Queer dance-music duo NIMMO are the latest musicians to show their support for the UK’s grassroots music sector by becoming patrons of Music Venue Trust. Bringing a dose of future-pop to the ever-expanding list of advocates, NIMMO join Sir Paul McCartney, Tom Grennan, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Nova Twins, Frank Turner, Tim Burgess and more as representatives of the grassroots scene.
Patrons are crucial in helping Music Venue Trust protect, secure and improve the UK’s grassroots music venues by spreading the charity’s message and emphasising the need for the whole music community to engage with their local venue.
Best friends since school, Sarah Nimmo and Reva Gauntlett forged the cathartic, joyful soundscape that defines NIMMO in London’s grassroots venues. Their high-energy performance style later saw them secure support slots in tours across Europe, Australia and the US with Hercules and Love Affair, MØ and Years and Years. Since the earliest days of their career, their aim of carving out a much-needed space for female identifying and LGBTQ+ artists in the music sphere has remained the foundation of their work.
Explaining their motivation to become patrons, NIMMO said: “It is crucial to support grassroots venues to encourage the development and growth of artists. These venues are invaluable to the evolution of artists’ creativity and to building a community and creative network, which is where the magic is birthed. Without them, the music scene would sound so different.”
This announcement sees a continuation of NIMMO’s avid support for Music Venue Trust, following a string of intimate performances at iconic grassroots venues such as Glasgow’s The Hug and Pint, The Brunswick in Hove and Manchester’s Night & Day over the Summer for The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour. The initiative saw The National Lottery underwrite costs for gigs at grassroots venues, following months of lockdown and restrictions.
They continue: “We are proud to be patrons for the Music Venue Trust, particularly at a time when support at a grassroots level is so vital in sustaining the industry.”
The band will take to the road for a run of dates in April 2023:
- 11 Glasgow @ Broadcast
- 12 Edinburgh @ Sneaky Pete’s
- 13 Liverpool @ Jimmy’s
- 14 Leeds @ Headrow House
- 15 Coventry @ KasbahApril
- 19 London @ The Lower Third April
- 20 Brighton @ The Hope & Ruin
MVT’s patrons are one of many methods put in place by the charity to highlight and preserve the UK’s grassroots music sector. This year, MVT launched ‘Own Our Venues’, a campaign aiming to provide ownership to grassroots music venues across the country.
The new initiative sees MVT setting up a Charitable Community Benefit Society: Music Venue Properties (MVP), allowing the public to buy into a funding pool, receiving 3% APR on their investment, where the money will be used by MVP to purchase the venue’s leaseholds as opposed to being beholden to a 3rd party landlord with no interest in the venue’s operation. This would put to rest the main issue venue operators have faced the last two years, and continue to face as the concert economy is still recovering. The initiative has garnered support across the music industry, including a recent donation from Ed Sheeran.
