Matty Healy has backed a brand new British music festival that will take place in venues across the UK.
The Seed Sounds Weekenders will see more than 2,000 gigs take place in 1,000 pubs, bars, and restaurants in a bid to celebrate the arts in Britain.
It will take place from September 26 to 28, with performances from local artists, spotlighting venues that played a crucial part in launching the careers of many of our favourite artists.
The festival launches with support from The 1975 frontman, 36, who will act as an ambassador for Seed Sounds Weekend.
‘Local venues aren’t just where bands cut their teeth, they’re the foundation of any real culture,’ the About You hitmaker said in a statement.
‘Without them, you don’t get The Smiths, Amy Winehouse, or The 1975. You get silence. The erosion of funding for seed and grassroots spaces is part of a wider liberal tendency to strip away the socially democratic infrastructure that actually makes art possible.’
He went on to say that because of this, we are left with a landscape where ‘only the privileged can afford to create.’
‘The Seed Sounds Weekender is a vital reminder that music doesn’t start in boardrooms or big arenas; it starts in back rooms, pubs, basements, and independent spaces run on love, grit, and belief in something bigger.’
A full list of venues and artists taking part is available at SeedSoundsWeekender.com. Tickets are available now.
Speaking ahead of the event, GigPig co-founder Kit Muir-Rogers said that seed venues in the UK are ‘where music careers are born.’
‘Collectively, this space promotes more music than any other in the live music business, yet it has gone overlooked and underappreciated,’ he continued.
Towns and cities taking part in Seed Music Festival
- Birmingham
- Bournemouth
- Coventry
- Edinburgh
- Exeter
- Glasgow
- Harrogate
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Middlesbrough
- Newcastle
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Sunderland
- York
‘The Seed Sounds Weekender is not just a festival; it’s a rallying point for a sector that deserves to be celebrated for its immense contribution to British music.’
The 1975 was formed in Wilmslow, Cheshire, in 2002 by Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer George Daniel.
From the beginning, when the members were in secondary school, the 1975 went on to become one of Britain’s biggest pop rock groups, winning numerous accolades, including four Brit Awards.
They have been heavily praised by the likes of Robbie Williams and Justin Hawkins for their musical style, with the Evening Standard hailing them the ‘most compelling pop band on the planet’ in 2023
The group headlined this year’s Glastonbury Festival alongside Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo.
Seed Sounds Weekender will take place in venues across the UK from September 26 to 28. More information and tickets are available here.
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