Jamie xx and Metronomy have been added to the line-up for ‘Passport: Back to Our Roots’ the campaign to raise money for grassroots music venues at risk of closure. Announced today on BBC Radio 6 Music during the station’s ‘State Of Independence Day’ Jamie xx and Metronomy join Pet Shop Boys, KT Tunstall, Russell Watson and Passenger in this second group of artists who have pledged to play gigs for the campaign.
Jamie xx will be performing at Corsica Studios in Elephant & Castle, Metronomy at Patterns in Brighton, Pet Shop Boys at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, Russell Watson at Manchester’s Stoller Hall, Passenger at Brighton’s Komedia and KT Tunstall will be playing at two venues – Windmill Brixton and PJ Molloys in Dunfermline. The artists will be playing these celebratory intimate shows, on dates to be confirmed, when venues are able to open with no social distancing.
Entry to the shows will be via a prize draw which will run for three weeks from Monday September 14th until Monday October 5th via crowdfunder.co.uk/passport-back-to-our-roots. For a £5 minimum donation to the campaign, music fans will be entered into the draw to win passes to the show of their choice for themselves and a guest.
“Metronomy weren’t discovered in Alexandra Palace or Brixton Academy. We were discovered in the Brighton Freebutt, Leeds Cockpit, Southampton Joiners, King Tut’s and hundreds of other small venues up and down the country. These small venues aren’t just the modest beginnings for bands that make it big. They also supply performance spaces for far less egotistical groups than ourselves…Choirs and Theatre groups for example. It’s absolutely crucial that we stop as many small venues from closing as possible!!! Metronomy have already reaped the rewards of performing in the intimate surroundings that places like Patterns in Brighton provide. Now we’d like to help secure the future of as many small venues as possible so that the world at large can keep discovering the new and exciting talent that they nurture.” Joe Mount, Metronomy
Speaking about the news Jamie xx said “I chose Corsica Studios because it’s consistently one of the best places to hear dance music in London. I used to go almost every week when I lived in Brixton, and I’m definitely going to be there a lot more when we’re allowed to again. Can’t wait to play, it’s been too long.”
The announcement of the line-up follows the news that £75,000 was raised from the first prize draw for entry to concerts by Elbow, Public Service Broadcasting, Everything Everything, The Slow Readers Club and Ash.
