The 1975’s Matty Healy backs new small venue festival and hits out at “political neglect behind this crisis”
The 1975 singer Matty Healy has thrown his support behind a new campaign to support small venues across the United Kingdom.
The Seed Sounds Weekender will take place from September 26th to September 28th. More than 1,000 small venues will participate in the weekend of events, and over 2,000 gigs will be staged during the three days. Tickets for all of the events are free.
Speaking to the Press Association, Healy said of the need for events such as the Seed Sounds Weekender to unite the independent music scene: “The political neglect behind this crisis, steadily hollowing out arts funding and cultural infrastructure is a class war by omission.”
The 1975 frontman also called for governmental support, adding, “Councils across England have slashed arts budgets by 20% to 30% over the last decade. Without government-led reforms – like a mandatory stadium-and-arena ticket levy, VAT relief, business rates reform, and real investment in venue survival – this ecosystem collapses.”
Healy also addressed the music industry’s importance to Britain, both financially and culturally, stating: “The UK music industry delivers £5.2 billion to the economy, supports 228,000 jobs, and exports its soft power globally – but its entire pipeline starts in those 150‑capacity rooms above pubs. Lose them, and you aren’t just losing venues – you are losing the conditions that made all that possible. That is cultural erasure, and it will not come back.”
Healy then emphasised the importance of the Seed Sounds Weekender, which he says “isn’t just a celebration, it’s about uniting and sustaining this network, ensuring that art isn’t just for the privileged, and that Britain’s unique, musical heartbeat keeps beating.”
The vocalist, who graduated from the independent venue scene before climbing up the ladder to headline Glastonbury this summer, claimed without these spaces, “You don’t get The Smiths, Idles, Little Simz, or Wet Leg, you get silence”.
In addition to free tickets, event organisers and live music marketplace GigPig have partnered with Uber to offer discounted rides to shows to encourage people to attend.
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