Kingston’s legendary music venue and bar The Fighting Cocks is thriving after receiving almost £5,000 to buy a new sound desk and stage items.
On January 12 the local bar on Old London Road accepted £4,919.17 from Music Venue Trusts Pipeline Investment Fund. The fund was established in 2022 to support Grassroots Music Venues by transferring money from bigger music events to small venues impacted by the effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
According to Music Venue Trust, the number of live performances has dropped by nearly 18% in three years. They say shrinking audiences have caused venues to stop live performances because it is not bringing in enough money to keep going.
The CEO of Music Venue Trust Mark Davyd said: “Our funding can make a real difference to independent venues but it’s important we don’t get complacent. This initiative has had a real impact but it’s only the start of what we need long-term.”
The money was collected from ticket sales to the Revive Live programme of gigs around the UK. Artists like The Amazons, Paolo Nutini and Charli XCX were among the performers raising money to save live music.
The Fighting Cocks received one part of the £70,000 Music Venue Trust has distributed to 13 other venues including Cloak and Dagger in Bristol and Folklore Rooms in Brighton.
The charity is still seeking further donations to the Pipeline Investment Fund and says they hope it can become a permanent source of support for Grassroots Music Venues.
