Kathryn Schoon.
A citizen investor campaign to buy the building that houses Sheffield-based queer and community arts venue Gut Level has been successful, securing their presence in the city for the long term.
The Music Venue Trust’s (MVT) Own Our Venues campaign, which is attempting to build “a National Trust for music venues”, have today added Gut Level and Leeds venue Northern Guitars to their portfolio, bringing their total acquisitions nationwide to nine.
“We’ve been saved from the very real threat of the building being sold from underneath us, and are being moved onto a 25-year cultural lease, joining a growing national portfolio of venues that are stewarded and protected by the MVP, in perpetuity,” wrote Gut Level, in an email to members.
“For a long time, building security has felt like a distant dream. Now we have long term stability and a supportive landlord, via an ownership mechanism that has community interest and co-operative principles baked into its legal structure.”
every building in our city holds radical potential, but unlocking it will require diligently chipping away at dominant capitalist models
Other venues already secured through the project include The Ferret in Preston, The Croft in Bristol and The Joiners in Southampton, but Gut Level and Northern Guitars are the first two Yorkshires spaces in the portfolio.
The MVT say that by buying the buildings housing these venues, they’re able to remove them from the risks of the commercial property market and safeguard their future as vital cultural assets for local communities.
Since Own Our Venues launched in 2022, more than 2,500 citizen investors, including Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, Katie Melua and members of the Marshall Amps family, have raised in excess of £7 million.
As well as raising £1.5 million in their latest investment round, which secured the future of the two Yorkshire venues, the MVT have also successfully applied for £1 million from the government for renovation and improvement works across the buildings they now own.
Frazer (second left) and Katie (right) said they were “thrilled to make this official”.
Gut Level.
In their members email, Gut Level said that “every building in our city holds radical potential, but unlocking it will require diligently chipping away at dominant capitalist models and moving towards alternatives that build real community wealth, reclaim ownership of our city’s assets for the common good, and invest in collectivism ahead of the challenges to come.”
Music fans can still invest in the project, which is planning to make further acquisitions in the near future, and the MVT say the purchase of the Gut Level and Northern Guitars buildings will be celebrated with a special programme of events at each venue.
“We’re particularly proud to welcome our first Yorkshire venues into the Own Our Venues portfolio,” said Chris Sherrington of the MVT. “These venues are much more than places to see live music; they are important community assets that support artists, bring people together, and make a significant contribution to both the cultural identity of their local areas and the UK’s wider music ecosystem.”
Frazer Scott and Katie Matthews, two of Gut Level’s co-founders, said they were “thrilled to make this official, and become part of Music Venue Properties’ growing network of community-owned venues.”
Gut Level moved into their current Chapel Walk space in May 2024.
“Gut Level has always championed new ways of doing things, so the principles of community ownership felt like a natural fit. Having long-term security and a supportive landlord is a gamechanger, giving us the confidence to invest in the space, plan for the future and continue supporting Sheffield’s grassroots music scene.
“This stability will benefit not only the venue, but also the many people who use Gut Level to create, organise, connect and celebrate. It’s a huge win for our community – and for Sheffield’s weirdos.”