Published: 24 Feb 2021
Summerhall by Mihaela Bodlovic
82 venues across Scotland have received a total of £4million through the Scottish Government’s Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund delivered by Creative Scotland.
Aimed at providing grassroots live music venues with emergency support to help address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and prevent closure, the £4million fund closed for the second round of applications on Wednesday 3 February 2021.
To date, over both funding rounds combined, 85 venues across Scotland have now received a total of £6.2million through the Fund. £2.2millon was awarded in the first round in September 2020.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said:
“This is an incredibly difficult time for the live music sector and it is important that we support our grassroots music venues – which are key to our rich and diverse music scene – to survive until they can reopen.
“This fund, part of our ongoing commitment to support cultural sectors during the pandemic, aims to do that by ensuring financial support reaches a wide variety of music venues across the country.
“I thank the music sector for continuing to work with us to identify the most effective ways to help it.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said:
“We’ve now been without live music for much longer than anyone could have imagined. Covid-19 has hit the music industry hard, and we all look forward to the day when musicians and audiences can get back together – in the same place, at the same time – to ignite the special spark of live performance.
“Grassroots venues are where talented musicians test and perfect their original material, where careers are borne and local scenes have their deepest roots. The first round of awards from this fund covered the length of Scotland, from Dumfries to Kirkwall. The second round broadens that support, reaching Arran and the East Neuk of Fife. These awards are proof of the confidence that the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland have in our music sector, its artists, its audiences, its technicians and, of course, its much-loved grassroots venues.”
On receiving funding Ariki Porteous of Glasgow’s Nice N Sleazy said:
"It has been a relief to receive this fund considering a return to normal trading still looks to be some way off. This money will help stabilize the business in the short term and will pay our recent tax bills but even if we can open, until normal licence hours resume, and capacity restrictions are lifted then live music venues and clubs will continue to be in a vulnerable position."
While General Manager of Edinburgh’s Summerhall, Rowan Campbell said:
“Summerhall is immensely grateful for this award which will help to secure our staff, our ongoing costs while closed and our ability to reopen in the coming months. It is a welcome lifeline that recognises our place as an important venue in the live music landscape of Scotland.”
And James Carr, Venue Manager at the Tooth & Claw in Inverness said:
"It means the world to us here at The Tooth & Claw to again be supported by The Scottish Government and Creative Scotland through the Grassroots Music Venue Stabilisation Fund. It will allow us to return and continue to support the local grassroots music scene and the extremely talented individuals that take to our stage. Like the general public we cannot wait for the return of live music!"
Recipients of the £4m Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund are:
| Venue Name | Awarded Amount | Local Authority |
| 1703 Dunfermline | £35,000 | Fife |
| 1807 | £35,000 | West Lothian |
| 1912 | £35,000 | West Lothian |
| Aros Centre | £28,000 | Highland |
| Audio | £32,000 | Glasgow City |
| Backstage Kinross | £40,000 | Perth and Kinross |
| Bannermans | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| The Banshee Labyrinth | £50,000 | City of Edinburgh |
| Beat Generator Live! | £51,608 | Dundee City |
| Berkeley Suite | £57,060 | Glasgow City |
| BLOC+ | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| The Blue Arrow Jazz Club | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| The Blue Lamp | £9,554 | Aberdeen City |
| The Bongo Club | £50,000 | City of Edinburgh |
| Box | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| Bridge Street Social Club | £50,000 | Aberdeen City |
| Broadcast | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| The Bungalow | £38,000 | Renfrewshire |
| Café Drummonds | £60,000 | Aberdeen City |
| Callums Cavern CC'S | £19,298 | Renfrewshire |
| The Caves | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| The Church | £66,200 | Dundee City |
| The Clutha Bar | £45,000 | Glasgow City |
| Conroy's | £23,422 | Dundee City |
| Cottiers Theatre | £30,000 | Glasgow City |
| The Douglas Arms | £20,000 | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Dreadnoughtrock | £45,490 | West Lothian |
| Flying Duck | £60,000 | Glasgow City |
| Futtle | £22,000 | Fife |
| The Gellions | £50,000 | Highland |
| The Glad Cafe C.I.C | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| Harleys | £66,200 | South Ayrshire |
| Henry's Cellar Bar | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| Hootenanny | £66,200 | Highland |
| The Howlin Wolf | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| The Hug and Pint | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| The Hunter S Thompson | £21,000 | Dundee City |
| Ivory Blacks | £40,601 | Glasgow City |
| The Jazz Bar | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| King Tuts Wah Wah Hut | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| King's | £66,200 | Dundee City |
| The Kings Theatre Kirkcaldy Limited | £30,000 | Fife |
| Krakatoa | £59,500 | Aberdeen City |
| LaBelle Angele | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| La Cheetah Club | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| Leith Depot | £27,981 | City of Edinburgh |
| Marmions | £35,000 | Scottish Borders |
| The Mash House | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| McChuills | £63,800 | Glasgow City |
| McGeochs | £43,500 | Inverclyde |
| Midnight Breakfast Club | £3,749 | West Lothian |
| Mono | £60,000 | Glasgow City |
| Muckys Bar & | £28,774 | Perth and Kinross |
| Nice N Sleazy | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| Opium | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| Nicos bar | £40,000 | Glasgow City |
| The Old Hairdressers | £55,000 | Glasgow City |
| The Pierhead Tavern | £30,000 | North Ayrshire |
| PJ Malloys | £52,732 | Fife |
| The Poetry Club | £30,000 | Glasgow City |
| Priory Bar | £45,000 | Glasgow City |
| Purple Orange | £28,524 | West Lothian |
| Room 2 | £59,049 | Glasgow City |
| The Rum Shack | £19,251 | Glasgow City |
| Saint Luke's & The Winged Ox | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| Sandy Bell's | £10,000 | City of Edinburgh |
| Sneaky Pete's | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| The Sound Archive | £34,911 | Orkney Islands |
| Stramash | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| Stereo | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| The Sub-Club | £66,200 | Glasgow City |
| Summerhall | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| Swing | £50,000 | East Dunbartonshire |
| Temple | £64,200 | Falkirk |
| The Tooth and Claw | £59,996 | Highland |
| Tunnels | £50,000 | Aberdeen City |
| The Twa Tams | £66,200 | Perth and Kinross |
| Unit 51 | £50,000 | Aberdeen City |
| The View | £20,000 | Argyll and Bute |
| The Voodoo Rooms | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| Whistle Binkies | £66,200 | City of Edinburgh |
| Woodside hotel | £15,000 | Fife |
| Total | £4,000,000 |
Today’s announcement represents the second round of the Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund which closed for applications on Wednesday 3 February 2021.
The first round of awards made through this Fund were announced in September 2020 with 68 venues receiving a total of £2.2millon. Full information about the Fund, including eligibility and criteria, can be found on the Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund page.
The Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund is one of a series of measures being put in place since March 2020, to help mitigate the immediate impacts of Covid-19 on the creative and cultural sector.
A total of £74.9m in emergency COVID-19 funds for art and creativity are being delivered by Creative Scotland in 2020/21, made up of funds from the Scottish Government, the National Lottery and the Freelands Foundation.
Emergency funding programmes include the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund; the Independent Cinemas Recovery and Resilience Fund; the Screen Scotland Freelancer Hardship Fund, the Creative Freelancer Hardship Fund; the Open Fund: Sustaining Creative Practice and the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund. For details on all funding programmes please visit our Funding Programmes page.
More information about COVID-19 funding and resources can be accessed via www.FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.
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For Funding enquires please contact enquiries@creativescotland.com.
