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As UK venues reopen their doors for full-capacity shows, Hammer spoke to Music Venues Trust CEO Mark Davyd about the return of live music and how we can all help to keep venue doors open
INTERVIEW: ELEANOR GOODMAN • WORDS: RICH HOBSON • PICTURE: GETTY
COVID ICONS: MVT
ASIDE FROM BLOODSTOCK and test events like Download Pilot, it has been almost 500 days since UK music venues last held full-capacity shows. But as the final restrictions in England ease, gigs as we once knew them are starting to return.
The past 17 months have represented an extraordinarily difficult time for the music industry, affecting everybody from road-crew and promoters to bands, ticket agents and venue staff. Nobody knows the extent of these challenges more than the Music Venues Trust (MVT), a UK-based charity that assists in protecting, securing and improving grassroots venues, working with independent businesses across the nation to ensure they have the support to thrive and foster new talent.