Jeremy Corbyn Promises To Protect Independent UK Music Venues

The leader of the Labour party has revealed plans to back support for independent music venues in the UK. Speaking to The Independent, the potential future prime minister has voiced concerns about the trend in music venue closures in recent years. 

“What you have is a number of independent venues, sometimes pubs, cafes, so on, that have become almost informal live music venues,” he said, “and the small cafe does well and ‘hey presto’ along comes Costa, Starbucks, Nero or something to take it over.”

Corbyn continues: “[It’s] the same with pubs, which are often very reluctant to have live music on. Those live venues are absolutely crucial to the future of the music scene. So the £1,000 pub-licensing rebate is a good thing – we want to extend that a lot further.”

Jeremy Corbyn has had major backing from grime artists recently and he believes these artists see "a sense of hope" in his leadership campaign. 

“I think what they see in us is a preparedness to engage in youth and do something for young people as a whole. It’s a sense of hope from us,”

Corbyn continued on his campaign this week enlisting Patrick Topping for a rally yesterday. The UK DJ played a 30 minute set to encourage young voters to use their voice. Corbyn's rallies have also included electronic maestro Floating Points. 

See a clip of Patrick Toppings set here