Sam Ryder and Bloc Party join The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust’s United By Music Tour

Virgin Radio

27 Jun 2023, 12:16

Sam Ryder and Bloc Party will be performing special, one-off shows, at some of the UK's best small venues, as part of The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust’s United By Music Tour.

The best entry to Eurovision from the UK in years and the indie icons both join an already tantalising list of names.

Blossoms, Metronomy and Cat Burns are among some of the previously announced artists set to perform shows as part of the tour, which aim to raise money to support grass roots music venues across the UK.

Speaking about taking part, Sam Ryder said: “These are the venues where myself and so many of my pals started at and still play. They are crucial for young artists getting into the music industry to be able to experiment across the entire spectrum of musical genres, and to go out and cut their teeth in front of real-life people and create connections that live in the physical world. Can’t wait to come sing my head off with you all and celebrate what music is all about - connection.”

The Space Man singer will be making an appearance at local staple, Chinnerys in Southend on 8th September.

Elsewhere, Bloc Party will play a special show at The Hairy Dog in Derby on the 20th July.

Ahead of the performance, frontman Kele Okereke said: “Bloc Party played so many small venues in our formative years – they’re so important to help new and young artists develop their set and build a fanbase. It’s a real treat to be able play a sweaty little room again after the arenas we’ve spent the past few months in, and we’ve heard The Hairy Dog is a really important part of the community in Derby, so we can’t wait to be there.”

This is the third year The National Lottery has partnered with Music Venue Trust, underwriting the full touring and production costs of artists participating, as part of their ongoing commitment to the grassroots music sector and takes the total money committed to £5.5m.

Mark Dayvd, CEO of Music Venue Trust said: “The partnership between The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust is delivering desperately needed support to Grassroots Music Venues right across the country in a very difficult and challenging year. By investing directly into artists and venues, creating hundreds of new shows and one off events, the United by Music Tour is making sure that everyone can continue to access the very best live music in their local community.”

Adding to why the tour is so important, recent guest on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch and The Lightning Seeds singer, Ian Broudie, said: "Grassroots music venues are integral to the future of music and need to be supported, which is why I’m delighted that The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust have extended the tour to the rest of the UK.”

For the schedule of gigs and for more information on The National Lottery’s United By Music UK Tour, please visit: unitedbymusic.live

All tickets will be 2-for-1 for National Lottery players to thank them for their ongoing support of The Music Venue Trust.