Mr Scruff announces UK tour in support of independent venues

Mr Scruff has announced a ‘Miniature Arena Tour’ of the UK in support of independent venues.

Organised in partnership with the Music Venue Trust, the six weekend tour will span 14 venues across England and Scotland, visiting towns such as Todmorden, Tunbridge Wells and Huddersfield as well as major cities.

Tickets for the tour will have a £1 levy on top to raise money for grassroots venues, in line with the campaign for a £1 ticket levy on arena and stadium gigs which has recently received government backing, with support also coming from authorities in cities such as Manchester and Bristol.

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Speaking about the tour, Mr Scruff said: “The aim of this tour is to encourage all Stadium & Arenas to include a £1 Liveline contribution per ticket on all music events. The more artists get involved, the more it will be accepted that it is the decent thing for all major concert organisers to do.

“Although the recent UK Government report recommends that the biggest venues support the smallest, there are a lot of successful acts who are not at stadium level who can do their bit. Many of us who tour regularly and make a living from music see the issues that smaller venues face week in and week out, and can have conversations with managers, agents, solicitors and other people who can influence the overall situation for the better.”

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The tour kicks off at the Adelphi in Hull on February 13 next year, and runs every weekend up until the climactic event at Giant Steps in London on March 23.

Venues on the tour include Leeds’ Hope House, Newcastle’s Wylam Brewery, Brighton’s Alphabet, Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s, Chelmsford’s Acanteen, York’s Crescent and Manchester’s Band On The Wall, where Mr Scruff has hosted his Keep It Unreal residency for 25 years.

The organisers are also building a template for arranging a tour of this kind, building a database of interested electronic music venues, a guide for agents to aid planning, and key learning points from the process, hoping to encourage more artists to follow suit.

“This is one small step in the journey towards a more equitable music scene. We will each have our own unique observations, experience ways to contribute our ideas, skills and resources,” adds Mr Scruff.

Find the full list of dates below.

13/02/25 - Adelphi, Hull
14/02/25 - Northern Quarter, Huddersfield
15/02/25 - Hope House, Leeds
21/02/25 - Kitchen St, Liverpool
22/02/25 - Golden Lion, Todmorden
28/02/25 - Wylam Brewery, Newcastle
01/03/25 - Sub Club, Glasgow
02/03/25 - Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
07/03/25 - Tubridge Wells Forum, Kent
08/03/25 - Acanteen, Chelmsford
14/03/25 - Crescent, York
16/03/25 - Band On The Wall, Manchester
21/03/25 - Alphabet, Brighton
23/03/25 - Giant Steps, London