Why do we need the money and how will we spend it?
The Lab, along with MANY other grassroots venues, is struggling financially. It’s always been a struggle to run an independent music venue, but the impacts of covid and the cost of living crisis have hit hard and we need to secure a future.
Although we have fortunately received support from Arts Council England, Northamptonshire Community Foundation and West Northants Council, we are still in a very precarious financial situation. All project money is specifically allocated to project activity, and unfortunately very little can be allocated to overhead costs and staff wages. It is no secret that running costs have doubled in the last couple of years.
It costs us £8,000+ per month to run the venue (including staff, utilities, rent, insurance, licences,etc.)
Unfortunately the current economic situation has affected everybody, and footfall and bar spend (our main source of income), is down by at least 10% on last years figures.
We MUST address the imbalance so that we can make The Lab a sustainable business, but we need to buy some time in order to do this. We will use the money to clear arrears and allow us to build a sustainable platform going forward.
What is The Lab?
The Lab is an grassroots music & arts venue (GMV) run by the community for the community. A place to feel free and be yourself, a space where all genres, and all people can exist in harmony. It is a place for EVERYONE to partake in creativity and play.
We are a 120 capacity club in Northampton, that focuses on music and the arts. We are constituted as a co-operative, not-for-profit organisation and managed by a committee of 20 people. We host many live arts and music events spanning across ALL genres, poetry, art exhibitions, open mics, jams, brand new bands, touring bands, booming sound systems… you name it. If the community wants it to happen, we’ll host it. Welcoming diverse groups of people of all ages in an area with very mixed cultural backgrounds.
We employ 9 people part time, and have volunteer hours amounting to 200 hours per week, of people who selflessly give their time to the Lab in order to keep it running.
Why does it matter to have venues like The Lab?
It is a hub for grassroots activity. It is a community important to so many people as one of the very few places they can go to by themselves to be among others, to BE themselves authentically and make connections with others. Many people refer to The Lab as their second home, or their family. We can’t imagine how Northampton would feel without this constant hub for the community.
The Music Venues Trust describes GMVs like ours as the research and development department of the music industry. Without these venues, there would be no Beatles or Bowie. We are SO proud to be a starting block for many bands who have seen great success in different ways and also to be an intimate stop on tours for plenty of bands who are thriving in the music industry.
We provide a platform for musicians of ALL genres to explore and develop their craft. Playing gigs is about practising performing your music without crumbling into a nervous wreck in front of the audience. It’s about learning what your music really means to you.
Creating and expressing ourselves is a means of our spirit thriving.
It is widely accepted that children must play in order to be healthy individuals and in order to develop. We have a very strong feeling that play is supposed to continue into adulthood, all the way through our lives. This is what makes the difference between being alive, and LIVING! All of the participatory opportunities that we provide, spoken word, jam nights, art jams can be enjoyed: either as an opportunity to hone your craft as part of your career journey; or equally as an outlet for self expression, with the associated growth through self knowledge and self challenge that this brings; or just as a chance to connect with other humans.
The Lab strives to create an environment that allows people to build connections, integral to our survival as an interdependent species.