Newport’s Le Pub bought and saved by ‘National Trust of music venues’, Music Venue Properties 

Newport-based grassroots music venue Le Pub has been bought and saved by Music Venue Trust’s #OwnOurVenues scheme.

READ MORE: 2023 was “worst year for venue closures” while “no one in music industry seems to care”, say MVT

First announced by Music Venue Trust back in May 2022, the campaign went on to raise £2.3million in the first year through a series of donations and investments.

It has been dubbed “The National Trust, but for venues”, and received backing by the likes of Ed Sheeran. It works as venues can sign a “cultural lease” with Music Venue Properties (MVP) – guaranteeing that, as long as they operate as a space for grassroots live music for their local community, they can enjoy use of the building.

Now, MVP has announced that the latest venue to join its expanding portfolio is Le Pub in Newport. The grassroots space  has been a cornerstone of the city’s music scene since it opened in 1992, and has hosted performances from artists including Skindred and Kids in Glass Houses.

It has faced challenges over the years, and was forced to relocate to new premises in the ‘00s. Now, under the  #OwnOurVenues initiative, the venue has secured its future and removed any underlying threat of closure.

“We are very excited to be part of the Music Venue Properties family of owned venues. Having a landlord who is as passionate about live music as we are, will make a massive difference to us and guarantee the venue’s future in Newport,” said Samantha Dabb, the manager of Le Pub.

With the MVP’s  #OwnOurVenues project, grassroots spaces facing threats of closure are placed into community ownership, and long-term stability is provided so they can continue to foster local talent and add cultural value to the community.

Le Pub, Newport. CREDIT: Press

In her statement, Dabb added that since Le Pub applied to the MVP pilot scheme two years ago Le pub has increased staff and the number of live performances, as well as developing a practice room and studio in the basement. Future plans include renovating the upper floors.

Later today (January 10) Le Pub will host a special plaque unveiling and an evening of live music to celebrate the partnership with MVP. Performances are planned by local homegrown talent Murder Club, and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.’s Sam Duckworth is set to make a guest appearance. Find out more here.

“For years, Le Pub have been at the forefront of the Community Shares movement amongst the GMV Community, so it feels only right their long-term future has now been secured by Music Venue Properties, an organisation that would not have existed if not for Community Shares and those like Le Pub who paved the way,” said Matthew Otridge, COO of Music Venue Properties.

“I’m grateful to be a part of this amazing story and look forward now to working alongside Le Pub and its community of investors to help realise its vision for the rest of the building”.

Mark Davyd, Founder of Music Venue Trust, added: “Le Pub was one of the very first venues to join the Music Venues Alliance, and has been, for the last 10 years, one of the most vocal and active campaigning voices about the importance of grassroots music venues to our communities, towns and cities.

“Le Pub sits right at the heart of the blossoming Newport live music scene and is absolutely central to the future of Welsh music. To see it taken into protected ownership, guaranteeing its future for decades to come, is a huge step forward for live music in Wales and a beacon of what can be achieved through projects like Music Venue Properties.”

Other venues acquired and saved by the initiative include The Snug in Atherton, which was the first to be saved and protected by the scheme in October 2023, Preston’s The Ferret which was bought in May 2024, and The Bunkhouse in Swansea which was confirmed in September.

The action taken from MVP comes as grassroots music venues are coming under increasing threat across the UK. Last year, for instance, Music Venue Trust delivered their full report into the state of the sector for 2023, showing the “disaster” facing live music with venues closing at a rate of around two per week.

Buzzard, Buzzard, Buzzard at Le Pub, Newport. CREDIT: Press

Mark Davyd can co. then presented their findings at Westminster, and continued to echo their calls for a £1 levy on tickets for gigs at arena size and above. This allowed for major labels and venues to pay back into the grassroots scene.

In 2023, following the closure of legendary Bath music venue Moles, Davyd explained the threat facing the UK’s live music scene in greater detail, and told NME that the live music industry was “interested in making money but not in the ecosystem.”

“125 live music venues have closed and [the industry] did nothing at all. They let Bath Moles close. Anybody in this country who understands live music is absolutely stunned that the industry doesn’t think that matters,” he said. “It may not matter to them, but it matters to people who actually like live music. It matters to artists, it matters to anyone who cares. If you’re too busy making money to pay attention to that and realise that it’s a problem that you need to get involved with, then good luck to you – but it won’t last. People are just fed up.”

Huge names have increasingly been getting involved in helping support grassroots spaces. Last year, Coldplay announced that 10 per cent of their proceeds from their upcoming stadium shows in London and Hull would be given to Music Venue Trust, in a bid to help support venues around the country. Following the news, fans reacted positively on social media, with one saying “This is the start of something big”.

“Coldplay are the perfect example of a UK band who came through the grassroots circuit on their way to worldwide stadium-filling success,” said MVT CEO Mark Davyd. “It’s fantastic to see them celebrating their own pathway to Wembley by giving back to the grassroots music venues that supported them and recognising the artists and promoters that are struggling more than ever to build their own careers.”

Just two months ago, the Music Venue Trust (MVT) also pointed to a potential “complete collapse of touring” as a result of the recent budget announcement that introduces £7million in new premises taxes. MVT has suggested that this will place 350 grassroots music venues at immediate risk of closure – threatening more than 12,000 jobs, over £250million in economic activity and the loss of over 75,000 live music events.

Lily Fontaine of English Teacher performs on stage at Electric Brixton on May 29, 2024 in London CREDIT: Gus Stewart/Redferns/Getty Images)

The UK government has started to back the call for a ticket levy on arena gigs and above to feed the grassroots. Pressure was put on MPs to take action as small venues are finding themselves in a perilous situation, and artists are struggling more than ever to make ends meet.

A deadline for the music industry to take more concrete action to protect its smaller brethren has been set for March, before the government will be forced to step in and act.

One of the artists helping to raise awareness is English Teacher frontwoman Lily Fontaine, who previously spoke to NME about the importance of grassroots music venues, and also told MPs at a hearing about how artists are facing “a crisis in terms of funding”.

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