Jeremy Corbyn and Zand announce gig at Sheffield’s Leadmill to support grassroots venues

2 August, 2023

Jeremy Corbyn poses for a portrait following the event 'Tax the Rich. Equilibrar la balanza fiscal' and Zand in their 'I Spit On Your Grave' official music video

Zand and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have announced details of a show at Sheffield’s Leadmill venue, in a bid to support grassroots venues.

The upcoming gig is held as part of the Music For The Many campaign and will be located at the historic Leadmill venue in Sheffield on Saturday, August 19.

According to the announcement on Facebook, Zand – who emerged onto the scene with their ‘Ugly Pop’ EP – is set to perform at the live gig, while the former leader of the Labour Party “will be in attendance to introduce the evening and highlight the importance and plight of grassroots music venues”.

An iconic venue in the South Yorkshire city, Leadmill opened in 1980 and has since hosted shows from legendary artists including Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon and The Killers. However, the future of the venue came under threat, after the owners of the building were issued an eviction notice.

Following the announcement, various campaigns were launched in a bid to save the historic spot, and support came from the likes of Jarvis Cocker, as well as Arctic Monkeys and Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes.

We're delighted to announce a very special one-off show from alt-pop rulebreaker ZAND this August, presented by former…

Posted by The Leadmill on Monday, July 31, 2023

Now, the upcoming gig with Zand and Corbyn follows news of the new ‘Battle For The Soul Of Sheffield’ initiative which launched last week, fighting against the eviction.

Announcing the event, Corbyn said (via The Corbyn Project): “Exciting new artists like ZAND are just part of the reason the government must do more to protect venues like The Leadmill. Without them, wonderful talents like ZAND will not be able to develop their craft and build up support to advance their careers.”

He continued, adding: “This campaign has gone from strength to strength since its launch, bringing together communities who are passionate about music and the arts to defend these vital spaces – and will continue to do so until the long-term, sustainable futures of grassroots music venues are secured.”

He also took to his Twitter (X) page to promote the upcoming show, describing it as a way to “fight back” against “government underfunding and greedy landlords”.

Zand also agreed, re-sharing the update and writing: “[This is] the ultimate crossover. come thru Sheffield!!!!!” Tickets are available now and can be found here.

This isn’t the first time that Corbyn has spoken out against the planned changes installed for the Sheffield venue. Back in May 2022, he joined a campaign to save the venue, and shared a video filmed inside the location, origin people to save the “fantastic music venue”.

“I’m here in The Leadmill in Sheffield, founded in [the] 1980s. Fantastic music venue. Fantastic place for poetry… entertainment, education, activation, everything,” he said at the time. “Giving people a place to meet, a place to come together in a fantastic musical event and atmosphere.

“And it’s now threatened with closure next year. But none of us want it closed. So, sign the petition. Get behind it, get yourself active and save The Leadmill!”

The video was shared by The Peace & Justice Project, which demands a long-term and sustainable future for the UK’s grassroots music venues. The campaign also asks supporters to write to their local MP to stop the eviction plans.

“Many grassroots music venues and theatres around the country are at risk of closure. Without these absolutely invaluable community assets, millions of people would be deprived of the opportunity to experience live music and theatre, as well as creative spaces to nurture talent,” a description on the site reads.

“Last year, 22 million people saw live music at grassroots music venues and brought £500m into the UK economy. However, operating costs ran at over £499m, leaving a profit margin of only 0.2%.” Find out more about the campaign here.

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