An iconic Bristol music venue is set to reopen as part of a nationwide initiative which sees communities investing in grassroots music venues across the UK.
The Crofters Rights, which closed its doors in July 2024, will reopen under its former name – The Croft – as part of new plans.
The news comes after BristolLive reported local music lovers had been speculating the future of the venue when strange signs were put up on the building earlier this week, hinting at an announcement on May 15.
Now it has been announced that The Croft is one of seven venues in the country to be part of the Own Our Venues initiative, led by Music Venue Properties.
This is described as focusing on 'removing grassroots music venues from vulnerable commercial leases by placing them into community ownership', with the aim of 'providing long-term stability to venues that are essential for fostering local talent and providing cultural value to existing, local infrastructure'.
Between May 15 and July 31, music lovers and locals can invest via a Crowdfunder, which has a target of £1m to go towards these venues – the much loved Stokes Croft venue being one of them.
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The Croft, which was established in 2000, was a hugely popular live music venue in the city, known and loved for its intimate 110-capacity live room and 250-capacity club space.
Some of the biggest names in the world of music played here early on in their careers, including the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, Ed Sheeran, Idles, and Bring Me The Horizon.
It later began operating as The Crofters Rights until what was initially said to be a 'temporary closure' that was only supposed to last through the month of August 2024 – but its reopening never came.
Marc Griffiths, the man behind Bristol independent company World Famous Dive Bars (and who you may recognise as being the figure behind the iconic drinks deals at some of the city's best loved venues) said: “We are really excited to be working with Music Venue Properties and the team at Exchange to bring The Croft back to Bristol.
"The team at World Famous Dive Bars are made up of musicians, promoters and music fans and we all see that a huge hole has been left in the Bristol grassroots music ecosystem since The Crofters Rights closed in August 2024.
"We are honoured to be part of the effort to bring back this vital, and quite frankly legendary, grassroots music venue through community ownership.”
Following the success of its first campaign in 2023, which raised £2.88 million and secured the future of venues including The Snug in Atherton, The Ferret in Preston, Le Pub in Newport, The Bunkhouse in Swansea and The Booking Hall in Dover, Music Venue Properties says it is once again calling on music lovers and local communities to take action in order to protect vital cultural spaces.
The scheme details how a ‘cultural lease’ provides long-term security by offering stability that typical commercial leases, averaging just 18 months, cannot.
It goes on to say that such leases 'ensure fair, sustainable rent, annual contributions toward essential maintenance, and ongoing support in areas such as financial sustainability and operational best practice', adding that this comprehensive support helps venues 'focus on their mission to bring music to their local communities while shielding them from the financial pressures of the commercial lease market'.
Music Venue Properties have announced plans to acquire a further seven venues with a combined history of more than 150 years of hosting gigs, via a second community share offer, through this current Crowdfunder which, at time of writing, has already raised more than £100,000 in its first few hours.
This will focus on the purchase of longstanding, iconic music spaces such as The Croft in Bristol, as well as Esquires in Bedford, The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent, The Joiners in Southampton, Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham, The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle and The Pipeline in Brighton.
The Crowdfunder says: "In 2023, more than 1,300 passionate music fans came together to prove that we can change the future of live music. Now, we’re doing it again, and this time, you can be part of something even bigger.
"We’re on a mission to permanently secure the future of grassroots music venues by changing how they’re owned. These iconic spaces, where artists get their start, where fans make unforgettable memories, shouldn’t be at the mercy of landlords, developers, or short-term commercial interests.
"We believe these vital venues should belong to all of us, the musicians who fill them with sound, the fans who bring them to life, the communities who rely on them.
"When we own our venues, we protect their future. We create stability, foster creativity, and ensure that the heart of live music culture beats strong for generations to come.
"Invest in a future where our venues are safe, sustainable, and secure, forever. Let’s Own Our Venues. Together."
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