#LetTheMusicPlay - because live venues are about more than just music

Cash Back in Fife - Dean Owens & Rab Noakes

The launch of  #LetTheMusicPlay has sparked memories of great gigs, amazing venues - and how much live music means to so many people.

The snapshots are all from the very last gig people saw before lockdown saw the lights switched off and the doors locked.

Three months into lockdown, and with it becoming worryingly apparent the Government has little interest in acting to rescue the arts sector from potential ruin, it is fantastic to see the industry rallying support.

The hashstag brings together artists, promoters, agents, venues and fans in asking the  UK government to protect the live music industry.

Launched by UK Music, the organisation which represents the country’s commercial music sector, it wants a clear timeline for re-opening venues and  an immediate and comprehensive business and employment support package.

That covers rent breaks for venues which now have zero income, and help for the self-employed an
d sole traders to prevent mass redundancies.

Richard Hawley, The Barrowlands

It's been soul destroying to see and hear politicians purr over the return of football and horse racing while remaining utterly disinterested in the arts.

The music industry alone stands to lose potentially £3billion in GVA (50 per cent) and 60 per cent of its jobs . That's 114,00 people out of work.

So far, all it has had is a route map  from Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that is so vague, you'd need a compass to locate  any commitment to specific action.

It was hard nor to snort with derision as he tweeted that bringing back live venues involved "very difficult decisions about the future of social distancing" - this from a Government which has, in word and deed,  all but abandoned the notion entirely.

As it stands, social distancing makes many live venues simply unviable.

Like all indoor sports and events, they rely entirely on getting the maximum number of people through its doors.

And this campaign isn't just about the big arenas which are built to hold 10,000 or more.

The Hydro in Glasgow has already said it may not be able to stage those sort of events again until 2022, which begs the question, what the hell do you do with a building that size if you can only have a few thousand rattling around inside?

Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5 at Butefest

At the other end of the scale sit dozens of small venues where bands aspiring to fill the Hydro start out.

They are precious and have to be wrapped in cotton wool right now - but how do you socially distance King Tuts for pity's sake?

It's part of the whole eco-system which is now in real peril. Without support, I fear many will close and be lost for ever.

Mothballing may work for some big venues, but those who operate at the grass roots, many for the love of music, cannot sustain a year or more with no - absolutely zero - income.

My last gig before lockdown was in a venue that has worked incredibly hard to bring live music to the region, and carved out a reputation as a great place to play - and stay.

The Woodside Hotel in Aberdour has hosted Glenn Tilbrook, James Grant, and Mari Wilson to name but a few.

E Street bass man, Garry W Tallent at Oran Mor

Owner John McTaggart turned one of his function  rooms into a smashing, intimate live venue, brought many people into the village and, of equal importance, sent them home with nothing but memories of a great night and a warm welcome. It genuinely has the potential to be Fife's own King Tuts.

Just days before lockdown, it hosted Cash Back In Fife, a beautifully curated weekend which celebrated the unique links between Johnny Cash and the Kingdom.

It brought Rab Noakes, Dean Owens and Fay Fife's new band., The Countess of Fife, to the venue, along with Ian Rankin who celebrated another Fife legend, the late, great and all too often forgotten, Jackie Leven.

Folk stayed for the weekend, enjoyed the masterclasses, explored the village, and saw some fabulous live music in the most relaxed setting imaginable.

It doesn't matter whether you're at Wembley or the Woodside, live music is something special.

Nothing beats the shared experience of being in that crowd, lost in the moment, listening to a singer or band simply nailing it.

It's good for the soul. It's what makes for good mental health.

AC/DC at The Playhouse

Whitesnake, The Playhouse

Whether it's Springsteen turning Wembley into a village hall or KT Tunstall kicking up a hell of a storm in front of 90 folk at the Inn At Lathones in the middle of nowhere in Fife, those moments give us memories that last a lifetime

We simply cannot lose them.

This campaign gives the industry a voice at a time when everyone is shouting for help. Your support means it will sound that little bit louder.

We need to keep shouting until someone listens.