Save our gig venues

SIR PAUL McCARTNEY has teamed up with fellow rock royalty in the shape of Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, Fergal Sharkey (pictured from left), Sir Ray Davies and Chrissie Hynde to back a move in Parliament to protect smaller music venues from closure. The change in planning laws is being proposed after more than a third of such venues are thought to have been shut down in just the last decade, according to campaign group UK Music.

Some of the group, which also includes fellow musicians Sandie Shaw and Billy Bragg, descended on Westminster yesterday to show their support for the Bill being proposed by MP John Spellar. Sir Paul, 75, says his own hugely successful career, with The Beatles, Wings and as a solo artist, would probably have gone down a completely different route without the opportunity to play small venues: “Without the grass-roots clubs, pubs and music venues my career could have been very different. If we don’t support music at this level then the future of music in general is in danger.”

While Chrissie, says: “When I heard of the impending threat to small venues, my heart skipped a beat. It isn’t talent shows on television or theatre schools that propagate great music, it is small venues… If small venues shut down, so will England’s unique creative output.”

It’s not just musicians supporting the Bill, it has the backing of at least 75 MPs and peers and organisations including the Music Venue Trust and the Musicians’ Union.