Sam Fender gives £25,000 cash award to small concert halls

Sam Fender holding his trophy in Newcastle
The musician was awarded the Mercury Prize in October in Newcastle

The star has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.

The star was given the prize on 16 October as his third album his work was named the top album of the last 12 months.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages played in his early career.

"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across the UK.

These funds supported venues that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.

Other venues obtained monetary aid in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from performances in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has said.

Pulp members performing
They are one of the many acts who contributed their honor prize money to good causes

Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor funds to good deeds.

When they received the prize in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist the singer declared that the band would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.

During 2002, artist Ms Dynamite split her prize among a few charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I donated a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the local youth club that developed their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally the 1994 recipients they gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was ample," said vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory affected somebody else's life."

Recently, the trust shared it had rescued a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in the city were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is supported by a national body and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.

Tyler Hunter
Tyler Hunter

A cultural critic and writer with a passion for exploring the intersections of art and society through insightful commentary.