Jeremy Corbyn says independent music venues are "crucial" to the UK
The grime community have been backing the Labour leader
Live music venues are an integral part of the United Kingdom, according to Jeremy Corbyn.
The Labour leader outlined plans to support independent venues in an interview with The Independent, stating the importance of them to music in the UK.
He said: "What you have is a number of independent venues, sometimes pubs, cafes, so on, that have become almost informal live music venues and the small cafe does well and 'hey presto' along comes Costa, Starbucks, Nero or something to take it over.
"[It's] the same with pubs, which are often very reluctant to have live music on. Those live venues are absolutely crucial to the future of the music scene. So the £1,000 pub-licensing rebate is a good thing – we want to extend that a lot further."
Ahead of today's General Election, Corbyn also spoke of the support he's received from grime artists such as JME, Novelist and AJ Tracey.
"I think what they see in us is a preparedness to engage in youth and do something for young people as a whole. It’s a sense of hope from us."
Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter