A MUCH-LOVED music venue in York will host a special gig to announce a partnership with a global drinks firm.
Music Venue Trust (MVT) and Coca Cola have announced a new partnership that will see the drinks brand support the grassroots music community - including at The Crescent in York.
The first activity will involve a series of gigs organised by MVT, the charity that represents over 900 UK grassroots music venues. The trust has secured Cheshire-born indie-pop singer-songwriter Casey Lowry to headline a run of 13 shows starting at Moles in Bath on September 27 and ending on October 23 at Camden’s KOKO.
The Crescent will host the special show on Tuesday October 3.
Speaking on the announcement, Casey Lowry said: "If it wasn’t for grassroots music venues, I wouldn’t have a career in music. They provide a springboard for every emerging artist and keep the culture alive.
"Having Coca-Cola on board with MVT will have a huge impact on keeping these awesome indie venues alive and helping the next wave of music come through. We should celebrate this. It’s a huge deal and I feel honoured to be playing."
For a chance to win tickets to any of the shows, go into any Co-op store, buy a 500ml Coke Zero or Coke Zero Cherry and scan the QR code on the in-store display. The promotion ends on August 22.
Paul Hiskens, associate director for partnerships and sponsorships at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB said: “Coca-Cola has a wealth of historical involvement in music and this summer has seen us give music fans a number of epic experiences at festivals across Europe.
"But we recognise that the festival artists of tomorrow need to play in the grassroot venues of today and by partnering with Music Venue Trust we will help support the venues in a number of ways moving forward.
"In our first activity we have funded a series of gigs to allow venues to raise funds, alongside giving fans of Coke Zero an unforgettable night out – and hope that they continue to support these venues ongoing, as we will."
Meanwhile, Mark Davyd, CEO of MVT, said the shows mark the start of an "incredibly important" partnership between the charity and the international company.
He said: "We hope the partnership will bring support to grassroots music venues right across the country. Every local community deserves access to an excellent live music experience right on their doorstep.
"This project demonstrates how MVT can work with great partners to make that happen and keep music live right across the UK."
Music Venue Trust, created in January 2014 to protect, aims to improve the UK live music network by securing the long-term future of iconic grassroots music venues.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here