Returning to the stage

London’s cultural and business sectors come together to launch Revive Live program in support of the city’s music industry

Photo: Eastside Bar & Grill is one of the venues participating in the Revive Live program

IT’S BEEN A long year since anybody was last able to squeeze in shoulder-to-shoulder for a show at the London Music Hall, or caught a local band down at the Richmond Tavern, but a new tourism program dubbed Revive Live wants to resurrect that feeling, bringing you back into your favourite London venues — albeit virtually for now.

The Revive Live program will be broadcasting concerts from some of London’s many well-loved venues — London Music Hall, Eastside Bar & Grill, 765 Old East. Created through a collective of various civic agencies — the London Music Office, the London Arts Council, the London Economic Development Corporation, the Downtown London BIA and others — the program is envisioned both as a way to support the 1,000 or so jobs tied to live music, to support musicians, and as a bridge to get the industry to the other side of the pandemic. (Think of it like a kick-off tour for the gradual return of live music.)

“Prior to the pandemic, London’s live music industry was growing steadily with 4,700-plus events held annually in London while employing nearly 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs [not including musicians],” says Cory Crossman, music industry development officer for The City of London. “The live music industry was one of the hardest hit by this pandemic and will be one of the last to recover. Revive Live will jumpstart a portion of the local economy offering support to the live music sector on the road to recovery.”

Phase One of the Revive Live series will see several concerts broadcast on Saturday nights, with shows headlined by Texas King, Sum-01, The Rizdales, Uptown Affair and Heart Attack Kids. All five planned concerts are free to view.

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While it can’t put on live shows just yet, Revive Live says it intends to be involved in getting audiences back in these venues for real live shows.

“Getting the full live music sector working again is a priority,” says Crossman. “Music is the heartbeat to London’s cultural community and Revive Live is a commitment to safely bring back London’s music ecology. It is important to invest in the talented people behind the scenes that make the live music possible in our city.”

Click here to view a list of the Phase One events. Kieran Delamont