Mayor and musicians launch map of London's grassroots venue 'crown jewels'
Top musicians joined Metro and Sir Sadiq Khan in central London yesterday for the launch of the Grassroots Music Tube Map.
The eye-catching artwork celebrates the artists and venues that have made the capital one of the world's best cities for music by collecting them on a revamped version of the iconic design.
Different Underground lines represent contemporary acts, music legends, albums, songs and culturally important places that show the best of London.
Sir Sadiq, the Mayor of London, told Metro the small gig venues that support up-and-coming artists are the city's 'crown jewels' and deserve more recognition.
Recalling nights out at the Brixton Academy to see Dua Lipa and the Hammersmith Apollo for Sting, he said: 'What I want to see is not just a stabilisation of no more venues closing down, I want to see new venues opening up as well.
'I want to see a pipeline of new artists – I want to see tomorrow's Adeles, tomorrow's Stormzies, tomorrow's Ed Sheerans or the Police or the Rolling Stones, honing their skills in some of these venues.
'I want all of us to have stories to tell in ten, fifteen years' time about, we saw this artist who's now huge.'
Sir Sadiq said many of London's favourite grassroots venues have 'faced the biggest challenges they've ever faced' in recent years, with business rates, rents, the pandemic and Brexit all complicating the picture.
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Ticketing app DICE has put together a list of their 25 grassroots artists you need to see in London over the next six months.
With tickets ranging from free to £27.50, these shows will ensure a great night to suit all tastes and budgets.
Click HERE to catch the full list.
City Hall would be speaking to landlords about 'more sensitive' rents and changing planning rules to stop venues from being hit with 'onerous conditions' by developers, he said.
Metro's editor-in-chief Deborah Arthurs said she spent her student days watching live music in Camden's Dublin Castle and Water Rats.
She said: 'I would never have been able to afford to go to concerts or gigs if I didn't have those venues.
'Making music accessible and affordable is something that's really important in London and for people who come to the city.'
Among the figures from the world of music who joined the launch was Gus Unger-Hamilton from indie rockers alt-J, who he said started 'at the very bottom' of the London grassroots music scene.
Gus told Metro: 'Hopefully this campaign will raise much-needed awareness of the problems faced by artists, venues and promoters while also inspiring Londoners to get out to amazing gigs, buy tickets and T-shirts and support this scene that we should all be so proud of.'
We've teamed up with SXSW London to give away two pairs of Music Festival Wristbands valid for 2-7 June 2025.
Headliners include Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Tems, Brit Award-winning artist Mabel, Crystal Castles's Alice Glass, and East London-based R&B artist NAO. But there's also plenty of emerging talent set to perform at showcase acts around Shoreditch, and you could be there to watch.
Click here to find out more about SXSW London's incredible events and how to enter to be in with a chance to win, or simply enter your details using the form below. *T&Cs apply.
You have until midnight on Sunday 25th May 2025 to enter. Good luck!
* Open to legal residents of Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18 or over. Promotion opens at 06:01 BST on 13 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 BST on 25 May 2025. The promotion is free to enter; however internet access is required. Entrant must visit https://metro.co.uk/2025/05/02/win-a-pair-of-music-festival-wristbands-worth-99-to-sxsw-london-23014181/ and when prompted by the form, submit their name, email, telephone number, date of birth and postcode. Acceptance of the terms and conditions (by ticking the relevant checkbox) is necessary to enter the promotion. 1 entry per person. 1 prize available per person. There will be two (2) winners. Each winner will win two (2) Full Week (6 days) Music Festival Wristbands (each such wristband worth £99) granting secondary access to Official SXSW London Music Festival showcases valid from 2 until 7 June 2025. Proof of age and photographic ID is required for entry (18+). The prize, including entry and attendance at SXSW, is subject to and governed by the SXSW's full ticket terms and conditions here. Full T&Cs apply, see here.
Singer-songwriter Naima Bock, previously of post-punk band Goat Girl, also stopped by Outernet for the event. More Trending
She said her group first performed at Brixton's much-loved Windmill, which she called 'one of these independent venues that have managed to keep the ticket prices low over the 12 years I've been going'.
These places allow people starting out on their journey to 'cut their teeth and make mistakes in shows', Naima added.
The map will be screened for a month at the Outernet London, the largest digital exhibition space in Europe.
The interactive display will be shown in the Arcade space, which links the nightclub to The Lower Third grassroots music venue on Denmark Street.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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