'A vital part of Leeds’ music scene’: Appeal to invest in grassroots venues before deadline

The Own Our Venues campaign aims to create a community ownership scheme to support Northern Guitars.

The scheme, run by Music Venue Properties (MVP), has already raised over £1.3 million - 86 per cent of its £1.5 million goal - from more than 1,000 supporters, with the deadline this Friday (November 14).

The campaign aims to safeguard independent music venues across the UK and offer long-term stability to venues that may otherwise face closure, and follows MVP’s recent milestone purchases of The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol.

Northern Guitars is a 60-capacity venue, on Call Lane, in Leeds city centre, known for its nightly live music, from open mics to rising indie and folk acts.

Founder Rick Wade described MVP’s campaign as a lifeline: "Northern Guitars is a small but vital part of Leeds’ music scene, a hub for young musicians, students, and a loyal grassroots community.

“With our lease ending and the building up for sale, we’re under serious threat. This community share offer is about keeping culture alive on Call Lane and making sure Leeds doesn’t lose another independent venue."

The campaign also aims to support Gut Level in Sheffield. Chris Sherrington, campaign manager at MVP, said: "We’re now in the final few days of our campaign to bring grassroots music venues into community ownership, and two of the most at-risk are right here in Yorkshire.

“Northern Guitars in Leeds and Gut Level in Sheffield are exactly the kind of spaces this campaign was built to protect: independent, culturally vital, and deeply connected to their local scenes.

"Without intervention, both are facing uncertain futures. This is the moment for music lovers, gig-goers, and communities to step in."

Since launching in 2022, Own Our Venues has raised almost £4 million through community investment and cultural partners, including £500,000 from Arts Council England.

The initiative has already secured community ownership of venues including The Joiners in Southampton, The Croft in Bristol, The Snug in Atherton, The Ferret in Preston, Le Pub in Newport, The Bunkhouse in Swansea, and The Booking Hall in Dover.

Matt Otridge, COO of MVP, said: "This phase of the campaign closes in just days, and we are calling on the industry, artists, government, and music fans to invest what they can. Every contribution helps secure more venues, and each investor can stand alongside those who already proudly say: we own these venues."

Donate to the campaign here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/own-our-venues