Brit Awards 2025: Will Britain’s venue crisis stop the next wave of stars?

Posted On March 2, 2025March 2, 2025

Artists using awards show stages to speak out on important issues isn’t all that surprising in today’s climate. But at last night’s Brit Awards, it quickly became clear which issue was taking centre stage: the growing threat to the UK’s grassroots music venues. “They are the lifeblood of the music industry, and they are dying,” The Last Dinner Party opined, using their ‘Best New Artist’ win to drive the point home.

Awards season has long had an unspoken rule against generic, soulless speeches or gimmicks, and with artists like Chappell Roan leading the charge with her healthcare tirade at the Grammys this year, there was an undeniable sense of urgency in the air at the Brits. However, it wasn’t immediately clear what that urgency was tied to, until the night’s stars began speaking out about the ongoing venue crisis and what it means—or doesn’t mean—for the next wave of rising artists.

Across many major wins, artists who highlighted the growing issue did so by reflecting on their roots, and those who didn’t do so still stirred the same kind of energy in their presence alone. Myles Smith, for instance, posed three important questions, urging labels and financiers to “stick with artists past their first tour”. The Last Dinner Party’s Georgia Davies delivered a vehement call for bigger, more established organisations and venues to support those at the bottom, warning that without such, we will continue “losing them” at an alarming rate.

Perhaps even more striking than these speeches was the broader context surrounding this year’s talent. Many major acts, like Charli XCX, Sam Fender, and Fontaines DC first found their footing in independent venues before their success brought them to the Brits stage. So, with countless emerging artists working hard to follow in their footsteps, what happens when that pathway disappears entirely? What’s to be expected of a music scene that only nurtures those at the top, eradicating the foundations of culture that prime the entire scene?

“We wouldn’t be a band, and a lot of the artists here would not be bands either, without the UK’s incredible independent venues, and they are dying,” Davies emphasised to a sea of enthusiastic uproar. “We wouldn’t be here without them. None of this would be happening without them. So, I want to say to those artists who are playing independent venues all over the country tonight: keep going because that’s the best kind of art there is. In a time when art is under threat, that is the most important thing to keep supporting.”

Art being “under threat” doesn’t just disappear with aid from a top-down approach; it begins with rectifying the baseline so that the rest can continue to flourish with the kind of nuance and diversity that the UK scene thrives on. And aside from shaping the next generation of stars, these venues provide a crucial foundation for something bigger—building momentum that wouldn’t be possible without the tools they offer. After all, they serve as breeding grounds for emerging artists to find their sound, connect with audiences, and gain traction before eventually stepping onto bigger stages, like London’s O2.

Acts like The Last Dinner Party might have found their way there eventually, but the uncertainty almost tips the scales in the opposite direction entirely, especially when considering the broader pipeline that makes them and countless other acts ready and available to take that step. It’s not just about performing consistently for visibility. It’s also about how that live experience refines and pushes their entire offering, providing space for those pivotal early stages of development where connections are key.

As such, it’s almost impossible to imagine the UK music industry without the stages that allow musicians to access those formative experiences. However, these pubs, nightclubs, and small establishments that spotlight new and rising stars have long been taken for granted–as Smith also implied–they are the unsung heroes of the entire infrastructure that need protecting more than any other part of the chain.

“I used to tell myself that things like this weren’t important,” Charli XCX admitted when accepting the ‘Album of the Year’ award. Her speech reflected the long fallacy many rising artists subject themselves to when stuck between “making it” and remaining a lesser-known artist. However, despite the glaring discrepancy and Charli’s internal fight to believe that “recognition” from the Brits wasn’t “important”, she acknowledged how “cool” it was to finally be “in that position”, adding: “I guess this time around the culture caught up with us and wanted to be on the journey with us.”

It’s impossible to predict whether “culture” will ever grip onto anything, especially when it comes to something like Brat, but the point is that Charli XCX was able to get into this position–gaining praise for something she deserves to get praise for–by climbing the ladder the way artists have always done. It’s no doubt a fight for anybody to make it in music, and a hard graft that will naturally leave many to fall by the wayside, but with the necessary means to have a chance, art can thrive the way it’s supposed to–with grassroots venues leading the way.

Without them, therefore, it’s clear where the industry is heading. In five or even ten years’ time, when most of these venues have faltered due to lack of substantial intervention or government disregard, the UK’s independent music scene could be gone, and acts we desperately need, like Sam Fender, Fontaines DC, and others, might not exist at all, let alone win at the biggest music awards event in the country.

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