involved both backstage and onstage, much like Louise’s involvement.

She was employed at the radical art and music venue Matchstick Piehouse in Deptford and witnessed its unfortunate closure towards the end of 2023.

The venue was plunged into £36,000 of rent debt after the pandemic, but with the help of the Music Venue Trust and a huge fundraising effort, it has partially re-opened as Piehouse Co-op.

‘The community brought it back,’ Louise said of the space. ’The venues are crumbling, but the community is still there.’

Kristin believes the online focus can distract from that community aspect, explaining: ‘Some people go viral and they have all these followers, but they struggle to fill venues.’

Neither one is correct or incorrect; they're simply entirely different.

'It’s unfortunate that individuals are investing more time in their mobile devices instead of simply venturing out to see what’s happening with folks around town.'

This mirrors the 'finest piece of advice' Louise ever received about beginning a career in the field: simply venture out and locate the music.

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'The key to success is packing out your nearby venue and having a line snaking down the street, which then propels you forward,' she explained, followed by reflection: 'But I wonder, does this still apply now that everything has moved online?'

Recently, Prima Queen performed one of their largest shows yet at London's Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, which has a seating capacity for 5,000 people standing.

The difference between this performance and their 'warm-up' show at the intimate London venue Omera, which holds only 320 people, was quite evident.

In the end, it comes down to the concert attendees to ensure venues stay open instead of blaming the performers – without people purchasing tickets and drinks, these spaces can’t sustain operations.

'This is a place where you can enjoy live music at reasonable costs,' Kristin notes, as most venues typically charge somewhere between £10 to £15 per show (compared to about £200).'

Increasing expenses for power and everyday needs affect the venue proprietors as well; however, considering the soaring ticket prices at large arenas and stadiums, supporting local grassroots venues might become more appealing.

Kristin concurred: “Given all the reasons we currently feel detached from society, having such venues where we can appear and be acknowledged by our peers, local residents, and broader communities will foster mutual support and enable us to back fellow artists.”

'I believe we underestimate the significance of being present in those areas.'

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