Frank Turner found belonging as a teenager in grassroots music venues. Yet here he is, delivering the same trademark energy in a tiny room, proving why small venues still matter to him. Turner has long been one of the most outspoken defenders of the UK’s grassroots music scene. Business rates, rising rents, residential conversions and the cost of living crisis have led to125 music venue closures in 2023. If they spent 10% of that on grassroots music, all our problems would be solved.” For Turner, these small venues form a hidden backbone of the arts world: overlooked yet vital.