Music: The #SaveOurVenues Campaign, and Idlewild's Rod Jones on the London gig that made them

Leading music industry figures are issuing an urgent plea to protect small venues facing collapse amid the pandemic. The coronavirus and lockdown measures have forced scores of live music homes in London to temporarily close since March. The CEO of the Music Venue Trust, Mark Davyd, tells us seven sites in London are now on red alert, with permanent closure imminent if action isn't taken. He says they've launched the #SaveOurVenuesCampaign to encourage the public to help. 

We also speak to Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones, whose band was supposed to be playing in Brixton this month as part of their 25th anniversary tour. He tells us about the London gig that led to them being signed in the first place. He also reveals how he persuaded acts like Belle and Sebastian and the Proclaimers to let their out of work crews re-record classic hits for the "Whole Lotta Roadies" album, which is raising awareness and money for a hardship fund to help the behind-the-scenes gig workers who haven't had a job for nearly a year. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.