Gary Mather for Live4ever
A government grant scheme to the tune of billions announced last week is aiming to protect the UK’s art industries during the current pandemic, but small music venues remain one of the most vulnerable to lockdown restrictions – something hammered home by the news that two of Manchester’s most popular live hubs are closing their doors permanently.
The Gorilla and Deaf Institute venues, regular hosts to most emerging British artists for years, will not be reopening whenever live music is able to get going again, a loss felt by many musicians who have been reacting to the news on social media.
The city’s own New Order described it as, ‘sad news for Manchester and music’, while Tim Burgess said he’d, ‘played and watched gigs in both and they were the lifeblood of Manchester’s vital network of venues’.
Spector were one act to leave lengthier thoughts on the closures, writing that these type of venues remain, ‘essential to artists’ careers in the UK’:
Venues the size of Deaf Institute and Gorilla are essential to artists’ careers in the UK. The phrase ‘lifeblood’ is overused but that’s exactly what these places are to music. Without them an essential part of the medium is lost, reserved only for big sellers at big prices.
— Spector (@Spector) July 16, 2020
Two more live music spots in the north of England have announced similar news: The Welly and Polar Bear in Hull.
