Birkenhead live music venue Future Yard is just £150,000 short of the £3m it needs to create a new 600-capacity indoor venue and has launched a crowdfunder to fill the gap. Tony McDonough reports
Birkenhead live music venue Future Yard will start work on a new 600 capacity indoor venue this spring and is looking to raise the final £150,000 it needs.
Future Yard, which opened during the pandemic and has already hosted more than 900 shows, has launched a fundraising campaign to plug the cash gap in the £3m project at its existing location which will also include 12 flexible studio spaces.
Called Build Our Future, the fundraiser will launch on February 27 and will contribute 50% to the construction costs and 50% to support Future Yard’s Neighbourhood Ticket Scheme, alongside the organisation’s skills and training programme.
And on March 6 to 8 there will also be a 48-hour fundraising concert – 48 Hour Party People – to support the fundraising drive.
Since opening, Future Yard has evolved into a grassroots music success story. As a live music venue it has hosted almost 900 shows, providing a stage to over 3500 artists, from Mercury Prize winners to as-yet-unheard local talent.
OMD, Gruff Rhys, Nadine Shah, English Teacher, The Coral, Doves, Black Country New Road and Nubiyan Twist have been presented alongside a unique blend of Ethiopian Jazz, American Blues, Peruvian Psych, French Pop, Japanese Drone, Brazilian Tropicália and Indian Minimalism.
This expanded venue will allow for higher profile acts, giving Future Yard a more sustainable financial footing and will reduce the risk around open air concerts, weather factors and noise limitations.
Built into Future Yard’s work is a commitment to nurturing music talent. The flexible studio spaces will allow it to expand its training, music education provision and encourage a love of music in young people who have no access to music education.
Last year alone, 1,443 children attended Future Yard’s Sunday-morning Mosh Tots shows, making live music accessible to kids and young families.
And 166 young people took part in Sound Check, an inclusive music training programme in live sound, lighting, stage management and event production.
Through mentorship, workshops and performance opportunities, the Propeller programme supports the development of local music creators, and 75 local artists received tailored support last year.
New Noise is where the next generation of music makers begin. Every Saturday, young people aged 11 to 16 take over Future Yard to explore instruments, write songs, and play the music they love.
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Craig Pennington, Future Yard CIC director and co-founder, said: “We are launching this crowdfunder at a moment when we’re aware of the pressures on live music venues and on music education.
“With support from Wirral Council and Arts Council England we are almost there, this just helps us to get over the line.”
“Living in this part of the world you are always very aware about the legacy of access to music, and the importance of learning from a young age, what music and being a musician can do.”