"CO2 was £13.50, now it’s £37.50. Pints should be £8.50": How two music venues secured their future in 'hard' times

Two Manchester music venues look to have secured their futures after receiving thousands in grant funding.

Rebellion, in the city centre, and The Old Abbey Taphouse, in Hulme, have been awarded £4,165 and £4,704.67 respectively. The money has come from the Music Venue Trust’s (MVT) Pipeline Investment Fund.

It means that Rebellion and The Old Abbey Taphouse are able to continue as small independent venues. That’s a welcome relief in a tough economic climate, said Rachele Evaroa.

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“We have lost lunchtime and after-work trade, because everyone is working from home,” the founder and director of The Old Abbey Taphouse said. “We have to do gigs and later events, and that causes more wear and tear to the venue.

“We have grown as a business but our costs have gone up. The electric bill has gone up from £1,000 to £4,000 per month. We had to turn off the pizza oven. A bottle of CO2 was £13.50, now it’s £37.50. Pints should be £8.50. We are not going bankrupt, it’s just hard.”

The money from MVT means that vital work to ensure the venue can put on live music events can start. Rachele continued: “We have issues with the parquet flooring. It’s over 100 years old, and our marquee got blown down in a storm last year, so our stage get wet — now we need to replace it. The funding will also help us to do some more soundproofing outside.

“It was urgent. Without the flooring inside [being okay], I would have to shut it.”

Rachele is therefore grateful to the MVT. She added: “I’d like to say thank you to the Music Venue Trust because not only do they support us financially, they also do the moral supper we need to get through this period.”

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