MVT & Coca-Cola To Send Artists On Grassroots Venue Tour

Music Venue Trust (MVT) and Coca Cola have announced a partnership that will see the drinks brand support the grassroots music community going forward.

For a start, Coca Cola will fund a series of gigs organized by the MVT. First up is Cheshire-born Casey Lowry, who’ll headline a run of 13 shows starting at Moles in Bath, England, Sept. 27, 2023, and closing at KOKO London, Oct. 23. All dates below.

Tickets aren’t on sale, but can be won by buying a 500ml Coke Zero, or Coke Zero Cherry and scanning the QR code on the in-store display of any Co-op store. The promotion ends Aug. 22.

Coca Cola are paying all costs associated with the show, including “a generous hire fee, which more than covers the venue’s full costs,” Pollstar was told upon request.

There were no plans of selling tickets at the time of writing. Should that change, the venue would keep the ticket income, as well. “For venues, this is a 360 deal guaranteeing them a full capacity event with high bar take at no risk,” Pollstar was told.

Casey Lowry commented, “If it wasn’t for grassroots music venues, I wouldn’t have a career in music. They provide a springboard for every emerging artist and keep the culture alive. Having Coca-Cola on board with MVT will have a huge impact on keeping these awesome indie venues alive and helping the next wave of music come through. We should celebrate this! It’s a huge deal and I feel honored to be playing.”

Paul Hiskens, associate director of partnerships and sponsorships at Coca-Cola, commented, “Coca-Cola has a wealth of historical involvement in music and this summer has seen us give music fans a number of epic experiences at festivals across Europe. But we recognize that the festival artists of tomorrow need to play in the grassroots venues of today and by partnering with Music Venue Trust we will help support the venues in a number of ways moving forward.

“In our first activity we have funded a series of gigs to allow venues to raise funds, alongside giving fans of Coke Zero an unforgettable night out – and hope that they continue to support these venues ongoing, as we will”

Mark Davyd, CEO of MVT, added, “This is the start of an incredibly important partnership with Coca Cola which we hope will bring support to grassroots music venues right across the country. Every local community deserves access to an excellent live music experience right on their doorstep. This project demonstrates how MVT can work with great partners to make that happen and keep music live right across the UK.”

Casey Lowry’s 13-date England Run

Sept. 27 – Bath – Moles
Sept. 28 – Hitchin – Club 85
Sept. 30 – Scunthorpe – Café Indie

Oct. 1 – Sunderland – Independent
Oct. 2 – Dunfermline – PJ Molloys
Oct. 3 – York – The Crescent Community Venue
Oct. 5 – Huddersfield – The Parrish
Oct. 6 – Wolverhampton – Newhampton Arts Centre
Oct. 18 – Brighton – Patterns
Oct. 19 – Guildford – The Boileroom
Oct. 20 – Bournemouth – Madding Crowd
Oct. 21 – Swansea – The Bunkhouse
Oct. 23 – London – KOKO