“This isn’t just about sound, it’s about community, creativity, and giving back to the music that made us”: Marshall launches initiative to support grassroots music venues in the UK – which are facing a fight for survival

Delilah Holliday of Skinny Girl Diet performs on stage at the Green Door Store on day 1 of The Great Escape on May 19, 2016 in Brighton, England
Delilah Holliday of Skinny Girl Diet performs on stage at the Green Door Store in Brighton (Image credit: Tabatha Fireman/Redferns/Getty Images)

At a time when grassroots venues across the globe are facing unprecedented challenges, Marshall is championing these key community and music centers through ‘Marshall Nights’, launched in collaboration with the UK-based Music Venue Trust.

‘Marshall Nights’ is set to be a UK-wide series of over 20 gigs – each shining a spotlight on emerging talent and the local communities that support them.

“Marshall was born from the live stage, and that’s where we belong,” comments Kevin Penney, Marketing Director at Marshall EMEA. “Grassroots venues are where every great band starts, and we’re proud to help keep those stages alive for the next generation of artists and fans.

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“This isn’t just about sound – it’s about community, creativity, and giving back to the music that made us.”

‘Marshall Nights’ will feature more than 60 breakthrough artists performing across some of the country's most well-known venues, including the Green Door Store in Brighton, Fuel in Cardiff, The Rum Shack in Glasgow, and Yellow Arch in Sheffield.

This initiative continues to build on Marshall's previous commitments to grassroots music, including Marshall co-founder Terry Marshall and his wife Leslie Marshall's £100,000 ($130,361) donation to Music Venue Trust’s ‘Own Our Venues’ campaign, and supplying backline equipment to 20 grassroots music venues and counting.

Janelle Borg

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology and how it is shaping the future of the music industry, and has a special interest in shining a spotlight on traditionally underrepresented artists and global guitar sounds. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Auf der Maur, Yvette Young, Danielle Haim, Fanny, and Karan Katiyar from Bloodywood, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her Anglo-Maltese, art-rock band ĠENN.