Venues to benefit from fundraising festival

Two Highland grassroots music venues are to benefit from Save Our Scottish Venues virtual festival.

The virtual festival, organised by Music Venue Trust, takes place on Friday to support Scotland’s vital grassroots music venues facing closure due to Covid-19.

The likes of KT Tunstall, Wet

Wet Wet and Anchor Lane will be performing via a livestream for the fundraiser.

The Tooth and Claw in Inverness hopes to raise £7,500 to ensure its survival.

A spokesman said: “If we hit our target, and we can help prevent the closure of your local grassroots music venue, everything above the amount we need will be donated to the Music Venue Trust.”

The View in Oban has a target of £10,000 after being unable to access the full £25,000 grant available through the government’s Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Fund.

Festival host Vic Galloway will be talking to musicians and venue representatives to highlight the synergy between these venues and the artists whose careers they help develop.

The #saveourvenues campaign was started in response to the continued economic threat to more than 400 grassroots music venues throughout the UK.

Grassroots music venues benefit from ticket sales and donations.

Music Venue Trust strategic director Beverley Whitrick said there are 60 Scottish members of the Music Venues Alliance who are “essential to the music ecosystem”.

She added: “The love that artists have for these spaces and the people who run them is clear from everyone stepping forward to help raise money to support venues through the crisis.”

For more information, saveourvenues.co.uk visit

KT Tunstall will be performing