Glastonbury lights up Pyramid Stage in support of live music sector

Glastonbury‘s Pyramid Stage was among the many UK venues to be lit up red last night in support of the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign.

  • Read More: Primal Scream’s Simone Marie Butler on the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign: “We need you all to come together”

On Sunday evening (July 5), the UK government unveiled plans to inject £1.57billion into the nation’s arts, culture and heritage industries in order to help them “weather the impact of coronavirus”.

Following the announcement, the Association Of Independent Festivals (AIF) told NME that they had been unable to get reassurance that festivals will be able to access this money, calling for “urgent clarity” over how the emergency fund will be distributed.

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While details remain scarce, the #LightItInRed campaign – first announced on June 27 – decided to go through with their plans as they “await clarification about what [the rescue package] means for freelancers, suppliers and those in the wider and events industry”.

“We continue to light buildings red this evening to show we are still standing by to reopen,” organisers wrote.

Among those taking part was Glastonbury Festival, whose iconic Pyramid Stage’s structure was illuminated red. Others venues to be lit up were the National Theatre in London, Brighton Dome, the Eden Sessions’ biomes and Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s – check out the images below.

 

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“Last night, buildings, structures & monuments – including the Pyramid Stage – were lit in red to highlight the plight of the UK events industry and urge the government to support the sector,” Glastonbury captioned an image of the stage.

LightItInRed wrote: “By lighting their buildings, or buildings in their region, red in order to draw attention to the dramatic situation in the event industry we can make a statement that can’t be ignored. We were the first ones out, and will be the last ones back in.”

You can find more information here.

Announcing the emergency package on Sunday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden explained: “Our arts and culture are the soul of our nation. They make our country great and are the lynchpin of our world-beating and fast-growing creative industries. I understand the grave challenges the arts face and we must protect and preserve all we can for future generations.”

Last week, more than 1,500 artists and industry figures came together to call on the government to stop “catastrophic damage” to live music as part of the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign. Among them was Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis, who warned that “if the Government doesn’t step up and support the British arts, we could lose vital aspects of our culture forever.”

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