RADAR Festival, an award-winning and genre-busting event, is set to make history as the first festival to donate proceeds from ticket sales to the Music Venue Trust (MVT) in support of grassroots music venues.
A portion of the proceeds from every ticket sold for RADAR Festival 2024 will contribute to MVT’s Pipeline Investment Fund, marking a significant stride in bolstering the foundation of the UK live music scene.
Since its inception in 2022, MVT’s Pipeline Investment Fund has provided over £260,000 to 61 grassroots music venues across the UK. This announcement comes amidst renewed appeals from MVT for a ticket levy on major stadium and arena concerts to aid grassroots venues. Recent statistics reveal a concerning trend, with 16% (125) of UK grassroots music venues lost in the past year and 38% reporting financial losses.
Already renowned as a landmark event in the North West, RADAR Festival will take place from July 26th to 28th at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse. Synth royalty The Midnight will headline the Friday, marking their debut UK festival performance. They will be joined by a stellar lineup including Dirty Loops, Plini, VOLA, and Sungazer, among others.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Co-organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith, who also owns The Lounge Bar in Alton, said, “I’ve seen the journey in my own venue of young artists playing for the first time and stepping onto a small stage that they know has previously hosted artists that they admire and want to emulate. Time and again I’ve watched these nervous artists blossom in confidence, ability and stature within the scene, waiting to be discovered by the masses. When that happens, they know how to interact with a crowd, how to control a room, pace their set and perform to the best of their abilities.
“These are all crafts that you can only develop with a small, raw audience that the grassroots music scene cultivates every night up and down the country. If we don’t protect the smaller venues then there isn’t a pipeline for the next headliners, and this ticking time bomb is something that the music industry can, and must, take action on.”
Joe James, RADAR co-organiser and former events manager at The Boileroom in Guildford added, “Many of the crew working at RADAR – lighting and sound engineers, stage and production managers, merchandise sellers and more – gained first-hand experience at grassroots venues. As well as nurturing artists these training grounds support the whole talent ecosystem.”
“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to RADAR Festival, for taking this bold step as the first festival to champion the Pipeline Investment Fund. Their support is a strong commitment to the heart and soul of the UK’s music scene, nurturing its roots through the vital network of Grassroots Music Venues,” said MVT CEO and founder Mark Davyd.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Full list of bands announced for RADAR Festival 2024 so far:
- The Midnight
- Dirty Loops
- Plini
- VOLA
- Sungazer
- Humanity’s Last Breath
- Heart of a Coward
- Oxymorrons
- Blood Command
- Caskets
- Conjurer
- Ithaca
- Siamese
- unpeople
- Graphic Nature
- The Intersphere
- The Omnific
- Future Static
- ADHARMA
- Cestra
- Tribe Of Ghosts
- Seething Akira
- Giant Walker
- Ikonik
