We are Sheffield's home for collaboration through Music, Art & Culture.
Without your assistance we are set to close our doors for good and lose our home. But, it’s not just our home, it’s the home of many creatives who rely on its survival to keep their livelihoods secure.
Our DIY ethos has meant we have rarely asked for help before but this is serious. The situation is critical. The timing is imminent.
We form a self built community of creative individuals who work together to bring an authentic underground DIY venue experience to Sheffield.
We closed in March and our entire years worth of scheduled events had to be put on hold as everything descended into absolute chaos. The entire music industry took a hit and we were right up there on the front lines while the infrastructure around us came crumbling down in quick succession.
We are heading straight into winter now and we won't make it.
It will be catastrophic for Sheffield and the night time economy of our great city if the venue doesn't make it's survival into 2021.
We are one of the 30 venues in the UK highlighted by the MVT being at immediate risk of closure and we really don't want to be on that list.
We are still none the wiser as to when we can get back to our proper shows and it's going to seem like an eternity before we are at anything like our normal capacity and level of operation but that's not the most important aspect of what we do at Dryad Works.
Our music venue risks permanent closure because after struggling through the best part of 2020 dealing with the last 8 months of reduced capacity, closures, cancellations and 10pm curfews it has filled our future with uncertainty.
We don't qualify for Furlough.
We don't qualify for Bounce Back Loans.
We weren't successful in our Cultural Recovery Fund bid either.
We have been knocked back at every hurdle and this is our last hope for a chance to survive.
Your donations will be used to:
- Cover our basic monthly running costs to keep the Dryad venue alive and securely stable until March 2021.
- Our basic monthly running costs to keep the venue alive including wages and overheads and current debtors are £5,000.
- We haven't been able to pay any of our utility bills since May and as such we are now about to have our water supply disconnected and our electricity supplier is sending the bailiffs to our venue.
- Our roof is leaking and our brickwork needs major repair work to ensure the safety of the building through winter. This was supposed to be taking place over summer at a price of £6000 but we have had to knock this back and now the building is suffering severely.
Since opening in 2018 we have had the pleasure of hosting a countless number of world renowned artists from around the globe including but not limited to Midland, Dr Rubinstein, OK Williams, Roi Perez, Batu, Peach, Spectrasoul, Hologenix, Breakage, DLR, Break, Vivek, Peverelist, Coco Bryce, Joker, Kaiju and many more.
We offer creative workspace and development opportunities to over 15 independent sound systems, artists, designers and creative individuals including some of the oldest and most respected names in the Sheffield sound system community such as Sinai Sound System, KomatiK Audio & Raze Sound System.
We have achieved all this in just 24 months and now we are in a dire situation that forces us to seek help or face immediate closure.
We miss being able to offer the quirky, super safe and inclusive night and day time social spot we've built as a community over the last 2 years. We miss having people traveling from all over the UK just to stand in our smoking area making friends for life and above all we miss the music, the energy, the passion, the want.... We miss YOU!
The shared memories. The physical experiences of community and togetherness and unity. The dim lit warehouse where we get lost in our own worlds and enjoy those important moments together. We make memories together at Dryad Works. It's a celebration of life and the people in it. It's celebrating our freedom and our individual wants and needs. Our love and want to connect with other human beings will never die. We do it all through Music, Art & Culture.
This is Dryad Works.
We are your venue.
The dance will be done.
The show will go on.
But only with your help!
During the last 8 months, Music Venue Trust and Crowdfunder have worked together to prevent the closure of hundreds of grassroots music venues. With no end to the crisis in sight, we are now refocusing that work to spotlight those venues under most imminent threat of permanent closure. The #SaveOurVenues Red List highlights the grassroots music venues at most risk.
Right now.
We’ve checked all the available funding, financial support, furlough schemes, business support for these venues, and what is on offer is not enough to prevent them being lost. These 30 venues are on the Critical List and need your help.
These grassroots venues play a crucial role in the development of British music, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their careers and develop their music and their performance skills. These venues also play a vital role in the cultural and economic vibrancy of any village, town or city.
REWARDS
There's plenty of exclusive rewards from us and our partners available. The Music Venue Trust have created Save Our Venues Merchandise including T-Shirts, Face Masks, Snoods and more which can be chosen as a reward for a donation to our CrowdFunder.
