🔗 Share this article

The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.

He was presented with the award on October 16 as his latest record his work was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.

He has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots played in his beginning days.

"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These venues are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his live tour to assist 38 small stages across the UK.

The donation assisted spaces that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in upgrading facilities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.

"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," the star has said.

The musician is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.

Back when the band earned the award in 1996 for their album the album, lead singer the singer declared that the act would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite split her bounty across multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," the artist explained to a publication.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the community center that supported their group, alongside other local music groups.

And the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," said vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved a couple of small stages in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.

The Joiners in that area and the second in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.