What’s this all about then Chris?
Thank you for asking, anonymous reader.
According to government sources, the type that is uncredited and probably wear dirty macs and lurk in alleyways, pubs may not reopen before the first Bank Holiday in May. If this is the case, it’s extremely unlikely any other licenced entertainment venue would be allowed to trade before this date. So where does this leave venues, bands and fans?
If it proves to be true and the government officially confirms this sooner rather than later, the live music industry can at least plan. Also, it gives time to potentially reschedule gigs and tours booked in pre-May for later in the year or 2022.
Some tours of artists who play medium to large size venues such as The Brighton Dome who were booked for Summer 2021 shows are already rescheduling for late 2021 or early/mid-2022 to mitigate the risk of venues not being able to reopen soon.
Whilst we all would like to get back to gigs as soon as possible, if there’s a communicated time-bound plan for a return in the future (pandemic allowing) this gives some certainty for planning and to understand what’s required in terms of support and funding in the interim and the immediate thereafter, that’s the best we can hope for and the minimum needed.
As it seems to fall on deaf ears in government, it’s worth remembering the live music industry is worth over one billion pounds per year to the UK economy. We can’t afford to lose this fiscally or culturally.
Plugged In Brighton 