Thousands Raised To Support Brighton's Music Venues

Music fans have raised £13,000 to help grassroots music venues in Brighton and Hove before the second lockdown came into force.

Gig-goers and music fans raised the funds by attending the Live Is Alive! - a series of sold-out performances at Brighton Dome.

Live Is Alive! took place as socially distanced events at Brighton Dome and via livestream over three consecutive Saturday evenings.

Proceeds from ticket sales, livestreams and donations will go towards supporting the partner music venues while they remain closed.

The venues joined forces to programme the gigs to help support and protect the city's vibrant music scene as the coronavirus restrictions continue.

The final gig, which was due to take place on 7 November had to be postponed due to the latest lockdown restrictions and is set to be rescheduled in the new year. 

Each event featured four local bands - from the ambient electronic sounds of duo Immersion to the high-energy punk spirit of Wife Swap USA - performed to a live audience of 250 in Brighton Dome's Concert Hall.

The gigs were the first live events to take place in the venue since closing in March and featured enhanced safety measures to allow the socially distanced audience to attend.  

The Live Is Alive! collective of partners said:

"Live Is Alive! has been overwhelmingly positive in reconnecting artists, venue staff and audiences back in a venue to do what we do best. Thanks to Brighton Dome for staging the gigs and to all the music fans for raising much-needed funds for our live music venues. We look forward to the final night being rescheduled soon and we will continue to campaign to save our venues so we can bring live music back to the city."  

Brighton and Hove's live music scene is one of the city's great success stories, generating an estimated £112m per year for the local economy and plays a key role in its position as a creative, cultural and tourist destination.

Since social distancing and lockdown measures were implemented, most of the grassroots music venues have been unable to re-open for performances and are facing a financial crisis that could lead to permanent closure. 

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive, Brighton Dome added:

"It was incredible to see performances return to our Concert Hall and to offer a place for musicians to play in front of a live audience. The gigs were part of our first step towards bringing live performances back in a safe format and we were thrilled to see audiences come back so enthusiastically in support of the city's music scene and for all of us as venues to work so collaboratively together. Once lockdown restrictions are lifted we hope to be able to open our doors again and offer more socially distanced events for people to enjoy safely."

Live Is Alive! was filmed by Latest TV and is being made available as watch again live streams on TicketCo TV for £3. Proceeds go towards the fundraising for the partner venues. 

Donations to Live Is Alive! can be sent by texting ALIVE to 70331 for £3; 70970 for £5; 70191 for £10.